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O
VERVIEW
A form is a single document containing one or more pages or sections. Most forms
contain multiple pages that are usually printed on both sides of a single sheet
(duplex). Some forms are printed only on one side (simplex). Typical forms include
insurance policies, tax returns, and mortgage documents.
The information for a form is stored in a file with an FOR extension. For each form
you create, you have a separate FOR file. The form name is listed in a GRP file,
whereas the specific information for each form is stored in a separate FOR file. Note
that the Form level of the Workspace tree is also where you will add any Section
triggers needed for your implementation (typically used in Overflow processing).
A form includes two types of data: fixed and variable.
• Fixed data is the same on every copy of the form. This includes items such as
graphics. This information remains constant regardless of the data entry.
• Variable data can differ from form to form. This includes items such as
individuals' names, addresses and policy numbers. This information relates to
the transaction-specific data processed on each form.
A single form consists of one or more sections. Since multiple forms and sections
make up a form set, you can view and navigate through each form and section
individually.
A form can consist of multiple sections and, consequently, you can view the varying
sections within a form by displaying different pages of the form.
The content of forms can be created several ways. One is with the Forms manager,
located under Content in the Workspace tree. Forms can also be created through the
Documaker Add-In for Word (please see Using the Documaker Add-in for Microsoft
Word on page 561), conversions of documents in 3rd party systems (please see
Converting Files on page 445), as well as with embedding sections discussed below.
Forms consist
of one or more
sections
Section A
Section B
Section C
Section D
Section E
Section F
Form 1
Form 2
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Overview
139
U
SING
E
MBEDDED
S
ECTIONS
Few other document composition tools uses sections as building blocks for forms. In
most, you work on individual forms as a whole. Since Studio users sometimes import
content from other tools, Studio provides a way to break imported or converted
forms into sections. These sections are called embedded sections.
Embedded sections provide a way to edit the content of a form as though it was a
section. You can also unembed an embedded section if you want to replace it with
another section or make that content available for use on another form.
Embedded sections also provide a way to maintain the content of a form without
having to create a separate library resource and check out the section to edit it. This
lets you see the edits to a section in context with the remainder of the form. Using
embedded sections can be appropriate when you do not plan to reuse or maintain
separate versions of the content.
You can import these types of files into Studio:
• RTF files
• DOC and DOCX files created in Microsoft Word
• DOCX and DOCM files created with the Documaker Add-In for Word which
have a document type of form
These files are imported as forms, with at least three sections:
By default, these sections are embedded into the form during the conversion. For
more information on converting and importing files, see Converting Files on page
445.
When you use embedded sections, each section can still be named, but will not load
from the library because its content is part of the form. The sections are assigned
names derived from the name of the document or the use of the content within the
document — such as header or footer.
Header
(or dummy header section)
Footer
(or dummy footer section)
Body section
Note
You can also manually embed sections you create in Studio after you insert them into a
form.
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If you specified the section name in Studio or you converted a section from the
library into an embedded section, the name of that section would appear in Form or
Template manager as shown here:
SectionName (Embedded)
Here is an example:
Editing an Embedded Section
You edit embedded sections using the Forms or Template manager, instead of the
Section manager.
To edit an embedded section in the Forms manager, follow these steps:
1. Select a section in the Sections object tree
2. Right-click and select Edit on the right-click menu.
Once you are in section edit mode in Forms manager, the menu and toolbar changes
to reflect the Section manager options. You also see Section options on the
Properties tab.
This section was
created in Studio and is
embedded.
Note
You can also double-click the section in the work area.
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Overview
141
Unembedding an Embedded Section
The Embedded option lets you indicate whether the section should be part of the
form or its own file in the library or on disk. To unembed an embedded section,
simply uncheck the Embedded option.
If the section was manually embedded, you are finished. If the embedded section was
created via a conversion, the Embedded Section wizard appears. This wizard guides
you through a series of questions to determine how to handle the section. If a section
with the same name exists in the library, you see this message:
Section objects are listed on the
Objects tab. Just click on an
object in the list to display its
properties.
Note
Press Esc, when in section edit mode but without an object selected, to exit section edit
mode.
Click this option to unembed an
embedded section.
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You have these options:
If you click No, or if there was no section already in the library by that name, the
Embedded Section wizard appears:
You have these choices:
• Replace the embedded section with one from the library or disk.
If you choose to replace the section with a another section from the library or
disk, the Open File window appears:
Choose the section you want and click Ok. Click Browse to choose a section
from disk.
• Save this section.
If you want to
Click
Replace the section on the form with the one found in the library
Yes
Start the wizard to determine what to do
No
Leave as embedded
Cancel
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Overview
143
This option creates a section in the library with the currently embedded content.
You provide a name for the section and tell Studio whether it should check this
new section into the library or have it remain on disk.
• Unembed the section.
By choosing to unembed the section, the content is removed and not replaced.
You will see the result after you close the form and then reopen it.
Enter the name for the section
here.
Remove this check mark if you
want the section to remain on disk
and not be checked into the library.
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U
SING
THE
F
ORMS
S
CREEN
Studio places all the tools you need to manage your forms at your fingertips. The
screen is your forms work area. It is important to become familiar with the general
screen layout and parts of the screen. Understanding the screen layout will help you
work quickly and efficiently.
The first window that appears when working with forms is shown here.
Title Bar
Menu bar
toolbar
Workspace
Status bar
List of sections Work area
Form or section properties
Item
Description
Title bar
The title bar displays the name of the workspace you have open, followed by Documaker
Studio, and then the name of the form you have open.
Menu bar
The menu bar provides the list of available pull-down menus.
Toolbar
The toolbar contains a row of icons that provide quick access to common options.
Status bar
The Status bar gives the coordinates of the mouse pointer in the work area. The mode of
operation, such as ready or edit, also appears here.
Workspace
The workspace lets you quickly access different items. It also shows which specific
resources that are checked out (green check mark), which resources are checked out by
another user that you would only have read-only access to (red check mark), and which
resources are open in read-only mode or have never been checked into the library.
Section tree
Shows the sections that comprise the form.
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Using the Forms Screen
145
U
SING
THE
M
ENU
B
AR
This topic introduces you to the pull-down menus which include additional options
or are only available when you are working with forms. A summary of each of these
menu appears below. The menus are listed in the order they appear on the menu bar.
.
Using the Insert Menu
The Insert menu provides options useful when you are adding content to a form.
Form or section
properties
Depending upon whether you highlighted a form or a section, if you click the Properties tab,
Studio shows you the properties for that form or section.
If you click the Triggers tab, Studio shows you the triggers for that form or section.
Work area
This is where you add, delete, or re-arrange the sections that comprise the form. You can
also test entering data onto the form.
Item
Description
Note
For information on the standard menus and menu options which are always available,
see Using System Menus on page 19
Menu
Description
Insert
Lets you insert pages, sections, groups, subforms, and triggers into a form.
Arrange
Lets you align, distribute, and center objects on the page.
Tools
Provides various tools for working with forms and sections. For instance, these tools let you
disassociate the form from a template, create readability statistics, or perform a data entry check.
You can also use this option to view the task list and to validate or normalize the form.
Option
Description
Page
Adds a page to the form.
Section
Adds a section to the form.
Group
Adds a group begin section. When you add a group begin section, a group end section is
automatically added.
This lets you associate sections and optionally assign a common trigger to all of them. You can
drag and drop or create sections between the group begin and group end sections to indicate
they are part of the group. A form group can optionally have a group rule associated with the
group begin section.
Subform
Adds a subform to a form.
Trigger
Adds a trigger to a form.
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Using the Arrange Menu
The Arrange menu provides options for arranging the objects that comprise the form.
Using the Tools Menu
The Tools menu provides access to the following tools you can use while working
with forms:
Option
Description
Align
Lets you align objects by their left edges, right edges, centers, tops, bottoms, and middles.
Space
Lets you space objects evenly across the form or evenly down the form. You can also define
custom spacing.
Center in Page
Lets you center objects on the page vertically or horizontally.
Option
Description
Select Area for
Section
Lets you highlight an area of the form and turn those objects into a new section.
Data Entry Check
Lets you test the data entry and navigation rules assigned to the fields on the form.
Normalize
Lets you create a normalized AFP or Xerox Metacode file from the form.
Disassociate with
Template
Lets you disassociate this form from the template assigned to it.
Save as Template
Lets you save this form as a template. For more information, see Using Form
Templates on page 167.
Validate
Lets you run a Form Validation Report on this form. This report can tell you...
• Whether sections referenced in the form (FAP files) exist in the library
• If the sections defined in the form have assigned recipients
• Any sections with assigned recipients and a copy count of zero
• Any sections that contain text areas or multiline text fields marked as Can Grow, but
the Can Grow attribute is not specified at the form level
Readability Statistics
Lets you generate readability statistics for the form. For more information, see
Generating Readability Statistics on page 164.
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