Alternate Clauses

An alternate clause is used as a substitute for a parent clause. Similar to a dependent clause, you create an alternate clause the same way that you create a parent clause. A clause becomes an alternate clause when you add it to the Alternates grid on the Clause Definition Page. Alternate clauses enable you to specify clauses that can be selected manually, as an alternate , from the Research task pane in Microsoft Word.

The system can automatically include alternate clauses based on alternate rules. Two examples are:

• You can have two standard address clauses that are used in an ad hoc contract.

  One address clause uses two lines and the other uses three lines. Depending on responses to wizard questions, the system determines whether to use the two-line or three-line clause for formatting purposes. You can define the three-line clause as the default clause. Then, when the contract is generated the system collects address-line values based on wizard responses. The system finds a rule that recognizes the wizard response for a two-line clause, and automatically switches the three-line clause to the two-line clause in the document.

• Another example of switching to alternate clauses includes working with specific suppliers. In this example, a wizard response determines the supplier based on an alternate rule. The supplier value comes from a bind value such as VENDOR_ID.

If an alternate rule is not defined using the Rule tab on the Clause Definition page, the system uses these standards to process alternate clauses:

• If the system adds the clause to the document configurator, it does not use the alternate clause when the document is generated.

• When you use the Microsoft Word - Task Pane to search for clauses, the system lists the alternate clauses and allows the author to select them.

When you use alternate clauses and a document is generated:

• If the main clause is used, then the main dependents are used.

• If an alternate clause is used, then the alternate dependents are used.

  Alternate clauses can include bind variables, but cannot contain bind variables that repeat.

  See Bind Variables and Repeating Clauses.

Alternate clauses can have dependent clauses that are used in a document the same way as dependent clauses.