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Version: 4

Formal Letter Template: How to install / configure

Formal Letter is used to generate a concise and succinct document in traditional letter format.

Formal Letter is a premium PDF template used to generate a concise and succinct document in traditional letter format. It can be purchased from our PDF Template Shop. This guide will walk you through installing and configuring Formal Letter to its full potential.

Installation​

Please follow our installation guide, which provides instructions for setting up and configuring your premium template.

Limitations​

Formal Letter can be used with all Gravity Forms. You'll have access to your form data for use in the letter through Gravity Forms Merge Tags. For more information see the Gravity Forms Merge Tags documentation.

Configuring​

All PDF templates have common settings that can be configured, such as font, security and PDF attachments, and we recommend reviewing the PDF setup guide to get a better understanding on all the available settings. All template-specific configuration is done from the Template tab and below you'll find detailed information about each option available in Formal Letter, what it does and how it alters the generated PDF.

The letter field positions

Greeting Salutation (1) : The opening greeting for your letter. If you've set the Recipient's Name the following Merge Tags are available for use: {prefix}, {firstname}, {surname}, {suffix}. : Instead of using the recipient's full name you can also use Dear {prefix} {surname}. : If you don't know the recipient's name use To whom it may concern or Dear Sir or Madam. : Note: American English usually uses a colon instead of a comma at the end of the greeting.

Letter Subject (2) : Include a brief summary about your letter. The Subject will be included below your Greetings Salutation and above your Letter Body. : You might like to append your subject with "Re:" or "Subject:" and/or write it in capital letters. : If you leave this setting blank it won't be included in the PDF.

Letter Body (3) : The main body of your letter. Use the full-featured rich text editor to format the letter how you want. You can easily integrate data captured from your users by using Merge Tags. : You should exclude salutations, addresses and signatures as they are handled by other settings.

Closing Salutation (4) : This text appears right after the body of your letter. : Yours sincerely is a common closing salutation. Outside the US, if you don't know the recipient's name Yours faithfully should be used.

Date Format (5) : Select the date format that is shown in the letter. The date shown on the PDF is taken from the entry submission date. : We support date formats out of the box:

  • November 29, 2018 (Month Day, Year)
  • 29/11/2018 (dd/mm/yyyy)
  • 11/29/2018 (mm/dd/yyyy)
  • 2018-11-29 (yyyy-mm-dd)
  • Disable Date

Indent Paragraphs : When checked the first line of each paragraph of the Body text is indented.

You can optionally indent the body text

Sender Information​

The letter field positions

Sender Address (6) : The sender address is split into three separate fields for each line it takes up in the letter. : You are usually the sender and your address should be used, but you can also use Merge Tags to include that information from the form.

Recipient Information​

Recipient Name (7) : Use Gravity Forms merge tags to include the letter recipient's name. In the settings this is split up between four fields: Prefix, First Name, Last Name and Suffix.

Recipient Business/Position (8) : If applicable, include the recipient business and/or position in the company using Merge Tags

Recipient Address (9) : The recipient address is split into three separate fields for each line it takes up in the letter.

Signatory Details​

The letter field positions

Blank Signature (10) : Tick this checkbox if the letter is to be printed and signed by hand. The PDF will leave a gap between the Closing Salutation and the Signatory Name.

Signature (10) : Upload an image of your signature. If no image is set a faux signature will be used instead, generated using the Signatory Name. : This templates comes bundled with Dancing Script, an open source Google script font (SIL Open Font License, Version 1.1), used for the faux signature.

Signatory Name (11) : The full name of the signatory (i.e the person who is signing the letter)

Signatory Business/Position (12) : You can include the signatory's business and/or position. This is optional.

Merriweather is an open source Google serif font (SIL Open Font License, Version 1.1) that is pleasant to read on screens and works well with Formal Letter at 10pt. You can set the PDF font in the Appearance tab.

Viewing PDF​

Once you've saved your new PDF you can view it from the Gravity Forms Entries List page. Just remember to fill out and submit your form if the entry list is empty.

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