Troubleshooting Word Document Assembly

Last reviewed: 02/08/2024
Article ID: R10650

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

This article contains information on how to troubleshoot errors encountered when creating or assembling Word Document Assembly templates.

Specific Areas to Troubleshoot

This article includes troubleshooting information for the following problems:

Assembling Documents

First determine if only a particular workstation or if all workstations are unable to assemble the document.

A particular workstation is unable to assemble the document

All workstations are unable to assemble the document

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Creating or Modifying Templates

If there are errors while creating or modifying templates, and the error is not listed in the Error Messages section, check to see if the toolbar is present or if it is not responding.

Toolbar is not Present

There are several reasons why the PracticeMaster toolbar may not be present. The following provides reasons and solutions to help you identify why the PracticeMaster toolbar is missing.

Reinstall the Toolbar

If any files necessary for the toolbar to work become missing, the toolbar may not be shown in Word. Close Word, reinstall the PracticeMaster Assembly Plug-in, and try again. In the Quick Launch, search for and select "Toolbar Plug-ins," click on the Word tab, and then click the Install Assembly Plug-in button.

Missing CMTEMPLT.DOTM

If the PracticeMaster Toolbar is not present, verify that the CMTEMPLT.DOTM file is in the required Word User Templates directory, and that the Default personal templates location has been configured. This file can be copied from the PracticeMaster Current Working Directory if needed.

Document vs. Template

Verify a template file was opened and not a document file.

Creating a new template

Note: A new document template window will always indicate Document until it has been saved as a template. If the PracticeMaster Document Assembly toolbar is not present, then you may have created a new document instead of a new template.

For steps on creating a new template, refer to KB Article R11015, "How To Start a New Word Document Template." If you are editing an existing template, make sure that you are saving the edited file with a .dot or .dotm extension (.dotx is not supported).

Modifying an existing template

If an existing template is opened as a template file type, the document template window will show the name of the file, along with the .dot or .dotm extension. If an existing template is opened as a document file type, the document window will not show a file name, as it is considered a new document, and will indicate Document. Furthermore, the PracticeMaster toolbar will not be shown.

When double-clicking on a template file from Windows Explorer, the file will be opened as a document file type instead of a template file type. Making changes and saving the file will open a Save As window, which indicates that this is a new file and not the existing template that you double-clicked on. If you see the Save As window when saving an existing template file, this is a sign that something is not right.

If you have saved a template as a document file type by mistake, we do not recommend resaving the file as a template file type. You can correct this using one of the following methods:

In summary, double-clicking on a template file from Windows Explorer will not open the file as a template, but as a document. To open a template file as a template instead of a document, you can do one of the following:

Verify Trusted Locations

If the Document Assembly Toolbar is not present when editing a template in Microsoft Word, this can indicate that the template you are trying to edit is not in a trusted location.

To determine the current Trusted Locations in Word

  1. From Microsoft Word, click the File tab and click Options.
  2. Click Trust Center in the left pane of the Word Options window and click the Trust Center Settings button.
  3. Click Trusted Locations in the left pane of the Trust Center window. A list of Trusted Locations will be displayed.

You can prevent the missing toolbar issue from occurring by doing one of the following.

Create a New Template

If you receive an error when using the toolbar that is not resolved with the documented troubleshooting steps, try creating a new template file using the steps outlined in KB Article R11015, "How To Start a New Word Document Template." Copying an existing template file to create the new one will not work. Open the old template file, select and copy all text (press Ctrl+A, and then press Ctrl+C), and paste the copied information (press Ctrl+V) into the new template file. Save the new template for future use.

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Toolbar Does Not Respond

If the PracticeMaster Toolbar does not respond:

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Saving Templates

If changes are not saved to the template, or the toolbar disappears after saving a template, refer to the following.

Changes are Not Saved to Template

This is most likely due to saving changes as a document, instead of the template. Refer to the Modifying an Existing Template section.

Toolbar Disappears After Saving a Template

We have seen some cases where after saving a new template for the first time, the toolbar disappears. Try closing and reopening the Template. Subsequent saves will not affect the toolbar.

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Error Messages

Word Macro Security Messages

The following is a list of messages associated with the Word macro security settings that can be received.  For more information on security options in Word, please refer to KB article R11155, "PracticeMaster Word Document Assembly and Microsoft Word Security Information."

Resolution

Caution: Be aware that macros may contain viruses, therefore, you may want to check with your network administrator before changing the macro security setting.

The following information applies to any of the above Word macro security messages. Check the date of the STIMAIN.DOT file in the Word Startup directory.

  1. Open the Macro Settings in Word by selecting File | Options | Trust Center | Trust Center Settings | Macro Settings.
  2. Select the Disable all macros except digitally signed macros option if it was not already selected. Close Word after clicking OK and restart Word.
  3. The message, "Security Warning - Macros have been disabled" will be displayed.
  4. Restart Word. If no message is encountered, continue to the next step. If another message is received, repeat the procedure outlined in Step 2 and then restart Word again.
  5. If no messages are encountered when restarting Word, open the Word Macro Settings window again. On the Trusted Publishers tab, clear the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box if it was cleared prior to Step 1.

More Information

The Word Document Assembly feature in PracticeMaster is based on macros. Therefore, you must be able to execute macros in order to assemble documents. To view the macro security settings, select File | Options | Trust Center | Trust Center Settings | Macro Settings.

You will then have the option of selecting Disable all macros without notification, Disable all macros with notification, Disable all macros except digitally signed macros, or Enable all macros (not recommended; potentially dangerous code can run).

A digital certificate allows Word Document Assembly macros to function with a macro setting of Disable all macros except digitally signed macros.

For more information regarding the digital certificate, please refer to KB article R10905, "Authenticode Digital Certificate."

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Logic Errors

If you are receiving logic errors during assembly but the Test Assembly for the template finishes successfully, check the template to see if tables are used. If tables are being used, make sure that there are no file access codes or logic statements within the table. If there are, try taking them out to determine if the logic errors are eliminated. If that is the case, the template must be coded differently such that file access codes and logic statements are not included in the table. If a table does exist in the template and does not contain file access codes or logic statements, make sure there is a hard carriage return before and after the table.

When editing logic or variable expressions, it is possible that the values for a contact variable used in the document template do not populate correctly in some situations. To prevent this issue from occurring, update the software to Version 2022 (Build 22.2.18.2113) or later.

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Word Not Responding

When launching Word Document Assembly while Word is not currently running, Word may appear to freeze. When this happens, PracticeMaster will remain in the Document Assembly task and become non-responsive. The only way to continue is to use Windows Task Manager to force WINWORD.EXE to close.

Verify that you are running the latest version of PracticeMaster. Updates have been made to PracticeMaster Version 2020 (Release 20.3 and later) that prevent this issue. Details on the update process can be found in KB Article R10154, "How to Download Files from Tabs3 Software Download Pages."

As a workaround, make sure Word is open prior to performing Document Assembly.

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General Error Messages

Note: If the following troubleshooting steps do not resolve your error, refer to the Creating or Modifying Templates section of this article.

"ActiveX component can't create object"
This message can occur when assembling a document using any version of PracticeMaster under certain circumstances.
  • To allow document assembly, confirm that the workstation user has full rights to the Tabs3 Software local installation directory.
  • If the user does have full rights, confirm that the Macro Security and Active X control in Microsoft Word are not set too high.
    • You can do this in any Microsoft Office program by selecting File | Options | Trust Center | Trust Center Settings to view or change Macro Settings and ActiveX Settings.
  • If changing the above settings does not resolve the message, uninstall the Assembly Toolbar Plug-in, and then reinstall it.
    • You can do this in PracticeMaster via Quick Launch by searching for and selecting Toolbar Plug-ins, and from the Word tab clicking the Uninstall Assembly Plug-in button. (Note: Word must be restarted after uninstalling/reinstalling the Assembly Toolbar Plug-in.)

Note: This error can also be caused by antivirus software blocking the toolbar plug-in. One product known to cause this issue is Cylance Antivirus. If disabling or uninstalling the antivirus software on the workstation prevents this error, then the antivirus software must be configured to provide exceptions for the blocked file or files (e.g., stmain.dot, pmdoclink.xla, etc.).

"All PracticeMaster windows must be closed when designing or testing MS Word templates"
   ...or...
"This action is not allowed when other PracticeMaster tasks are active. Please close any open PracticeMaster windows."
This message indicates a version of STIMAIN.DOT that is older than the version of PracticeMaster currently installed is being used. The STIMAIN.DOT file being used needs to be updated to the one installed to the PracticeMaster Current Working Directory.

This message can also be displayed when creating or modifying templates in Microsoft Word using the PracticeMaster Assembly Toolbar. To create or modify a template, all other PracticeMaster tasks must be closed.
The Word Document Assembly option is not available in the Quick Clicks pane
This situation occurs when the client record for which you want to assemble a Word document is accessed via the drill-down functionality of a report, or multiple client records are selected in the List tab of the Client file. To resolve this situation, open the Client file and locate the client on the List tab. Be sure to only select one client record, and then select the Word Document Assembly option in the Take Action group of the Quick Clicks pane. Alternatively, you can initiate the document assembly from the Matter Manager.
"Ambiguous name detected: tmp.dde"
Rename the NORMAL.DOT file located in the Word User Templates directory, and restart Microsoft Word. The NORMAL.DOT file will be recreated when Word restarts.
"Automation error.  Invalid callee."
This message usually occurs if other error messages were first encountered.  Close PracticeMaster and Microsoft Word and then try again.  If you continue to receive this message, you may need to reboot the workstation.
"Automation error.  Call was canceled by the message filter."
The Show Assembly prompt was removed beginning with PracticeMaster Version 19. If you receive this error during Document Assembly, update to PracticeMaster Version 19 or later. If you update the software, reinstall the Word Document Assembly toolbar. If updating the software and reinstalling the toolbar does not eliminate this error, please report it to our Support department at 402-419-2210.
"Automation error"
If you receive this error during Document Assembly, make sure you have the most current version of the software. If you update the software, reinstall the Word Document Assembly toolbar. If reinstalling the toolbar does not eliminate this error, please report it to our Support department at 402-419-2210.
"Can't move focus to the control because it is invisible, not enabled, or of a type that does not accept the focus."
This message can be displayed when STIMAIN.DOT is in the Word Add-ins disabled list. Removing STIMAIN.DOT from the disabled list can resolve this error. To do this, in Word select File | Options | Add-Ins.

Note: This message can also indicate that Microsoft Word is not installed locally on the workstation (i.e., the Cloud version of Microsoft 365, formerly Office 365, is in use). Microsoft Word must be installed on the same workstation as PracticeMaster in order for the Document Assembly feature to be used. See KB Article R11520, "Tabs3 Software Integration with Microsoft 365," for more information.

"Copy of STIMAIN.DOT file failed with code: -2147024864. Message: The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process."
Occurs if the STIMAIN.DOT file cannot be copied from the Current Working Directory to the specified Word Startup directory. In order to use PracticeMaster Word Document Assembly, close Word and then either 1) reinstall PracticeMaster; or 2) if running PracticeMaster on a network, run the SETUP.EXE program. Alternatively, you can manually copy STIMAIN.DOT from the Current Working Directory and paste it into the Word Startup directory.
"Could not open macro storage"
If you cannot assemble any document or you receive the above message, the NORMAL.DOT file could be corrupted.  This file stores several settings including custom styles, custom toolbars, macros, and AutoText entries.  A quick way to determine if the file is corrupt is to rename the file and then try to assemble the document again.  The NORMAL.DOT file is located in the Word User Templates directory along with your CMTEMPLT.DOTM file. If after renaming the file you are not able to assemble the document, rename the original file back to NORMAL.DOT so the settings are not lost.
"License information for this component not found.  You do not have an appropriate license to use this functionality in this design environment."
This message occurs when clicking on the Word Document Assembly toolbar buttons in Word when creating a template while logged into a computer running Windows Vista as a user without rights to edit the registry. You can resolve this error by having a user with Windows administrator rights uninstall and re-install the Microsoft Word Assembly Toolbar within PracticeMaster.

This message can also occur when Microsoft Word is run using a different elevation level than PracticeMaster. If PracticeMaster is selected to Run as Administrator, but Microsoft Word is run with standard user rights, then this message will be displayed. If PracticeMaster is selected to Run as Administrator, then Microsoft Word must also be Run as Administrator. If PracticeMaster is run without elevation, then Microsoft Word must also be run without elevation. This is because in a Windows environment, a program with elevated access cannot communicate with a program that is limited to standard user access rights in order to preserve the security of the elevated program.

Registry Settings:  If you still receive the error after trying the above solutions, you can check your registry for the registry keys documented in the Word Document Assembly section of KB Article R10710, "Registry Settings and Tabs3 Software." If these keys are not present and the above solutions did not work, the user installing the toolbar has insufficient rights to install the toolbar.

A Microsoft Visual Basic error window is shown without any text
Occurs when you click on the toolbar buttons when creating or modifying a template. When creating a new template, after selecting File | New, it is possible CMTEMPLT.DOTM was selected instead of My Templates. This opens a "document" instead of a "template". Recreate the template by choosing File | New | Personal, and then select the CMTEMPLT file.

Detailed information on creating a Word document template is available in KB Article R11015, "How To Start a New Word Document Template."

If you continue to click on the toolbar buttons after receiving this message, you may receive one of the following messages:

  • "System Error &H80010105 (-2147417851).  The server threw an exception."
  • "System Error &H800703E6 (-2147023898).  Invalid access to memory location."

After receiving any of the above messages, close PracticeMaster and Word before continuing to avoid additional unexpected results. Rebooting may be necessary.

The assembled document takes several minutes to open
Occurs when an assembled document is accessed outside of the network on which it was created.

A link that includes the location of the original coded template is maintained in a reference field of the assembled document. Therefore, when the document is sent to a computer outside of the network, the user opening the document must wait for the search to time out before the document will open. To view this link, from the Developer ribbon select Document Template. The location is listed in the Document Template field.

To resolve this situation, update to the latest version of PracticeMaster.

"Run-time error 5:  Invalid procedure call or argument"
This could occur during assembly after selecting the client and document. Uninstall the Assembly Toolbar Plug-in, and then reinstall it.
  • In the Quick Launch, search for and select "Toolbar Plug-ins," and from the Word tab click the Uninstall Assembly Plug-in button. (Note: Word must be restarted after uninstalling/reinstalling the Assembly Toolbar Plug-in.)
"Server threw an exception."
This occurs during assembly or creating templates and is a recognized conflict between Word and Norton Antivirus Software. When the "Enable Office Plug-in" option in Norton Antivirus software is selected, it can cause Word to return the message. It can also cause other unexpected errors. In order to successfully perform document assembly, you must disable this option.

This can also occur if virus scanning software is configured to scan the PracticeMaster directory. We recommend excluding the PracticeMaster directory from continuous virus scanning. For more information on how antivirus software can affect Tabs3 Software, see KB Article R10760 - Antivirus Software Information.

"System activity has been reset. You will have to exit the program."
If you receive this message in PracticeMaster after receiving an error while creating a template or assembling a document, click the OK button and open PracticeMaster again. Updating to Version 16 or later will resolve the issue.
"The macro cannot be found or has been disabled because of your Macro security settings."
Uninstall the Assembly Toolbar Plug-in, and then reinstall it.
  • In the Quick Launch, search for and select "Toolbar Plug-ins," and from the Word tab click the Uninstall Assembly Plug-in button. (Note: Word must be restarted after uninstalling/reinstalling the Assembly Toolbar Plug-in.

If uninstalling the Assembly Toolbar Plug-in does not resolve this error, refer to the Templates Cannot Be Created or Modified section for further troubleshooting.

"Type Mismatch"
Occurs during assembly. Check to see if you are attempting to use a document coded for HotDocs. You can check this by using the following procedure. In PracticeMaster, open HotDocs Document Assembly and try to assemble this document. If it successfully assembles through HotDocs, this template was not created for Word Document Assembly.
"Object has been deleted"
This error can occur during HotDocs or Word Document Assembly, or when editing a Word Document Assembly template. There are several known causes as follows:

Occurs during assembly.  Check to see if you are attempting to use a document coded for HotDocs.  You can check this by using the following procedure. In PracticeMaster, open HotDocs Document Assembly and try to assemble this document. If it successfully assembles through HotDocs, this template was not created for Word Document Assembly.

Occurs in Word while modifying a template or creating a new template. This error can occur if the template is opened or created incorrectly in Word. To modify a template, first open Word, and then open the template by selecting File | New. Double-clicking a template will open it as a document, not a template.

Note: When creating a new template, after selecting File | New, it is possible CMTEMPLT.DOTM was selected instead of My Templates. This opens a "document" instead of a "template". Recreate the template by choosing File | New | Personal, and then select the CMTEMPLT file.

KB Article R11015, "How To Start a New Word Document Template" includes screenshots and instructions to create a Word Document Assembly template in Word.

Occurs while modifying a template. This error can occur if the Personal template location has not been defined. KB Article R11015, "How To Start a New Word Document Template" includes screenshots and instructions to define the Personal template location.

Occurs during assembly. This error can occur in all versions of Word when a *.DOTX file is selected for Word Document Assembly. *.DOTX files do not support macros, which are required for assembly. In order to assemble the template, recreate the *.DOTX file as a *.DOTM file. To do this, open the *.DOTX file in Word and copy the contents to the Windows clipboard. Then, create a new template using CMTEMPLT.DOTM for Word and paste the contents into the new template. Save the new template as a *.DOTM file.

"Overflow"
"Automation Error. Exception occurred"
When there are too many characters (i.e., more than 32,767) between a variable closing chevron and the next opening variable chevron, an "Overflow" message will be shown followed by an "Automation Error. Exception occurred." message. To correct this, you can update to the latest version of PracticeMaster. Alternatively, you can move the long portion of text to a new template. Save the template, which does not have any document assembly coding, and then Include the new template in the original template. 

"Can't run the specified macro"
     ...or...
"Unable to run the specified macro" 
Occurs during assembly after selecting the client and document. Uninstall the Assembly Toolbar Plug-in, and then reinstall it.
  • In the Quick Launch, search for and select "Toolbar Plug-ins," and from the Word tab click the Uninstall Assembly Plug-in button. (Note: Word must be restarted after uninstalling/reinstalling the Assembly Toolbar Plug-in.)
Unable to find Word directory
Can occur when attempting to install or uninstall the Assembly Toolbar Plug-in. Verify the CMTEMPLT.DOTM and STIMAIN.DOT files are in the correct location. Rename the existing CMTEMPLT.DOTM and STIMAIN.DOT files, and then reinstall the Assembly Toolbar Plug-in.
"Visual Basic Error 76 Path Not Found"
     ...or...
"STI Program Directory Registry Entry Not Found"
Occurs if you install PracticeMaster (or move a PracticeMaster installation) and then start Word prior to opening PracticeMaster for the first time. You will get one of these messages when closing out of Word.  When PracticeMaster is first started, the program directory path is written to the registry.  Without this path, Word is expecting to find the location of PracticeMaster and is unable to.
  • If Word Document Assembly will be performed at this workstation: Close Word, start PracticeMaster and exit.  The next time Word is opened and then subsequently closed, you will no longer receive the messages.
  • If Word Document Assembly will not be performed at this workstation: Remove the STIMAIN.DOT file from the Word Startup directory.
"Word cannot give a document the same name as an open document. Type a different name for the document you want to save. (<path>)"
This message can occur in Word when saving edits to an existing template as a *.DOTM file in Microsoft Word. If you open a template file for editing by right-clicking the file and selecting Open or Open With, Word will not allow you to save the template with the same file name. Instead, when editing *.DOTM templates, open the template by first opening Word, and then using the File | Open menu options.
"Unable to install STIMAIN.DOT. Microsoft Word may be in use. Please close Word and try again."
"Error 32 occurred while attempting to copy STIMAIN.DOT." 
"Error 1224 occurred while attempting to copy STIMAIN.DOT."
Occurs if you select to install the Word Toolbar Plug-In in PracticeMaster while Microsoft Word is in use, causing the required files to be in use. Microsoft Word must be closed in order to install the Word Toolbar Plug-In. Close Microsoft Word and attempt to install the Plug-in again.
"PracticeMaster Word toolbar has been uninstalled. You must restart Microsoft Word for the changes to take effect."
"Error 32 occurred while attempting to remove STIMAIN.DOT."
Occurs if you select to uninstall the Word Toolbar Plug-In in PracticeMaster while Microsoft Word is in use, causing the required files to be in use. The toolbar will be successfully uninstalled the next time Microsoft Word is restarted.
"Microsoft Visual Basic: Object doesn't support this property or method."
Occurs if the application add-in files STIMain.dot and PMRibbonLink.dotm are disabled from Microsoft Word. Enable these add-ins in Word by selecting File | Options | Add-Ins.
"Wrong number of arguments or invalid property assignment"
"Error 450 in module StiMain"
This message indicates that the Word Document Assembly Plug-in currently installed does not match the currently installed version of PracticeMaster. To resolve this error, uninstall and reinstall the Word Document Assembly Plug-in.

To uninstall and reinstall the Word Document Assembly Plug-in

  1. Close all instances of Microsoft Word on the workstation.
  2. In the PracticeMaster Quick Launch, search for and select "Toolbar Plug-ins."
    1. Click the Word tab.
    2. Click Uninstall Assembly Plug-in, and click OK to the message informing you that Microsoft Word must be restarted.
    3. Click Install Assembly Plug-in, and click OK to the message informing you that Microsoft Word must be restarted.
  3. Click OK to close the Toolbar Plug-ins window.
"There was an error opening the template: <path>"
This message can indicate that the template is being opened in Protected View in Microsoft Word for security reasons. Check to see if the template is open in the background with a message stating it was opened in Protected View because it was opened from a potentially unsafe location. Protected View is used to prevent potentially dangerous files from causing harm to your computer. You can resolve this issue in one of two ways:
  • Move your templates to a location that Microsoft Word considers safe. (Note: One example Microsoft provides of a potentially unsafe location is the Temporary Internet Files folder.)
  • Add the folder where the templates are located to Microsoft Word's trusted locations.
    1. From Microsoft Word, click the File tab and click Options.
    2. Click Trust Center in the left pane of the Word Options window and click the Trust Center Settings button.
    3. Click Trusted Locations in the left pane of the Trust Center window.
    4. If the templates are located on a network drive, select the Allow Trusted Locations on my network check box.
    5. Click the Add new location button.
      1. In the Path field, enter the path to the folder where the templates are located, or click the Browse button to browse to the path.
      2. If additional templates are located in folders within the specified folders, select the Subfolders of this location are also trusted check box.
    6. Click OK to close each window.
  • Disable Protected View for files located in potentially unsafe locations. (Note: Disabling this option could lead to potential security issues.)
    1. From Microsoft Word, click the File tab and click Options.
    2. Click Trust Center in the left pane of the Word Options window and click the Trust Center Settings button.
    3. Click Protected View in the left pane of the Trust Center window.
    4. Clear the Enable Protected View for files located in potentially unsafe locations check box.
    5. Click OK to close each window.
The window is too small
This error is caused by a corrupt Windows profile and can be resolved by creating a new Windows profile on the workstation. In a Remote Desktop Services environment (formerly Terminal Services), create a new Remote Desktop Service profile on the Remote Desktop Server. You may need to contact your IT to create a new profile.
Unable to connect to <program>.
Reason: (<error code>) The RPC server is unavailable. <message>
This message indicates that PracticeMaster is unable to communicate with the referenced application via the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) interface. The RPC server is a feature included with Microsoft products that allows products like Tabs3 Software to communicate with them. The following steps can be used to resolve this error.
  1. Close the Microsoft product you are attempting to communicate with (e.g., Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.).
  2. Open the Microsoft product again.
  3. Repeat the action that caused the error.
  4. If you continue to receive the error, see Microsoft's TechNet Article "Windows Server Troubleshooting: 'The RPC server is unavailable'" for additional troubleshooting information.
"This method or property is not available because the clipboard is empty or not valid."
"Automation Error. System call failed."
"Invalid procedure call or argument."
This error occurs during assembly when document templates are very large and quite complex, causing the server's message queue to overflow. This occurs most often in Remote Desktop Services environments.

To resolve this error, update to the latest version of PracticeMaster Version 19 or later. If one or both of these errors continue to be shown, hiding the document assembly may prevent the error(s) as fewer messages are processed. You can use a variable named "HideAssembly" to assemble templates without showing the assembly process. Most templates will run with our standard assembly shown without issues, so this only needs to be added if experiencing the errors above. To create this variable, perform the following steps:
  1. On the first line of the document, position the cursor at the beginning of the line and click the button.
  2. Expand the Internal Variables group.
  3. Select Alpha Variable.
  4. Click OK.
  5. Enter a Name of "HideAssembly".
  6. Select Do not insert text into document.
  7. Leave the Initial Value field empty.
  8. Select Never Prompt.
  9. Select Compress line if result is blank.
  10. Click OK.
  11. Save the template and rerun the assembly process.

The variable will look similar to «HideAssembly|Alpha Variable|Do not insert text into document» or «Var|31|1|1|||1|%H|HideAssembly|Alpha Variable».

If you still receive one of these errors after adding the HideAssembly variable, it may be due to the use of a FileOpen call in your template attempting to open All records, when the file contains a huge number of results. In this case, consider replacing the FileOpen call with a Select option, and then use the filters built into PracticeMaster to limit the record shown. You can then select all of the filtered records and continue.
The default template path specified is not being used; instead, Windows displays the last folder used.
By default, when starting Document Assembly, the folder shown when selecting a template will use the path specified for the Area of Practice. For matters not assigned to an Area of Practice, the folder will default to a single path. To adjust this default path, use the following steps:
 
  1. In the Quick Launch, search for and select "File Maintenance."
  2. Right click the Area of Practice folder (or the System Files folder, for matters not assigned to an AOP) and select Edit AOP Information.
  3. Specify the Template Path.

If a valid path is not specified in these locations, Windows may display the last folder used. However, we have had reports that some users were experiencing this issue even when a valid path is specified. Enhancements were made to prevent this from occurring in these situations. Update to Version 19.1.9.1136 or later if you experience this issue.

Word closes during the assembly process and Windows records an application error in VBE7.DLL
There have been reports that the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) files used by Document Assembly have not been updated when installing updates for Microsoft Word. When attempting to use older DLLs, Word closes unexpectedly after assembling documents. Reopening Word may show the document as a recovered file. There are two methods to solve this situation.

1. Uninstall and reinstall Microsoft Office:

Upgrading or downgrading versions of Office or Windows can cause missing executables, corrupted DLL files, or trace registry keys to be left behind. These issues may not cause any noticeable problems when using the Office software (e.g., you may be able to create and edit documents in Word), but they have the potential of causing integration issues between PracticeMaster and Word. Because of this, it may be advisable to uninstall and reinstall your Microsoft Office software to ensure that Office is properly installed and configured. Due to the complexity of any given Office installation, we recommend using the uninstall support tool in the following article to perform the uninstall in order to remove all traces of Microsoft Office from the workstation: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/uninstall-office-from-a-pc-9dd49b83-264a-477a-8fcc-2fdf5dbf61d8

2. Force Word to Update VBA:

Current versions of Word will automatically replace missing VBA files when opening the software. Use the following steps to force Word to download these files.

  1. Verify the VBA location.
    1. On the Developer ribbon click Visual Basic. (Note: If the Developer ribbon is not shown, right click the ribbon menu and select Customize the Ribbon, then select the Developer option to enable it.)
    2. In Visual Basic for Applications, click the Tools menu and select Reference.
    3. Click Visual Basic For Applications to highlight that row. The Location is shown at the bottom of the window, generally "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common FIles\Microsoft Shared\VBA\VBA7.1" or similar. Note this path for future steps.
    4. Close Visual Basic for Applications to return to Word.
  2. Close Microsoft Word.
  3. Ensure you are running the most recent version of Word. For more information about the latest updates for Microsoft Word, see the following article - https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Install-Office-updates-2ab296f3-7f03-43a2-8e50-46de917611c5
  4. Check the VBA module version.
    1. Open Windows Explorer to the VBA location (in Step 1c),  Information on accessing Windows Explorer in each version of Windows can be found in KB Article R11794, "Windows Start Menu Options."
    2. Right-click "VBE7.DLL" and select Properties.
    3. On the Details tab, verify the File version. If it is prior to version 7.1.10.56 (dated 10/17/2016), this indicates the VBA files have not been updated.
    4. Click OK to close Properties.
  5. Rename the "VBA" folder (in step 1c) to another name (e.g., "TempVBA").
  6. Open Word; the latest VBA files will automatically be downloaded.
  7. Assemble the document again to verify that the issue does not reoccur.

If the issue continues after performing both of the above sets of instructions, contact Tabs3 Support.

"The Variable name already exists."
This message can be received when attempting to assemble a template that is missing coding. This can be resolved by copying the contents of the template to a new template which contains the required information, using the following steps:
 
  1. Open the existing template.
  2. Press Ctrl+A to select everything in the template, then Ctrl+C to copy it to the Windows clipboard.
  3. Create a new template from CMTEMPLT. See KB Article R11015 for steps to create a new document template.
  4. Press Ctrl+V to paste the content from the old template into the new template.
  5. Save the new template:
    1. Click File | Save As. Select a location and filename, and verify the Save as type field is "Word Macro-Enabled Template (*.dotm).
    2. Click Save.
  6. Assemble the new document template to verify that the issue does not reoccur.
When using File Access to create a list which contains multiple fields, the separator and terminator can be placed incorrectly.
When using multiple fields within a File Access, the separator and terminator can be placed after each field, rather than only after all of the fields, and extra space characters may be included. The results may look something like this (highlighting added to show issues):

Ronald P. Anderson (ron@jensenmartinlaw.com) , Cheryl Bradley (, cbradley@jensenmartinlaw.com) , and Michael L. Jensen (, and mjensen@jensenmartinlaw.com)

To prevent this issue, update PracticeMaster to Version 2023 or later. See KB Article R11937, "Keeping Tabs3 Software Up To Date," for additional information on updating Tabs3 Software.

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File Locations

When PracticeMaster is installed, two specific Word template files required for Word Document Assembly are copied to your computer. STIMAIN.DOT is installed into your Microsoft Word Startup directory, and CMTEMPLT.DOTM is installed into your Microsoft Word User Templates directory. To determine the locations of these two directories, select File | Options | Trust Center | Trust Center Settings | Trusted Locations.

Note: The Startup and the User Templates directories are both listed within File Locations.

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References

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