The Divorcepath Document Editor is a browser-based editor that allows you to view and edit DOCX documents directly within Divorcepath, without needing Microsoft Word or any other desktop software. It is designed specifically for working with legal documents such as court forms, agreements, and financial statements.
Opening a Document in the Editor
To open a document in the editor:
- Select Documents & Forms in the client file's sidebar.
- In the document library, click the name of the document you wish to edit.
- The document will open in the Document Editor.
When you create a court form, financial statement, or agreement with Open in Editor switched on, the new document opens in the editor automatically. To leave the editor, click Close Document at the top of the side panel.
Editor Layout
The editor interface is divided into three main areas:
- Toolbar — located at the top of the editor, below the document title. The toolbar provides undo and redo, font and font size, bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, text alignment, text colour, highlighting, tables, images, and more formatting options such as lists and indents. It also includes Find, Compare versions, Save As, Download DOCX, and Download PDF.
- Document Canvas — the central area where the document content is displayed. You can click anywhere in the document to begin editing. The canvas renders the document with accurate page layout, including headers, footers, and page breaks. Use the zoom controls at the bottom of the canvas to zoom in or out, fit the page to the window, and see which page you are on.
- Side panel — located on the left side of the editor. It shows the document name, how many of the document's fields are filled in, and the list of panels. Click a panel name to open it in the side panel, and click Back to return to the list.
Available Panels
The editor includes panels that assist with different aspects of document editing:
- Document Data — displays the fields in the document, grouped by topic, showing the values that were mapped from the client profile. You can search for a field, click it to find it in the document, and review or edit its value. Fields whose values differ from the client profile are flagged for review.
- Review Draft — runs drafting checks on the document and lists items that may need your attention.
- Changes — lists suggested changes to the document so that you can review, accept, or reject them.
- Sections — for documents built from sections, such as agreements, lets you include or exclude sections and clauses and preview a section's contents.
- Calculations — displays automatic calculations within the document, such as income and property totals in financial statements. Calculations update when the underlying data changes.
- History — lists versions of the document that Divorcepath saves automatically. You can compare a version with the current document or restore it.
Auto-Save
The Document Editor saves your changes automatically as you work. You do not need to manually save the document. A save status beside the document title shows when changes are being saved. This ensures that your work is not lost, even if you close the browser.
How the Editor Differs from Microsoft Word
The Divorcepath Document Editor is purpose-built for legal document workflows and differs from Microsoft Word in several ways:
- It runs entirely in your browser, so there is nothing to install or update.
- It is integrated with client data, allowing fields to be automatically populated and updated.
- It includes panels for managing document data, sections, calculations, and versions that are not available in Word.
- It supports a focused set of formatting options tailored to legal documents, rather than the full feature set of a general-purpose word processor.
If you need Word for a particular edit, click Edit in Word Online in the side panel.
Supported Formatting
The editor supports the formatting options most commonly used in legal documents:
- Bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough text styles
- Font and font size
- Text alignment (left, centre, right, justified)
- Text colour and highlighting
- Numbered and bulleted lists, indents, and line spacing
- Tables and images
- Headers and footers
- Page breaks
Getting Started
If this is your first time using the Document Editor, the best way to get started is to open a document and explore the interface. Click on the document canvas to place your cursor and begin typing. Use the toolbar buttons to apply formatting, and try opening the panels in the side panel to see the additional tools available. The editor is designed to be intuitive, so you can start working with documents right away.
