Hints: Default Text in Variable Fields

If you are using Dragon templates, you probably are using variable fields.  These are the entries delimited by the brackets "[ ]" that allow you to use the INS/OVR button on your SpeechMike handset to advance to the next field.

These variables can be setup to have default values, such as the following line in a macro template:

Lungs: [Clear] breath sounds.

The word "Clear" in the sentance above is the default value for the variable. When using this template in your permanent document, if you press the INS/OVR key on the handset, eventually the word "Clear" will be highlighted by Dragon, indicating the next utterance (Dragon-speak for dictating a phrase)  you dictate will replace this word.  If you do not enter an utterance and just press the INS/OVR key again, Dragon will move to the next variable field.  Dragon will use the word "Clear" as the default value in the sentence above and place this in your permanent document.  Dragon will also remove the delimiters (Dragon-speak for the brackets).  The line should appear as follows in the permanent document:

Lungs: Clear breath sounds.

If you dictated "distant" when the variable field containing the default value "Clear" was highlighted, then Dragon will replace "Clear" with "Distant" and again remove the delimiters.

Lungs: Distant breath sounds.

If the variable field is empty in the template, i.e. no text or spaces between the delimiters (brackets), such as below:

Lungs: [] breath sounds.

then if you click through this field without entering an utterance, Dragon will leave the delimiters in the permanent document as follows:

Lungs: [] breath sounds.

If you have left a space in the brackets in your template as the default value,  however, Dragon will leave the space as the default value and remove the brackets in the permanent document when you click through the field with the INSOVR button, as follows:

Lungs:  breath sounds.

Therefore, if you want to place a variable field in your template that sometimes you may fill in and sometimes you want left blank, place a space in the variable field as the default value.  Then when you click through the field with the INS/OVR button on the handset without entering an utterance, Dragon will leave only a blank and will remove the delimiters (brackets).  If you want to fill in the field, then dictate you entry into the field.