Once you've setup your binder, configured it's index and chosen your preferred binder format, you’re ready to generate your binder. This pulls together your binder documents and index into a complete binder file that can be exported.
Good to know:
Until generated, your binder can't be exported.
Once generated, any user who can view the binder will be able to export it
Prerequisites: You have the edit binder permission
Generating your binder
To start generating your binder, press Generate in the top nav of the Binder page.
Your binder will start generating based on the index configurations and binder format settings you've chosen.
While generating, note that:
Background generation: Generation happens in the background. That means the binder stays accessible, you can take other actions in Legatics (and even log-out). But, as set out below, specific changes to the binder will cause it to go out of sync with the file being generated.
Generation time: Depends on the size of your binder, and your binder file type (single PDF takes longer than zip).
Progress; You’ll see a progress indicator to let you know how far along the process is.
When generated, the generation button will become inactive and the export button will be active.
The binder can now be exported by anyone with the view or edit binder permission
Cancelling generation
You can cancel generation at any time by clicking the x icon next to the generating button. This will stop the process, and no binder file will be created. You won't be able to generate again until cancellation is complete.
Keeping your binder file in sync with Legatics
It’s important to keep your binder in Legatics aligned with the file you generate. The generated binder file is a "snapshot" of your binder at a specific point in time. If you make changes to the binder in Legatics after generating the file, the two can fall out of sync.
This section explains which changes will cause the file to become outdated, how you'll be notified, and what your options are when that happens.
Changes that break sync
Making any of these changes will put your generated binder file out of sync with the binder in Legatics.
Sections |
|
Documents |
|
Index configuration | Any changes to the index configuration (excluding downloading the Word template) |
Binder format | Any changes to the binder format |
Heads-up: Changes to matter details won’t trigger a warning
Your Binder Word template includes placeholders for matter metadata (like name, description, client number and matter number).
If you update this information, we won’t alert you
If this information is changed, then to re-generate, make another change to the binder (eg move a section or edit a document)
Change happens during generation
If the changes above are made to the binder during generation:
Generation continues: The binder will continue generating based on the settings at the time generation started. You can either cancel generation or wait until it finishes, then generate again.
Notifications: All users with edit permissions in the binder will see:
A toaster message informing them the binder file isn't in sync
A warning icon on the generate button
Change happens after generation
If the changes above are made to the binder after generation:
Binder can still be exported: The existing binder file can still be exported
Notifications: All users with edit and view permissions in the binder will see:
A toaster message informing them the binder file isn't in sync
A warning icon on the export button
Generation button becomes active: So you can re-generate the binder
Note: Once you generate again, you’ll no longer be able to access the previously generated binder file.
Next steps
Once the binder is generated, you can export it or give other participants view permission, so they can access the binder and export it.
Troubleshooting
Binder not generating
If your binder isn't generating, it's likely because of an issue with a file in your binder. Check your files for the following issues:
Corruptions
Marcos in files
Empty files (0kb)
Unfortunately, it isn't possible for us to advise the specific file causing the issue.
Password protected files
If you’re exporting your binder as a zip file, password-protected documents can be included without any issues. However, if you choose to export as a single PDF, the generation process won’t start, and you’ll see an error message for each password-protected file causing the issue. To continue, either remove the password protection from those files or switch to a ZIP export.
FAQ
Why do I have to generate and export my binder separately?
In the list, generation and export happens at the same time. For binders, we’ve intentionally separated generation and export. Here’s why:
It’s faster overall: Generating a binder - especially one with lots of files or a single PDF - can take time. If generation happened every time you exported, you (and your clients) would have to wait for generation, and then for the download to save. By separating the two steps, the file is already prepared and ready to download when you need it - making it faster overall to get the binder file. It also means the only thing that affects download speed is your internet connection and the size of the binder.
You’re free to come back later: You can start generating your binder, leave the page, and return when it’s ready to download - no need to keep the page open.
It improves performance: By not repeating generation every time someone exports, we reduce server load and improve performance for everyone.
It supports what’s next: This approach opens the door to new features, like sharing a secure download link with a client.
So while it’s an extra click, it makes binders more reliable, more scalable, and easier to manage.