Live documents are designed and developed in the visual, collaborative Dialogue design environment just like any other Dialogue document. Using Dialogue DLF Designer, the document developer has the ability to add editing controls and rules to the document in order to manage user interactions, making some areas of the document editable, while locking others down.

With DLF Designer, the Live developer can include logic to access external data sources for pre-filling areas of the Live document based on what is input, authenticating user rights and content, executing decision-making logic, and triggering other processes.

Live document developers can also add interactive features to existing Dialogue document applications, so any Dialogue-created document can be turned into a Live document.

Once tested in the Dialogue design environment, the Dialogue engine processes the Live document application to produce the Dialogue Live Format (DLF) output.

XML-based, DLF files are self-contained and portable, so they can routed and managed like any other data file in the enterprise. Their XML-based structure makes it easy for external systems, like Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and Business Process Management (BPM) solutions, to easily retrieve data and content from DLF files.

DLF files can be stored in a common repository for user retrieval. Depending on the type of document they need to create, users select the appropriate DLF file from the repository and use the Dialogue Live Editor to personalize and complete the pre-approved document.

The Dialogue Live Editor allows users to edit and interact with Live documents, or DLF files. Live Editor can be used as a browser-based plug-in for web applications, or run stand-alone as a desktop application.

Live Editor provides context-sensitive help and interview pages that guide users through the personalized document completion process. Users enter information into pre-defined areas of the Live document and depending on what is entered, certain sections, sentences, words, or images will automatically be included or excluded.

Live documents can also be role-based, so what the user sees and can edit depends on who they are.

Based on logic in the Live document application, the Live Editor can also access data or pass data to external systems through web services or other connectors to and from corporate systems. For example, the Live Editor can automatically retrieve current information for a customer after some identification has been entered, and automatically pre-fill areas of the document based on content from that source(s).

With Live Editor, users can deliver personalized, pre-approved documents on demand with the accuracy, flexibility, and speed they require. Additionally, the edited Live document(s) can be sent to a central repository for further processing by the Dialogue production environment.

With Dialogue DLF Input, edited Live documents (DLF files) may be used as input to the Dialogue engine to drive other processes. Data and content can be extracted from the Live document and used to update corporate systems, generate new documents, trigger events, make copies of the edited document in other formats (such as for archiving and mailing), or be used as content within another document, which could be output in any format (such as AFP, PDF, PostScript, etc.).

With Dialogue DLF Fulfillment, Live documents can be used as templates to drive delivery of personalized documents to many different people. Using an attached or defined distribution list, the Dialogue engine processes the Live document with its rules to generate a document for each person on the list. A corporation that wants to provide its franchises or branches with the ability to localize and personalize direct mail pieces, but needs to ensure branding standards and certain content remain unchanged, is a good candidate for using Dialogue DLF Fulfillment. The local branch simply adds their content, such as custom images, provides the distribution list, and submits the Live document for processing.