Exporting & Sharing Documents

Once you have finished editing a document in Divorcepath, you can export it in several formats, create copies, return to earlier versions, and share it with other professionals. This article covers all of the options available for getting your documents out of the editor and into the hands of the people who need them.

Exporting as PDF

To export a document as a PDF:

1. Open the document in the Document Editor.
2. Click Download PDF (the PDF icon) at the right end of the toolbar.
3. The PDF will be generated and downloaded to your computer.

PDF export preserves the document's formatting, page layout, headers, footers, and tables as they appear in the editor. PDF is the preferred format for filing documents with the court or sending finalised documents to clients.

Exporting as DOCX

To download the document as a DOCX file:

1. Open the document in the Document Editor.
2. Click Download DOCX (the Word icon) in the toolbar.
3. The DOCX file will be downloaded to your computer.

You can also download a document without opening it: in the matter's document library, click the download icon at the start of the document's row, or choose Download from its three-dot menu.

DOCX export is useful when you need to share the document with someone who will make further edits in Microsoft Word or another word processor, or when you need to send the document to opposing counsel in an editable format.

Save As

The Save As feature allows you to create a copy of the current document with a new name:

1. Open the document in the Document Editor.
2. Click Save As in the toolbar, or choose Save as from the More document actions menu (the three dots beside the document title).
3. Enter a name for the copy. Divorcepath suggests the current name followed by “(copy)”.
4. Click Save Copy to create the copy.

The original document is preserved unchanged, and the new copy is added to the matter's document library. This is useful for creating alternative drafts, preserving a version before making significant changes, or preparing documents for different scenarios.

Version History

Divorcepath saves versions of the document automatically as you work, for example when you first open it and as your changes are saved. Unlike auto-save, which keeps only your latest changes, versions give you checkpoints you can return to later.

To work with versions:

1. Open the document in the Document Editor.
2. Open the History panel.
3. Find the version you need. You can give a version a title, star it so it is easy to find, compare it with the current document, or restore it as the latest version.

Versions are useful for tracking the evolution of a document over the course of a matter.

Sharing Documents

Documents within a client file are accessible to all team members who have access to that file. To share a document with another professional:

• Ensure the team member has access to the client file (see the client file sharing settings).
• The team member can then open Documents & Forms in the client file and open the document directly.
• For sharing with people outside your organisation, download the document as a PDF or DOCX and send it via your preferred communication method.

Document Edit Locks

To prevent conflicts when multiple team members are working on the same document, Divorcepath uses edit locks. When one user is editing a document, other team members who open it see it in read-only mode, with a note showing who is editing. Once the editing user closes the document, the lock is released and other team members can edit it.

Edit locks help ensure that changes are not accidentally overwritten and that the document remains in a consistent state.