We are excited to share our highlights from Draftable Legal release version 2.13 (released in January 2024). For a full list of items in all releases, please see our Release Log.
This update added a several improvements designed to help our customers by:
- Better supporting firms using hidden text in template documents by supporting hidden text comparison
- Simplifying user workflows through easier free text input (drag & drop & via MS Word)
- Reducing steps to complete workflows by offering smarter 'save-to' location defaults
- Improving iManage user workflows by automatically opening files saved to iManage
- Providing more flexible input file options for SharePoint users by supporting 'drag & drop' from SharePoint Online
- Supporting administrators by offering a silent launch option and by creating a suite of tutorial videos for deployment and configuration
Let's explore these updates in more detail.
But first, a note from our product team
Our product improvements are the direct result of insights from our customers. We are extremely grateful for the excellent feedback we received which allowed the 2.13 release to be possible.
If you have feature ideas or product performance feedback, we would love to hear from you. Please share any suggestions with us by contacting product@draftable.com.
New Core Functionality
Option to compare ‘hidden text’
A key development in the v2.13 release was the ability to compare 'hidden' text changes. This innovation will be of particular value to firms that provide instructions for lawyers in their templates as hidden text.
Users can choose to compare hidden text by selecting this option under ‘Comparison options’ in the compare output (see first screenshot). When selected, hidden text in input documents will be ‘unhidden’ by Draftable and then compared to display any changes as redline markups. In the redline output files, text that was hidden in the input file is shown in grey highlights (see second screenshot).
Ease of use improvements
Expand the document view by collapsing the ‘next actions’ menu
Users can now maximize the view of their comparison outputs in Draftable by collapsing the 'next actions' menu on the right side of the viewer (see screenshot).
Drag and drop free text from anywhere into Draftable
To make it easier to compare text shared by colleagues, from v2.13 users can now drag and drop text from most applications into Draftable. This includes dragging text from MS Outlook, MS Word, MS Teams, and web browsers such as MS Edge and Chrome.
Faster saving by using input file location as default save location
Users can now spend less time choosing a ‘save-to’ location when comparing files stored on their computer. From v2.13 Draftable Legal will automatically default its ‘save-to’ location to the same location as their comparison input files.
Integration Improvements
Drag & Drop input files from SharePoint Online
From v2.13 SharePoint online users can use drag and drop to add input files from browsers to Draftable. Simply select the files you wish to compare (either from a list of files or from the version history menu) and drag them into the Draftable Launcher.
Compare text from Microsoft Word via the Draftable add-in
From v2.13, Draftable allows users to compare text in MS Word. Users can simply highlight the text they wish to compare, and either select the ‘compare text’ option in the ‘Draftable’ section of the ribbon menu or right click the text and select ‘Compare Text with Draftable’ (see screenshot below).
Save time by auto-opening files saved to iManage
For customers that prefer working solely in iManage, Draftable Legal v2.13 onwards includes a new settings option to automatically open comparison output files after they are saved to iManage. Users can find this setting in the ‘Integrations’ section under the ‘iManage’ options (see screenshot).
Administrative Features
Silent Launch setting supported via Group Policy
The v2.13 release created a ‘silent launch’ option for Draftable to prevent showing users the New Compare window on startup. This is designed for firms that want to preserve the benefits of having Draftable open without alerting users to its presence. Benefits of having Draftable auto-start on windows launch include:
- Enabling auto-update for users upon system log in (note, this only applied when using the default installer or the per-user MSI)
- Maintaining optimal speed for compare workflows started outside for Draftable (e.g. from within iManage, NetDocuments, Outlook, etc) as Draftable does not need to launch when these commands are used (note: we are aware that iManage users may not be able to launch compares from within Draftable unless the application has been launched. We are working on an improvement for this workflow).
Video tutorials for deploy and configuration
We are committed to supporting our customers throughout the adoption lifecycle. We understand that in some cases, written documentation is harder to follow than video content. That's why as part of our recent efforts we've created a new section of our Draftable Legal Knowledge Base with a series of video tutorials. These are specifically created for IT administrators and application managers to help with the process of Draftable Legal installation, configuration and integration with key document management systems. Topics covered include:
- High level overview
- Installer type breakdown
- Enterprise configuration with Group Policy & MS Intune
- Integration with iManage
- iManage on-premise integration
- iManage cloud integration
- SharePoint Integration
- Configuring SharePoint to launch directly into Draftable
- Connecting NetDocuments with Draftable
- Configuring NetDocuments with Draftable as an External Application