Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Assemble documents 3 questions
  • What does the lock symbol mean?

    The lock symbol can be seen in a document that is part of a binder.

    As long as the document is locked, it means (among others) that:

    • certain actions cannot be taken, such as changing the order of clauses, inserting new ones or removing clauses from the document; and
    • any updates made to the ‘original’ document (i.e. the document outside of the binder) will also be automatically made to the document in the binder, making sure any updates to the template are reflected in the binder template as well.

    Unlocking a document (by clicking the lock symbol) then has (among others) the following effects:

    • clauses can be (re)moved and inserted freely; and
    • importantly, the link between the original document and the document in the binder disappears, meaning that any changes made to the original document will not be reflected in the document in the binder.

    In view of the fact that unlocking a document breaks this link between the document in the binder and the original document, careful consideration must be given prior to unlocking a document in a binder!

    For more information, please consult the manual article on locked documents.

    Clause hierarchies also have a lock symbol once they are inserted in a document. Check out this article on clause hierarchies for more information.

  • Can I make a library clause conditional without affecting other documents?

    Yes, you can.

    However, making a change to a library clause applies that change to all uses of the clause. Not only all future uses, but also all uses of the clause in existing documents as well. That is why it can be dangerous to change a library clause. There is, however, a way to work around this to make your entire clause conditional for your specific document.

    1. Insert the clause into your document.
    2. Select it and click the pencil icon, then click “convert to independent ad hoc clause”.
    3. Add the condition you want to the “enabled?” property of the ad hoc clause.
    4. Hit save.

    After going through these steps, your clause should have become conditional (using the condition in the ad hoc clause).

    You can do this for a clause, subclause or even clauses used in an enumeration/bullet list.

  • What is the difference between reload contents and recalculate contents?
    • Reload contents   (available in the visibility and actions menu in Assemble Document mode) re-fetches the entire document, and all its clauses, from the server, and then recalculates the entire document. This is roughly similar to closing the document and re-opening it again. This should only be used on rare occasions, e.g. when you know that a colleague has changed a clause in his/her own browser, and you want to fetch those changes.
    • Recalculate contents  (Ctrl-Shift-E, available in the document toolbar in Assemble Document mode) does not load any contents from the server, and merely recalculates the already-available content. This may sometimes become necessary when some updates are not immediately reflected, although generally this is not needed. Please contact us when you notice that you repeatedly need to press this button in order to reflect certain changes, because using this option should be fairly exceptional.
Attributes 1 question
Binders 3 questions
  • Help! I inadvertently clicked the lock symbol

    As explained in another FAQ, clicking the lock symbol allows you to take certain actions (e.g., inserting or reordering clauses).

    However, until you effectively save the Document/Binder, no changes will have been made to the Document/Binder. The actual un-linking and de-structuring of the individual clauses will only happen at the moment that you actually save the Document/Binder; as long as you have not done so, you can always try to undo your operations and go back before the moment you clicked the lock symbol (or you can close the Document/Binder and disregard any changes).

    In fact, even at the moment you hit save, the link between the Binder and its Documents (or between a top-clause and its subclauses) will only be broken if you effectively made changes to the structure. At the moment you perform the save operation, the server will perform an exhaustive comparison between the old and the new version of the structure; if that structure is the same, then no “unlocking” will happen at the server level.

    There are two ways to check whether the link still exists, or whether it is effectively broken at the level of the server:

    • you can re-open the Binder and check whether the lock is (still) there
    • you can inspect the inner contents of the file structure by hitting the icon at the right side within Browse Files

    The inner contents of the Binder above will then be shown. In the screenshot below, you can see that file “new binder” has two “proxies”, i.e. pointers towards inner subdocuments saved elsewhere. If a proxy is shown in light green, then it concerns a “full proxy” that preserves the link between the Document and its clause structure (i.e., the link is not broken — if you would open the Binder, you will see that the lock icon will appear).

    However, if you would unlock the first subdocument in the Binder, make certain destructive changes (such s reordering the individual clauses) and then hit save and re-inspect the contents of the Binder, you will see that the proxy towards subdocument “xx” has turned light blue. This means that the structure of that subdocument is effectively broken up.

  • What does the lock symbol mean?

    The lock symbol can be seen in a document that is part of a binder.

    As long as the document is locked, it means (among others) that:

    • certain actions cannot be taken, such as changing the order of clauses, inserting new ones or removing clauses from the document; and
    • any updates made to the ‘original’ document (i.e. the document outside of the binder) will also be automatically made to the document in the binder, making sure any updates to the template are reflected in the binder template as well.

    Unlocking a document (by clicking the lock symbol) then has (among others) the following effects:

    • clauses can be (re)moved and inserted freely; and
    • importantly, the link between the original document and the document in the binder disappears, meaning that any changes made to the original document will not be reflected in the document in the binder.

    In view of the fact that unlocking a document breaks this link between the document in the binder and the original document, careful consideration must be given prior to unlocking a document in a binder!

    For more information, please consult the manual article on locked documents.

    Clause hierarchies also have a lock symbol once they are inserted in a document. Check out this article on clause hierarchies for more information.

  • What is the difference between documents and binders?

    Documents are, much as the name suggests, individual documents which contain a set of clauses. For example: a non-disclosure agreement. 

    Binders on the other hand are collections of documents which have been grouped together. For example: an outsourcing agreement with a pricing annex, technical annex, etc. 

    Every document in ClauseBase can be made part of a Binder. In fact, you are strongly advised to actively edit documents, and to only join them together into a Binder as the very last step.

Clause intelligence 1 question
  • Should I make one highly automated clause or two or more alternative clauses instead?

    When faced with a complex clause containing many options, you can either:

    • make a highly automated clause the text of which varies on the basis of the input assigned to datafields, its context, other clauses implemented in the document, etc., or
    • make multiple alternative versions of the same clause instead.

    The preferable option depends on a number of variables. For example, your company’s policy may prefer one option over the other. 

    An important consideration as well is whether the clause(s) should be capable of being used in many different contexts. If that is the case, it may be preferable to split the clause in a number of alternatives without relying too heavily on the context where it will be included or on very document-specific concepts/datafields.

    On the other hand, a highly automated clause may be easier to build a questionnaire around as use can be made of the batch create mode of Design Q&A.

    Finally, consider the end users of the clause(s) as well. Some users may prefer to choose between a number of alternatives as opposed to one clause that adapts automatically, while some (non-legal users, for example) may prefer to have it the other way around.

Clauses 4 questions
  • Help! I inadvertently clicked the lock symbol

    As explained in another FAQ, clicking the lock symbol allows you to take certain actions (e.g., inserting or reordering clauses).

    However, until you effectively save the Document/Binder, no changes will have been made to the Document/Binder. The actual un-linking and de-structuring of the individual clauses will only happen at the moment that you actually save the Document/Binder; as long as you have not done so, you can always try to undo your operations and go back before the moment you clicked the lock symbol (or you can close the Document/Binder and disregard any changes).

    In fact, even at the moment you hit save, the link between the Binder and its Documents (or between a top-clause and its subclauses) will only be broken if you effectively made changes to the structure. At the moment you perform the save operation, the server will perform an exhaustive comparison between the old and the new version of the structure; if that structure is the same, then no “unlocking” will happen at the server level.

    There are two ways to check whether the link still exists, or whether it is effectively broken at the level of the server:

    • you can re-open the Binder and check whether the lock is (still) there
    • you can inspect the inner contents of the file structure by hitting the icon at the right side within Browse Files

    The inner contents of the Binder above will then be shown. In the screenshot below, you can see that file “new binder” has two “proxies”, i.e. pointers towards inner subdocuments saved elsewhere. If a proxy is shown in light green, then it concerns a “full proxy” that preserves the link between the Document and its clause structure (i.e., the link is not broken — if you would open the Binder, you will see that the lock icon will appear).

    However, if you would unlock the first subdocument in the Binder, make certain destructive changes (such s reordering the individual clauses) and then hit save and re-inspect the contents of the Binder, you will see that the proxy towards subdocument “xx” has turned light blue. This means that the structure of that subdocument is effectively broken up.

  • Can I make a library clause conditional without affecting other documents?

    Yes, you can.

    However, making a change to a library clause applies that change to all uses of the clause. Not only all future uses, but also all uses of the clause in existing documents as well. That is why it can be dangerous to change a library clause. There is, however, a way to work around this to make your entire clause conditional for your specific document.

    1. Insert the clause into your document.
    2. Select it and click the pencil icon, then click “convert to independent ad hoc clause”.
    3. Add the condition you want to the “enabled?” property of the ad hoc clause.
    4. Hit save.

    After going through these steps, your clause should have become conditional (using the condition in the ad hoc clause).

    You can do this for a clause, subclause or even clauses used in an enumeration/bullet list.

  • Should I make one highly automated clause or two or more alternative clauses instead?

    When faced with a complex clause containing many options, you can either:

    • make a highly automated clause the text of which varies on the basis of the input assigned to datafields, its context, other clauses implemented in the document, etc., or
    • make multiple alternative versions of the same clause instead.

    The preferable option depends on a number of variables. For example, your company’s policy may prefer one option over the other. 

    An important consideration as well is whether the clause(s) should be capable of being used in many different contexts. If that is the case, it may be preferable to split the clause in a number of alternatives without relying too heavily on the context where it will be included or on very document-specific concepts/datafields.

    On the other hand, a highly automated clause may be easier to build a questionnaire around as use can be made of the batch create mode of Design Q&A.

    Finally, consider the end users of the clause(s) as well. Some users may prefer to choose between a number of alternatives as opposed to one clause that adapts automatically, while some (non-legal users, for example) may prefer to have it the other way around.

  • What is the difference between library clauses and ad-hoc clauses?

    Library clauses are stored in some clause library and can be reused from document to document. For information on how to create library clauses, click here.

    You can store clauses in different clause libraries: either your personal library, or your organisation’s central library, or the library of one of the departments/groups you are a member of. More information.

    Ad-hoc clauses are document-specific clauses that only appear in the document in which they are created. For more information on how to create ad-hoc clauses, click here.

    You should only rely on ad-hoc clauses if the clause you are drafting is so specific that you know you will not be using it in other documents. If there is a possibility that you would use it in other documents, it is better to save it in your personal library so that you can still access it but your organisation’s library does not suffer from the clutter. 

Concept labels 5 questions
  • Why do I see a purple error message?

    If you see a purple error message instead of your concept-label or verb/adjective/pronoun, then the software could not determine the conjugation.

    Usually, the software will provide you a hint on what went wrong. You can see this hint by hovering your mouse over the purple error message.

    If this does not help, then check the following steps:

    • For concept-labels:
      • Check whether you inserted the required grammatical word into the concept-label. For example, if you requested the word to be shown in plural (e.g., through @plural), then you must ensure that the plural version of that concept label effectively exists.
        • For languages with grammatical cases, you must ensure that a concept-label exists for that grammatical case.
        • Be aware that concept-labels cannot only be defined at the level of the concept (i.e., stored within the concept’s file), but can also be adhoc “overruled” (e.g., when you chose another concept-label in the popup-window of the Terms menu of Assemble Document). Even when you properly stored all required grammatical words for the concept-label in the concept’s file, you may not have done so when overrruling that concept-label from within the Terms menu.

          If such is the case, then you can either complete the adhoc-defined conceptlabel through the popup-window of the Terms menu. Alternatively, you can remove that adhoc-defined conceptlabel by clicking on the red “Revert to default” button in the popup-window.
    • For conjugated verbs/adjectives/pronouns:
      • Check whether you properly associated the conjugated word with a concept. For example, in simple clauses with only one concept, it can be sufficient to simply put <angular brackets> around a verb or adjective. However, when multiple concepts exist, as well as in some edge-cases, the software may not be able to reliably figure out which concept to associate with. In such case, you should explicitly refer to the concept within the angular brackets, e.g. <adjective: #concept>.
      • It may be the case that the word (or the required grammatical combination — e.g., third person plural in nominative case) was not found in the software’s internal dictionary. In such case, you can resolve the error by adding the relevant entry to the mini-dictionary.

  • Why is my clause displayed in red even though it has a translation?

    When you switch the language of a document, what really happens is that all the clauses of the document are switched to the language version you have chosen for the document. 

    If a clause does not have a translation for this particular language, it will be shown in brown/red. 

    If any concept labels contained therein also lack a translation, they will be receive a pink error notification. For example: 


    If you notice that your clause does have a translation but it is still being displayed as if it does not, this usually means that the title under which it is grouped does not have a translation. Fixing the content title of a clause is usually the right answer for this.

  • Do I need to create two different versions of a Concept for the singular and plural?

    In many contracts, the same term happens to be used in both the singular and plural form. The typical example is term “Party”, which is also used as “Parties”. 

    The question arises whether, in ClauseBase, you should create two different Concepts in such situation. 

    • For grammatical purposes, it is not necessary to create two different Concepts for the same term. After all, assuming you have specified both the singular and the plural form in the concept label of the Concept, the special functions @singular and @plural allow you to easily different between the two grammatical forms.
    • From a legal perspective, it may be the case that you want to either assign a different meaning to the singular and plural form, or at least explicitly clarify how the singular and plural form should be interpreted. (E.g., in contracts with more than two parties, it may be ambiguous whether “the Parties” refers to “at least two parties (but not necessarily all of them)” or instead to “all of the parties”.)

      In such case, many legal experts will insert two different entries in the definition list, one for the singular form and one for the plural form.

      If you happen to find yourself in this situation, you will indeed have to create two different Concepts. The reason is that if you create only one Concept, and force its singular or plural form through @singular and @plural, then ClauseBase will only insert one entry into the definition list. You will probably want to ensure that the default concept label for the singular Concept is the singular form of the term, while the default concept label for the plural Concept is the plural form of the term
  • What is the difference between a concept’s hashtag, its file name and the concept label?

    File name and hashtag

    When creating a concept, you have to give the concept (which is a file) a name. The file name serves multiple purposes: it can be used to retrieve the concept when searching, but more importantly the file name is also used to refer to the concept in the ClauseBase grammar. Referring to a concept is done by typing a hashtag #  followed by the concept’s file name.

    For example, if you have a concept with file name purchase-price, you would refer to it in the ClauseBase grammar as #purchase-price. Therefore, the concept’s “hashtag” and its file name are the same.

    There are cases where a concept’s file name and its hashtag can be different. Check out our article on referring to concepts using shortcuts.

    Concept label

    The concept label is the term that will be displayed when referring to a concept in a clause text. For example:

    What is written in the clauseWhat is shown in the text
    1. #Purchaser shall pay #purchase-price to #seller.The Purchaser shall pay the Purchase Price to the Seller.

    Multiple concept labels can be assigned to a single concept, between which a user can freely choose when assembling a document (as well as create new ones).

    Thanks to the use of concept labels, the text of your clause/document can be automatically adapted to changes in singular/plural, to the gender of a concept label, to the use of defined/undefined or no articles, etc. 

    For more information, check out our article on concept labels.

  • What are concept labels?

    Concept labels are the terms which are used for a certain concept when it is shown in a document preview (such as Assemble Document mode). For example:

    What is written in the clauseWhat is shown in the text
    1. #Distributor shall supply #product inside #territory. 11.2 The Distributor shall supply the Product inside the Territory. 


    Clauses created in ClauseBase are to a large extent reusable thanks to the concept labels assigned to concepts. If we take the previous example again, this is what the preview could also show to allow for reuse of that clause in an entirely different context:

    What is written in the clauseWhat is shown in the text
    1. #Distributor shall supply #product inside #territory.11.2 The Supplier shall supply the Services inside the European Economic Area.

    Concept labels can be freely defined by the user who assembles a document, but in general it is a good idea to provide a small collection of predefined terms for each concept (e.g.: for the concept “contract”, we could provide concept labels of “contract”, “agreement”, “master services agreement”, “non-disclosure agreement”, “share purchase agreement”, etc.). For more information on this difference and how to create concept labels, click here. 

Concepts 6 questions
  • Is it possible to connect a definition to two or more concepts?

    Yes, but not within the same definition file. 

    If you want to use the same definition for different concepts, you can create a definition file that is linked to one of the concepts you want to create a definition for, then duplicate it and link the duplicated file to a different concept. 

    More information on how definitions work in ClauseBase.

  • How do definitions work in ClauseBase?

    Definitions are separate files in ClauseBase, much as clauses are and operate in much the same way, both in how they are created and how their content is structured. 

    A definition file in ClauseBase essentially acts as only the explanatory part of a definition in a traditional contract. Take the following example: 

    “Director”: a director of the Company;

    Just as this example from a Word document has a “concept” part, i.e.: “Director” and a “content” part, i.e.: “a director of the Company”, so too does ClauseBase distinguish between these parts. 

    In ClauseBase, you create a definition file for the “content” part of the definition and then assign it to a concept, which forms the “concept” part of the definition. When such a concept is used in a clause and that clause is used in a contract, ClauseBase will be able to include it in its overview of used concepts under the terms menu of the operations toolbar. From that menu, you can easily assign a definition to this concept, provided that concept has a (number of possible) definition(s) assigned to it. 

    It is good practice to store definitions in designated folders, so you can easily distinguish between types of files. 

    For an overview of how to put this knowledge into practice to create a definition, click here.

  • Do I need to create two different versions of a Concept for the singular and plural?

    In many contracts, the same term happens to be used in both the singular and plural form. The typical example is term “Party”, which is also used as “Parties”. 

    The question arises whether, in ClauseBase, you should create two different Concepts in such situation. 

    • For grammatical purposes, it is not necessary to create two different Concepts for the same term. After all, assuming you have specified both the singular and the plural form in the concept label of the Concept, the special functions @singular and @plural allow you to easily different between the two grammatical forms.
    • From a legal perspective, it may be the case that you want to either assign a different meaning to the singular and plural form, or at least explicitly clarify how the singular and plural form should be interpreted. (E.g., in contracts with more than two parties, it may be ambiguous whether “the Parties” refers to “at least two parties (but not necessarily all of them)” or instead to “all of the parties”.)

      In such case, many legal experts will insert two different entries in the definition list, one for the singular form and one for the plural form.

      If you happen to find yourself in this situation, you will indeed have to create two different Concepts. The reason is that if you create only one Concept, and force its singular or plural form through @singular and @plural, then ClauseBase will only insert one entry into the definition list. You will probably want to ensure that the default concept label for the singular Concept is the singular form of the term, while the default concept label for the plural Concept is the plural form of the term
  • Is it okay for a concept to be used only for datafields?

    Yes, it absolutely is. Concepts can be used in three different ways:

    • Concept without datafields but with a concept label, serving only as a term in a document
    • Concept with both datafields and a concept label, therefore able to act as a container for information as well as a term in a document
    • Concept with only datafields and no concept label, serving only as a container for information

    As you can see, while there are certainly many similarities between the traditional use of defined terms in legal documents on the one hand and ClauseBase concepts on the other, concepts can be used more broadly and more flexibly among others as containers of information.

  • What is the difference between a concept’s hashtag, its file name and the concept label?

    File name and hashtag

    When creating a concept, you have to give the concept (which is a file) a name. The file name serves multiple purposes: it can be used to retrieve the concept when searching, but more importantly the file name is also used to refer to the concept in the ClauseBase grammar. Referring to a concept is done by typing a hashtag #  followed by the concept’s file name.

    For example, if you have a concept with file name purchase-price, you would refer to it in the ClauseBase grammar as #purchase-price. Therefore, the concept’s “hashtag” and its file name are the same.

    There are cases where a concept’s file name and its hashtag can be different. Check out our article on referring to concepts using shortcuts.

    Concept label

    The concept label is the term that will be displayed when referring to a concept in a clause text. For example:

    What is written in the clauseWhat is shown in the text
    1. #Purchaser shall pay #purchase-price to #seller.The Purchaser shall pay the Purchase Price to the Seller.

    Multiple concept labels can be assigned to a single concept, between which a user can freely choose when assembling a document (as well as create new ones).

    Thanks to the use of concept labels, the text of your clause/document can be automatically adapted to changes in singular/plural, to the gender of a concept label, to the use of defined/undefined or no articles, etc. 

    For more information, check out our article on concept labels.

  • What are concept labels?

    Concept labels are the terms which are used for a certain concept when it is shown in a document preview (such as Assemble Document mode). For example:

    What is written in the clauseWhat is shown in the text
    1. #Distributor shall supply #product inside #territory. 11.2 The Distributor shall supply the Product inside the Territory. 


    Clauses created in ClauseBase are to a large extent reusable thanks to the concept labels assigned to concepts. If we take the previous example again, this is what the preview could also show to allow for reuse of that clause in an entirely different context:

    What is written in the clauseWhat is shown in the text
    1. #Distributor shall supply #product inside #territory.11.2 The Supplier shall supply the Services inside the European Economic Area.

    Concept labels can be freely defined by the user who assembles a document, but in general it is a good idea to provide a small collection of predefined terms for each concept (e.g.: for the concept “contract”, we could provide concept labels of “contract”, “agreement”, “master services agreement”, “non-disclosure agreement”, “share purchase agreement”, etc.). For more information on this difference and how to create concept labels, click here. 

Conjugations 2 questions
  • Why do I see a purple error message?

    If you see a purple error message instead of your concept-label or verb/adjective/pronoun, then the software could not determine the conjugation.

    Usually, the software will provide you a hint on what went wrong. You can see this hint by hovering your mouse over the purple error message.

    If this does not help, then check the following steps:

    • For concept-labels:
      • Check whether you inserted the required grammatical word into the concept-label. For example, if you requested the word to be shown in plural (e.g., through @plural), then you must ensure that the plural version of that concept label effectively exists.
        • For languages with grammatical cases, you must ensure that a concept-label exists for that grammatical case.
        • Be aware that concept-labels cannot only be defined at the level of the concept (i.e., stored within the concept’s file), but can also be adhoc “overruled” (e.g., when you chose another concept-label in the popup-window of the Terms menu of Assemble Document). Even when you properly stored all required grammatical words for the concept-label in the concept’s file, you may not have done so when overrruling that concept-label from within the Terms menu.

          If such is the case, then you can either complete the adhoc-defined conceptlabel through the popup-window of the Terms menu. Alternatively, you can remove that adhoc-defined conceptlabel by clicking on the red “Revert to default” button in the popup-window.
    • For conjugated verbs/adjectives/pronouns:
      • Check whether you properly associated the conjugated word with a concept. For example, in simple clauses with only one concept, it can be sufficient to simply put <angular brackets> around a verb or adjective. However, when multiple concepts exist, as well as in some edge-cases, the software may not be able to reliably figure out which concept to associate with. In such case, you should explicitly refer to the concept within the angular brackets, e.g. <adjective: #concept>.
      • It may be the case that the word (or the required grammatical combination — e.g., third person plural in nominative case) was not found in the software’s internal dictionary. In such case, you can resolve the error by adding the relevant entry to the mini-dictionary.

  • Do I need to create two different versions of a Concept for the singular and plural?

    In many contracts, the same term happens to be used in both the singular and plural form. The typical example is term “Party”, which is also used as “Parties”. 

    The question arises whether, in ClauseBase, you should create two different Concepts in such situation. 

    • For grammatical purposes, it is not necessary to create two different Concepts for the same term. After all, assuming you have specified both the singular and the plural form in the concept label of the Concept, the special functions @singular and @plural allow you to easily different between the two grammatical forms.
    • From a legal perspective, it may be the case that you want to either assign a different meaning to the singular and plural form, or at least explicitly clarify how the singular and plural form should be interpreted. (E.g., in contracts with more than two parties, it may be ambiguous whether “the Parties” refers to “at least two parties (but not necessarily all of them)” or instead to “all of the parties”.)

      In such case, many legal experts will insert two different entries in the definition list, one for the singular form and one for the plural form.

      If you happen to find yourself in this situation, you will indeed have to create two different Concepts. The reason is that if you create only one Concept, and force its singular or plural form through @singular and @plural, then ClauseBase will only insert one entry into the definition list. You will probably want to ensure that the default concept label for the singular Concept is the singular form of the term, while the default concept label for the plural Concept is the plural form of the term
Datafields 2 questions
  • Can I change a datafield type after I have already created it?

    Unfortunately, this is not possible as such. See this article for information on how to circumvent this problem.

    While changing the type of datafield as such is not difficult, consider for a minute the potential ramifications:

    • What if you are already using conditional logic that relies on the old datafield type? It obviously won’t work anymore, and leads to data corruption as a result.
    • What if you had already assigned values to the old datafield type? Those would have to be deleted first or you would risk data corruption. If that datafield is being used across a variety of different clauses and/or documents, that may lead to a serious impact.
    • Questions in Q&A mode rely on the correct datafield type to be assigned to them. If a datafield type needs to change, all the questions this datafield is used in would also have to change.

  • Is it okay for a concept to be used only for datafields?

    Yes, it absolutely is. Concepts can be used in three different ways:

    • Concept without datafields but with a concept label, serving only as a term in a document
    • Concept with both datafields and a concept label, therefore able to act as a container for information as well as a term in a document
    • Concept with only datafields and no concept label, serving only as a container for information

    As you can see, while there are certainly many similarities between the traditional use of defined terms in legal documents on the one hand and ClauseBase concepts on the other, concepts can be used more broadly and more flexibly among others as containers of information.

Definitions 2 questions
  • Is it possible to connect a definition to two or more concepts?

    Yes, but not within the same definition file. 

    If you want to use the same definition for different concepts, you can create a definition file that is linked to one of the concepts you want to create a definition for, then duplicate it and link the duplicated file to a different concept. 

    More information on how definitions work in ClauseBase.

  • How do definitions work in ClauseBase?

    Definitions are separate files in ClauseBase, much as clauses are and operate in much the same way, both in how they are created and how their content is structured. 

    A definition file in ClauseBase essentially acts as only the explanatory part of a definition in a traditional contract. Take the following example: 

    “Director”: a director of the Company;

    Just as this example from a Word document has a “concept” part, i.e.: “Director” and a “content” part, i.e.: “a director of the Company”, so too does ClauseBase distinguish between these parts. 

    In ClauseBase, you create a definition file for the “content” part of the definition and then assign it to a concept, which forms the “concept” part of the definition. When such a concept is used in a clause and that clause is used in a contract, ClauseBase will be able to include it in its overview of used concepts under the terms menu of the operations toolbar. From that menu, you can easily assign a definition to this concept, provided that concept has a (number of possible) definition(s) assigned to it. 

    It is good practice to store definitions in designated folders, so you can easily distinguish between types of files. 

    For an overview of how to put this knowledge into practice to create a definition, click here.

Documents 2 questions
  • What does the lock symbol mean?

    The lock symbol can be seen in a document that is part of a binder.

    As long as the document is locked, it means (among others) that:

    • certain actions cannot be taken, such as changing the order of clauses, inserting new ones or removing clauses from the document; and
    • any updates made to the ‘original’ document (i.e. the document outside of the binder) will also be automatically made to the document in the binder, making sure any updates to the template are reflected in the binder template as well.

    Unlocking a document (by clicking the lock symbol) then has (among others) the following effects:

    • clauses can be (re)moved and inserted freely; and
    • importantly, the link between the original document and the document in the binder disappears, meaning that any changes made to the original document will not be reflected in the document in the binder.

    In view of the fact that unlocking a document breaks this link between the document in the binder and the original document, careful consideration must be given prior to unlocking a document in a binder!

    For more information, please consult the manual article on locked documents.

    Clause hierarchies also have a lock symbol once they are inserted in a document. Check out this article on clause hierarchies for more information.

  • What is the difference between documents and binders?

    Documents are, much as the name suggests, individual documents which contain a set of clauses. For example: a non-disclosure agreement. 

    Binders on the other hand are collections of documents which have been grouped together. For example: an outsourcing agreement with a pricing annex, technical annex, etc. 

    Every document in ClauseBase can be made part of a Binder. In fact, you are strongly advised to actively edit documents, and to only join them together into a Binder as the very last step.

Files 1 question
  • What is the difference between library clauses and ad-hoc clauses?

    Library clauses are stored in some clause library and can be reused from document to document. For information on how to create library clauses, click here.

    You can store clauses in different clause libraries: either your personal library, or your organisation’s central library, or the library of one of the departments/groups you are a member of. More information.

    Ad-hoc clauses are document-specific clauses that only appear in the document in which they are created. For more information on how to create ad-hoc clauses, click here.

    You should only rely on ad-hoc clauses if the clause you are drafting is so specific that you know you will not be using it in other documents. If there is a possibility that you would use it in other documents, it is better to save it in your personal library so that you can still access it but your organisation’s library does not suffer from the clutter. 

Q&A 1 question
  • My Q&A warns about save failures

    If the message you get is akin to the following

    (or perhaps “deleted card”) then you are facing the problem that you still refer to some question/card somewhere, while that question/card has been deleted in the meantime.

    The easiest way to solve it, is to completely expand all cards and all change sets, and check where orange selection boxes appear. You can do so by clicking on the expansion arrows while both Shift and Alt (Option on Mac) are held down. For example:

    will show the following, indicating that the placeholder still happens to refer to some deleted question:

    Tip: you can prevent such errors from happening by selecting a question (or card), and then checking the contents of the Dependencies pane in the Q&A. In the example scenario above, the question that was deleted, actually showed the following before it got deleted:

Reuse of clauses 3 questions
  • Can I make a library clause conditional without affecting other documents?

    Yes, you can.

    However, making a change to a library clause applies that change to all uses of the clause. Not only all future uses, but also all uses of the clause in existing documents as well. That is why it can be dangerous to change a library clause. There is, however, a way to work around this to make your entire clause conditional for your specific document.

    1. Insert the clause into your document.
    2. Select it and click the pencil icon, then click “convert to independent ad hoc clause”.
    3. Add the condition you want to the “enabled?” property of the ad hoc clause.
    4. Hit save.

    After going through these steps, your clause should have become conditional (using the condition in the ad hoc clause).

    You can do this for a clause, subclause or even clauses used in an enumeration/bullet list.

  • Should I make one highly automated clause or two or more alternative clauses instead?

    When faced with a complex clause containing many options, you can either:

    • make a highly automated clause the text of which varies on the basis of the input assigned to datafields, its context, other clauses implemented in the document, etc., or
    • make multiple alternative versions of the same clause instead.

    The preferable option depends on a number of variables. For example, your company’s policy may prefer one option over the other. 

    An important consideration as well is whether the clause(s) should be capable of being used in many different contexts. If that is the case, it may be preferable to split the clause in a number of alternatives without relying too heavily on the context where it will be included or on very document-specific concepts/datafields.

    On the other hand, a highly automated clause may be easier to build a questionnaire around as use can be made of the batch create mode of Design Q&A.

    Finally, consider the end users of the clause(s) as well. Some users may prefer to choose between a number of alternatives as opposed to one clause that adapts automatically, while some (non-legal users, for example) may prefer to have it the other way around.

  • Can the same clause be used throughout my organisation?

    Yes, technically this is easily possible. While many clauses will probably be written with one specific team or department in mind, one can imagine a number of clauses that are useful to everyone. Typical examples would be a clause containing a signature block or a governing law clause.

    Technically, for a clause to be available to all users of a specific customer, that clause should be located in a library that all users have “use” rights to. If there is no such library currently in your organisation, please contact your administrator.

    From a legal perspective, we would however want to warn for not becoming too  enthusiastic about the possibility to share clauses across departments in different legal domains. In theory, it seems attractive to draft a single clause that works for very different domains, but in practice this goal has been the reason why many templating/standardisation projects have failed. 

    We have heard stories about lawyers who tried to draft a template that would please everyone. Apparently, even when these lawyers were from the same department, this resulted in significant discussions about even the simplest clauses (such as applicable law or party descriptions), e.g. because two partners had strong but opposing views about certain wording.

    Ultimately, legal drafting is complex and nuanced, and ClauseBase was developed to allow different legal experts to choose different clauses. As suggested above, clauses that will be shared across departments, will probably be limited in amount.

Searching 1 question
Sharing clauses 1 question
  • Can the same clause be used throughout my organisation?

    Yes, technically this is easily possible. While many clauses will probably be written with one specific team or department in mind, one can imagine a number of clauses that are useful to everyone. Typical examples would be a clause containing a signature block or a governing law clause.

    Technically, for a clause to be available to all users of a specific customer, that clause should be located in a library that all users have “use” rights to. If there is no such library currently in your organisation, please contact your administrator.

    From a legal perspective, we would however want to warn for not becoming too  enthusiastic about the possibility to share clauses across departments in different legal domains. In theory, it seems attractive to draft a single clause that works for very different domains, but in practice this goal has been the reason why many templating/standardisation projects have failed. 

    We have heard stories about lawyers who tried to draft a template that would please everyone. Apparently, even when these lawyers were from the same department, this resulted in significant discussions about even the simplest clauses (such as applicable law or party descriptions), e.g. because two partners had strong but opposing views about certain wording.

    Ultimately, legal drafting is complex and nuanced, and ClauseBase was developed to allow different legal experts to choose different clauses. As suggested above, clauses that will be shared across departments, will probably be limited in amount.

Translations 1 question
  • Why is my clause displayed in red even though it has a translation?

    When you switch the language of a document, what really happens is that all the clauses of the document are switched to the language version you have chosen for the document. 

    If a clause does not have a translation for this particular language, it will be shown in brown/red. 

    If any concept labels contained therein also lack a translation, they will be receive a pink error notification. For example: 


    If you notice that your clause does have a translation but it is still being displayed as if it does not, this usually means that the title under which it is grouped does not have a translation. Fixing the content title of a clause is usually the right answer for this.

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