Introduction
What is SWIFT
Secure Web Interview and Form Transfer (SWIFT) is a system for securely gathering input from clients and importing that data into Legal+Plus Software products.
Prepackaged input form.
Each Legal+Plus software product has a corresponding input form on its own website which can be used to gather desired client information for that product (SupportCalc, Forms+Plus, etc.). This enables any user of Legal+Plus software products to use SWIFT even if the user (i.e that law office) doesn’t have a web site. This form is also very useful for those who don’t want to program their own form. To use the prepackaged form, users (attorneys) simply direct their clients to the URL of the input form (see the online help in the software), or the attorney can add a link from their own web site to the form on the Legal+Plus site.
Create your own form: SWIFT’s "Open" system
SWIFT is an open system. This means that SWIFT specifications are published. Users (attorneys) can create their own forms to gather client data and tie them into the SWIFT technology. In this way, attorneys can have their own forms on their own web sites which have the look and feel of their own web site and at the same time securely import the data gathered from that form into SWIFT.
Swift uses standard HTML. Use standard HTML to create web-page forms. SWIFT simply uses the FORM element in a garden variety web page. We adhere to the standards of the W3C committee. This just means we don’t do anything fancy. If you know HTML, you already know how to set up a SWIFT form. In fact you can convert any form you already have to a SWIFT form by following the instructions below.
Add a POST METHOD and ACTION to your form. Every web page (which gathers data from anyone) has a <FORM> tag before any input data fields. This <FORM> tag has a METHOD and an ACTION element which indicates how the form data should be processed when the user click’s submit. The key to SWIFT is "telling" the form to use SWIFT’s data processing method. Here’s an example of a complete form that would do just that:
<HTML>
<HEAD><TITLE>SWIFT FORM</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<FORM METHOD=POST ACTION=http://Legalplus.com/Forms/Swift.exe>
Your attorney’s email address: <INPUT name=ATTYEMAIL_FF4>
Your email address: <INPUT name=CLIENTEMAIL_FF3>
<INPUT TYPE=BUTTON VALUE="Submit Now" onclick="submit();">
</FORM>
</BODY>
</HTML>
When the user clicks submit using the form listed above, the data entered in the client email field would be processed by http:// www.Legalplus.com/forms/swift.exe. The information would immediately be encrypted and formatted for SWIFT. Your Legal+Plus program could now import the data. Not really useful yet, but it is a start.
The INPUT tag. You gather data by putting INPUT tags in a web based form. You also give the tag a name. Here’s an exmaple:
Enter First Name: <INPUT name=_FF100>
If this tag were included inside the web form, the web page would include the words "Enter first name" and then include an input box.
You might have noticed a curious way to name your input fields. IF you want your input field in the to be used by SWIFT, you must name the fields in a special way. At the end of your field name, you must include an underscore and a number. Here are some examples.
This works: <INPUT name=_FF100>
This works, too: <INPUT name=FIRSTNAME_FF100>(extra characters before the underscore OK)
Remember: The _FF100 (or whatever number you use) must be at the end of the field!!
How to find Field numbers. SWIFT has already assigned field number to each piece of data that you need collect from your client. You need these field number in order to create your own form. Here’s the best way to find those field numbers:
In your program (SupportCalc, Forms+Plus, etc.) click on the Interview options button on the first screen.
Find the URL of the web based form on the Legal+Plus web site for the form Legal+Plus created for that product.
Browse to that address with your browser.
Once the form comes up, right click any text portion of the form.
Click "View Source." On the menu that comes up.
You will see all the INPUT fields and the corresponding _FFnumbers You can save the file to your own computer for future reference. Just use the numbers listed
Special Required fields. There are some special fields that your form is required to have. You must have the following fields in the form in order for it to work with SWIFT. The attorney’s email address is the key to retrieving the forms into your program. The client’s name is obviously needed so you know which client you are importing.
Your attorney’s email address: <INPUT name=ATTYEMAIL_FF4>
Your email address: <INPUT name=CLIENTEMAIL_FF3>
Then somewhere near the bottom of the form:
<INPUT TYPE=BUTTON VALUE="Submit Now" onclick="submit();">
Restrictions. The input form which uses SWIFT must have only one "FORM" tag. Additionally, you cannot have several separate web pages which gather SWIFT data. You must have one HTML file with one FORM element that will gather SWIFT data. Suggestion: You can give the appearance of several pages by putting several anchors in a single form and linking to these anchors.
Testing your form. Once you have set up the form and put it on your website you need to test it before referring client to the form.
That’s it! Let us know how SWIFT works for you.