SAPERION Forms
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Table of Contents
1
Introduction .........................................................................................................
1
1.1 Form Design ........................................................................................................
1
1.2 Comparison of Forms Functions in Web Client and Rich Client .......................
1
2
2
The Forms Designer ............................................................................................
2.1 Multi-function Toolbar (Ribbon) ........................................................................
3
2.1.1
Context-related Tabs ........................................................................................
4
2.1.2
Minimizing/ Maximizing the Multi-function Toolbar ....................................
4
2.2 Tabs ......................................................................................................................
4
2.2.1
The "Form" Tab ...............................................................................................
4
2.2.2
The "Options" Tab ..........................................................................................
4
2.3 Panes ....................................................................................................................
5
2.4 Properties .............................................................................................................
6
3
Form Types ..........................................................................................................
6
4
Form Elements ....................................................................................................
7
4.1 Form Element "Field" .........................................................................................
7
4.1.1
"General" Tab ..................................................................................................
7
Spell Check ....................................................................................................
8
4.1.2
"Font" Tab ........................................................................................................
9
4.1.3
"Procedure" Tab ..............................................................................................
9
4.1.4
"Lookup Table" Tab .........................................................................................
11
Definition of Filter Conditions ......................................................................
13
Lookup Table Layout .....................................................................................
13
4.1.5
"Tooltip" Tab ....................................................................................................
14
4.1.6
"Description" Tab ............................................................................................
14
4.2 Variables - Field Types ........................................................................................
15
4.2.1
Field Type "Entry Field" ..................................................................................
15
Entry Fields with Entry Forms ......................................................................
16
4.2.2 Field Type "Database-independent Field" ......................................................
16
4.2.3
Field Typ "Checkbox" (Yes/ No) .....................................................................
17
4.2.4 Field Type "Text Retrieval" ..............................................................................
17
4.2.5
Field Type "Lookup Table" .............................................................................
17
4.2.6 Field Type "Drop-down List" ..........................................................................
17
4.2.7
Field Type "Multi-value Field" ........................................................................
18
4.2.8 Field type "Calendar Field" .............................................................................
18
4.3 Formulas for Default Field Entries .....................................................................
19
4.3.1
Default Entry of Permanent Values ................................................................
19
4.3.2
Default Entry of Field Contents from other Form Elements .........................
19
4.3.3
Default Entry for Queries with Smartlink ....................................................... 20
4.3.4
Default Entry of System Variables and Formulas ..........................................
20
4.3.5
Default Entry with Macros ..............................................................................
20
4.3.6 Default Entry with BASIC Functions ..............................................................
21
4.3.7
Results from OCR-/ Barcod Recognition as Default Entry ............................
21
4.3.8
Default Entry of Values from COLD Transfers ...............................................
21
4.4 Form Element "Text" ...........................................................................................
21
4.5 Form Element "Button" ......................................................................................
22
4.5.1
"Function" Tab .................................................................................................
23
Function "Save and..." ..................................................................................
24
Function "Cancel and..." ...............................................................................
26
4.5.2
"Display" Tab ...................................................................................................
26
4.5.3
"Query" Tab .....................................................................................................
27
4.6 Form Element "Search" ......................................................................................
28
4.6.1
"Data" Tab .......................................................................................................
28
4.6.2 "Display" Tab ...................................................................................................
29
4.6.3 "Properties" Tab ..............................................................................................
30
4.6.4 "Query" Tab .....................................................................................................
31
4.7 Form Element "Tab" ............................................................................................
32
4.8 Form Element "Image" .......................................................................................
33
4.9 Form Element "Groupbox" .................................................................................
34
4.10 Form Element "Viewer" ......................................................................................
34
4.11 Form Element "Links" .........................................................................................
35
4.11.1 Using a Document Viewer in an Index Form ................................................
35
Highlighting ...................................................................................................
35
Lasso Function ..............................................................................................
36
4.11.2 Using a Document Viewer in a Query Form .................................................
36
4.12 Form Element "Form" .........................................................................................
36
4.13 Form Element "Mash-Up" ..................................................................................
37
4.14 Form Element "Workflow History" ....................................................................
37
4.15 Form Element "Workflow Context" ....................................................................
37
4.16 Form Element "Outliner" ....................................................................................
37
4.16.1 Outliner ............................................................................................................
38
List View ........................................................................................................
38
Static Tree View .............................................................................................
38
Dynamic Tree View ........................................................................................
39
4.16.2 Extended Outliner ...........................................................................................
39
Working with an Extended Outliner .............................................................
40
Defining a Document ACL ...........................................................................
40
4.16.3 "Parameter" Tab ..............................................................................................
41
4.16.4 "Levels" Tab .....................................................................................................
42
4.16.5 Level Parameters .............................................................................................
42
"Link" Tab ....................................................................................................
43
"Appearance" Tab ..........................................................................................
43
"Data" Tab .....................................................................................................
45
"List" Tab .......................................................................................................
46
"Symbols" tab ................................................................................................ 46
4.16.6 "Font" Tab ........................................................................................................
47
4.16.7 "Restrictions" Tab ............................................................................................
47
4.16.8 "Forms" Tab .....................................................................................................
48
4.16.9 Outliner Migration ..........................................................................................
48
4.17 Form Element "ActiveX Object" .........................................................................
50
4.17.1 "General" Tab ..................................................................................................
50
4.17.2 "Properties" Tab ..............................................................................................
51
4.17.3 "Events" Tab ....................................................................................................
52
4.17.4 "Methods" Tab ................................................................................................
52
4.17.5 "Miscellaneous" Tab ........................................................................................
53
4.18 Form Element "SQL Query" ...............................................................................
53
4.19 Form Element "Task Panel" ................................................................................
54
4.20 Form Element "Grid" ..........................................................................................
55
4.20.1 Grid – Lookup Values .....................................................................................
58
4.21 Form Element "Thumbnail" ...............................................................................
58
4.22 System or Custom Icons ....................................................................................
58
4.22.1 INI-Switch "WindowsFileIcons" ....................................................................
59
5
60
Creating Forms ....................................................................................................
5.1 Loading a Database Definition ........................................................................... 60
5.2 Creating a Form ..................................................................................................
61
5.3 Creating a Standard Form ..................................................................................
61
5.4 Testing a Form ....................................................................................................
62
5.5 Sample: Form for a Workflow Inbox ..................................................................
62
6
Configuring Forms ...............................................................................................
63
6.1 Editing Form Elements .......................................................................................
63
6.1.1
Aligning ............................................................................................................
64
6.1.2
Arranging .........................................................................................................
64
6.1.3
Copying and Pasting .......................................................................................
65
6.2 Editing Form Properties ......................................................................................
65
6.3 Grouping of Form Fields ....................................................................................
66
6.4 Assigning an Access List ....................................................................................
67
6.4.1
Assigning an Access List to a Form ...............................................................
67
6.4.2 Assigning Access List to Individual Form Elements .....................................
68
6.5 Defining Form Events .........................................................................................
69
6.6 Defining Encryptions in Index Forms ................................................................
70
6.7 Document Tooltips ..............................................................................................
71
6.8 Other Form Functions ........................................................................................
71
6.8.1
Enabling Keyboard Shortcuts .........................................................................
71
6.8.2 Hiding Index Fields .........................................................................................
71
6.8.3
Displaying Index Values ..................................................................................
72
6.8.4 Displaying Older Forms ..................................................................................
72
6.8.5
Dynamic Areas ................................................................................................
73
6.8.6 Configuration of Colors ...................................................................................
73
7
Managing Forms .................................................................................................
74
7.1 Saving Forms .......................................................................................................
74
7.1.1
Saving Formats ................................................................................................
74
7.1.2
File names .......................................................................................................
74
7.2 Deleting Forms ....................................................................................................
75
7.3 Activating Forms .................................................................................................
75
7.4 Translating Forms ................................................................................................
76
7.5 Localizing .............................................................................................................
77
8
Forms in the Web Client .....................................................................................
77
8.1 Update of changed Forms ..................................................................................
78
8.2 Pre-allocated Field Entries ..................................................................................
78
8.2.1
Field Linking ....................................................................................................
78
8.2.2
Index Form ....................................................................................................... 79
8.2.3
Query Form .....................................................................................................
79
8.3 Properties of a Results List ................................................................................
79
8.4 Standard Buttons ................................................................................................
80
8.4.1
Standard Buttons in the Query Form ............................................................
80
8.4.2 Standard Buttons in the Index Form .............................................................
81
8.5 Visibility of Form Elements ................................................................................
81
8.6 Information on Forms in the Web Client ...........................................................
82
8.6.1
Lookup Table ...................................................................................................
82
8.6.2 Index Form .......................................................................................................
82
8.6.3
Panels ...............................................................................................................
82
Forms for Electronic Files (eFile) .......................................................................
82
9.1 Tables for Electronic Files ...................................................................................
83
9.1.1
Index Table for the eFile Cover .......................................................................
83
9.1.2
Index Table for the Archived Documents .......................................................
85
9.2 Required Forms ...................................................................................................
86
9.2.1
Preview Form ...................................................................................................
87
9.2.2 Preview Form for File Search .........................................................................
87
9.2.3
Preview Form for Opened File .......................................................................
87
9.2.4 Form for Creating New Files ..........................................................................
88
9.2.5
Form for Creating Registers ...........................................................................
88
9.2.6 File Search Form .............................................................................................
88
9
9.2.7 File View Form ................................................................................................
89
9.2.8 Form for Archiving new Documents .............................................................. 90
9.3 Formula for File Path .......................................................................................... 90
9.4 Editing Classes ....................................................................................................
91
9.5 Form for Superordinate Search ..........................................................................
92
1.1
Form Design
SAPERION Forms
1
Introduction
Forms are the most important interface to the user, which is why you need to pay special attention to
them. With well-structured, self-explanatory forms, you can ensure that users will quickly become familiar
with their new working environment and use it as efficiently as possible.
Forms are created, modified, and managed via the Rich Client. This is where you launch the Forms
Designer, and depending on your level of authorization, then create or modify the available forms. Forms
are generated schematically by form type. The descriptions below apply to all form types; when there are
individual differences, these are also explained.
The following chapters contain a description of the Forms Designer and explain how to manage and
create your forms. This is preceded by an overview of the different form types and form elements, and
a description of their functions.
1.1
Form Design
Forms are an essential aspect of every user’s on-screen workspace. SAPERION tries to make working
with forms as quick, easy, and efficient as possible, and has implemented a revised design concept and
the use of frames within forms.
Each form automatically fills the entire work area. Through the use of frame programming, the size of the
individual form elements – such as results lists or document previews – can be increased or decreased
as needed. Individual form elements can also be hidden; for this, the user simply clicks the arrow icons
on the frames between the elements.
With such dynamic display options, users can customize their own forms to suit their individual working
habits.
i
The size configured for the individual form elements is saved when the form is closed and opened
again.
1.2
Comparison of Forms Functions in Web Client and
Rich Client
Forms functions are differently supported by Rich Client and Web Client. Some functions cannot be
displayed in the Web Client. Please note the differences illustrated in the following table when creating
forms.
Forms Functions in Rich Client and Web Client
Mask Function
Rich Client
Web Client
Field
x
x
1
2
Mask Function
Rich Client
Web Client
Variable Fields
x
x
The Forms Designer
only variables of type "string"
Field pre-populated
complex expressions, formula, methods and x
macro modules
simple, not linked expressions (see also
chapter "Forms in the Web Client" below)
Text
x
x
Button
all
x
only: OK, Cancel, Cancel and..., Save and...,
Fields, Delete, Results, Edit, Display
Search (Results list)
x
x
Tab
x
x
only possible without ACL, events and access
Image
x
x
Groupbox
x
x
Viewer
x
x
Form
x
x
Mash-Up
x
x
Workflow history
x
-
Workflow context
x
-
Outliner
x
-
ActiveX object
x
-
SQL query
x
-
Task panel
x
-
Thumbnail
x
x
Connections
x
x
ACL
x
Standard-ACL for index forms
Events
x
alternatively with Java Script or Java
Encryption
x
-
Outliner Migration
x
-
Properties, system variables, operands, methods
see appendix
see appendix
2
The Forms Designer
The Forms designer is your main tool for creating forms. If you are authorized accordingly, you can open
the Forms Designer from within the Rich Client.
2
2.1
Multi-function Toolbar (Ribbon)
Fig. 2–1: User interface of the Forms Designer
The main window contains the following work areas:
+
Ribbons
Multi-function toolbar with the following elements: Tabs, groups, and the actual commands that
are available to the current user.
+
Form
After you have selected one of the menu commands for creating a new form, the SAPERION Forms
Designer opens with an empty form pane. Here, you can either create the required form elements
individually, or you can generate a standard form and edit its elements afterwards. You can use any
or all of the index fields contained in the current DDC file as entry fields on your form.
+
Properties
This is where the form’s properties are listed. You can choose a categorical view (Appearance,
Behavior, Layout, and Data) or list the properties in alphabetical order.
2.1
Multi-function Toolbar (Ribbon)
Much like in the Rich Client, the SAPERION Forms Designer offers a selection of functions that can be
automatically adjusted to suit the objects selected by the user. These functions are displayed in ribbons
and enable you to switch from automatically allocated functions to other available functions that are
grouped according to task area. This prevents you from having to search through the menu structures.
3
2
2.1.1
The Forms Designer
Context-related Tabs
The ribbons are made up of tabs that are organized according to tasks and specific application scenarios.
This means that only particular groups of commands are relevant when objects of certain types are being
used.
Fig. 2–2: Ribbon
2.1.2
Minimizing/ Maximizing the Multi-function Toolbar
By double-clicking the name of the active tab, you can completely hide the groups on the tab so that
only the names of the tabs are visible.
Repeat this procedure to maximize the multi-function toolbar: Double-click the name of the tab.
2.2
Tabs
Click a tab to display a corresponding taskbar containing the control elements, which are organized in
different groups. Each of these groups represents a subtask. The actual commands can be called up in
one of these groups.
2.2.1
The "Form" Tab
The "Form" tab can be used to call up general functions. When you click the "Form" tab, a list of menu
commands appears. This list contains the following entries:
+
Save
+
Save as...
+
Delete...
Fig. 2–3: "Form" tab
2.2.2
The "Options" Tab
This tab contains general function groups. You can assign access lists (ACLs) to it (Rich Client only) or
define which clients the mask is for.
4
2.3
Fig. 2–4: "Options" tab
Select the respective client in which the mask can be shown by activating the according checkbox ("Web
Client" or "Rich Client"). In the SAPERION Rich Client and Web Client the application are then available
in the navigation according to your selection here.
i
For compatibility reason existing masks (masks that are created before SAPERION SP1 release),
are shown in both Rich Client and Web Client.
In the Rich Client forms are only hidden when the respective SAPERION user is assigned to a profile
with no "Configuration" right or when the user has logged in to the SAPERION Rich Client as "Query",
"Index", "Scan" or "Scan Highend" user.
2.3
Panes
Forms may comprise several different work areas. You can arrange these according to your individual
requirements. Each work area is represented by a pane. A pane can be recognized by a small pushpin
icon, which indicates that the pane is located in a place where it can be displayed clearly. Click the pushpin
icon to close the pane’s work area. This can be useful when the required components are not used
continuously but only as required. This way, you can easily show/hide the work areas as needed.
You can also position the panes within the SAPERION interface and minimize them there the same way.
Minimizing a Pane
Click the pushpin icon in the header to minimize the pane down to a tab. This tab opens automatically
as soon as you move the cursor over it.
If you would like to open the pane again permanently, click the pushpin icon.
Positioning a Pane
You can reposition the pane as you wish. To do so, proceed as follows:
1.
Move the pane that you would like to arrange by pressing and holding the left mouse
button while the mouse is positioned in the header of the pane. The system displays the
possible positions of the panes using directional icons.
5
Panes
3
2.
2.4
Form Types
Select the desired position by moving the mouse pointer to the corresponding position
icon. The corresponding pane position is highlighted in blue. Release the mouse button
to place the pane in the desired position.
Properties
The "Properties" dialog is where the Forms Designer provides you with all the options for modifying the
different form objects.
3
Form Types
All the forms here represent visual interfaces for formulas that let authorized SAPERION users access
the database tables (Archive).
In SAPERION, the different form types are distinguished by their functions.
+
Query form
A query form is used to enter the user’s search criteria. These are then sent to the archive. Value
ranges ("from...to" for date values, etc.) can also be entered here. The result returned by this form
is a results list of the documents found in the archive.
+
Index form
Index forms are used to enter a document’s index data, which is required for archiving. This meta
data can later be used to find the document within the archive.
+
Input form
Input forms are used to create new entries in lookup tables or within the individual outliner levels,
and to edit existing entries. Technically, input forms are handled as index forms, because they are
used for capturing data that are stored in the database.
6
4.1
+
Form Element "Field"
Audit form
An audit form is similar to a query form; here, users enter search criteria to search for specific results
in the system event logs.
4
Form Elements
You can create the elements of your form manually or by using a wizard. You can also use the clipboard
to copy items from other forms and integrate these into your new form.
Below, you will learn all about the SAPERION form elements and their individual configuration settings.
4.1
Form Element "Field"
Use "Field"-type form elements to create connections to the index fields defined in the DDC files. During
indexing, the required index data is either entered into the fields manually, or SAPERION enters it
automatically. For the query, the user enters search criteria into these fields. In the forms, the fields
are available as entry fields or as checkboxes, fulltext fields, lookup tables, drop-down lists, multi-value
fields, calendar fields, etc.
After selecting the field option in the START ribbon via INSERT > FIELD, draw a selection rectangle in
the Forms Designer pane to create the new field. The "Form Field" dialog opens, containing a range of
tabs for you to configure the different settings of the field.
4.1.1
"General" Tab
Fig. 4–1: "Form Field" dialog - General
"Form Field" dialog - General
Parameter
Description
Field
When you select "Field", the combination field below will list all the fields defined in the
DDC file. Out of these, you need to select the index field that the current form element is to
access. The field type (entry field, checkbox, fulltext field, drop-down list, lookup table) is already predefined in the DDC file.
7
4
Form Elements
Parameter
Description
Variable
If you select "Variable", you can enter a variable name in the field below. This variable is
temporary, which means that it is only available for as long as the form is opened; it is not
linked to any field in the corresponding database definition. Database-independent fields
of this kind are particularly suitable as display fields and comments fields for indexing in
the forms. To distinguish between the two kinds, variable names are delineated by square
brackets [...] and linked fields by angle brackets <...>.
For further information on variables, please refer to "Variables – Field Types".
NOTE: The "Variable" option is only available in the Rich Client.
Limit
Under "Limit", you can specify if the entry field has one or two search limits. For index
forms, you have to select "both"; for query forms, you can choose either.
For example, if you select "upper" for limit and enter a search term with four characters in
this field, SAPERION will find all documents where the corresponding field is the same or
less than the first four characters of the search term.
When accessing the internal SAPERION database, there is no distinction between uppercase and lower-case characters; when accessing an SQL database, you can specify this in
the "ODBC – Installation and Configuration, Queries" dialog (SQL Connection (via ODBC).
Fulltext search
In the "Fulltext Search" section, you can configure settings to determine the search response for fulltext fields.
Archive variable
The "Archive Variable" checkbox is only available for index forms and only if you have selected "Variable" above. When you select this option, the field content of the variable will be
saved during archiving. This way, you can store indexing comments, etc., without this information cluttering up the search database.
Calendar
With the checkbox "Calendar" you can activate the calendar control for data fields.
NOTE: Please be aware that the calendar control is not available when applying the Rich
Client under Windows XP. In this case, the data field is displayed as normal entry field
which means that the user has to enter the date manually.
Spell check
In the form definitions, suitable fields can be run through a spell checker. This operates the
same way as the MS Word spell checker, underlining unknown words with a broken red line. A wide range of languages are available for spell-checking (see section "Spell Check"
below).
On the "Processing" tab, you can specify further entry field parameters, such as whether it is a mandatory
field, etc.
4.1.1.1
Spell Check
When activating the spell check function an auto correction in a field is possible. The user is also allowed
to extend individually existing dictionaries by adding new words. Vocabulary supplementations are saved
in the "SAPERION.clx" file which is created at runtime in the installation directory of the client.
In order to be able to use the spell check function the following requisite must be fulfilled:
In the installation directory of the client the language-specific vocabulary files must be available. These
are "Spell<country code>.lex" files which are automatically installed with the SAPERION installation.
Example
8
4.1
Form Element "Field"
Vocabulary file for English: "SpellEN.lex"
Please proceed as follows to configure the spell check function:
1.
Deactivate in the forms designer under OPTIONS ribbon > VIEW group > WEB CLIENT
checkbox.
2.
Then mark the required text field where you intent to apply the spell check funtion. By
executing a double-click on it the "Form Field" dialog opens.
3.
In the "General" tab, activate the option "Spell check" and choose the language-specific
vocabulary from the "Language" dropdown box.
4.1.2
"Font" Tab
On the "Font" tab of the "Form Field" dialog, you can specify the current field’s font.
Fig. 4–2: "Form Field" dialog – Font
"Form Field" dialog - Font
Parameter
Description
Font
Select the desired font from the list provided. All the fonts installed in your Windows system are available. You can also select a font size, which is indicated in points (1 point = 1/
72 in. = 0.35 mm). For freely scalable fonts (such as TrueType or ATM fonts), the font size
list only indicates the standard values, but you can enter any value you like.
Attributes
In the "Attributes" section, you can specify if the font type is bold, italic, or underlined. There is a display field below for you to check what the font will look like. In the "Alignment"
section on the left, you can specify the text’s alignment. The default setting is "left".
4.1.3
"Procedure" Tab
On the "Procedure" tab of the "Form Field" dialog, you can define formulas for default field entries and
plausibility checks.
9
4
Form Elements
Fig. 4–3: "Form Field" dialog – Procedure
i
When using date values, note that a date from the previous millennium either needs to be entered
as a four-digit number or that a formula needs to be defined for adding the correct century value
(e.g., ((year >= 95) AND (year <= 99)) ? (1900+year) : year).
"Form Field" dialog - Procedure
Parameter
Description
Field inactive
Select the "Field inactive" checkbox to prevent user entries in this field. If such fields are
automatically assigned default entries, the text will be displayed in gray.
NOTE: If a field has been set to "inactive", it cannot be activated via a macro.
Content persistent
If you select the "Content persistent" checkbox, the field’s entry will be saved and still be
there when the next document is indexed – at which point it can also be overwritten.
Mandatory field
Select the "Mandatory" checkbox if the field in question must always be filled in. There are
three options for this checkbox:
+
not selected: The field is explicitly not a mandatory field, regardless of what has been specified in the data definition
(DDC).
+
selected: The field is explicitly a mandatory field, regardless
of what has been specified in the data definition (DDC).
+
gray tick: The setting of the data definition (DDC) applies.
NOTE: The "Mandatory" setting can only be modified for fields that have not been defined
as mandatory in the DDC definitions. Fields defined as mandatory in DDC cannot be modified, as these are checked via SQL constraints.
If there is a variable (no index field from the DDC) the option "Mandatory field" is not
available. The corresponding checkbox cannot be activated.
Maximizable
This checkbox can be selected for all fields. Select it to display a bar at the top of the field.
When the user clicks this bar, the entry field is maximized to the currently visible form size.
Upon entry, the field’s bar needs to be double-clicked again to shrink the field back to its
original size and reveal the form’s other parts.
History
Select this checkbox to provide the user with a list of the last 10 entries for a field when this
field is being entered. The list is accessed via the right-click context menu. The user can
simply click any entry in the list to transfer it into the field.
10
4.1
Form Element "Field"
Parameter
Description
Password
Form entry fields may also be used for the entry of access data, for example, during log-on.
In such cases, it may be preferable that the entry details are obscured (using star symbols).
Select this checkbox to achieve this effect.
Color
Within a form, invalid values can be displayed in a different color. This makes it easy to
quickly identify such values within a form.
The validity of each value is checked using a set of conditions that you need to specify in
the box above. You can also specify if the color indicates for each entered condition whether it is met or not met.
The color itself is specified on the "Processing" tab of the field dialog in question. Simply
click the displayed button to open a color palette from which to select the desired color.
Events
Click the [Events...] button in order to specify EventScript macros that are triggered by
certain Windows system events (field receives focus, etc.). For a description of possible
events, see "Form Events".
Default
In the "Default" field, you can specify fixed or variable defaults. SAPERION checks these
when an index or query form is opened, and the contents are entered into the corresponding form fields automatically. The form’s user can either accept the default entry or overwrite it as suits, provided that the field is not deactivated. If you have specified a variable
default entry (such as the content of a reference field in the form), SAPERION will update
the corresponding fields whenever you change the entry of the reference field. If SAPERION cannot make sense of the default entry, e.g., due to a spelling mistake, the form field
remains empty.
NOTE: When a lookup table is used to create default index field entries by means of positioning via the link field’s value, the lookup table’s definition needs to have the "Direct
Link" checkbox selected. Otherwise, any entered values that are not contained in the lookup table may cause faulty positioning within the lookup table. If you have already set the
"Restrict Search" parameter for the link field, there is no need to select the "Direct Link"
checkbox.
The formulas for creating default entries are described in greater detail under "Formulas for
Default Field Entries".
Check
In this field, you can enter a formula that is applied when the user attempts to exit a form.
The formula can only output Boolean results. If the result is FALSE, this means that the
form cannot be exited; the entry focus is placed in the field where the check failed.
By default, there are no error messages for this, but if necessary, you can generate such
messages by using the MsgBox() function. This is a typical syntax:
@Count<4 ? MsgBox("The value must be at least 4"):TRUE
This formula prevents users from entering values lower than "4" in the "Quantity" field.
NOTE: Check formulas are perfect for running plausibility checks before a document is archived.
4.1.4
"Lookup Table" Tab
On the "Lookup table" tab of the "Form Field" dialog, you can configure the settings of the "Lookup
table" field type.
11
4
Form Elements
Fig. 4–4: "Form Field" dialog – Lookup table
i
When ODBC databases are used for lookup tables, "Restrict search" is the default setting in order
to optimize performance.
"Form Field" dialog - Lookup table
Parameter
Description
Buttons
Here, you can specify which buttons will be enabled in the lookup table.
> New: Add a new record to the lookup table
> Edit: Edit the currently selected record in the lookup table
> Delete: Delete the currently selected record from the lookup table
Creating and editing records happens on the form associated with the lookup table. All
your entries there are automatically applied to the lookup table.
Conditions
SAPERION also offers you an option for listing lookup table contents in abbreviated form –
by adding filter conditions. Please refer to chapter "Definition of filter conditions" below.
Restrict search
In the case of very large lookup tables, finding a record can prove very time-consuming.
This is why SAPERION offers a search function to access the lookup table entries more
quickly. With this function, a search term needs to be entered in the lookup table’s entry
field (the first few significant characters usually suffice), and then the lookup table itself
needs to be opened. SAPERION always searches the first column of the lookup table for
matches to the search term, and then jumps straight to the first identified match. In order
to search another column of the lookup table, you need to move the column in question to
the first slot.
If you select "Restrict Search" on the "Lookup Table" tab, this means that only the search
matches will be displayed when the lookup table is opened. This can make it considerably
easier for the user to select the required entry, which can save a lot of time in the case of
large-scale lookup tables.
Select when inactive
Deselect this checkbox if you want to prevent user entries; this also means nothing can be
selected in the lookup table.
Activate the "Select when inactive" checkbox if you still wish the entry section of the lookup
table to be blocked, but you do want the entries to be selectable.
Save layout
When "Save layout" is selected, any changes made to the appearance of the lookup table
(column width, etc.) are saved and will be reloaded the next time the form in question is
opened.
12
4.1
Form Element "Field"
Parameter
Description
Form
Like in the database definition, you can use the "Form" field to define an entry form for an
entry field, a filter for fulltext fields, or a drop-down list. In this dialog, however, any settings
you specify only apply to the current form. To compile a drop-down list or a keyword list for
fulltext fields, simply enter the terms in question as a list separated by commas.
An example for masking can be found under the following link:
http://portal.saperion.com/docsxml/en/saperion-75/administration/eadministration_ddc.html?vs=saperion-75#-special--tab
4.1.4.1
Definition of Filter Conditions
To define a filter condition, select a field from the "Condition Field" list on the "Lookup Table" tab and
then enter a constant value (text in quotation marks, number, etc.) or variable value (formula) in the
"Condition" box.
When a lookup table is opened, the filter criteria are applied as specified for searching on the Core Server
(default: "LIKE <condition>").
The same rules apply for the "Condition" box as for default field entries. For further details, please check
the section above.
Filter conditions for thinning out a lookup table can only be applied to one lookup table field at a time.
The problem with applying filter conditions to multi-value fields with their own lookup table is that a
simple shortcut to the content of the condition field (@field) will always return all values, including
delimiters. This is normally not the desired outcome. In order to prevent this from happening, you need
to enter a shortcut to the condition field’s lookup table (@field@LTfield).
4.1.4.2
Lookup Table Layout
The user is generally able to temporarily modify the appearance of the lookup table as may be needed,
but as the administrator, you should specify the basic default settings within the Forms Designer.
To specify the size of the lookup table, you need to open the table in the Forms Designer and then move
the pane borders while pressing the mouse button.
To change the column order, drag and drop the column headers to the desired position. By default, the
columns of the lookup table are displayed in the order that they were defined in the DDC file. If any of
the columns are to be hidden, delete them via a right-click.
To change the column width, move the right boundary of the column header in question while pressing
the mouse button.
By default, SAPERION writes the field names to the lookup table’s headers. If you wish to change a
header, simply double-click it while in the Forms Designer and enter the new name. To save your changes,
press <RETURN>; to cancel them, press <ESC>. The user is not given the option of changing the column
headers.
13
4
Form Elements
If an SQL database is being used, the lookup table can be sorted not only by the first column but by any
column in ascending or descending order. Click any column header to select it, and click it again several
times to determine the sorting direction (triangle pointing down – descending order; triangle pointing
up – ascending order; no triangle – unsorted). If the lookup table contains a large number of records,
it may improve overall performance if there is no sorting.
!
When using a lookup table, ensure that it does not contain any empty records and that the link
field to the main index table does not contain an empty value ("NULL" or " "). Otherwise, the
selection will skip to the record above the correct one.
When a lookup table is used to create default index field entries by means of positioning via the link
field’s value, the lookup table’s definition needs to have the "Direct Link" checkbox selected. Otherwise,
any entered values that are not contained in the lookup table may cause faulty positioning within the
lookup table.
4.1.5
"Tooltip" Tab
On the "Tooltip" tab of the "Form Field" dialog, you can specify additional information for a field. This
information is displayed when the mouse pointer hovers above the field.
Fig. 4–5: "Form Field" dialog – Tooltip
4.1.6
"Description" Tab
On this tab, you can enter a description, which will be displayed as gray text in the empty field.
14
4.2
Variables - Field Types
Fig. 4–6: "Form Field" dialog – Description
4.2
Variables - Field Types
This section introduces all the available field types.
Please take note of the following rules for the naming of variables:
+
Variable names must not be the same as existing index field names
+
Variable and index field names must not contain any characters that can be evaluated by formulas
("+", "-", ":", etc.)
+
Variable names must not begin with "sv", as this denotes fields that contain system variables.
Fig. 4–7: Variables
4.2.1
Field Type "Entry Field"
Entry fields are available for the following defined data types: "Character", "Integer Number", "Real
Number", "Counter", "Date", and "Time". All entry fields on forms look the same. You therefore need to
alert the user to the required entry formats through descriptions within the form. While "Character"-type
fields accept any number of characters up to the specified maximum length, the other field types all have
specific entry formats.
15
4
4.2.1.1
Form Elements
Entry Fields with Entry Forms
You can also define specific entry forms for your entry fields. These can be specific to the database or
specific to the current form. When an incompatible entry occurs in a field of this type, SAPERION will
issue a corresponding error message.
Searching in Entry Fields
If you create two form fields for each index field, one with an upper and one with a lower limit, you can
use these in query forms to search for invoices, etc., for example, between 1/1/2000 and 7/1/2000. If
you are using the wizard to create your query forms, you will notice that this automatically creates upper
and lower limit form fields for all defined "Character", "Integer Number", "Real Number", "Counter",
"Date", and "Time" data types.
For searches in "Character"-type fields (i.e., text fields), entry of the first few significant characters usually
suffices. Up to 40 characters can be entered in total.
If an SQL database is being used, the 40-character restriction does not apply, and a range of additional
search options are available. On the one hand, you can specify in the "ODBC – Installation and
Configuration, Queries" dialog whether upper-case letters are distinguished from lower-case letters.
On the other hand, placeholders (wildcards) such as <*> (either no characters or any number of
characters) or <?> (exactly one character) can be used within the search criteria. For example, the search
term "M*er" will return "Miller", "Mayer", as well as "Myer". "?emp*" will return entries such as "temp",
"tempest" and "kempt", but not "attempt". Depending on the SQL database being used, the wildcards
<%> and <_> may also be available.
4.2.2
Field Type "Database-independent Field"
A database-independent field is a field defined as a temporary variable on a form. In other words, the
field is only defined within the form, not within the associated DDC file; it is therefore not connected to
any of the database’s index fields. The maximum length of a database-independent field is 64 kByte.
Database-independent fields are ideally suited as display fields on forms. With suitable default entries
across the form, a display field can be used to automatically compile the contents from several other
fields. For example, when an address entry is selected from a lookup table, several columns can be
combined into a single line and then shown in the display field via a default setting.
@Address@prename + " " + @Address@Name + " in " + @Address@PLZ + " " + @Address@City
You can also access database-independent fields within an entry form; note, however, that there is no
<@> prefix. Database-independent fields can also be used to enter indexing comments, etc., and save
these.
16
4.2
!
Variables - Field Types
Display fields cannot be used to search for documents, as the data entered here is not stored in
the corresponding database table.
4.2.3
Field Typ "Checkbox" (Yes/ No)
Checkboxes (i.e., decision fields) are special entry fields. As well as the standard "yes" and "no" entries,
SAPERION’s query forms also permit a "neutral" status (neither "yes" nor "no"). In this case, the
checkbox contains a gray symbol. If the checkbox is set to neutral during a query, the field will not
be included in the search. As well as yes/no, checkboxes can be used to produce outcomes such as
true/false, on/off, etc. When laying out the fields in the Forms Designer, you can change the size of the
checkbox by dragging its bounding rectangle to the desired dimensions. When the form is being used,
however, the checkbox size can no longer be changed.
4.2.4 Field Type "Text Retrieval"
Fulltext fields can be used to enter texts of almost any length (up to 2 GB) and, compared to entry
fields, they offer significantly better search capabilities. This field type makes it very easy to quickly find
documents even in large and unstructured data volumes.
In order for fulltext fields to be available, the "Fulltext Connection" option needs to be licensed. For
further details on this, please refer to the "Fulltext Connection" option description.
4.2.5
Field Type "Lookup Table"
Lookup tables are special entry fields that give the user the option of either typing the text into the entry
box, or opening the lookup table (by clicking the arrow icon) and selecting the desired entry from the
list that appears. The lookup table can also be opened/closed via a right-click while the entry focus is
on the corresponding field.
Selecting an entry from the list is usually not only more convenient (when a customer address is selected,
for example, the customer number is entered already), it also reduces and altogether avoids human error.
Lookup tables are generally quite similar to the combination fields found in other Windows applications,
but, in SAPERION, their functionality is more advanced than in most cases.
Use the "Lookup Table" tab in the "Form Field" dialog to specify all the lookup table settings that are
stored together with the form (see "Lookup Table Tab").
4.2.6 Field Type "Drop-down List"
Drop-down lists look very similar to lookup tables and are the same as normal Windows combination
fields. These lists can only have one column, which needs to be one of the following types: "Character",
"Integer Number", "Real Number", "Date", or "Time". If you define a drop-down list in the "Form" field
on the "Lookup Table" tab, it only exists within the current form.
17
4
Form Elements
SAPERION always adds one blank entry to the entries you have added to your drop-down list; this gives
users the option of leaving the field blank. This does not, however, apply to drop-down lists in index
forms if these have been defined as mandatory fields in the database definition file.
Like in other Windows applications, typing in the first few significant characters usually suffices to select
an entry from a drop-down list. As soon as Windows identifies a match, the entry’s remaining characters
appear automatically. Thanks to this function, users are generally able to make a selection very quickly
if they are using the keyboard.
Drop-down lists also have the advantage that you do not need to create additional files for definitions
and forms, as is necessary with lookup tables. Use drop-down lists for collections of entries that will not
foreseeably change much in the long term, as the entries are permanently stored in the DDC file; if this
is not the case, use lookup tables instead.
4.2.7
Field Type "Multi-value Field"
When a document is being indexed in full, it often makes sense for multiple values to be entered into the
same index fields. For example, a document may be managed as an "Incoming Invoice", "Reminder",
as well as "Inland Correspondence"; in a search, each of these terms should lead to the document. The
most obvious solution for this may seem to be to use fulltext fields or text retrieval fields, but in fact a
fulltext database with all its extended search functionalities ("AND", "OR", "NOT", etc.) is usually not
necessary or sensible in these cases.
Multi-value fields are perfectly adequate and are designed for multiple indexing. On index and query
forms, they look the same as fulltext fields. During indexing, the user can input each entry into a new line,
or input them all into the same line separated by a predefined delimiter symbol. Values from a lookup
table can also be inserted. When multiple search terms are entered in query forms, the individual entries
are linked by the "OR" logical operator.
You need to define the multi-value fields and the delimiter symbols in the DDC file. This requires an SQL
connection (via ODBC). To enable storing of the position of each individual word in a multi-value field,
make the following entry in the PROGRAM.INI file:
[Database]
MULTIWITHPOS=TRUE
!
If you are adding a multi-value field to an existing scenario, you need to add all the "XHDOCS"
of the index table as default entries to the new multi-value’s "HDOC" column, and similarly
enter "NULL" in the "MULTIVAL" column. Otherwise, the results lists of user searches cannot
be populated.
4.2.8
Field type "Calendar Field"
Calendar fields make it possible to enter dates by using only the mouse. After the user clicks the
drop-down field, a calendar box appears where the desired date can be selected with a simple click. The
date can also be entered (or modified) directly via the keyboard.
18
4.3
Formulas for Default Field Entries
In query forms, there can also be a checkbox near the calendar field that lets you exclude the calendar
field’s current date from the document search.
i
Availability of the calendar field function requires certain Microsoft DLL files, etc. These are usually
installed automatically during the installation of Internet Explorer or similar applications.
4.3
Formulas for Default Field Entries
4.3.1
Default Entry of Permanent Values
You can define permanent default entries that will always be written to the form fields the same way.
Examples
+
"proved" for a field of the type character
+
"Fulltext 2000" for a numeral field
+
"31.12.2012" for a data field
i
For default entries that consist of character strings, always add quotation marks before and after
the text.
4.3.2
Default Entry of Field Contents from other Form Elements
For each default entry (and also for the check formula), you can use field contents from other fields in
the form. Simply use the entry as follows:
Examples
+
@<field name>, e.g. @date of receipt
In this case, "Field name" is the name of the index field from the document definition associated
with the form.
+
@<Field name> [1] lower limit. @<Field name> [2] upper limit
Because query forms may contain entry fields for upper and lower limits, there is another method
to access their contents. If "[1]" and "[2]" are not specified, the lower limit or the field for both limits
will be used.
+
@<Field name>@<table field>[<limit>]
@<field name> is also the standard command for using the text currently shown in a lookup table’s
display field as the default entry. If you need to reference entries from the lookup table’s individual
columns, use this entry to access every table field of the lookup table linked to <field name>. Firstly,
the correct position in the lookup table is identified via the contents of <field name>; secondly, the
contents of the specified <table field> are read from the lookup table.
19
4
i
Form Elements
If Boolean fields are being used, you need to specify <variable>="1" as a default entry.
4.3.3
Default Entry for Queries with Smartlink
The use of smartlinks is described in chapter "Smartlink" of the User Manual. When a smartlink is clicked,
the user is either taken directly to another document or to a query form to search for other documents.
When you are defining the smartlinks in the "Smartlink Parameters" dialog, you can define a variable
with a keyword. If you then specify the variable’s name as a default for one of the form’s index fields,
SAPERION will automatically insert the variable’s keyword into this field whenever the form is opened.
For example, if you specify a project name as a default entry, then only the documents belonging to this
project will be returned in searches. With some smartlinks, it may be sensible to create a separate query
form for them.
4.3.4
Default Entry of System Variables and Formulas
You can also use system variables and formulas to define default entries. These are some typical system
variables:
+
SysDate: adopts the current system date into the mask field
+
FileText: adopts the complete content of a document (only for fulltext fields)
You can also add more complex formulas, such as:
+
EXIST FileName ? FileName + " " + FileDate : "Scanned pages"
Depending on whether the FileName exists or not SAPERION transfers the data file name including
the date or the text "Scanned page".
+
SysDate + " " + SysTime
Adopts the current system date and system time into the mask field (character field)
i
When you are combining multiple variables of different data types, it often makes sense to make
the first variable a "String"-type variable so that the entire expression can be evaluated as a string.
Another method to evaluate the entire expression as a string is to connect the individual variables
with [Space] characters, as shown in the example above.
4.3.5
Default Entry with Macros
You can also define default entries using macros. Enter the macro name as a formula using the following
syntax:
BASIC:Application.Runscript"<Module name>!<Function name>")
Macro sample (function)
Function GetDateTime() as String
20
4.4
Form Element "Text"
Dim DT as String
DT = Format(date, "dd.mm.yyyy") & " " & Format(time, "HH:MM")
GetDateTime = DT
End Function
The macro is saved in a file, e.g., with the name "Tools.bas". The call for this example is then:
BASIC:Application.Runscript("Tools!GetDateTime")
4.3.6
Default Entry with BASIC Functions
As well as macros, you can use BASIC functions for your default entries. The syntax needs to be as follows:
BASIC: <BASIC function>(<Parameter1>, <Parameter2>...)
You can also combine the results from multiple BASIC functions:
BASIC:Application.UserName
4.3.7
Results from OCR-/ Barcod Recognition as Default Entry
If you have purchased the "OCR" option or the "Barcode" option, you can specify in the "Recognition –
Data" dialog that the recognition result is written to a variable. If you then specify the variable’s name
(without the "@" prefix) as a default entry for an index field, SAPERION will automatically insert the
OCR/barcode recognition result into this field whenever the form is opened.
4.3.8
Default Entry of Values from COLD Transfers
If you are using the "COLD Converter" option, the COLD variables can be used as default entries. This
lets you automate the indexing process.
4.4 Form Element "Text"
You can add text elements of any size, font, etc. into your forms – as many as you like and wherever you
want them. Text elements can contain headings, descriptions of index fields, etc.
To create a text element, go to the START ribbon and click INSERT > TEXT, and draw a selection rectangle
where to place the text. The "Form Text" dialog then appears for you to enter the text and all the
formatting/ layout details.
21
4
Form Elements
Fig. 4–8: "Form Text" dialog
"Form Text" dialog
Parameter
Description
Text
Enter the text itself in the "Text" field. This may comprise several lines. To create a new line,
press <Ctrl><Enter>.
Alignment
In the "Alignment" section, you can specify how the text is displayed within the frame. Font
and attribute settings are also available.
Attributes
The text can be displayed in "bold", "italics", or "underlined".
Font
This is where you specify the text’s font and size.
4.5
Form Element "Button"
Buttons are used for specific actions such as closing the form, saving the data, etc.
On the START ribbon, click INSERT > BUTTON, and draw a selection rectangle where you want to place
the button in the Forms Designer pane. Next, configure the button in the "Form Button" dialog. This
dialog contains the two tabs "Function" (here you can define the button’s function by selecting an entry
from the drop-down menu) and "Display" (where you can format the button's appearance).
Fig. 4–9: "Form Button" dialog
22
4.5
4.5.1
Form Element "Button"
"Function" Tab
On the "Function" tab, you can specify the tasks that are triggered by the button. You can allocate different
functions to different buttons.
i
In the text entry field, enter the text to be displayed as the button name. Depending on what you
selected for "Function", a default suggestion will appear. Change this as needed (e.g., replace
"Result" with "Search", etc.).
Functions of the button
Function
Description
OK
A button with the function "OK" closes the current dialog. If the button is on a query form,
the "Query Result" dialog is opened; if it is on an index form, the software first verifies that
all index data was entered correctly, then closes the dialog, and then archives the document.
Cancel
A button with the function "Cancel" closes the dialog and cancels the query or indexing
process.
OCR
On an index form, this button can be used to trigger a manual recognition procedure
(Point&Shoot) for the current document. The result is written directly to the corresponding
form fields. Please label the button accordingly, e.g., "OCR".
Result
On a query form, a button with the function "Result" updates the results list.
See also chapter "'Query' Tab" below.
Skip
A button with the function "Skip" cancels the indexing process and transfers the document
into the documents folder. This function does not entail any checks (in contrast to "Save to
To Do"). This way, documents where the contents of mandatory fields, etc., are not known
can be processed at a later stage. On a query form, this button does not have an assigned
function.
Macro
The "Macro" button function lets you define buttons that trigger user-defined functions
at the click of a mouse (e.g., calling external functions). After you select "Macro", an entry
field appears for you to enter a formula.
If the "EventScript" option is licensed, you can define almost any function possible from within EventScript. In this case, the [Macro] button in the "Form Button" dialog will take you
directly to the EventScript development environment ("Macro" dialog).
Save and...
A button with the function "Save and..." saves the currently indexed document without closing the form. This may be necessary when the index of previously archived documents
needs to be updated before the next task is carried out. See also chapter "Function 'Save
and...'" below.
Save to "To Do"
Much like [OK], a button with the function "Save to To Do" triggers the usual verification
process; the difference here is that the document is not saved to the archive but to the "To
Do" tray. This button is useful, for example, for automatic archiving of the "To Do" tray.
Forward
A button with the function "Forward" lets the user forward the current document to another team member’s folder. After "Forward" is selected, a range of form elements appear
for the user to specify the destination and destination folder (Inbox, Documents, To Do).
NOTE: This only applies to index forms.
23
4
Form Elements
Function
Description
Cancel and...
A button with the function "Cancel and..." cancels the query or indexing process but leaves
the dialog open. You can also link other tasks to this function that will be executed at the
same time. See also chapter "Function 'Cancel and...'" below.
Clear fields
A button with the function "Clear Fields" deletes all existing entries from the fields on the
form.
Workflow
With this function, you can add different buttons to your form that will trigger individual
workflow tasks.
NOTE: This function is only available when you have deactivated the checkbox WEB CLIENT under ribbon OPTIONS > group view:
In addition to the drop-down list, the following three buttons are also available. These are only available
for the Rich Client.
Additional Button Functionality
Function
Description
Events
Click the [Events] button to define a macro in EventScript that will be triggered when the
form event occurs.
For example, after the user clicks [OK], you can still run an EventScript macro that is executed before the form is closed (see "Form Events").
Access
Clicking the [Access] button opens another dialog, in which you can select an existing access profile from the drop-down list, or define a new one. The access is then applied to this
particular form element.
See the "User Management" section of the Administration Guide for more information
about access profiles.
Hotkey
For each button, you can define a key combination (hotkey) that will have the same effect
as clicking the button.
NOTE: If you specify a key combination that is already being used by the system, it will not
work as a hotkey. No error messages will be displayed in this case.
4.5.1.1
Function "Save and..."
With this button function, you can therefore trigger further tasks that will be executed during the saving
procedure. To make these tasks selectable, the dialog extends after you choose this function. The
document to which the extended function applies is always the next document in the query form’s hit list.
Fig. 4–10: Button function "Save and..."
24
4.5
i
Form Element "Button"
During initial indexing, all variants aside from "Save and None" are grayed out.
You can choose one of the follow-up tasks:
Follow-up tasks
Task
Description
None
A button with this function saves the currently indexed document, leaves the form open,
and does not execute any further tasks. Use this function for multiple indexing of a document (which must be structured). On a query form, this button does not have an assigned
function.
This operation does not require much additional storage space at all, as only the indexing
will be saved and one entry added to the search database. If you are performing multiple indexing, the results list may, in some cases, list several lines that all refer to the same document.
Clear fields
A button with this function saves the currently indexed document, leaves the form open,
and clears all the entries from the form fields. Use this function for multiple indexing of a
document (which must be structured). On a query form, this button does not have an assigned function.
This operation does not require much additional storage space at all, as only the indexing
will be saved and one entry added to the search database. If you are performing multiple indexing, the results list may, in some cases, list several lines that all refer to the same document.
If this function is used to archive a document with different index values, the SAPERION
documents will only be the same at the point of archiving. Any revisions will change the
two documents.
NOTE: Please be aware that the function "Clear fields" only clears content of fields when
you have set the value TRUE for the property "Delete before next search".
Next document
A button with this function saves the currently indexed document, leaves the form open,
and brings up the next document.
Previous document
A button with this function saves the currently indexed document, leaves the form open,
and brings up the previous document.
25
4
Form Elements
Task
Description
Reload form
The entered values are saved, and the document and its form are reloaded. This function is
useful when the document type has been changed, necessitating a different validation form
to be used. In this case, ensure that the "IndexForm" document attribute receives the corresponding form name (via a macro).
4.5.1.2
Function "Cancel and..."
Fig. 4–11: Button function "Cancel and..."
You can choose one of the follow-up tasks:
Follow-up tasks
Task
Description
Nome
A button with this function cancels the query or indexing process but leaves the form open.
Clear fields
A button with this function cancels the query or indexing process, leaves the form open,
and clears the contents of the completed form fields.
Next document
A button with this function cancels the current task and loads the next document.
Previous document
A button with this function cancels the current task and loads the previous document.
Reload form
The current task is cancelled, and the document and its form are reloaded. This function is
useful when the document type has been changed, necessitating a different validation form
to be used. In this case, ensure that the "IndexForm" document attribute receives the corresponding form name (via a macro).
4.5.2
"Display" Tab
On the "Display" tab, you can specify all the button’s font and attribute settings.
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4.5
Form Element "Button"
Fig. 4–12: "Form Button" dialog - Display
"Form Button" dialog - Display
Parameter
Description
Bitmap
Select the "Bitmap" checkbox if you want to use a PNG-formatted image as the button surface.
Hyperlink
Select this checkbox if you want the button to appear as an underlined hyperlink when it is
selected.
4.5.3
"Query" Tab
If you assign the function "Result" to a button, the "Query" tab is available in the "Form Button" dialog
in cases an SQL database is installed.
Here, you can enter a predefined SQL query spanning multiple lines. The syntax for this query is the same
as for the SQL query (beginning at the "WHERE" section). Your query can be at least 2,000 characters
long.
Examples can be found in the manual "Best Practice SAPERION SQL Methods".
If the "Use Fields" checkbox is selected, updating of the results list includes not only the conditions of
the entry field and SQL tool but also uses the values from the query fields as additional criteria. The fields
are linked by the "AND" logical operator. This saves you from having to enter them manually in the query.
27
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Form Elements
Fig. 4–13: "Form Button" dialog - Query
4.6 Form Element "Search"
With this feature, you can integrate results lists into your query forms.
On the START ribbon, click INSERT > SEARCH, and draw a selection rectangle in the Forms Designer’s
pane where you want the results list to be. The "Form Results List" dialog lets you configure the results
list, for example, which fields are to be shown in the list, or table-specific properties such as column
width, order, and column title.
i
Due to technical reasons, the contents of fulltext fields cannot be displayed within a results list.
SAPERION also provides the option to use multiple results lists in a query form that refer to different
DDCs. For further information on this, please refer to "Using Multiple Results Lists".
4.6.1
"Data" Tab
On the "Data" tab of the "Form Results List" dialog, you can enter settings pertaining to the data that
will be displayed in the results list.
Fig. 4–14: "Form Results List" dialog - Data
28
4.6
Form Element "Search"
"Form Results List" dialog - Data
Parameter
Description
Fields
The left list of the two lists in the dialog’s "Fields" section shows all the index fields defined
in the DDC file. The right list shows all the index fields to be displayed in the results list.
The order of this list is also used for the results list.
Use the [>>] button to insert the index field highlighted in the left list into the right list. If a
field is highlighted in the right list, the new field is added above it; if nothing is highlighted,
the new field is added at the end of the list. Use the [<<] button to delete the field highlighted in the right list (and therefore stop it from appearing in the results list).
You can also add multiple fields at the same time. To do this, highlight the additional fields
while pressing the [Shift] key.
If you are using fulltext fields, you can additionally integrate the "TRHits" and "TRHitGraph" variables into the results list. These variables display the number and ratio of hits
when search criteria were entered into a fulltext field. Because the data in the fulltext databases are stored word-by-word, the fulltext fields themselves cannot be displayed in the results list. However, you can view at least a portion of the full text field via a mirror field.
Index form
To edit the index data, click the [Index] button in the results list. In order for every query
form to be linked to a specific index form, you can enter this in the "Index Form" field or select it via [...]. If no index form is allocated here, the index form that was used to archive the
document will also be used to edit the index data.
For the selected index fields (in the list on the right side) you have further configuration
possibilities in the context of the "Grid" function (please see chapter "Form Element 'Grid'"
below).
Use document index form if possible
When this checkbox is selected and there is no entry for "Index Form", SAPERION will attempt to load the corresponding index form. This assumes that the form actually exists and
that it has already been activated.
4.6.2 "Display" Tab
On the "Display" tab of the "Form Results List" dialog, you can specify how the data will be displayed.
Fig. 4–15: "Form Results List" dialog - Display
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Form Elements
"Form Results List" dialog - Display
Parameter
Description
Buttons
Use the "buttons" list to specify which buttons the user will be able to access in the results
list.
The function in this list that is highlighted in bold will be executed when the user doubleclicks an entry in the results list. To change the assigned function, double-click any other
function to assign that instead.
Font/ Attributes
Here, you can specify all the font and attribute settings for the "internal" results list. A sample of the currently selected font is displayed in the box at the bottom right. The font of the
"external" results list, or of the folder, is set on the "User Interface" tab of the "System Configuration" dialog.
4.6.3
"Properties" Tab
On the "Properties" tab of the "Form Results List" dialog, you can specify how the results list will behave.
Fig. 4–16: "Form Results List" dialog - Properties
"Form Results List" dialog - Properties
Parameter
Description
Sort immediately
Select "Sort immediately" to automatically re-sort the results list whenever you change the
list’s column order (via drag & drop) or the sorting conditions for a column.
Hide locked
Select "Hide locked" to show only those documents in the results list that the user is authorized to access. Otherwise, the locked documents will be displayed as empty lines with a
lock icon.
Single click
Select "Single click" if you want the user to view documents from the results list by simply
clicking an entry once. It does not matter which column the user clicks.
Search immediately
"Search immediately" will send a search command as soon as the form appears.
Evaluate access formulas
Select "Evaluate access formulas" to show only those documents in the results list for
which the access formula returns "TRUE".
Save layout
Select "Save layout" to save all your changes to the results list’s appearance.
NOTE: After adding new columns to the results list in the Forms Designer, you need to
re-apply your previous layout changes (such as column width) in the Forms Designer, as
otherwise the new column will not be displayed. This restriction only applies when the "Save layout" option is selected.
30
4.6
Form Element "Search"
Parameter
Description
Live update
Select this function to check once every minute if new entries have been added, and to update the results list correspondingly.
ACL selection
When only the "ACL selection" checkbox is checked, the ACL selection dialog is displayed,
(See also "Own ACLs")
but without it being possible to set additional own ACLs.
When both "ACL selection" and "Own ACLs" are checked, the ACL selection dialog is
shown, and it is possible to set own ACLs using the "Own ACLs" button.
NOTE: It is not possible to leave both checkboxes unchecked.
Own ACLs
When only "Own ACLs" is checked, only the selection dialog for own ACLs is displayed.
(See also "ACL selection")
NOTE: If an individual ACL has been defined for a document, you can only delete it once a
new one has been created, i.e., there must always be at least one ACL.
Show buttons
Deselect this checkbox to hide the buttons at the bottom of the results list. In this case, the
corresponding functions will only be available via the context menu. By default, this checkbox is deselected.
Fulltext marker
When the "Fulltext Marker" checkbox is selected, the text sections matching the search
query are highlighted in the fulltext field on the index form. When this checkbox is deselected, there is no text highlighting.
NOTE: In order for fulltext fields to be available, the "Fulltext Connection" option is required.
Grid control
More information on how to use grids is provided under "Grid".
Load column headers
By default, the results list (usually the grid) loads the column headers from the cursor, as is
the case with validation data. Sometimes that may not be desired; with this checkbox, you
can switch off the default behavior.
Cell height
The cell height for a row can be set here. We recommend values between 20 and 32, especially if you are using the "Cumulus" skin.
Progressive search
Select this property if you want a results list document to be removed from the list while it
is being processed (until the next search).
Max. nu. of hits
Enter a number here to specify the maximum number of displayed hits. If there is no entry
here, all hits will be displayed.
Print list/ cover sheet
Use the [Print list] button to create a print list specifically for the current form. Every time
the form is printed, the print list will be generated from a query issued by the form.
Cover sheet
Use the [Cover sheet] button to create a cover sheet specifically for the current form. Every
time the form is printed, the cover sheet will be generated from a query issued by the form.
Events
With the [Events...] button, you can allocate macros to events that occur during the use of
the results list. After you click the button, the "Define Events" dialog opens for you to select
the events in question.
4.6.4 "Query" Tab
i
The "Query" tab is only available when you have deactivated the "Web Client" checkbox under
OPTIONS ribbon > VIEW group.
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Form Elements
Fig. 4–17: "Form Results List" dialog - Query
"Form Results List" dialog - Query
Parameter
Description
Definition
Within a single query form, it is possible to use several result lists that are based on different definitions (DDC). In this field you can enter the respective DDC that will be the basis
for the result list. If nothing is entered in this field, the DDC for the query form will be used
for the result list.
SQL
If the "SQL" box is checked, an SQL statement can be entered in the right entry field, which
will be evaluated when the form for the result list is opened. The result list will display the
number of hits that the SQL statement has yielded.
NOTE: If multiple result lists that access different DDCs are used in the query form, no
fields can be used from other DDCs in the SQL statement.
Macro
If the "Macro" box is checked, a macro can be selected via the […] button that will be executed for the result list when the query form is opened.
Variable
If you are using the form element "Grid" (see also chapter entitled "Form Element Grid"
below) you can define the grid variable here so that grid data are attached to the document
structure.
4.7
Form Element "Tab"
If you need to organize a large amount of content within a form, you can create tabs as structural
elements.
Before you can create any tabs, you need to divide the form’s fields into field groups; these can then be
assigned to the tabs. Each tab will only contain the fields allocated to its group. Fields that have not been
assigned to a field group will appear on all tabs (also see "Form Field Grouping").
To configure tabs manually, go to the START ribbon and click INSERT > TAB, and draw a selection
rectangle to place and configure the new tab. The "Edit Tab Control" dialog appears.
32
4.8
Form Element "Image"
Fig. 4–18: "Edit Tab Control" dialog
i
1.
Click the [New] button to create a new entry in the list of tabs.
2.
Click the "Text" cell to enter the tab’s display text.
3.
By slowly double-clicking, the created field groups will be displayed to you in the "Group"
area, from where you can then make your selection.
4.
You can also define a key combination – a so-called hotkey – that lets you access the tab
directly from the keyboard. Again, you need to do a slow double-click and then enter the
key combination.
5.
Click the [Events] button to assign events to your tabs.
6.
Click the [Access...] button to define access rights.
7.
You can format the display text in the "Font" section.
If you specify a key combination that is already being used by the system, it will not work as a
hotkey, and there will be no error message displayed to alert you to this.
4.8
Form Element "Image"
With the "Image" feature, you can add graphic design elements to your form. You can add images of
any size into your forms – as many as you like and wherever you want them. Permissible file formats for
images are "Windows Bitmap" (BMP), "Windows Metafile" (WMF), and "Portable Network Graphics"
PNG.
On the START ribbon, click INSERT > BUTTON, and draw a selection rectangle where you want to place
the image in the Forms Designer pane. Next, select an image file in the "Open" dialog.
i
+
32-bit BMP graphic files cannot be used.
Checkbox "Copy"
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Form Elements
By default, the "Copy" checkbox is selected. In this case, the image is saved together with the form.
When the checkbox is deselected, only a shortcut to the image file will be saved.
+
Checkbox "Match size"
By default, the "Match size" checkbox is deselected. In this case, the image is inserted with a fixed
size (aligned to the top left corner of your selection rectangle). If you then change the size by
dragging on one of the handles, you will only change the viewable section of the image. Select
"Match size" if you wish to display the whole image and be able to decrease its size or stretch its
height. Note that you can only specify the sizing behavior when you first insert an image. If you need
to change this behavior at a later point, you need to re-insert the image.
+
Checkbox "Transparent"
By default, the "Transparent" checkbox is selected. In this case, the background color is displayed
as transparent (not visible in the Forms Designer).
i
The color of the first pixel in the bottom left corner is used for the transparent color. In order
to avoid gaps in the image, ensure that this pixel has a color that does not otherwise appear in
the image.
4.9 Form Element "Groupbox"
With the "Groupbox" element, you can create frames within the form. These are handy for visually
grouping fields into sections (e.g., "Name", "Address" and "City" for an address section).
4.10 Form Element "Viewer"
By default, forms created using the wizard provide a viewer for displaying documents.
To configure the viewer manually, go to the START ribbon and click INSERT > DOCUMENT VIEWER
(drop-down menu), and draw a selection rectangle to place the viewer. Document viewers can be added
to index forms as well as query forms.
Fig. 4–19: "Edit Document Viewer" dialog
Configure the following parameters to suit your requirements:
34
4.11
Form Element "Links"
"Edit Document Viewer" dialog
Parameter
Description
OCR text selection
Select this checkbox if you want the form’s fields to be accessible directly from within the
document viewer (lasso function). To make a field available here, click it and then draw a
selection frame around the value to be filled in.
Navigation menu
When this checkbox is selected, the menu can be opened with a right-click.
Document structure
When this checkbox is selected, the document structure is also displayed.
Thumbnail view
When this checkbox is selected, a thumbnail is added to the document display. Using the
selection list below the checkbox, you can specify if the thumbnail is placed to the left or to
the right of the document.
Save scale
When this checkbox is selected, the viewer remembers the document magnification level.
Display
In the "Display" section, you can specify how content is displayed within the viewer. The
following settings are available:
> Image snippet: Displays just a snippet of the image next to the corresponding index field
> Zoom: A zoomed-in view of the document section matching the current index field
> Fit to page: Only the part of the page that contains text is displayed
> Display whole page The selection frame is filled with the whole page
Combine fields
The entire area of the page containing the matches is highlighted in color.
NOTE: Never select "Save scale" and "Fit to page"/ "Display whole page" at the same time,
as this will cause display errors.
Multi-Format Viewer
In query forms, you can choose whether the multi-format viewer should be used to display
files from the results list, and whether you would like to display an image or a PDF rendition.
NOTE: Since the multi-format viewer is only available in the Rich Client, you will need to
deselect "Web Client" under the "Options" tab before using this feature.
4.11 Form Element "Links"
In order for the document viewer to be able to display a zoomed document section within a query form,
you need to first create a connection between the document viewer and the field in question. To create
the connection, go to the START ribbon and click INSERT > CONNECTION, and drag a connection line
from the field to the viewer.
4.11.1 Using a Document Viewer in an Index Form
4.11.1.1
Highlighting
The value of the selected index field is highlighted in the viewer once the field has been connected to the
viewer, and either the value has already been transferred using the lasso function or the document has
already been analyzed using the Kofax Transformation Module. If you are jumping from one field to the
next and the value in question is on a different page of the document, this page will also be displayed
with the highlighted value.
35
4
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Form Elements
This only applies to index forms where the data has already been extracted using the Kofax
Transformation Module or the OCR lasso function.
4.11.1.2
Lasso Function
If the OCR component is installed, you can use the lasso function for index forms with an integrated
viewer. This provides OCR text recognition and automatically populates the index fields. The user first
needs to click the index field in question and then select the value to be entered with the lasso in the
viewer. The correct text section is recognized via OCR and written to the index field.
In order to configure the text recognition feature for an index form, you first need to connect the index
field in question to the viewer.
Fig. 4–20: Connection of a field to a viewer
4.11.2 Using a Document Viewer in a Query Form
To display an image, you first need to create a connection in the query form between the viewer and a
field or results list (see above).
4.12 Form Element "Form"
This gives you the option of embedding another form within your form, which means that the new form
will not open in a separate window. To add the new form, use the "Embedded Form" dialog. Here, you
36
4.13
Form Element "Mash-Up"
can either click [...] to select an existing form or click [Edit] to create a new embedded form. This will
open a new Forms Designer window for you to enter all the necessary settings.
Fig. 4–21: "Embedded Form" dialog
4.13 Form Element "Mash-Up"
This feature lets you integrate mash-ups into your forms; a good example for this is using the
GoogleMaps API to provide access to maps and satellite photos. The "Edit Mash-Up" dialog appears.
Enter the required URL or HTML text.
Fig. 4–22: "Edit Mash-Up" dialog
4.14 Form Element "Workflow History"
The "Workflow History" form element is designated for the workflow inbox (also see "Example: Creating
a Workflow Inbox"). This element depicts the sequence of business processes to date in chronological
order.
4.15 Form Element "Workflow Context"
The "Workflow Context" can similarly be integrated into the workflow inbox.
This box provides details about business cases, such as task description, last executor and responsible
party, and task date.
4.16 Form Element "Outliner"
The "Outliner" form element makes it easy to display and manage hierarchically structured data, The
user simply double-clicks the different levels to open or close them, navigating between them quickly
37
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Form Elements
and easily. The individual levels of an outliner can consist of multiple columns. You can specify these
when defining each of the outliner levels.
The starting point for all three types of outliners is the "Form Outliner" dialog, which opens after you go
to the START ribbon and click INSERT > OUTLINER (drop-down menu) and draw a selection rectangle.
4.16.1 Outliner
In addition to the traditional view of an outliner, you can now also choose to display your outliners in
tree view, which looks very similar to the Windows Explorer tree view. You can also define each outliner
symbol individually, enabling you to design a hierarchical archive (such as a folder map) to suit your
specific requirements.
The dynamic tree view is another shape your outliners can take. Visually, a dynamic tree view appears
the same within the form as a static tree view. The structure is not composed of lookup tables, however,
but dynamically assembled from the current data of the index table.
The third option is an extended, document-based outliner.
4.16.1.1
List View
A conventional, list-formatted outliner level is defined the same way as the static tree view.
Eine Outliner-Ebene in der traditionellen Form als Listendarstellung wird in analoger Weise definiert wie
der statische Treeview.
4.16.1.2 Static Tree View
In terms of database technology, a static tree view is based on the following database structure: In the
form currently to be edited and in the associated database definition (index table), you need to define
an index field for each outliner level. Then, link up each of these index fields to the database definition
of a lookup table. In order to create a hierarchical structure, you also need to define links between the
lookup tables. Each lookup table can contain as many fields as may be needed, but the following fields
are mandatory:
+
A child field with "Counter" as the data type. This provides a unique ID within the hierarchical level
(not required for the bottom level).
+
A parent field with "Whole Number" as the data type. Link this to the child field of the next
hierarchical level up (not required for the top level).
+
A data field of any data type. Link this to a corresponding index field in the index table.
+
You can define further fields as may be needed; these can display additional information in the
outliner.
The outliner converts this hierarchical database structure into a self-explanatory, easy-to-use tree
structure. Whenever an entry is selected in this tree, the associated index fields in the database are
updated automatically. The index fields themselves do not necessarily need to be present in the form
currently being processed.
38
4.16
Form Element "Outliner"
For each outliner level, you need to define the connections to the outliner’s other levels and their views.
!
For each outliner level, the database tables and their associated entry forms need to be defined
in advance.
4.16.1.3 Dynamic Tree View
In contrast to static outliner structures (traditional list view, static tree view), the dynamic tree view does
not require any predefined lookup tables. Instead, selected fields from right across the index table are
evaluated directly and displayed dynamically within an outliner tree structure. This occurs every time a
query or index form is opened.
Every outliner level can be assigned to any field of the index table. You can set up the field order,
and therefore the structure of the outliner being created, according to your specific requirements. For
example, you could create one outliner for the fields "Year", "Location", "Service", and another for the
same fields but in the order "Service", "Location", "Year"; this way, you can facilitate different views of
the same data collection.
!
You may not use any Boolean fields ("Yes/No" fields) for outliner levels.
Visually, a dynamic tree view appears the same within the form as a static tree view. However, as there
is no need for lookup tables, field definition is much easier.
i
In order to hide index data within a dynamic outliner for a document which the user does
not have "Visible" ACL permission for, the outliner definition needs to include the field
"SYSACLUSERLIST".
4.16.2 Extended Outliner
In contrast to the dynamic outliner, which is generated as a view of the index table, the extended outliner
accesses the index table directly. The files for the extended outliner need to be flagged with the entry
"SYSOUTLINERDATA = 1". Like the static outliner, the extended outliner lets you define folders even
when there are no documents for these folders yet.
In order for an extended outliner to be available, the corresponding data definition (DDC) needs to
contain the field "SYSOUTLINERDATA". The data type of this field is "Character".
You can also enter other parameters in the "SYSOUTLINERDATA" field to control access to the
corresponding outliner level:
+
E command/"Edit" – not permitted
+
N command/"New" – not permitted
+
D command/"Delete" – not permitted
+
P command/"Protection" – not permitted
+
A command/"Own ACL" – permitted
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Form Elements
For example, when the "SYSOUTLINERDATA" field contains the value "1ED", this means that the current
level will be evaluated for the extended outliner (1), but that it may not be edited (E) or deleted (D).
i
If such additional parameters are to be used, make sure to select a suitable field length for the
"SYSOUTLINERDATA" field. If there are no additional parameters, a field length of "1" suffices.
Definition of the individual levels for the extended outliner is the same as for the dynamic outliner.
When "Own ACL" is selected on the "List" tab of the "Level Parameter" dialog, clicking the "Security"
button will immediately open the dialog for creating a user-specific access list.
!
When using an extended outliner, documents cannot be stored on an outliner level if mandatory
fields are being used in sub-levels, as these mandatory fields are not filled in during storage.
In the extended outliner, you can only use "Character"-type fields for defining levels.
4.16.2.1 Working with an Extended Outliner
Once the DDC has been created/modified for the extended outliner (adding the "SYSOUTLINERDATA"
field), you can insert the extended outliner into the corresponding query or index form.
There are two ways of defining levels for the extended outliner:
+
Option 1
In the outliner itself (on the query or index form). In this case, the levels need to be unlocked for the
necessary access rights ("New", Edit", "Delete"). With "SYSOUTLINERDATA=1", you can generate
the records in the index database. For these entries, dummy documents are created in the database.
+
Option 2
Archiving of documents (such as dummy documents) using "SYSOUTLINERDATA=1". In this case,
create the dummy documents yourself, enter "SYSOUTLINERDATA=1" as the index criterion for
these documents, and archive them. For the extended outliner, the document’s index values are
evaluated.
Within the query form, the outliner helps the user to locate documents more quickly – when
the user clicks one of the outliner’s branches, all the documents that match this branch’s
index criteria are displayed. The default behavior is that only those documents are shown where
"SYSOUTLINERDATA<>1". However, you can also specify that documents with "SYSOUTLINERDATA=1"
are displayed.
In an index form, the extended outliner can be used to gather default index criteria.
4.16.2.2 Defining a Document ACL
SAPERION lets you assign document ACLs to outliner levels in extended outliners. This means that
once you have defined such an ACL, all newly archived documents assigned to this outliner level will be
assigned the document ACL in question. Right-click the outliner level to open its context menu. Select
[Document ACL] from the menu and the "Edit ACLs for Documents" dialog appears.
40
4.16
Form Element "Outliner"
Select the "Replace document ACL" checkbox if you want any existing ACLs to be removed for new
documents and replaced with the ALC stored in the outliner level. When the checkbox is deselected, the
new ACL is simply added.
i
A document ACL defined for a level of an extended outliner will only be evaluated when a query
form is used. For this to occur, the document needs to be dragged and dropped directly to the
corresponding outliner branch. Document ACLs are not evaluated within index forms.
4.16.3 "Parameter" Tab
Fig. 4–23: "Form Outliner" dialog - Parameter
"Form Outliner" dialog - Parameter
Parameter
Description
Mode
The "Mode" drop-down menu lets you specify the outliner’s type. Even at a later point, you
can still switch freely between "Static tree view" and "List view". For "Dynamic tree view",
the levels are defined differently, so this option cannot be changed at a later stage.
Name / Icon
In the corresponding fields, you can enter a "Name" for the outliner and also assign it an
"Icon". This applies to both of the tree view modes. The name and symbol form the root
level of the outliner (much like "My Computer" in Windows Explorer).
Disable root
Select this checkbox to bar users from selecting and modifying an outliner’s root level. This
option should be activated particularly for the workflow inbox.
Events
Click the [Events] button to define a macro in EventScript that will be triggered when the
event occurs.
NOTE: The "EventScript" option needs to be purchased separately. Detailed documentation will be provided after licensing
41
4
Form Elements
Parameter
Description
Access
Click [Access...] to open the dialog for selecting a defined access list for the outliner.
4.16.4 "Levels" Tab
Fig. 4–24: "Form Outliner" dialog - Levels
The "Levels" list displays all the currently defined hierarchical levels of the outliner. The maximum
number of levels is unlimited. As well as the data field, both the static tree view and the list view also
display "Table", "Parent field", and "Child field". These entries are not needed for the dynamic tree view.
Click [New] to create an additional level; click [Edit] to modify the currently selected level; click [Delete]
to delete the currently selected level.
i
Before you define any levels, make sure you have selected the correct outliner type in "Mode" first.
4.16.5 Level Parameters
Click the [New] button of the "Form Outliner" dialog to open the "Level Parameters" dialog. Depending
on the mode selected, this will provide you with a range of fields for specifying the level parameters.
If you have selected either "Static tree view" or "List view" as a mode, you need to configure the following
parameters:
+
Link
+
Appearance
Fig. 4–25: "Level Parameters" dialog - Link
42
4.16
Form Element "Outliner"
4.16.5.1 "Link" Tab
On the "Link" tab, configure the following settings:
"Level Parameters" dialog - Link
Parameter
Description
Parent level
This section of the dialog shows the name of the parent level’s definition (DDC file) and
the name of the child field. On the root level, these fields remain blank. Note that this information is read-only.
Definition
In this selection field, either enter the document definition (DDC file) for the hierarchical
level currently being edited, or click [Search] to interactively select the definition file. The
dialog’s other selection fields are updated according to the document definition file selected here.
Index field
Select the index field that is to hold the value from the data field.
Parent field
Here, select the field of the current outliner level, which is to be linked to the "child field"
from the parent level. SAPERION automatically restricts the selection to compatible, "Whole number"-type fields. On the root level of the outliner there is no parent level and the "Parent field" is not available.
Child field
Here, select a with field with a unique ID from the current outliner level. SAPERION automatically restricts the selection to "Counter"-type fields.
Default
As with regular index fields, this is where you can enter a formula for default entries on this
hierarchical level.
Search immediately
Select the "Search immediately" checkbox to automatically update the results list in the
query form whenever an element in the outliner is clicked. If this checkbox is deselected,
the user will always need to click the [Result] button on the query form.
Search subfolders
Select the "Search Subfolders" checkbox to include all documents located on subordinate
hierarchical levels in the search. When the checkbox is deselected, only those elements that
are located exactly on the current level will be found.
NOTE: Should some of the fields not offer any selection options, check the selected DDC
file for correctness – especially pertaining to the definitions of the child and parent fields.
Rename documents automatically
Select the "Rename documents automatically" checkbox to move individual documents or
even entire branches within an outliner simply using drag and drop. The index data of the
affected documents will be automatically updated through the generation of a revision.
4.16.5.2 "Appearance" Tab
On the "Appearance" tab, you can set individual appearance and user options for each outliner level
separately.
43
4
Form Elements
Fig. 4–26: "Level Parameters" dialog - Appearance
"Level Parameters" dialog - Appearance
Parameter
Description
Symbols
By default, each outliner row uses the regular Windows folder symbols. Depending on the
current selection in the outliner, the symbol signifies either "open" ("!OutlineOpen") or
"closed" ("!OutlineClosed"). However, you can also use any other symbols here, provided
they are formatted as a BMP file and have the same size as the respective original symbol
that you want to exchange.
NOTE: Please keep also in mind that the first pixel (in the left upper angle) of your BMP-file
always defines the color transparency of the complete image.
In tree view, you can define a range of different symbols for each outliner level. This is a
great way to create visually distinct folder maps. In the "Symbols" list, you can define additional rows with different symbols and associated conditions. To determine which symbols are to be used in the outliner, SAPERION checks all the conditions in order until one
returns "TRUE".
Any of the index fields of the current outliner level can be used for the conditions. These
are some typical conditions:
Ebene1="Rechnungen" überprüft, ob die Outliner-Variable "Ebene1" gleich
"Rechnungen" ist#(Info1>15) AND (Info1<20) überprüft, ob die Outliner-Variable "Info1" zwischen 15 und 20 liegt
Ebene1="Rechnungen" überprüft, ob die Outliner-Varia"Ebene1" gleich "Rechnungen" ist#(Info1>15) AND (Info1<20) überprüft,
ob die Outliner-Variable "Info1" zwischen
New
Click [New] to add a new row to the list of symbols. Click [Delete] to delete the currently selected row.
Double-click a field in the "open" or "closed" column to open a dialog where you can assign a BMP file as the new symbol. Next, select the line and click again; after a short delay,
you can enter the symbol’s file name or the condition.
Use for sub levels
When you select the "Use for sub-levels" checkbox in the Explorer view, the symbols that
are valid in the current outliner level will have the same functions on all sub-levels.
44
4.16
Form Element "Outliner"
Parameter
Description
Display fields
In the table header above the "Display fields" list, you can specify which fields of the current outliner level will be displayed in which way. The procedure for this is the same as for
creating lookup tables.
By default, the columns are displayed in the order that they were defined in the DDC file. To
change the column order, drag and drop the column headers to the desired position.
To change the column width, move the right boundary of the column header in question
while pressing the mouse button.
By default, SAPERION writes the field names to the outliner level’s headers. If you wish to
change a header, simply double-click it while in the Forms Designer and enter the new name. To save your changes, press <RETURN>; to cancel them, press <ESC>. The user is not
given the option of changing the column headers.
Sorting can be by any column, in ascending or descending order. Click any column header
to select it, and click it again several times to determine the sorting direction (triangle pointing down – descending order; triangle pointing up – ascending order; no triangle – unsorted). If the lookup table contains a large number of records, it may improve overall performance if there is no sorting.
If you wish to block a column from view, click the column header and drag and drop it to
the "Display fields" list. Similarly, you can drag and drop display fields from the list to the
table header.
List
As is the case for lookup tables, the "List" section of the dialog lets you specify which buttons will be available to the user and which form is to be used for the input and editing of
entries on this outliner level.
If you have selected either "Dynamic Tree View" or "Extended Tree View" as a mode, you need to configure
the following parameters:
+
Data
+
List
+
Symbols
Fig. 4–27: "Level Parameters" dialog - Data
4.16.5.3 "Data" Tab
"Level Parameters" dialog - Data
Parameter
Description
Index field
Select the index field that is to hold the value from the data field.
45
4
Form Elements
Parameter
Description
Search immediately
Select the "Search immediately" checkbox to automatically update the results list in the
query form whenever an element in the outliner is clicked. If this checkbox is deselected,
the user will always need to click the [Result] button on the query form.
Search subfolders
Select the "Search Subfolders" checkbox to include all documents located on subordinate
hierarchical levels in the search. When the checkbox is deselected, only those elements that
are located exactly on the current level will be found.
Rename document automatically
Select the "Rename documents automatically" checkbox to move individual documents or
even entire branches within an outliner simply using drag and drop. The index data of the
affected documents will be automatically updated through the generation of a revision.
Inheritance
In the "Inheritance" section of the dialog, you can specify if the outliner level takes the
ACLs and query forms from the next higher level.
4.16.5.4 "List" Tab
On the "List" tab, you can change the order of the data fields.
Fig. 4–28: "Level Parameters" dialog - List
"Level parameters" dialog - List
Parameter
Description
Edit/New
Opens the "Level Parameter" dialog.
Delete
Deletes the selected entry from the list of display fields.
Access/Own ACL
The "Access" and "Own ACL" checkboxes can only be selected when you are using an extended outliner.
4.16.5.5 "Symbols" tab
Fig. 4–29: "Level Parameters" dialog - Symbols
46
4.16
Form Element "Outliner"
To define the symbols of an outliner level in a dynamic outliner, proceed the same way as for a static
outliner (see description of "Appearance" tab above).
4.16.6 "Font" Tab
Here, you can specify the outliner’s font and appearance attributes.
Fig. 4–30: "Form Outliner" dialog - Font
4.16.7 "Restrictions" Tab
Additional restriction criteria let you limit the outliner’s view.
Fig. 4–31: "Form Outliner" dialog - Restrictions
"Form Outliner" dialog - Restrictions
Parameter
Description
New
With [New], you can define a new condition.
Field
Left-click anywhere in the "Field" column to open a pop-up menu containing the data fields
of the corresponding DDC.
Value
In the "Value" column, you can assign a value to the currently selected field. This means
that the outliner will only display the branch where this condition applies.
NOTE: With the static outliner, restriction criteria are not evaluated. Restrictions are only
evaluated on the root level.
Example 1
Field=UserName
Value=@UserName
47
4
Form Elements
In this example, the outliner only shows the branch that matches the entry in the "UserName" entry
field. For example, if you enter "Meyer" in the "UserName" field, the outliner will only show the "Meyer"
branch.
Example 2
Field=UserName
Value="Meyer"
In example 2, an actual value is assigned to the "UserName" field. When the form is opened in this case,
the outliner will only show the "Meyer" branch.
i
In order for an outliner (dynamic or extended) to be empty when it is opened – e.g., because
the evaluation of all the records used for generating the outliner is too time-consuming –
simply enter a value under "Restrictions" that does not appear in the field in question (such as
Name='ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ').
4.16.8 "Forms" Tab
On this tab, you can select a form to be executed in the background when the query starts. This form
may contain default entries. You can use the form for tasks such as transferring data to a link document.
Fig. 4–32: "Form Outliner" dialog - Forms
"Form Outliner" dialog - Forms
Parameter
Description
Automatic
Select the "Automatic" checkbox if you want the software to index the documents automatically. When this checkbox is deselected, the index form specified for the corresponding
DDC is opened. If the query uses multiple results lists based on different DDCs, this is
where you can specify the correct index forms for each DDC used.
4.16.9 Outliner Migration
With SAPERION Version 7, you can migrate existing static and extended outliners from previous versions
of the software into the new folder structure. This may be necessary when you want to use the new Web
Client with the old outliner structures. Because the SAPERION Web Client does not support outliners,
you need to migrate these into the new folder structure.
48
4.16
i
Form Element "Outliner"
For new customers with no previous outliner, but who would like a structured way to file their
documents, we recommend using a file application.
During an outliner migration, the folders are basically extracted from the given DDC, or in the case of
a static outliner, from the defined lookup tables. The folders are then saved to a new, folder-specific
DDC. All the documents that are already contained in the DDC are reshuffled according to their outliner
assignment to the newly created folders. By linking to it from within an application, you can add the
generated DDC directly to the folder structure. This way, all the documents belonging to the migrated
outliner are directly available via the folder structure.
i
Before the migration starts, the SYSFOLDERID and SYSFOLDERTABLES system fields are
automatically added to the document DDC. These two system fields are necessary so that the
contained documents can be stored in folders and found again.
To migrate an existing outliner and all its documents into the new folder structure, proceed as follows:
1.
Open the index or query table that contains the outliner in the Forms Designer.
2.
After you have selected an outliner in the form, the OUTLINER MIGRATION command
(OPTIONS ribbon > ADVANCED group) becomes available. Click this command.
3.
The "Outliner Migration" wizard opens. This will guide you through the automatic
migration of the outliner.
4.
Enter the name of the new DDC where the folders are to be stored and the corresponding
documents will be linked. You can use the suggested name or replace it with one that
suits the application. If you are resuming an interrupted migration, you can also select
an existing DDC.
Click the [Next] button.
5.
At the end of the migration, you will get a readout of how many folders were generated
and how many documents were stored.
49
4
!
Form Elements
In order for the stored documents to be available in the folder structure, you also need to add the
newly created DDC to the folder structure via a link in an application folder.
4.17 Form Element "ActiveX Object"
SAPERION also facilitates the integration of ActiveX objects into index and query forms. These control
elements are extremely versatile; you can purchase them as finished products, or if necessary, you can
create them yourself using a developer kit. Many further ActiveX objects can be downloaded for free
from the Internet.
ActiveX objects are saved as OCX files. Before you can use them in SAPERION, you need to register
them in the Windows operating system. Installing Internet Explorer, for example, automatically installs
and registers a small collection of ActiveX objects. One of these is the calendar control element; this will
be used as an example here to demonstrate the basic processes of integrating and configuring ActiveX
objects in SAPERION.
!
Access to values in an ActiveX object requires the "EventScript" option to be installed.
On the START ribbon, click INSERT > ACTIVEX OBJECT (drop-down menu), and draw a selection
rectangle. The "Create ActiveX Object" dialog opens and you can configure the selected ActiveX object
as needed. To open this dialog for an existing ActiveX object, double-click the frame.
4.17.1 "General" Tab
On the "General" tab, click any item in the list to select it.
50
4.17
Form Element "ActiveX Object"
Fig. 4–33: "Create ActiveX Object" dialog - General
"Create ActiveX Object" dialog - General
Parameter
Description
Name
In the "Name" field, enter your own description of the ActiveX object. This is the name that
will later be used for macros to access this object. After you click [Select], the object is created on the form, and the "Properties" tab opens for you to enter further settings.
Object class
From the "Object Class" list, select one of the currently registered ActiveX objects. Should
the required ActiveX object not appear in the "Object Class" list, click [Register] to add it to
the list first. A dialog opens where you can select the OCX file in question.
4.17.2 "Properties" Tab
On the "Properties" tab, you can specify the ActiveX object’s individual settings. The list displays the
names of the properties and their current value. To modify a value, select a line and then click the field
in question. If there are any further properties, these can be accessed in a separate dialog after you click
[All properties].
Fig. 4–34: "Create ActiveX Object" dialog - Properties
The individual properties can be read and edited as needed using the form’s other macros:
Example
51
4
Form Elements
Date = Mask.calender.Value
Mask.calender.Month = 5
In this example the variable "Date" gets the currently set date. Furthermore, the currently set month is
May.
If you require detailed descriptions of the individual properties, please refer to the documentation
supplied with the ActiveX object.
4.17.3 "Events" Tab
On the "Events" tab, you can specify the macros that are run when certain events occur in the ActiveX
object. To assign these, click [Macro...]. The "EventScript" dialog opens; here, you can select a macro
from one of the existing modules (BAS file). The documentation for the "EventScript" option describes
how to create macros.
Fig. 4–35: "Create ActiveX Object" dialog - Events
4.17.4 "Methods" Tab
The "Methods" tab lists all the methods provided for the ActiveX object. You can also use these methods
in other macros within the form.
Fig. 4–36: "Create ActiveX Object" dialog - Methods
52
4.18
Form Element "SQL Query"
Mask.calender.PreviousYear() specify the currently set year
To find out more about the outcomes of these methods and any parameters they may use, please refer
to the documentation supplied with the ActiveX object.
4.17.5 "Miscellaneous" Tab
The "Miscellaneous" tab provides the "UIDeactivate" checkbox. For some OCX files (such as WinReg),
this needs to be selected so that the user interface of the OCX can be displayed correctly. By default,
this checkbox is deselected.
Fig. 4–37: "Create ActiveX Object" dialog - Miscellaneous
4.18 Form Element "SQL Query"
In addition to the option of running predefined SQL queries via an "Events"-type button, SAPERION
also offers the option of creating newly phrased SQL queries within the query form and running these
via a dedicated button.
This is what the "SQL Query" form element is used for. With this, any authorized user can enter
graphically supported search and sorting conditions for SQL queries. Usually, this process is based on
default entries, which can be modified as required.
Your SQL query can also include the contents of other form fields that have already been filled in.
53
4
Form Elements
Fig. 4–38: Forms Designer with "SQL Query" form element
i
In order for SQL queries to be available, your system needs to be connected to an SQL database.
4.19 Form Element "Task Panel"
With task panels, you can group form elements together and provide them with dynamic visibility, which
means that the user can open and close the panels as needed. The figure shows an example with three
groups ("Continent", "Country", "City"), underneath which there are further form elements. To open or
close a panel, simply click the name of the group in question.
Fig. 4–39: Example: Task Panel
To create a task panel, proceed as follows:
!
Task panels are only available for the Rich Client; you can only add a task panel once you have
deselected the Web Client display under "Options".
1.
On the OPTIONS ribbon, click DISPLAY and deselect the WEB CLIENT checkbox. Only
then will this form element be available.
2.
On the START ribbon, click INSERT > TASK PANEL.
54
4.20
Form Element "Grid"
3.
After drawing the selection rectangle to place the task panel, you can configure the task
panel’s properties (see table below).
4.
Next, add the required form elements to the individual task panel groups.
Parameter "Task panel"
Parameter
Description
Number of groups
It is possible to create up to five groups.
Selected group
Activates the individual properties of the selected group. This way, you can specify the header and its font.
Caption
Enter the title of the group as required.
Font
Define the font for the group's title.
Expanded
FALSE = the task panel is minimized by default when the form is opened
TRUE = by the task panel is expanded by default.
4.20 Form Element "Grid"
The table grid is another useful function provided by the Forms Designer. For example, you can use the
grid to process table values extracted from a document with the Kofax Transformation Module, such as
invoice items, or to enter order items. Using formulas, you can also calculate column totals and check
if a line’s values are correct.
Fig. 4–40: Example: Grid
To create a grid, you need a results list with special properties assigned to it.
1.
First, deactivate the checkbox "Web Client" in the OPTIONS ribbon > VIEW group.
2.
On the START ribbon, click INSERT > SEARCH. After you have drawn your selection
rectangle, the "Form Results List" dialog opens.
3.
Make the following settings in the "Properties" tab.
55
4
4.
+
Activate the checkbox "Search immediately."
+
Activate the checkbox "Grid Control."
Form Elements
On the "Query" tab, you need to specify a lookup table and a variable. The lookup table
defines the grid’s columns; however, the cell values are not written to the lookup table but
to the variable specified below.
Please keep in mind that the database definition used for the grid must only contain those
fields that are used as columns in the grid. Accordingly, these tables must not contain a
SYSTIMESTAMP or a RowID.
You can specify a filter for the lookup table used; this is the same as for regular lookup
tables within forms. If there are any changes, however, there will be no recalculation.
5.
Open the "Data" tab. In the left window entitled "Name" the configurable columns are
listed.
56
4.20
!
Form Element "Grid"
6.
Mark the entry for which you need to specify a definition and then click [>>]. The selected
entry is transferred to the window on the right side.
7.
Here, you can now define formulas for the validation of cells or columns (see examples
below). By clicking the appropriate column you can edit the fields.
8.
Click [OK].
If the document in question has been analyzed with the Kofax Transformation Module and if the
lookup table columns match the column names from the Inbound Center, the data will always be
written to the correct column. If this is not the case, the columns are filled up in order, and the
column names are overwritten with the column names from the Inbound Center. The name of the
variable must be the same as the name of the table in the Inbound Center.
Configuration possibilities of a grid
Option
Description
Cell formula
Using cell formulas, you can calculate a cell’s value in relation to the values of other cells.
NOTE: Bei der Verwendung von Formeln muss es sich beniden entsprechenden Spalten
um Zahlenfelder handeln.
For example, you may wish to calculate a product’s total amount from "Unit Price" and
"Quantity".
Example: RC[-2]*RC[-3]
If this formula is entered as a cell formula, the total of the values from the second and third
columns (C = column) along the same row (R = row) is calculated and entered into the cell
in question.
Column formula
By using column formulas, you can calculate a value in relation to the values of columns.
For example, you could calculate a total amount from unit prices.
Example: SUM(R1C:R[-1]C)
If this formula is entered as a column formula, the sum from the first row down to the last
row is calculated and entered in the bottom row.
Should a row validation be requested (see "Other Functions" below), this will check if the
formula value matches the cell value. If the result is true, the row is given a green border; if
it is false, a red border.
57
4
Form Elements
Option
Description
Column validation
Column validation lets you compare a column value calculated using a column formula
(see bottom row) to another value, which may also be a value from a form field outside of
the grid. As a real-world example, you may need to compare the sum of an invoice’s item
amounts to a given total.
Example: SUM(R1C:R[-1]C)=EXTERNAL (SELF, "Amount")
In this example, the sum of the column’s values from the first row to the last row is
checked against the "Amount" field. If the result is true, the column is given a green border; if it is false, a red border.
In addition, you can calculate a comparison value by using a macro:
Example: EXTENAL (SELF, "Basic: Document.RunScript ('MyModule: MyMacro')")
The row in question can be displayed but not modified.
Cells may contain line breaks.
Plausibility check is enabled.
The cell is hidden.
Field
Restriction
4.20.1 Grid – Lookup Values
If you place another lookup table (and corresponding forms) within the lookup table for the grid, the
cells of the column in question will contain a combo box.
4.21 Form Element "Thumbnail"
With the form element "Thumbnail" it is possible to add image data to a document (for instance a
picture of an employee to a file cover). In the thumbnail control the according image of the document
will be displayed.
If there are more than one image file it is possible to select the required picture from a list.
4.22 System or Custom Icons
The result list display already supports thumbnails. However, this functionality is available only for image
files. It is also possible to display suitable images in the result list for application files. With it an icon
can be indicated, on the one hand, suitable to the file type of the first file in the SAPERION structure, to
it is also possible for a document to visualise a special state.
i
Only bitmaps with size 32x32 and BMP-format are supported
Example
58
4.22
System or Custom Icons
The bitmap which is linked to the appropriate application in Windows is displayed in the first column
("sysFileIcon"). In the second column ("Importance") a custom icon is shown.
Fig. 4–41: Display of system and custom icons in the results lists
In order to do this, the following suitable system fields must be created in the database definition:
System fields
System Field
Description
SYSFILEICON
This system field must be of the type Thumbnail and receive an icon during archiving. Here
you can define whether a suitable bitmap from the image directory should be used, or whether Windows should deliver the icon.
SYSCUSTOMICON
This system field must be of the type Thumbnail. If the field SYSCUSTOMICONNAME is
filled, the suitable bitmap is selected from the SAPERION image directory to fill SYSCUSTOMICON.
SYSCUSTOMICONNAME
This system field must be of the type String. The name of the bitmap to be used is entered
here.
4.22.1 INI-Switch "WindowsFileIcons"
The " WindowsFileIcons" switch must be inserted into the following section of the appropriate
configuration file (PROGRAM.INI or ARCHIEF.INI):
Example
[Setup]
WindowsFileIcons=TRUE
59
5
Creating Forms
[Setup] section
Parameter
Description
WindowsFileIcons
TRUE = dynamic generation in the client (should be used with every Windows client. The
operating system then delivers the corresponding icons to the files that were archived on
the client).
Only specific icons are used for the files which have a corresponding application on the suitable system. The icons can differ depending on the computer on which they were archived.
The icons are especially likely to change with revisions on another computer.
FALSE = Fixed files from the image directory
NOTE: The "Cumulus" skin uses its own icons for Office, PDF and images, instead of the
standard ones in your OS file system.
Suitable bitmaps must be made available for all desired formats. The images must be BMP
files (size 32x32 or 16x16) and the image files must be named with the file extension for the
type of file for which the icon will be used (e.g. DOC.BMP, BMP.BMP, PDF.BMP, etc.).
5
Creating Forms
In SAPERION, forms are created using the Forms Designer. With the Forms Designer, you can create
any form that is based on the currently active database definition.
The name of the current database definition is indicated in the header section of the Forms Designer:
[<Name> (examplev71)].
5.1
Loading a Database Definition
Before you can create a new form, you need to enable the corresponding database definition (DDC file).
Different types of forms require different types of database definitions:
+
Query and index forms require an "index table".
+
Input forms require a "lookup table".
+
Audit forms require a "log table".
As well as a palette of tools for creating different form elements, the Forms Designer provides extensive
layout and testing options for your forms.
!
When you crate a new form, this is automatically linked to the currently set definition file (DDC
file). You will not be able to change the DDC file associated with this form at a later stage.
1.
Click on the DESIGN ribbon > TABLES group > LOAD DEFINITION command. The "Load
Definition..." dialog appears.
60
5.2
2.
5.2
Creating a Form
Select the desired table definition. Click [OK] to enable the selected table definition.
Creating a Form
To create a form in which mask elements are added manually, please follow these steps:
1.
Click in the DESIGN ribbon > APPLICATION group and then select one of the menu
commands for creating a new form:
+
CREATE SEARCH FORM command
+
CREATE INDEX FORM command
The Forms Designer opens.
i
2.
Here, you can create the required form elements individually and edit them afterwards.
You can use any or all of the index fields contained in the current DDC file as entry fields
on your form.
3.
Click in the Forms Designer START ribbon > INSERT group.
Select in this group the required form element by clicking on the corresponding commandicon. Detailed information about all form elements can be found in chapter "Form
Elements" above.
4.
Draw a selection rectangle in the Forms Designer pane to create the new field. The
corresponding dialog opens, containing a range of tabs for you to configure the different
settings of the form element.
The selected form element type remains active until you have selected another element.
5.3
Creating a Standard Form
With the Forms Designer, you can also generate standard forms. A standard form can serve as a first
draft for more specific forms, which you can expand as necessary to meet your requirements.
SAPERION always bases new forms on the currently selected definition file (DDC file). If you are creating
a standard index form, this will contain all the index fields defined in the DDC file. On a query form, the
fields are arranged so that each index field has the fields "Minimum" and "Maximum" respectively. In
addition, a results list is created.
!
Because most of the fields on your query forms should not permit minimums and maximums,
you should delete one of these fields. After that, you also need to ensure that the remaining field
is configured to include both limits.
The generated form contains modifiable form elements. Elements that cannot be modified should be
grouped on tabs or within a frame.
Proceed as follows to generate a standard form:
61
5
Creating Forms
1.
Open the Forms Designer.
2.
Click on the START ribbon > LAYOUT group > CREATE command.
Depending on the type of form you want to generate (search or index form), the system
will then generate a standard form with all the corresponding fields.
3.
Modify the form to meet your specific requirements and then save it.
5.4
Testing a Form
Once you have designed the form according to your requirements, the SAPERION Forms Designer offers
you the option of testing the form before you save it and it goes live. This test form is primarily intended
for visual checking.
1.
Click on the START ribbon > LAYOUT group > TEST command. A test version of the form
opens, containing all the objects you have defined.
2.
Even with this text form, you can open lookup tables and create/edit/delete entries.
Visual testing may also include a query to the index table. This lets you easily match
the widths of the results list columns to the actual data. When you exit the test mode,
any changes you may have made are transferred directly to the properties of the Forms
Designer’s results list.
3.
To exit the test form, click <Esc> or <Return> on your keyboard, or, if they already exist,
click one of the [OK], [Cancel], or [Skip] buttons.
5.5
Sample: Form for a Workflow Inbox
This chapter will describe an example of how to create a form. The form being created is a workflow inbox.
Proceed as follows:
1.
The workflow inbox is based on the "XDFDOCVECTOR" database definition. To create a
form for this definition file, you first need to load it.
On the DESIGN ribbon in the Rich Client, click TABLES > LOAD DEFINITION.
2.
Next, open the Forms Designer.
On the DESIGN ribbon in the Rich Client, click APPLICATIONS > CREATE SEARCH FORM.
3.
You can now use the wizard to generate a first draft of your form, which will be structured
like a system form. The wizard generates all the form fields as well as a document preview
and a results list.
Within the workflow inbox, all the index fields from the database definition are displayed,
distributed across a range of tabs. When there are a lot of index fields, this can soon get
quite very confusing. When creating a form, you should always consider very carefully
which fields will be needed for the query, and which other form elements you may be able
to use instead.
When there are only a few search fields, it makes more sense to group the fields within
a frame rather than on a tab.
4.
Next, create the required search fields.
62
6.1
5.
Draw a frame around the search fields (see "Group Box" form element).
6.
In the next step, you will add other form elements to the new form:
+
Workflow history
+
Workflow comment
Editing Form Elements
Because these two form elements cannot be modified in advance, you can place them on
a tab or inside a frame.
7.
In this case, the two form elements are to be created on tabs.
To do this, create a group titled "History" for the "Workflow history" form element, and a
group titled "Comment" for the "Workflow comment" element.
8.
Next, create a "Tabs" form element for these new groups.
6
Configuring Forms
6.1
Editing Form Elements
You have the following options of adapting form elements:
Adaptation options
Option
Description
Resizing Form Elements
To resize a form element, select it and simply drag any of the eight handles provided on the
element boundaries. If grid mode is enabled, resizing is only available in incremental steps.
Moving
To move form elements, select them, click inside them, and drag and drop them to the desired destination.
Snap to Grid
By default, the Forms Designer does not overlay a snap grid to aid your layout. If you wish
to use this, enable it in the OPTIONS ribbon (see below). When the grid is enabled, all the
objects and their sizes automatically snap to the nearest grid point. This makes it quick
and easy to streamline the layout of the different form elements.
Form elements that were positioned with the grid disabled are not changed immediately
once you have enabled the grid. However, as soon as you make any size- or position-related
changes to the element after the grid is enabled, the element will snap to the nearest grid
point; subsequently, it can only be modified according to the incremental grid points.
Selecting
When you click an individual form element with the mouse button, the element is highlighted in color (red border with eight handles). Simple clicking only selects a single form element; to select multiple elements, hold down the <Shift> key while clicking the additional
elements.
You can also enable the "Select" command and then draw a selection rectangle (while pressing the mouse button); this adds all the form elements that are fully inside the rectangle
to the selection.
If you click SELECT ALL (CLIPBOARD section of the START ribbon), this will select all of
the form’s elements.
When multiple form elements are selected, any action you perform is applied to all of them
– moving, aligning, cut/copy/paste, etc.
63
6
Configuring Forms
Further options are described in detail in the following sections.
6.1.1
i
Aligning
This command group only becomes available once you have selected at least two form elements.
The commands for aligning form elements are provided in the ADJUST section of the START ribbon.
The following commands are provided as icons:
Commands for aligning
Command
Description
Left/ Right
The element selected last determines the alignment. After you click [Left], for example, the
left edges of all the elements will be aligned to the left edge of the last selected element.
Up/ Down
Horizontally centered/ Vertically centered
[Vertically Centered] aligns all elements so that their center has the same vertical position
as the center of the last selected element.
Fit to level
The currently selected form element, for example, a results list, is fitted to the given level
and therefore covers the entire area.
6.1.2
Arranging
By placing the form elements in a specific order, you can determine how they are laid out visually.
Elements with lower positions in the order are always shown in front of elements with higher positions.
i
By default, newly created form elements are placed on the bottom-most level, which gives them
the highest position in the order.
With the order, you can also determine which field the cursor jumps to when the <TAB> key is pressed.
In the top left corner of each form element, a small number appears; this indicates the element’s position
in the order. Now, you can specify a new order by clicking one form element after another. Fields already
clicked are displayed with ascending gray numbers.
Fig. 6–1: Order of the form elements
Once all the fields are numbered, the reorder mode is automatically exited.
64
6.2
i
Editing Form Properties
In the Forms Designer itself, an element with a higher order position is always in front of one
with a lower position. When the form is opened by the user, however, this hierarchy is in reverse.
For this reason, you should always check the preview function when creating or modifying a form
in the Forms Designer. This is particularly advisable when you are adding background images.
Background images should always have the highest order position.
6.1.3
Copying and Pasting
In the Forms Designer, you can have as many open windows as you like. Between these windows, you
can freely copy and paste the different form elements.
i
1.
Select the form element you wish to copy and paste into another form.
2.
Click on the START ribbon > CLIPBOARD group > COPY command.
3.
Next, go to the form where you want to insert the copied element. Click on the START
ribbon > CLIPBOARD group > INSERT command.
You can also drag and drop selected elements directly from one window to the next.
6.2
Editing Form Properties
In the "Form Properties" dialog, you can define and/or change the different form parameters.
1.
Click in the Forms Designer on the OPTIONS ribbon > VIEW group > OPTIONS
command. The "Form Properties" dialog appears.
2.
Make the settings as described in the following table "Parameter 'Form Properties'" below.
3.
Click [OK] to save your settings.
Parameter "Form Properties"
Parameter
Description
Grid
In the "Grid" area of the dialog, you can specify the distance between the individual grid
points. Horizontal and vertical distances can be specified independently of each other.
Each increment increases/decreases the distance between the grid points by 9 pixels. To
turn off the grid function, deselect the "Grid Active" checkbox.
65
6
Parameter
Description
Title
Enter the title to be displayed as the form’s header.
Configuring Forms
NOTE: If the "Save Position" setting is enabled, any changes to the standard position
mean that only the first two words of the form’s dialog title (without a space) will be entered in the [WindowPositions] section of the user-specific ARCHIEF.INI. To ensure an unambiguous correlation between the position entries and the form, the first two words of the
title should therefore be unique.
Icon
You can specify an icon to be displayed in the header via the [...] button.
Translation
Select via the [...] button a lookup table that contains translations for the buttons used in
the form.
Resizable
With this checkbox, you can specify whether or not the form’s size can be changed by the
user.
Horizontal scrollbar
Select this checkbox if you want the form to display a horizontal scrollbar.
Vertical scrollbar
Select this checkbox if you want the form to display a vertical scrollbar.
Embedded
Select this checkbox to display the form as a tab embedded in the client’s user interface.
When this checkbox is deselected, the form will open in a new window.
Color/ Text color
Click the appropriate button to open a dialog where you can select the required color for
the form/ the text.
Standard
6.3
Click the [Default] button to reset you settings.
Grouping of Form Fields
To structure your form, you can compile form elements into groups.
i
Before you can create any tabs, you need to divide the form’s fields into field groups; these can
then be assigned to the tabs. Each tab will only contain the fields allocated to its group. Fields that
have not been assigned to a field group will appear on all tabs (also see "Creating Form Elements
Manually").
1.
Click on the START ribbon > LAYOUT group > GROUPS command. The "Field Groups"
dialog appears.
2.
With the [Assign] button, you can assign the selected form elements to the selected group.
This button is only available if you have previously selected form elements as well as a
group.
66
6.4
Assigning an Access List
3.
With the two [Arrow] buttons, you can change the order of the displayed groups.
4.
Click [New] to create a new group; click [Edit] to modify the group currently selected in the
list of existing groups. The "Group Properties" dialog appears.
5.
Enter the definitions as described in the table "Parameters 'Group Properties'" below and
then click [OK] to save your settings.
6.
Click [Close] to finish the grouping process.
Parameters "Group Properties"
Parameter
Description
Name
Description of the group
Access
With this button, you can define minimum access rights for the form elements belonging
to the group. If these are not fulfilled, the form elements will be disabled.
Conditions
Underneath the "Conditions" heading, there is a text field for you to enter any conditions
that need to be fulfilled before the operation selected in the "Conditions" list is carried out.
If there is more than one condition, you can link these with Boolean operators (AND, OR).
The selection list provides the following values:
> Read: Displays the field. When the condition entered in the text field is not fulfilled, the
field remains hidden.
> Modify: Permits the modification of any existing values. When the condition entered in
the text field is not fulfilled, the field is grayed out.
> Expand index: Permits the filling in of index fields that are still empty (initial indexing).
When the condition entered in the text field is not fulfilled, the field is grayed out.
NOTE: Form elements can be assigned to multiple groups, each with different conditions.
When the condition of a group to which the form element is assigned is fulfilled, the corresponding operation is carried out for this element.
6.4 Assigning an Access List
6.4.1
Assigning an Access List to a Form
With an access list, you can control the different permission levels of the form’s users. Assigning access
lists is the same for index forms and query forms, however, the effects on the workflow are different:
+
Access Lists in Index Forms
As soon as you assign an access list to an index form, all the documents archived using this form
will thereafter be saved to the archive together with the name of this access list. These documents
will subsequently only be accessible to persons who are entered in the access list. In contrast,
documents without an access list are available to everybody.
67
6
+
Configuring Forms
Access Lists in Query Forms
When an access list is assigned to a query form, only the documents matching the user will be
displayed in the results list. If you do not specify an access list, users will see the documents for
which they do not have access permission as empty rows in the table (a padlock icon at the start
of the row indicates the user’s lack of permission).
To assign an access list to a form, proceed as follows:
i
1.
First, deactivate the checkbox "Web Client" under OPTIONS ribbon > VIEW group.
2.
Click on the OPTIONS ribbon > ADVANCED group > ACCESS LIST command. The "Select
Access Control List" dialog appears.
3.
Configure the following settings:
+
The list displays the access lists defined in SAPERION. Click [Select] to assign the
access list currently selected in the list to the form.
+
Click [None] if you do not want an access list assigned to the form.
+
Click [Cancel] to return to the previous state.
+
With the [Edit...] and [Delete] buttons, you can edit and delete selected entries within
the list. Click [New...] to create a new access list.
Authorized persons can change an access list stored together with the document by clicking the
[Security] button in the results list.
6.4.2 Assigning Access List to Individual Form Elements
Every form element can be assigned access rights. Such form elements are only enabled for users who
have at least the assigned access rights for the document. This option is particularly useful for index
forms that provide follow-up indexing of previously archived documents. This way, specific users can
view but not modify the index criteria of a document.
i
Please note that you cannot define access rights to form elements within the Web Client.
To define access rights to a form element, proceed as follows:
68
6.5
Defining Form Events
1.
Double-click the form element in question. The dialog corresponding to the form element
(e.g., "Field") opens.
2.
Click the [Access...] button in the dialog, or alternatively the [...] button in the "Properties"
list. The "Edit Access Rights" dialog appears.
3.
Configure the access rights by selecting the corresponding checkboxes.
4.
Click [OK] to save your settings.
6.5
Defining Form Events
With EventScript, you can define macros that will be executed when specific form events take place.
1.
Click on the OPTIONS ribbon > ADVANCED group > EVENTS command. The "Define
Events" dialog opens.
69
6
2.
Configuring Forms
From the list of possible events, select an entry that you wish to define a macro for. The
following events may be selected:
+
OnInitDialog When the form is opened
+
OnSaveDialog When the form is closed
+
OnSetFocus When the form receives the entry focus
+
OnKillFocus When the form loses the entry focus
+
OnCloseDialog When the form is closed
3.
Click the [Macro...] button. The "EventScript" dialog appears.
4.
Highlight the appropriate EventScript and click [Select].
6.6 Defining Encryptions in Index Forms
When an encryption is defined in an index form, all the documents archived via this form are
automatically given the same encryption when written to the storage medium.
The type of encryption and the password are defined the same way as for manual encryption in the
"Encryption Profiles" dialog.
i
In order to store encryptions, you need to have the "Security" option installed (to be purchased
separately).
1.
Click on the OPTIONS ribbon > ADVANCED group > ENCRYPTION command. The
"Encryption Profiles" dialog appears.
70
6.7
2.
6.7
Document Tooltips
Select an encryption profile and then specify a password for it. Click [Select].
Document Tooltips
Using the procedure described above, SAPERION also lets you display a document’s ToolTip entry in a
separate, easy-to-read window. The following variables are available as defaults:
+
@tooltip (contents of the selected document’s ToolTip)
+
@tooltiplink (contents of the linked document’s ToolTip)
The @tooltip and @tooltiplink elements are populated according to the ToolTip properties in the
definition. The field order corresponds to the fields’ order in the DDC.
6.8
6.8.1
Other Form Functions
Enabling Keyboard Shortcuts
By default, you can use the tab key to quickly skip between the individual fields on a form. In addition,
SAPERION also lets you use hotkeys, or key combinations (<Alt> + letter), to go directly to specific fields
or trigger specific buttons. As is common practice with other Windows applications, the hotkey to be
used is indicated by an underlined shortcut letter.
Simply add the <&> character before the shortcut letter in question in the field description ("Text" form
element), and a hotkey will be available for it (e.g., <&B> produces the <Alt> + <B> shortcut). When you
enter this hotkey in the form, you are taken directly to the field in question. For SAPERION, this is the
next field in the given order of form elements.
The same applies to button shortcuts. Simply add the <&> character directly into the button’s name field.
6.8.2 Hiding Index Fields
Just because index fields are defined in the DDC file, this does not always mean that they should also
appear on the form. For example, a minimally designed index form could include just those index fields
where the user needs to enter data manually. While other index fields may be populated automatically
through default entries, outliner synchronization, etc., there is not always a need for the user to see all
this happening.
Hiding index fields from the user is very simple; simply reduce the size of the form (dragging the
boundaries while pressing the mouse button). The fields outside of the form’s boundaries will not be
visible to the user. Nevertheless, their contents are still written to the database, just like the contents
of the visible fields are.
71
6
i
Configuring Forms
This method of hiding index fields only works when the form’s scrollbars are disabled.
6.8.3
Displaying Index Values
Within a query form, you can view the entered index values not only in the results list, which has rather
limited display options, but also in full detail in dedicated display fields.
To display the index values this way, you need to add variable fields to the form that have corresponding
default entries (see "Form Element Field – Processing").
Fig. 6–2: Sample default entry in the variable field
You can either use a separate variable field for each index value or display all the values together in the
same field.
!
These fields also need to be connected to the results list.
6.8.4 Displaying Older Forms
Forms that were created using an older version of SAPERION do usually not translate very well into the
new display format.
However, if you do not wish to replace these with new forms, you can continue to view your old forms
as you had previously. There are two methods for this:
Open the form while pressing the CTRL key
When you open a form while pressing the CTRL key, it is displayed in a separate window that adapts to
the size of the given form design.
The displayed window is a top-level window, which means it will remain visible even when SAPERION is
minimized, and that it will move to the background when you continue to work in SAPERION.
Display Mode Switch
If you wish to do without the new display options entirely because you are only using old forms, you
can also switch the system’s overall display mode. In this case, all forms will be displayed in their own
windows.
72
6.8
Other Form Functions
To do this, deselect the "Forms Embedded" checkbox. All forms windows will now be detached from
SAPERION’s main display.
6.8.5
Dynamic Areas
Some types of form elements can be provided with a "Dynamic Area" option, which enables the user to
change the area size within the form. The following types of form elements are available for this option:
+
Tabs
+
Results lists
+
Document preview
+
Frames
Other form elements that are not available for the "Dynamic Area" option, such as input fields, buttons,
etc., need to be grouped on a tab or in a frame in order to be part of a resizable area.
i
Frame programming will only run smoothly if all the elements within a form have been set to
dynamic. Form elements that cannot be set to dynamic themselves need to be grouped on a tab
or in a frame. In total, up to six dynamic form elements can be used in a two-column form; some
of these may also cover both columns.
To create this type of form, you need to use the Forms Designer. A detailed example of how this is done
is provided at the end of this manual in the section that explains the creation of a workflow inbox, as is
required for SAPERION’s workflow functionalities.
6.8.6 Configuration of Colors
In most skins (Larix, Cassia, etc.) SAPERION uses the WINDOWS System colors for the colors of
disabled controls (COLOR_GRAYTEXT and COLOR_BTNFACE). It is possible to define customized
colors by changing the PROGRAM.INI (affects all users) or the ARCHIEF.INI (affects the current user).
In the PROGRAM.INI respectively in the ARCHIEF.INI following configuration has to be set:
[Setup]
SkinLoadColorsFromIni=TRUE
[Skin]
; text color of a disabled edit control, 0 = uses windows default
24027=32,32,32
; background color of a disabled edit control, 0 = uses windows default
73
7
Managing Forms
24028=192,192,192
7
Managing Forms
7.1
Saving Forms
7.1.1
Saving Formats
The procedure for saving forms is largely the same as for most other Windows applications. You need
to save all your forms as ".QBE" files in the SAPERION forms directory. By default, this is the "Masks"
subdirectory in the main SAPERION directory.
i
Forms can also be saved as XML files. This gives you the option of editing them in a regular text
editor outside of SAPERION. Please note that the files are saved in the ANSI text format.
7.1.2
File names
For short names, the following naming convention has proven very effective:
Query forms are given the same name as the definition file, and index forms are given an "_e" suffix
(e.g., "Winfo.ddc", "Winfo.qbe", "Winfo_e.qbe").
If you adhere to these conventions, the forms will be activated automatically.
We recommend the following nomenclature for naming forms:
+
<Name of DDC>_e.qbe: Input form (index form), German
+
<Name of DDC>_a.qbe: Query form, German
+
<Name of DDC>_i.qbe: Index form, English
+
<Name of DDC>_q.qbe: Query form, English
The following file information is saved together with every form:
+
Parameters for the index fields used
+
Form type (indexing, query, log)
+
Preset access list (if defined)
+
Links to the associated DDC file
+
Links to definitions, forms, and icons of each outliner level (for forms containing outliners)
+
Links to images (for forms that contain images)
74
7.2
i
Deleting Forms
A form will become unusable if you delete, move, or rename any of the linked files.
7.2
Deleting Forms
You can delete forms either from within the Forms Designer or directly within the operating system (e.g.,
via Windows Explorer).
i
1.
Click the FORM tab > DELETE entry. The "Delete Form..." dialog appears.
2.
From the list of forms provided, select the form you wish to delete and click [OK].
Please restart the Core Server after deleting any forms.
7.3
Activating Forms
For index forms, query forms, and audit forms, SAPERION maintains a list of active forms. These can
be viewed in the "Active Forms" dialog.
The list may contain up to nine elements. When the list is full, the [New] button is disabled. If you require
more than nine elements, you can add additional buttons for these in the toolbar ("UserQuery" function).
Input forms for lookup tables and the individual levels of an outliner cannot be opened directly but only
from index forms and query forms. Therefore, it makes sense to include such forms in your list of active
index forms.
i
Note that to activate forms, users need to have configuration access rights or higher.
1.
In the Rich Client click on the ADMINISTRATION ribbon > LOG group > CONFIGURE
FORMS command. The "Active Forms" dialog appears.
2.
The forms listed here are then available for selection. You can preset (activate) individual
forms and thereby specify exactly which forms are opened for which tasks.
75
7
i
Managing Forms
3.
Click [New] to add a new row to the list. The "Activated Form" dialog appears. Here, enter
the required form name directly or click [Search...] to select a form. Under "Comment",
you can enter a text up to 50 characters long that describes the form more accurately that
the file name. Click [Search...] to select a form and load it.
4.
Click [Edit] to modify any of the entries. Click [Delete] to delete the form.
5.
By selecting the "Status" checkbox, you can configure the form to be a standard form.
6.
When you are done, click [Close] to exit the dialog.
The administrator can limit access to the "Active Forms" dialog to specific users by imposing
access right conditions.
7.4
Translating Forms
Forms are frequently required in several different languages. SAPERION has several quick and easy
options for localizing your forms. Firstly, you need to assign a lookup table to your form that contains
all the translations of the individual form elements. Once this is instated and the form is being loaded,
the software searches the original text for each element to check if there is an existing translation for
the currently selected language. If a translation is available for the element, it will be used; if not, the
original text will be used.
To assign the lookup table, you need to open the "Translation" dialog in "Form Properties":
i
With the "Localization=<table name>" entry in the [System] section of the PROGRAM.INI file, you
can define a global table for switching languages within forms. This global table is also used for
localizing the descriptions of user-defined inboxes.
1.
Click in the Forms Designer on the OPTIONS ribbon > VIEW group > OPTIONS
command. The "Form Properties" dialog appears.
2.
Select the "Translation" checkbox and then click [...] to select the required lookup table.
The lookup table is structured as follows:
76
7.5
3.
!
Localizing
+
The "LocalText" field contains the button’s original text.
+
For each language to be made available, you need to create an additional field that
has the name of the target language (e.g., German, English, etc.)
Click [OK] to save your settings.
The table has to contain a text for each language (including the language used for creating the
form), otherwise the form element may remain unlabeled.
7.5
Localizing
With the localization table provided by SAPERION, you can localize all the labels within your forms to
match the system language. The localization table provides the following fields for this:
+
Local text: Entry of the label text used in the form/menu
+
Field for the language being supported (German, English, Arabic, ...)
SAPERION automatically installs the "Localize" table, which is globally valid for localization; when a
form is first opened, all the records of this table are loaded into the client’s cache.
When a form is first opened, SAPERION checks if its texts are contained in the "Localize" table; if this is
not the case, new entries are generated accordingly. To add all the necessary translations, use the Rich
Client’s localization form.
i
8
1.
Click in the Rich Client on the ADMINISTRATION ribbon > GENERAL group >
LOCALIZATION command.
The localization form appears.
2.
Here, you can enter the missing translations into the language columns provided.
A description of how to localize forms can be found in "Best Practice Localization in SAPERION".
Forms in the Web Client
When you are creating forms for the Web Client, there are a few things to watch out for because there
are some deviations that are described in the following section.
77
8
8.1
Forms in the Web Client
Update of changed Forms
Generally a change in the Forms Designer affects the Web Client after the timeout in the forms caches.
This timeout can be setup in the configuration file of the cache (please refer to the installation guide,
section "Hazelcast Cache").
Open the file "hazelcast.xml" under directory "scr-webclient/WEB-INF/classes/config/hazelcast.xml"
and enter the required time in seconds into the following section:
<map name="masksCache">
<backup-count>0</backup-count>
<max-size>50</max-size>
<eviction-policy>LRU</eviction-policy>
<time-to-live-seconds>120</time-to-live-seconds>
<time-idle-seconds>120</time-idle-seconds>
<eviction-delay-seconds>5</eviction-delay-seconds>
</map>
i
Alternatively you can restart the Tomcat if you don't wish to wait for the timeout.
8.2
Pre-allocated Field Entries
The Web Client supports the following system variables as default field entries:
Supported system variables
Variable
Function
FILENAME
Name of the uploaded file (without path)
SYSDATE
Current date
SYSTIME
Current time
USERNAME
Name of the logged on user
USERID
ID of the logged on user
8.2.1
Field Linking
Fields can be linked via default field entries. Only simple linkings are supported on a single field without
formulas or further supplements.
@FieldName@LookUpColumnName
Example
78
8.3
Properties of a Results List
The pre-allocation "@customerNumber" assumes the value that is entered into the field named
"CustomerNumber".
Lookup Table
Links to certain columns are also supported for lookup tables.
Example
The pre-alllocation "@customer@address" assumes the value that is in the column "address" of the
current value of the lookup field "customer".
Um die Auswahl in einem Nachschlagefeld zusätzlich einzuschränken, können die oben genannten
Verknüpfungen auch als Bedingung auf eine Spalte des Nachschlagefeldes verwendet werden.
In order to limit additionally the lookup field, the above mentioned linking can be used as condition in
a column of a lookup field.
8.2.2
Index Form
Please consider the following information about variables in an index form of a Web Client:
+
Persistent and temporary variables can be used.
+
Persistent variables are saved at the document when archived and updated.
Weitere Informationen zu Variablen in Indexmasken des Web Clients finden Sie im
Further information on variables in index forms of the Web Client can be found in the Best Practice
manual "Web Client Scripting" under this link:
http://portal.saperion.com/docsxml/en/saperion-75/bestpractice/e-BP_webclient-scripting.html?vs=saperion-75#utility-clas
8.2.3
Query Form
Please consider the following information about variables in a query form of a Web Client:
+
Fields with variables are displayed and can be filled via pre-allocation or script.
+
The pre-allocation "@folderpath" is used for cross-references in eFile scenarios.
8.3
Properties of a Results List
Generating a form for the Web Client, four properties can be defined for the result list.
The values can be edited directly in the table "Properties" if required.
79
8
Forms in the Web Client
Fig. 8–1: Web Properties
Properties of a results list in the Web Client
Property
Description
Use Filter
With the functionality "Use Filter" you can define whether a search within the result list can
be processed with the help of a filter.
TRUE = the filter functionality is available.
Use Favorites Button
With the functionality "Use Favorites Button" you can define whether the Web Client user
has the possibility to save frequently queries as favorites. In this case the entered search values are saved for future queries.
TRUE = the functionality ([Star]-Icon is active) is available.
Hits per Page
8.4
8.4.1
You can define how many entries per page are shown in the result list.
Standard Buttons
Standard Buttons in the Query Form
A query form is used to enter the user’s search criteria. These are then sent to the archive. The result
returned by this form is a results list of the documents found in the archive. As a general rule the [Results]
and [Clear fields] buttons are implemented in a query form why they are among the standard buttons.
By means of the [Results] button the search query is started and by the [Clear fields] button the entered
search criteria are removed from the text fields.
For the Web Client it is possible to use toolbar icons instead of the buttons. For this purpose set the web
form property "Standard buttons = TRUE".
Fig. 8–2: Property "Standard buttons"
In the Web Client the toolbar icons are positioned in the lower area of the pane and replace the buttons.
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8.5
Visibility of Form Elements
Fig. 8–3: Example query form: toolbar icon
8.4.2
Standard Buttons in the Index Form
Index forms are used to enter a document’s index data, which is required for archiving. This meta data
can later be used to find the document within the archive. Standard buttons in an index form are the
[OK] and the [Cancel] buttons. Also these buttons can be replaced by toolbar icons by setting the web
form property "Standard buttons = TRUE".
Fig. 8–4: Example index form: toolbar icon
8.5
Visibility of Form Elements
During the designing process of a form you have the possibility to define which form elements are visible
for the end user in the Web Client. For this purpose select the appropriate property for "Visibility" of the
concerning form element.
Choose one of the option available out of the dropdown box:
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9
+
Always visible
+
Rich Client only
i
Forms for Electronic Files (eFile)
This property is not available for the following form elements: groupbox, workflow history,
workflow context and form.
Fig. 8–5: Define the visibility of a form element
8.6
Information on Forms in the Web Client
Please consider the following information about forms in the Web Client:
8.6.1
Lookup Table
Please consider the following characteristics of lookup tables in the Web Client:
+
In lookup tables in the Web Client, the results list’s "Delete fields" and "Change order" functions
do not work.
+
Lookup tables without SYSROWID can only be used in a read-only-mode in the Web Client.
+
The Web Client cannot resize any dropdown fields and the selected columns.
+
It is possible to link fields with "@FieldName" but only simple links are possible. Combined links
with multiple fields do not work. By using "@LooupFieldName@ColumnName" you may define
also a specific column.
+
It is possible to specify conditions on a field of a lookup table for the restriction of a search on
certain columns of a table. Also fixed condition values are allowed.
8.6.2 Index Form
Display within an index form’s viewer is not supported. We strongly recommend you do not integrate
the "Document Viewer" form element into index forms intended for the Web Client.
8.6.3
Panels
Folded-up panels within a form are not supported in the Web Client.
9
Forms for Electronic Files (eFile)
An electronic file generally contains the following elements:
+
eFile cover
+
eFile registers (optional; included in eFile cover)
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9.1
+
Tables for Electronic Files
eFile documents
The following tables and forms are required to build the elements listed above:
Tables and forms needed for eFiles
To...
You need...
Archive files
Index table containing values for the file cover
Archive the documents in the file
Index table for the archived files
Search for files
Query form
Preview the virtual file cover in the search form
Index form (embedded)
Preview a file
Query form
See the properties of a file
Index form
Archive new documents
Index form
Create new files
Index form
Create registers
Index form
i
To create a file application with registers automatically, the Business Rules Server with the
corresponding folder class must already be started.
9.1
Tables for Electronic Files
An eFile requires two index tables:
+
one for the eFile cover (as well as any registers)
+
one for the documents that are to be archived in it.
!
The following description refers to a one-client system. If you use a multi-client system, you must
use client-specific tables and forms.
9.1.1
Index Table for the eFile Cover
The index table for an eFile contains the system properties of the file and its registers, as well as values
for the file cover sheet.
To create the index table for the file:
1.
Click the DESIGN ribbon > TABLES group > CREATE command to open the "Create new
table definition" dialog.
2.
Select "Index table" from the Definition Type drop-down.
3.
In the "Edit Tables Definition" dialog, the following functions on the "Properties" tab can
be activated:
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Forms for Electronic Files (eFile)
Required functions
+
"Load Index from Table" must be checked.
+
SYSDOCUMENTDESCRIPTION
Generates a document description from a link formula, for the file cover as well as
for the documents.
+
SYSFOLDERNAME
The name of the eFile. SYSFOLDERNAME includes various fields, a number of which
are useful for your eFile application and are listed below:
Field
Use
SYSPARENTID
Reference to the parent level
SYSFOLDERPATH
Information about the hierarchy structure
SYSNODETYPE
Type of folder in the hierarchy (ROOT,
SIMPLE, EFILE, EFILEREG, CLASS_APP)
+
SYSFOLDERCLASS
Name of the file or register class
SYSDOCUMENT-
Table name for the documents assigned
TABLES
to this file.
SYSPROPERTIES
Field used for searchable variables
Optional functions include:
+
SYSDOCFLOWDATA - This field enables you to start a Workflow to clone the file plan
or template (Business Rules Server / FilePlan Cloner)
+
SYSINDEXCONTENT - Searches across all index values of the file
+
Useful system functions such as SYSMODIFYUSER (name of the user who last made
changes to the document), SYSCREATEUSER (name of the user who created the
document), SYSCREATEDATE (date the document was created).
+
Records management functions for defining and activating storage and destruction
of files: SYSRETENTIONTIME (specifies the date after which a document may be
deleted), SYSCONTENTTYPE (used for the classification of documents in records
management), SYSLCMSTAGE (Retention - fixed or event-based).
+
Visual tools representing the status (active, in progress, locked, etc.) of the files:
SYSCUSTOMICON, SYSCUSTOMICONNAME.
i
SYSINDEXSTATE can be activated, but it has no effect.
4.
Click the "Index columns" tab and then click [New...]. The "Define Index Field" dialog
opens.
5.
Create the desired index fields. The index fields define the properties of the file cover
sheet. For example, for a project folder, you might create fields such as Project_Number,
Customer, Status, Description. For each field, activate the following check boxes:
"Mandatory", "Unique", "Tooltip".
84
9.1
Tables for Electronic Files
Fig. 9–1: Define index field dialog
i
For more details about this dialog box, see the chapter about
Database Definitions.
6.
Click [New...] to continue creating index fields. The data type used in the sample project
is "String (Unicode)."
7.
Save the table definition, for example with the name "sample_efile".
9.1.2
Index Table for the Archived Documents
The index table for the archived documents contains the values needed to file and retrieve the documents
saved in the eFile.
To create the index table for the archived documents:
1.
Click the DESIGN ribbon > TABLES group > CREATE command. The "Create new table
definition" dialog opens.
2.
Select "Index Table" as the Definition Type.
3.
In the "Edit Tables Definition" dialog, activate the following functions on the "Properties"
tab:
4.
+
SYSDOCUMENTDESCRIPTION
The document description is generated from the link formula in the eFile cover DDC.
Be sure to use a formula that results in a clear description. For more information
about link formulas, see the DDC chapter, elsewhere in the Administration handbook.
+
SYSFOLDERID
Since a document can be saved to multiple folder levels or multiple eFiles, it needs a
unique UUID - SYSROWID key of the file, register or document folder that it resides
in. This key enables documents to be filed in the folder and later retrieved.
+
SYSFOLDERTABLES
Included in SYSFOLDERID. This field contains the table name of the file cover sheet,
for example, and is useful in cases where the document is assigned to several files.
Should you need to check in existing data whether or not the standard SAPERION
functions are activated, you can make use of the following fields (most are already set
by default):
+
SYSTIMESTAMP
Contains the date and time of the last change; necessary for syncing tables.
+
SYSACLLIST
Used to assign several ACLs to a document
+
SYSROWID
System-wide unique key for a data record. This is a completely independent key that
never changes.
+
SYSACLUSERLIST
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Forms for Electronic Files (eFile)
Used to list only those documents to which a user has access in a result list. This
field is optional.
5.
Additional useful fields might be:
+
SYSINDEXSTATE
Required field when you are planning to use the Broker index service
+
SYSDOCFLOWDATA
Needed in order to use the Workflow option within a scenario
+
SYSDOCTYPES
Contains a listing of all file types that are used in the document, for searching
+
SYSPAGES
Contains the number of elements of a document, also for searching
+
SYSINDEXCONTENT
The complete index is summarized for a fulltext search.
+
SYSCONTENT
Contains the entire content of the document in a full-text index catalog for searching.
i
6.
Click the "Index columns" tab and then click [New...]. The "Define Index Field" dialog
opens.
7.
Create the following index fields for example:
8.
+
"Project_Name" (Data type "string (unicode)")
+
"Description" (Data type "string (unicode)")
+
"Document_Number" (Data type "Counter")
+
"Fulltext" (Data type "Text Retrieval")
Click the "Properties" tab, and enter the value Department_Name+' Project:
'+Project_Name for "Formula for Links".
The name of the document is automatically generated with this formula.
i
9.
9.2
If your are using Oracle, only one full-text field per DDC is
supported. No full-text fields are supported for DB2.
Enter the index fields most useful for your file.
Save the table definition, for example with the name "sample_documents."
Required Forms
A sample eFile project called “Projects” is included with your SAPERION installation. This eFile contains
two lookup tables and a variety of forms. This chapter shows you how to recreate these forms.
For a complete listing of all the files included in the sample eFile, see the “eFile Application” chapter,
elsewhere in this manual.
86
9.2
9.2.1
Required Forms
Preview Form
Preview forms contain the index fields you want to see in a preview. Previews help you identify which file
you are in when doing a search of the file contents.
Create a preview form for each of the following two forms:
+
File search form (contains all the index fields you want to see in the file preview)
+
Opened file (can contain the same index fields as in the file search form, or adjust the fields as
needed for your application)
9.2.2 Preview Form for File Search
To create a preview form for file search:
1.
Load the index table for the files (DESIGN ribbon > TABLES group > LOAD... command).
2.
Click the DESIGN ribbon > APPLICATIONS group > CREATE INDEX FORM command.
The Forms Designer (Indexing) opens.
3.
Create an index form based on your required preview criteria.
4.
Save the form with the name "sample_efile_preview1_i" for example.
9.2.3
Preview Form for Opened File
To create the index form for the preview of the file cover in the file view form:
1.
Load the index table for the files.
2.
Click the DESIGN ribbon > APPLICATIONS group > CREATE INDEX FORM command.
The Forms Designer (Indexing) opens.
3.
The fields you need to create depend on the folder table and on what you want to see in
the preview. Example fields:
4.
+
Picture (formats JPG and PNG)
+
Project Name
+
Customer Name
+
File number
Save this form with the name "sample_efile_preview2_i" for example.
When you create the search form "sample_efile_q" (described below), you will embed this
preview form in it and link the query result with the preview form. See the next section
for more details.
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Forms for Electronic Files (eFile)
The difference between the two preview forms is in layout and design. Create each form so it is displayed
properly when embedded.
9.2.4 Form for Creating New Files
i
For this and the following index form, you have to activate the field "SYSFOLDERNAME".
Create another index form using the steps described previously. The index form should contain input
fields based on the DDC. This form will be used to create files.
Save the index form, for example with the name "sample_efile_i."
9.2.5
Form for Creating Registers
You need another index form to create registers. This form can be designed like the form for creating
new files, and it also must contain the field "SYSFOLDERNAME".
i
This form will automatically contain mandatory index fields, since the register is based on the
same definitions as the file itself.
Save the form with the name "sample_register_i" for example.
9.2.6 File Search Form
Next, create a search form based on the file DDC:
1.
Click the DESIGN ribbon > APPLICATIONS group > CREATE SEARCH FORM command.
The Forms Designer (Indexing) opens.
2.
Create the form, designing it according to your search criteria. Include the following
elements:
3.
+
Preview form for file search (created previously, "sample_efile_preview1_i")
+
Input fields for search terms
+
Result list (using the "Search" button in the Form Designer)
+
Link between result list and preview form using a red arrow
Save this search form with the name "sample_efile_q" for example.
For more details on how to embed and link forms, see the "Creating Forms" Best Practice manual.
Display only eFiles in Query Result List
To display only eFiles in your query result list (without listing the registers):
1.
Switch to the "Options" tab and uncheck "Web Client"
88
9.2
Required Forms
2.
Back on the "Start" tab, double-click your results list to open the "Form Results List"
dialog.
3.
On the "Query" tab, check the SQL radio button and type the following string in the text
field: SYSNODETYPE='EFILE'
4.
Be sure to check the "Use fields" check box.
5.
Back on the "Options" tab, check the "Web Client" check box; then save your form.
Display Different Results Depending on User
While it is not possible to create different eFiles for different users from a single table, it is still possible
to make different query results visible to different users. You do this by creating an eFile for each user or
group, and then assigning different document search query forms to the result dialog in each eFile. You
then manage user access by assigning different ACLs to the respective eFiles.
To assign different document search query forms:
1.
Create an eFile for each user or group, based on the same tables and forms.
2.
For each eFile, open the File Search form you created previously, and double-click the
Result list to open the Form Results List dialog.
3.
In the Form Results List dialog, click the [...] button next to the Query Form text field, to
assign the query form to be used in this particular eFile.
4.
Click [OK] to exit the dialog, and save your change in the Form Designer by clicking Form
> Save.
5.
Continue assigning different query forms for the different eFiles.
6.
Remember to assign different ACLs to the respective eFiles.
9.2.7
File View Form
Create another search form as described previously. This search form should refer to the document DDC.
You will need this form to look inside a file when it is open.
You will need the following for this form:
+
Preview form for opened file (created previously, "sample_efile_preview2_i")
+
Input fields
+
Link between result list and preview form using a red arrow
+
Buttons
+
Viewer
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9
Forms for Electronic Files (eFile)
Save this index form with the name "example_documents_view_q" for example.
9.2.8 Form for Archiving new Documents
Create another search form and another index form using the steps described previously. These forms are
needed to search for documents outside the file application and to archive new documents, respectively.
Each form should refer to the document definition.
Save the search form with the name "sample_documents_q" and the index form as
"sample_documents_i" for example.
9.3
Formula for File Path
With the formula for the file path of a document, you can display the exact path to a document. This
makes the allocation of documents simpler and clearer. For example, the path for a document displayed
in the result list of a query might read: \projects_eFile\level 1\level 2\level 3\ - this tells you exactly where
the document resides. This feature is very useful when you are viewing the documents inside of a file.
i
This formula only works in the Rich Client. It cannot be created in the Web Client.
Follow the steps below to create this path in index forms:
1.
Click the DESIGN ribbon > APPLICATIONS group > EDIT FORM command. The "Open
Form" dialog is opened.
2.
Double-click the index form to be edited, for example, "sample_efile_preview2_i" which is
used for the preview on the file cover. The form is opened in the Forms Designer.
3.
Click OPTIONS ribbon > VIEW group and remove the check at "Web Client".
4.
Go back to the form view by clicking the START ribbon.
5.
Click START ribbon > INSERT group > FIELD command and drag the field to the desired
position in the form. The "Form Field" dialog opens.
6.
On the "General" tab, click the "Variable" radio button and enter "Path" in the field below.
7.
Click the "Procedure" tab and enter "@folderpath" in the "Default" field.
Fig. 9–2: Formula for File Path - Tab "Procedure"
90
9.4
Editing Classes
8.
Click [OK] to close the dialog.
9.
On START ribbon > INSERT group, activate "Links". All connections between the fields of
the form are displayed with a red arrow.
10. Click in the results section and drag the displayed red arrow to the new field for the file
path.
i
Note that connections are only possible between an input field or
result list and a document view.
9.4 Editing Classes
When you have created all the table definitions and forms, you can create or edit the respective folder
classes. This can be processed in the Rich Client.
Follow the steps below to edit folder classes:
1.
Click the FOLDER ribbon > EDIT group > CLASSES command. The dialog "Edit Folder
classes" is opened.
Fig. 9–3: Dialog "Edit Folder classes"
2.
Open all folder classes belonging to a file application with a single mouse click on the first
folder class below the "SAPERION" folder.
3.
Click the folder class in which you want to create or edit a new class with the right mouse
button. The "Properties tab" dialog is opened.
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Forms for Electronic Files (eFile)
Fig. 9–4: Dialog "Properties tab"
4.
To change an entry, click [...] next to the entry in question, and select the appropriate form.
5.
Click [OK] to accept the changes and to close the dialog.
Whenever folder classes have been changed, you must quit the Client and restart the server. Then restart
SAPERION for the changes to take effect.
i
If you change a folder class name, it will no longer be possible to display the corresponding eFile.
For more information about creating and editing folder classes in eFile applications, see the chapter
"eFile Application," elsewhere in this manual.
9.5
Form for Superordinate Search
To execute a superordinate search across all documents, regardless of which files they are in, you need a
search form based on the document DDC (in this case, "example_documents" from the section "Index
Table for the Archived Documents"). For example, you might want to search across files for all projects
begun in a particular month or employing a particular vendor. Create this form with the desired search
fields. When you create an application, specify this form in the navigation area. A file application is not
necessary for this search.
i
Searching for documents outside of a specific file application should generally only be done by
administrators. The typical user should only be able to search in those files that are assigned to
him.
92