Form Publisher

Tutorial: Using form publisher to auto-generate documents (example: IOI - Indication of Interest)

What you will need:

1. A Google Sheet with the necessary data.
2. A Google Docs template with placeholders for data from the Google Sheet.
3. The Form Publisher add-on installed in Google Sheets.

Step 1: Prepare your Google sheet

1. Open Google Sheets
• Either a blank sheet if you are building a new template from scratch, or an existing template. If the latter, ignore bullet point below.
2. Input variables:
• Create columns for each variable that will be used in the Google Docs template. For example in the IOI see row 1:

Step 2: Prepare Your Google Docs Template

1. Create a New Google Doc:
• Open Google Docs and create a new document, or an existing template.
2. Insert Placeholders:
• In the Google Docs template, use double angle brackets <<PLACEHOLDER>> to mark where the data from the Google Sheets will be inserted.
• Brief example of our IOI template:
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<<OWNERS>>
<<COMPANY NAME>>
<<COMPANY ADDRESS>>

<<DATE>>

Strictly Private and Confidential

Offer to acquire <<SHARES ACQUIRED>> of the issued shares of <<COMPANY NAME>>

Dear <<OWNERS>>

Thank you for your time during our meeting it was a pleasure meeting you and learning about <<COMPANY NAME>>.

After conducting a preliminary analysis of the financials provided we are pleased to present this offer to acquire <<SHARES ACQUIRED>> of the issued shares in <<COMPANY NAME>>. This offer is subject to further due diligence and contract negotiations.

Background to Offer:
<<COMPANY NAME>> is an impressive business and we believe it represents a significant opportunity for continued growth. We are excited to submit this offer letter as we believe <<COMPANY NAME>> aligns well with our group's mission and complements our existing portfolio of businesses. The following reasons illustrate why we see this acquisition as a strong fit:

<<VC1>>
<<VC2>>
<<VC3>>

Step 3: Set Up Form Publisher in Google Sheets

1. Install Form Publisher:
• If not already installed, which it should be automatically, go to Add-ons > Get add-ons, search for Form Publisher, and install it.
2. Start Form Publisher:
• Open Form Publisher by navigating to Add-ons > Form Publisher > Get started. Or, click on this arrow: to un-hide the side panel:


And Form Publisher will show up here:


3. Configure Form Publisher:
• Template Selection: Select the Google Docs template you created.


• Mapping Fields: Map the columns in your Google Sheets to the placeholders in your Google Docs template. Ensure each placeholder is linked to the correct column in the sheet.
• Example mapping:
• <<COMPANY NAME>> -> COMPANY NAME
• <<OWNERS>> -> OWNERS
• <<DATE>> -> DATE
• etc.
4. Mass Generation Setup:
• Choose Generate: In the Form Publisher sidebar, select Generate documents.
• Select Rows to Process: Specify whether to process all rows or a specific range of rows.
• File Naming Convention: Set up how the generated documents should be named, typically using a combination of fields, e.g., <<COMPANY NAME>> - IOI.
5. Output Settings:
• Destination Folder: Choose or create a Google Drive folder where the generated documents will be saved.
• Sharing Options: Configure sharing settings, such as whether to share the documents with specific people or keep them private.

Step 4: Generate Documents

1. Run Form Publisher:
• Click on Generate documents to start the process. Form Publisher will create individual Google Docs based on your template, replacing placeholders with data from each row of your Google Sheet.
2. Review Generated Documents:
• Check the output folder in Google Drive to ensure that all documents have been generated correctly with the appropriate data filled in.