TheFormTool for Windows

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Editors’ Review

Download.com staffAugust 8, 2012

TheFormTool is a free add-on for Microsoft Word. With it, users can create attractive, personalized, professional forms and documents inside Word, using regular Word commands. It also adds many unique capabilities, such as the ability reuse old files as new forms. It's particularly useful to physicians, attorneys, engineers, administrators, and self-employed people--anyone who needs to create clear, legible, archival-quality forms, documents, letters, and records. It's a simplified version of a complex (and expensive) pro tool, but TheFormTool is fully functional and completely free, with no expiration date. TheFormTool requires Microsoft Word 2007 or better, though it's compatible with most documents created in earlier versions. We tried it in Word Version 14 in Office 2010.

We clicked the extracted executable file to open TheFormTool inside Word. The program's quick-start guide includes instructions to enable editing and other setup measures. We highly recommend reviewing the PDF-based quick start guide included in TheFormTool's download. Following the guide, we started by creating a new, blank form with signature and date of birth fields. From TheFormTool's tab, we added a Q&A Table, with entries asking for the name and birth date of the signer. Next we placed our cursor on the document at the exact space we wanted the signature field, and clicked Field. A simple wizard let us add the field in various forms using the Fields, Lists, and Conditions tool. We could edit our headers and make other changes. When we were ready, we clicked Insert Field, and TheFormTool created our signature and DOB fields. Saving the form let us use it as a template as often as we needed, either by entering data and clicking Fill or by editing and modifying it to create new or updated forms. TheFormTool works equally well with forms saved as documents (.docx) or templates (.dotx) but we recommend using the template format since it creates a new document each time, making it impossible for a user to accidently modify the original form.

That's just the start of TheFormTool's capabilities. It's one of the most capable Word add-ins we've tried, and one that adds the most to Word's already considerable capabilities.

What’s new in version 2.0

Version 2.0 includes the following improvements: Up to five bug fixes and seven improved features. The PRO version adds two dozen math functions

TheFormTool for Windows

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Full Specifications

GENERAL

Release: April 22, 2012

Latest update: August 8, 2012

Version: 2.0

OPERATING SYSTEMS

Platform: Windows

Operating System

Windows NT
Windows 7
Windows 2003
Windows 2000
Windows Server
Windows 10
Windows Vista
Windows XP

Additional Requirements: Microsoft Word 2007

POPULARITY

Total Downloads: 2,727

Downloads Last Week: 0

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Last Updated

User Reviews

4.6/5

7 User Votes

Good program, terrible customer service
chucky_cheezeFebruary 4, 2016
Pros
Has really made my estates practice zoom. I don't even need a paralegal, so it keeps my overhead low while making me more efficient. Love it.
Cons
"You're wrong, I'm right" - actual quote from my call to customer service. Rude and condescending. Bob Christensen is the owner apparently. He is also the customer service rep, and the salesperson. He was a total jerk to me. He said "I don't need to look at your account, JUST DO WHAT I'M SAYING." I'm surprised 'moron' didn't come out of his mouth. It was on the tip of his tongue for sure. The thing is, he was right. I was wrong. But does that matter? I'm not stupid. I'm very well educated, computer savvy and friendly. I made a simple, excusable mistake. ALL he had to do was go into my account and say 'you see where that X is now a Y in your new license code?' That's ALL he had to do. But instead he spent twice that time talking to me like I was an idiot and telling me that he didn't need to help me I just needed to simply 'do what he said.'
Summary
"You're wrong, I'm right" - actual quote from my call to customer service. So much for the customer is always right. It's a shame given the wonderful product theformtool is.<br /><br /><span class='notifyMsg'> Updated </span>on May 31, 2017<p/>I have continued to be a customer of TheFormTool and most recentl Doxsera DB. I felt it important to update my review to state that my overall experience with this company has been great and this one instance is not indicative of the way I have been treated. The service desk is responsive, polite, and releases frequent updates. If you are on the fence about this software, give it a try. It's the best document automation software out there, hands-down. It's actively updated and improved. It's worth every penny.
A very handy program
Tom48413April 30, 2012
Pros
It is quite easy to use The Form Tool and it saves a lot of the re-typing needed for a search and replace. I haven't purchased the paid version yet, but, as I use the program more, I am certain I will.
Cons
It does take some time to set up the forms for the program, but compared to some other software I've tried, this one is the easiest to learn.
Summary
Overall, it is a very well thought-out program. I do use it frequently and I do like it very much.
Easy to use, solid software
ASJacksonFebruary 29, 2012
Pros
Easy to setup Works within document, almost seamlessly Can create document and be productive in under 10 minutes
Cons
None that I can think of (I'm not a MAC user).
Summary
I co-own a small family law business with a partner and a paralegal. Coming from different firms, we had different standards as to how to do things, which means documents left the office looking differently. We could also spend significant time creating and editing documents that increased costs and created a limit on the number of clients that we could effectively handle at any one time. Being a new business, and still learning all the business aspects of being an attorney, the maximum number of clients was pretty small. This product helps to change all that. I can create a full set of documents for a no-fault divorce in under an hour, so when I flat fee those cases the firm makes more profit than it otherwise would. We're able to standardize our documents so they look the same, and they take significantly less time to produce. This has helped us to take on more clients, which increases revenue and profitability. For the current rate of $89 for the PRO version, it simply can't be beat. To be fair, I've tried other document automation programs, particularly those marketed to small firms. The more expensive ones weren't worth considering based on price alone. While I was able to automate some documents, the programs were not nearly as user-friendly as I found this to be and took much more time, leaving me exasperated and unwilling to do a wholesale revamping of our documents. TheFormToolPRO gives me confidence that I can do something that can be used time and again and expected results every time.
Great way to create and use "form" documents in Word
waynegwillisDecember 26, 2011
Pros
* can start right away -- time to first value is 90 seconds * free to try and free version has significant value; premium version (which allows more advanced forms of "conditional" merging) has easily understood, additional value ... which is worth it if you have that need. * can add to form as you discover new needs -- flexible * logical and easy way to create new documents from "standard" documents or even "nearly standard" ones. Just fill in the variables and then tweak the final result before printing ... all from within the familiar confines of Word.
Cons
* only does one at a time -- open the form, fill out the table with the variable information for that one need, and print. It might be nicer if you could do multiple ones at the same time. * not super clear the extent of how the premium version might address my problems -- I recommend they DEMONSTRATE the advanced features (singular/plural, gender, conditionals) a bit better.
Summary
I've been looking for a tool like this for 30 years and have struggled with native mail/merge in Word, form generators and "document assembly" software of all types. This is a plug-in to Microsoft Word and all creation/editing is done within a known environment (so there's no need to learn new commands or software). An the free version is perfectly fine for straightforward "search and replace" (a.k.a., "fill-in-the-blank") needs, with an easy premium upgrade path to more advanced document creation logic.
Awesome tool to create repetitive documents in WORD
BobChristensenDecember 23, 2011
Pros
I've looked everywhere but found nothing like this software at any price. Alternatives take months to learn and teams to execute. TheFormTool can be learned in just a few minutes and I became an expert in less than an hour. The most unusual thing about TheFormTool is that the free version isn't time-limited, it's license is good forever, which is really impressive. Of course, it only took a little while before I knew that I had to have the PRO version, but even that isn't priced very high at all.
Cons
This is not available for a Mac, which is really tough. It has something to do with WORD for Mac being different. Sad.
Summary
For free, TheFormTool is a steal, an absoute steal. At $89 for TheFormTool PRO, it's still a no-brainer. TheFormTool is essential software for every WORD warrior!
Simple, straightforward, works just the way I do.
BobChristensenNovember 25, 2011
Pros
Installation takes about a minute I was able to start making my documents smarter in leas than 10 minutes This can save hours and hours of staff time every week It cuts my time to review and approve documents down to seconds It reduces the chance of errors, of having old names, dates, references to near zero It reduces staff stress and mine, too. I like how it arranges for the basic grammar to be correct, agreement among nouns, pronouns, verbs Automatically calculating dates is huge
Cons
I wish we'd had this for our last corporate formation!
Summary
TheFormTool let's our computers do the repetitious work rather than me. The way it ought to be!
Excellent Software
SmartSystemsNovember 18, 2011
Pros
Easy set up and staff time savings.
Cons
For MS Word only currently.
Summary
Solid software.

Developer’s Description

By Your Dollar Matters

Turn ordinary Word documents into brilliant forms, speeding data entry and reducing errors.