I am tying to use a suggestion that Bob posted elsewhere in the support forum recommending using a master Q&A table for common client types (i.e., estate planning) to allow users to easily reuse form data across multiple forms. This approach is appealing to me as it is both logical and will help decrease potential data entry errors by consolidating data entry into one Q&A table for each client. I started updating my forms this weekend to facilitate the master Q&A approach, and have run into a structural question, which relates mainly to instances where independent documents will need to be created for multiple parties.
Let's say, for the sake of simplicity, that an estate plan consists of a last will and testament and a letter to my client summarizing its contents. It is very common to represent a husband and a wife (or both partners in a same-sex couple) in their estate planning. My master Q&A table, then, needs to have all relevant information for spouse #1 (general information and information relating to that individual's estate plan), as well as all relevant information for spouse #2. The data for one spouse, not surprisingly, is often different than that for the other spouse. So, I really need to have separate fields for each spouse's data (I do not think I could include information for spouse #1 and spouse #2 in a two field list-type answer).
Accordingly, I have separated the master Q&A table by dividers for spouse #1 and spouse #2, with each spouse's data entered independently using similar - but not identical - fields. To actually use this data in my last will and testament form, I need to find a way to tell the form tool to look only at the data entered for spouse #1 or for spouse #2. This has made it difficult for me to code my template last will and testament. I suppose I could make every field in the form conditional, but this will take a very long time given the complexity of the document and the number of fields, lists, and conditions already in the form.
So, my question is, what do you think would be the best way to use a master Q&A table that would allow me to have one last will and testament, which could use a master Q&A data to create a finished document for spouse #1 and another for spouse #2 (I do not want to have a spouse #1 will and a spouse #2 will). I would like to maintain separate - although similar - fields for each spouse so that I can automate the summary letter that I send them. As an aside, I believe that my forms are far to complex to use a list answer to create a document for spouse #1 and one for spouse #2 (Here: http://service.theformtool.com/entries/25079911-Can-we-use-Conditions-to-build-an-entirely-different-document-). However, if you think that can work for even complex documents, I am all ears.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.