A1 Visual Contact Template Editor
How to create a new template
A1 Visual Contact Letter Templates are now simple RTF files created with any RTF word processor. The program comes with a number of predefined templates for letter writing however, A1 Visual Contact gives you total control over creating new templates. 

Below are the steps required to using existing templates. 
1. 	Choose the recipient in the Address Book View (left windowpane with a tree view). Make sure that you have necessary information abut that contact already filled-in in all fields.
2. 	Choose “Write Letter” from the “Commands” menu.
3. 	A new dialog will pop up. Fill in the new fields of information about yourself. Your name, your phone/fax numbers etc. This information will be used in the letters you will be editing after a few seconds. 
4. 	Choose the template you want to use in the letter from “Using Template” combo box and click “Ok” button. 
5. 	It will open your default Word Processor (or the word processor you have chosen in Word Processor Options from the Options menu.
6. 	Bingo!… Off the way you go…. 

Besides using existing templates provided with Visual Contact it is a joy in Crating New Templates of your own choice. Below are the steps required…
1.	Choose “Write Letter” command from the Commands menu.
2.	Click “Define Tags” button. A new dialog will pop up.
3.	The tags you see here are the tags that are placeholders for actual field values that will be replaced with meaningful fields when you will issue write letter command. For example if the template file contains “%TAG_RECIPIENT_NAME%” tag, all occurrences of this in the template will be replaces with the recipient’s actual name. 
4.	Now run MS-Word, or whichever Word processor you are using. Create a new file and issue “Save As” command. In the “Save As Type” combo Box choose “Rich Text Format (*.RTF)”. Now, if A1 Visual contact is installed in C:\VisualContact folder, type C:\VisualContact\tmplates\TEMPLATE_NAME.RTF. Where TEMPLATE_NAME is the name you would like to give to your template. 
5.	Now switch to A1 Visual Contact, Select the TAG that you want to insert in the template and press “Copy” button. Switch to the Word Processor program and use “Paste” command (or press CTRL+V or Ctrl + INSERT key) to paste the tag in the template.
6.	Insert other fields of your choice and format the template howsoever you want. 

Save your template and the next time you will issue “Write Letter” command, you will see your newly created template shining in the “Using Template” combo box. 
To see an example, open anyone of the RTF files in the TMPLATES folder in the folder where A1 Visual Contact is installed. 

Note: The templates provided with A1 Visual Contact are modified versions of document templates provided with Microsoft Office family of products and are copyrighted by Microsoft Corporation.