FAQs: Forms and certificates – IDEXX Neo

This article covers frequently asked questions about creating and using forms and certificates.

DEFINITIONS

Forms are the content used in reminders, handouts, consent forms, and certificates. Form templates help you deliver a consistent look and feel in every client communication.

To learn more, see Add or update a form or certificate.

⚑ What is a form variable and where can I use them?

Form variables automatically merge information about clients, patients, consultations, practices, and more into forms and certificates. Using form variables is a great way to personalize your reminders. For example, with client and patient names.

Note: You must use form variables that are related to the form you are creating. For example, you cannot use an invoice variable on a reminder form.

To learn more about where form variables can be used, see Using form variables.

⚑ What is a special action?

A special action is a link between products and other areas of Neo, including reminders, callback tasks, forms, and patient special fields.

In the case of a form special action, you can automatically link a form or certificate to a product; so when the product is saved to a consultation, the form will display to be printed or emailed.

To learn more, see Manage special actions.

⚑ What is a form group?

The group determines where and how the form is used in the software and which form variables are available for you to use. Not all form variables can be used in every group. For example, the [note] variable will only merge information into a form that is linked to a product through its special actions and printed from a consultation.

Form Group	Available from	Examples
Other	System default forms	Estimate, statement, rabies certificate, vaccination certificate, consultation note, dispensing label, purchase order
Client Reports	Client > Forms	Newsletter, client retention letters (We’ve Missed You)
Invoices	Company Settings > Default Invoice and Default Invoice (No Prices) Consultation > Print button	Invoice, invoice with no prices
Online Booking	Sent to client when appointment is booked from online portal	Appointment Details
Patient Reports	Patient > Forms Consultation > Product line when linked to product through special actions	Consent forms, discharge instructions, education handouts
Products/Services Reports	Consultation > Product line when linked to product through special actions	Discharge instructions, client education handouts
Reminders Reports	Administration > Reminders	Combined reminder email, SMS reminder forms, SMS appointment reminder

⚑ What is the default font?

The default font allows practices to set a font family (for example, Arial, Times New Roman, etc.) and font size (for example, 16px /12pt) under Administration > Company Settings; so that Forms & Certificates; Procedure Templates; and Consultation, Estimate, and Refund notes will automatically all be formatted consistently.

Note: The default font for new customers is Arial, 16px /12 pt..

CREATING FORMS

⚑ Can I add more form groups?

While you cannot add a new form group, consider using a standard naming convention for your forms to group similar forms together in the list to make locating them more efficient. For example, Discharge Instructions – Dental, Discharge Instructions – Neuter, etc.

⚑ How do I add a form variable to my form?

To add a form variable, click one in the Form Variables list, and then right-click and select Copy. Click in the body of the form where you’d like to merge the information and then press:

Shift+CTRL+V to paste the variable into the form without a bullet point.
CTRL+V to paste the variable into the form with a bullet point.
Note: If you use CTRL+V, you can always delete the bullet and space that are copied over.

⚑ Can I preview a form?

Yes, you can! Click the Preview button on the Forms and Certificates page or click the Preview link at the bottom of the form to see how your form will look to the client. Not all form variables will merge in the preview mode. Test a form from a client, patient or invoice if you’d like to see all variables with merged information.

⚑ How do I add a logo to our forms?

Click the image button to add an image. Enter the [currentbranch.logo_url] form variable in the URL field to automatically insert your logo in your form.

To learn more, see Add a logo to a form.

⚑ Can I add a hyperlink to forms?

Absolutely! Use the link button

to add or remove hyperlinks.

⚑ What is the character limit for SMS forms?

The current character limit when sending a text from Neo is 159 characters. If the form exceeds the character limit, the message will be sent in more than one text.

⚑ How do I add pictures to forms?

To add an image or picture that’s been saved to your computer, laptop, or other device, click the Image button . Then click the Upload tab and the Choose File button to locate the image you want to insert. Wait for the image URL to be created in the Image Info tab before clicking OK.

Note: Images will be saved to Neo’s secure file storage; so they will always be available in Neo.

To learn more, see Add an image to a form, procedure template, or consultation.

⚑ How do I quickly make another copy of a form?

Click the Source button to copy the HTML code from a form. Create a new form, and in the Form Editor toolbar, click Source. Paste the HTML code, and then click Source to return from the code to the form to continue editing the form.

FORMATTING FORMS

⚑ What formatting and editing tools are available in the form editor?

The formatting editing tools are listed below. You can also use keyboard shortcuts.

⚑ How do I change the line spacing in a form?

For single spacing between lines, press Shift and Enter at the end of a row. If you’d like double-spacing, press Enter. Text that you allow to word wrap to the next line are automatically single-spaced.

⚑ How do I insert or delete a page break?

To insert a page break, create a new form or update an existing form under Administration > Forms & Certificates. Click in the editor where you want to add the page break. Then click the Insert Page Break

button.

To delete a page break, click below the page break. Then press Backspace.

⚑ How should I use the Copy Formatting (Paintbrush) tool?

Copy Formatting is a great tool to use when you have multiple font formats (bold, underline, font color etc.) you want to apply to additional text. Select the text whose format you want to copy, then click the Copy Formatting button. Next select the text to apply the formatting to – that’s it!

⚑ I’ve added a table to my form. How do I change the table properties?

To quickly resize a column width, click the vertical (column) border. Then:

Drag to the left to make the column narrower.
Drag to the right to make the column wider.

Note: Click and drag does not work to resize row heights.

To change other table properties, right-click in a table cell to access table options. You can insert and delete cells, rows, and columns, as well as split and merge cells. Select Cell Properties or Table Properties to adjust the width, height, justification, and border properties.

⚑ Can I insert a checkbox into a form?

Yes! Checkboxes can be added to new or existing form templates. Click in the template where you want to add the checkbox. Then click the Checkbox

button.

Checkboxes can also be added into tables as needed.

Tip:

Add a space before and /or after a checkbox to add padding around the checkbox.
Checkboxes already added to a template can be copied and pasted.
Checkboxes can be selected (checked) as a default in a form, if desired. For example, set up a SOAP template with all “Normal” checkboxes selected to save users time when entering their exam findings:

GENERAL

⚑ How do we add custom messages at the bottom of our invoices, estimates, or statements?

To learn how to add messages to invoices, estimates and statements, see Add a billing message to a statement, invoice or estimate.

⚑ Where do I set the default invoice forms?

The default invoice and invoice no prices forms can be set in Company Settings.

⚑ Where do I change the default rabies certificate?

The default rabies certificate can be changed in Company Settings.

⚑ Can a doctor electronically sign a form?

In the form preview, a doctor's stored signature can be inserted on the form from the Select Provider dropdown when the [provider_signature] form variable has been added to the form template. Once a form has been signed, it can be printed, emailed, and saved to the client, patient, or consultation Files tab.

Alternatively, a doctor can sign a form ad hoc with a mouse, touch screen, or tablet stylus when the [signature] form variable has been added to the form template.

Note: Only one signature can be captured per form. The [provider_signature] and [signature] variables will not function if the form is emailed--signature capture should happen prior to emailing a form.

See Add a signature to a form or certificate to learn how to electronically sign a form.

See Add and manage users to learn how to capture and store a provider's signature for use on forms.

⚑ Can a client electronically sign a form?

Clients can sign forms when the [signature] form variable has been added to the form template. Once a form has been signed it can be printed; emailed; and saved to the client, patient, or consultation Files tab.

Note: Only one signature can be captured per form. The [signature] variable will not function if the form is emailed--signature capture should happen prior to emailing a form.

See Add a signature to a form or certificate for more information.

⚑ How can I electronically capture a signature on a form?

Forms can be signed when viewing the form in preview.

Forms that include the [provider_signature] form variable can be signed by selecting the provider's name from the Select Provider dropdown to insert the provider's securely stored signature.

Forms that include the [signature] form variable can be signed using your mouse, touch screen, or tablet stylus. No electronic signature capture device is required.

See Add a signature to a form or certificate for more information.

⚑ Can I edit a form once it has been signed?

Any edits to a form should be made before signing. Once the signature has been accepted, you cannot edit the form.

See Add a signature to a form or certificate and Print or email forms and documents for more information.

TROUBLESHOOTING

⚑ How do I make the doctor’s name print on the dispensing label?

Replace [user_name] with:

the [vet_on_consult] form variable to merge the veterinarian on the consultation to your label.
OR
the [line_provider] form variable to merge the line item provider on the consultation product row to your label.

⚑ Why doesn’t the form variable work?

To learn more about where form variables can be used, see Using form variables.

⚑ Why aren’t our form variables merging when we print a rabies certificate?

Review Manage vaccines, rabies tags and certificates to ensure you’re following the recommended work flow for entering vaccine details and printing rabies certificates so your form variables work correctly.

⚑ Can we see recommendations for misspelled words?

Simply press CTRL (or CMD) key and right-click to see recommendations for a misspelled word.

⚑ How do I resize a logo that’s already on a form?

To learn how to resize a logo that's already on a form, see Add a logo to a form.

⚑ Why isn't a form available for use?

The group the form is assigned to determines where and how the form is used in the software. For example, forms assigned to the Client Reports group will be available only from the Client Forms button.

⚑ How do I stop the website information from printing at the top and bottom of our forms?

To remove the website information from printouts, see Remove headers and footers on printed documents.

⚑ Can I send a mass email to clients?

You can send mass emails to clients from some Neo reports. Use reports like the Client Mailing Lists (Newsletters, SMS, Emails) or Patient Mailing Lists filtered for Products and Signalment to filter your client or patient lists, so you can mass send information to your clients.

To learn more, see Send communications for discounts, promotions, and newsletters.

⚑ How do I set a form to automatically print?

If you selected a cloud printer when setting up your form, select the Auto-Print check box so that the form automatically prints when opened.

⚑ Can clients unsubscribe from emails?

If a client does not want to receive emails, click the Unsubscribed from promotional emails check box on the client overview; and make ALL forms and certificates promotional by checking the Add an unsubscribe link check box at the bottom of each form.

To learn more about setting up forms and certificates, see Add or update a form or certificate.

Note: If there are any forms you want or need to email to these clients, you should leave the unsubscribe link on those templates unchecked.

⚑ Can I print a form from a consultation?

Absolutely! Simply link the form to a product through Special Actions in the Print Forms/Certificates area.

To learn more, see Manage special actions.

⚑Why can't I electronically sign a form?

One of the two electronic signature form variables must be added to a form template in order to sign a form in the form preview.

The [signature] form variable must be added to a form template in order to electronically sign by using a mouse, touch screen, or tablet stylus.
The [provider_signature] form variable must be added to a form template in order to select the provider’s securely stored signature from the Select Provider dropdown list.
Note: The [provider_signature] variable works with provider signatures saved in user profiles under Administration > User Management.

See Using form variables and Add or update a form or certificate for more information.

⚑ Why are there grey boxes around some text on my printed, emailed, or saved forms?

Grey boxes on your printed, emailed, or saved forms provide a visual indicator a form that contains data input fields, has been electronically signed, and is finalized from additional edits.

⚑ How can I tell if a page break has been inserted into a form?

Page breaks can be viewed as a horizontal gray line in the forms editors.

⚑ Why aren't my checkboxes working?

Checkboxes do not work in Internet Explorer. We recommend that you use Google Chrome with IDEXX Neo; but you can also use Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari.

Tool	Function
	Displays HTML Code
	Cut
	Copy
	Paste
	Paste as Plain Text
	Paste from Word
	Undo/Redo
	Insert/Remove Numbered List
	Insert/Remove Bulleted List
	Left, Center, or Right Justify
	Justify Left and Right
	Block Quote
	Link/Unlink
	Image
	Table
	Insert Horizontal Line
	Insert Special Character
	Insert Page Break for Printing
	Bold
	Italic
	Strikethrough
	Underline
	Copy Formatting
	Remove Format
	Paragraph Format
	Font Name
	Font Size
	Text Color
	Background Color
	Maximize
	Checkbox