Forms Composer
Using Forms Composer
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October 2003
www.lexmark.com
Edition: October 2003
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................. 1
Installation ...................................................................................................... 2
Chapter 2: Planning your form ..................................................... 3
Chapter 3: Getting started ............................................................ 4
Setting up the Working Directory.................................................................... 4
Creating a new form ....................................................................................... 5
Importing a PDF and using it as your form ..................................................... 5
Chapter 4: Creating a formset ...................................................... 6
Using the Design Pane................................................................................... 6
Using the Design pane tool bars .................................................................... 7
Using the Data pane....................................................................................... 9
Inserting variables on your formset .............................................................. 10
Setting up Page and Project Activation ........................................................ 11
Setting up the Page Print Profile .................................................................. 12
Setting up Project Properties........................................................................ 13
Chapter 5: Loading your formset ............................................... 14
Creating a Named Pipe ................................................................................ 15
Connecting the named pipe to a printer object............................................. 16
Chapter 6: Creating and loading a sample form....................... 17
Chapter 7: E-forms directives .................................................... 20
Data stream commands ............................................................................... 20
iii
1
Introduction
This book is a tutorial on how to create a Forms Project with Forms Composer software.
The following are terms used throughout this tutorial:
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Host application—The software program generating print data to be combined or merged
with your form
Host data—The print data generated by your host application
A Forms Project is made up of one or more forms that are uploaded to the Document Producer
server. Once at the Document Producer server, the forms are then merged with print data that was
sent from the host application. After the forms and data are merged, Document Producer can print,
e-mail, fax, FTP, or save them to a file.
Also included with the Forms Project:
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Mapping information from the host application data to the form variables
A Condition file that selects the correct form for each page of data coming from the host
application
Forms Composer lets you design your form using:
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text
lines
arrows
ellipses
boxes (rectangle and rounded rectangle)
images
bar codes
pages from a PDF file
object variables (Including text, image, and bar code variables)
You can set variables to be areas on your form that are then filled in with changing data from a
separate application.
For example, you could set a variable as a customer's address on an invoice. When the form is
merged with data from your server, you could have the same form merged with a mailing list of many
customers to create a separate customer form for each customer.
Introduction
1
Installation
Forms Composer can be installed on your Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows
XP system.
Installation
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2
Planning your form
There are several steps to complete before you actually create a formset. This planning stage will
help you create a solid design form that requires little maintenance.
Before you begin designing your form, you need to decide:
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What kind of form do you need, a blank form that has no dynamic fields, or a formset that
includes information from a third-party data stream?
What kind of form you want to create (invoice, bill of lading, and so on)?
How should the final product look (look at current stationery or an example you want to
copy)?
What information will appear on the form and a name for each of them (think of what kinds of
information your host application collects for you)?
What kinds of objects need to be designed (columns, totals, text boxes)?
What colors and shading do you want to use on the form?
What information is common to the forms you create (company address, logo, telephone, and
fax numbers)?
Planning your form
3
3
Getting started
Now that you know what kind of information you need on the form, you are ready to start creating the
formset using the Forms Composer software.
Setting up the Working Directory
The Working Directory is a place on your network or local drive where you want to store all of your
forms for your organization. The Working Directory, by default, is set to the C:\Program
Files\Lexmark\Document Solutions\Forms Composer\Samples folder.
To set up the Working Directory:
1 Open the Forms Composer design tool, click Start Æ Program Files Æ Lexmark Æ
Document Solutions Æ Forms Composer.
2 Click File Æ Set Working Directory. This opens an explorer-type dialog at the default
Working Directory folder, “Samples”.
3 Browse to the folder where you want to store your finished forms.
4 Click OK.
Getting started
4
Creating a new form
You can create formsets for either Document Producer or Document Portal. For the Document Portal,
there is no application data stream, so the data pane does not appear, and Project and Page
Activation conditions do not apply. You can create variables for the Document Portal formset in the
design pane and then write a script to prompt for data from the Document Portal user and store the
data in a dataset. The dataset is used to merge the information onto the form.
Once a formset has been created in one mode, it may be exported to a different mode.
To change the mode of a formset with the formset open, select File Æ Export to, then the desired
mode. The original formset stays open.
1 Click File Æ New.
2 Select the type of formset you are creating, Document Portal or Document Producer.
3 Click OK.
Importing a PDF and using it as your form
You can create a form from other word processor applications and save it as a PDF file, then import
your PDF and create your variables right on top of it.
To create a new form from an existing PDF:
1 Click File Æ New.
2 Select the type of formset you are creating, Document Portal or Document Producer.
3 Click Mode Æ PDF or select the PDF icon from the toolbar.
4 Select the PDF image that you want to use as the base of your form.
5 Draw text boxes, insert images, and so on to design your form.
6 Click File Æ Save as and save the file as a .lff file.
Getting started
5
4
Creating a formset
When you design a form, you must create objects on the form to hold the various kinds of information
to be shown. The finished form design is a collection of data objects and variables.
The Forms Composer interface is split into two different panes, a design pane where you add objects
to your form, and a data pane, where you map data to the different variables created in the design
pane.
Using the Design Pane
The Design pane lets you create the look of the form and create variables to receive the data from
your host data stream. You can also create a form from other word processor applications and save it
as a PDF file, then import your PDF and create your variables right on top of it.
Types of objects used in the Design pane
Fixed data objects
Fixed data objects contain information you want to always appear on the printed form.This
information does not usually change from form to form. A company logo, a company address, or a
watermark are all examples of fixed data.
Variable data objects
Information generated by your host application is mapped to particular objects on the form by
creating and assigning variables. These variables tell the form where to place host data.
Text variables—Format the assigned data item as text. The typeface, point size, and color can be set
for each text variable.
Bar code variables—Format the assigned data item as a bar code. The type and size can be set for
each bar code variable.
Image variables—Format the assigned data item to represent an image file. The size, rotation,
border line width and color, and so on, can be selected using the image placeholder in the design.
Creating a formset
6
Using the Design pane tool bars
The Forms Composer comes with a complete set of design tools that are easily accessible from the
top of the application. Below are descriptions of each of the tool bars.
File Bar
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Open a new file
Open a file
Close file
Save file
Print file
Preview the printed file
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Undo change
Redo change
Cut
Copy
Paste
Delete
Edit Bar
Drawing Tool Bar
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Select an object
Draw a line
Draw a rectangle
Draw an ellipse
Draw a rounded rectangle
Draw an arrow
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Insert a text box
Insert an image
Insert a bar code
Insert a PDF image
Text Tool Bar
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Change the font type of the selected text object
Change the font size of the selected text object
Change the font color of the selected text object
Bold the text of the selected text object
Italicize the text of the selected text object
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Underline the text of the selected text object
Align the text of the selected text object
Perform spelling/grammar check of the text object
Bullet/number the text of the selected text object
Indent the text of the selected text object
Creating a formset
7
Line and Background Tool Bar
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Change the border of the selected object
Change the background color of the selected
object
Object Tool Bar
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Lock the selected object
Rotate the selected object
Send the selected object to the back
Bring the selected object to the front
Arrange the selected object (choose from the drop-down menu)
Size the selected object (choose from the drop-down menu)
Creating a formset
8
Using the Data pane
The Data pane is where you identify the various data fields on your host data stream output to
appear in your newly created form.
Mapping data from a data stream to your form
Field maps are areas created by you on the data file. These field maps are drawn around data, given
a variable name and then mapped to the variables created on the form.
Opening a data file
Data files can be either plain text files or Raw Data Interface (RDI) files (such as those produced by
SAP databases). Data files have information at the same location on every file. So once you set up
one data file, the rest are set automatically. To open a data file:
1 Click Data Æ Load Data File.
2 Select your sample data file. The data file loads into the Data pane.
3 Hold the left mouse button down to start drawing your field maps around the information that
you want to strip from the data stream. When you finish drawing the field map, the Field Map
properties dialog window opens.
Setting up the Field Map properties
The field map properties contains the following:
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Location parameters—Row, Column, Length, and Depth of the field map on the data file.
Workflow Properties—The Workflow properties define that a field contains a Fax Number or
E-mail ID action that can be used by the data stream.
– Fax Number—Fax address selected by a script in the Document Producer.
– E-mail ID—E-mail address that is selected when the formset is used with a script on the Document
Producer.
When a user writes scripts for the Document Producer software, they will merge the formset
with the incoming data stream, then print, e-mail, fax, FTP, or save to file the completed
formsets.
The E-Mail ID or Fax Number variable is detected by the script and the formset is e-mailed or
faxed to the number selected in the data stream.
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Variable—Type in a variable name that will be mapped to an area on the design pane.
Creating a formset
9
After you have created all of the variables on the Data file, it is time to
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insert variables on your form in the Design pane,
set up your Page and Project Activation Conditions, and
set your Project properties.
Inserting variables on your formset
After you have created and named all of your field maps in the Data pane, it is time to insert these
variables into your form on the Design pane. Select the type of variable you are inserting (text, bar
code, or image) from the toolbar.
Inserting a Text variable
1 Click the Insert Text icon from the toolbar.
2 Draw your text box on the form.
3 With the text box highlighted, right-click and select Insert/Edit Variable from the menu. This
opens the Variable dialog window with the following tabs:
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General—Select the variable name to insert. The Show selected option is active if you
have the field map/variable in the data pane highlighted. The Show All option lets you
view all of the available field map/variables in the data pane.
Strings—These are options for a string variable. The Custom Character Array option lets
you select a character set to apply to your string variable (CP850, CP858, ISO_Latin_1,
and ISO_Latin_9).
Numbers—These are options for number variables. These options are executed at
merge. The Euro Currency Conversion option lets you select from countries or regions
whosw currencies are in the European Monetary Union and whose conversion factor to
the Euro is fixed.
Inserting a Bar code variable
To insert a bar code into the formset,
1 Click the Insert Bar Code icon on the toolbar.
2 Select the type of bar code to insert, Fixed or Variable.
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A Fixed bar code is a bar code that never changes and can be inserted into the design.
A Variable bar code changes to match the variable string that is entered into the text box.
When inserting a variable bar code, a default bar code is used as a placeholder in the design
pane. By default, the bar code appears in the top left corner of the form.
Creating a formset
10
Inserting an Image variable
1 Click the Insert Image icon from the toolbar.
2 Select Variable Image as the Type of Image on the toolbar. A variable string can then be
entered into the text box. When the formset is merged with the data stream, this string
includes the name and extension of the image file to include.
3 Click Insert Variable to enter variables into the string. All variable images in the design pane
are shown with an 'X' over the image.
4 Select the Variable Image Properties:
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No Scale—No scaling is done to the imported image.
Uniform Scale —Scale the width and height of the image to import proportionally so that
the image still fits in the image place holder's boundary box, but is the maximum possible
size.
Scale to Fit—Match the size of the image file to import with the place holder image.
5 Click Browse In the Sample Image File to select a placeholder image. This image appears
on the form until the formset is merged with the data stream. By default, the image appears in
the top left corner of the form.
Setting up Page and Project Activation
The Document Server may contain many form projects. Project activation conditions are used to
select the correct form project for each host application output. Use the project activation conditions
to identify unique data in the host application output. For example, invoice data always contains the
words "Customer Number" on the first line of data.
Your form projects may contain many pages. Page Activation conditions are used to select the
correct form pages to produce for each page of data from the host application. For example, if the
quantity order variable [QUANTITY] is greater then ten [>10], it produces a page that has a discount
offer on the customer's next purchase.
If the host application output contains many logical jobs (for example, your host application prints
many invoices at once), use the job properties to identify the first or last page and split the logical
jobs. You can assign a script to process each job.
Page Activation Conditions are used to determine which forms, or pages from the formset, are
produced as output from the MergeForm action for each page of data in the datastream. Page
Activation Conditions can be specified from the File Menu.
Each tab in the Page Activation Conditions dialog box represents a Condition Set. A Condition Set
holds one or more conditions, or tests against the page of data from the datastream to determine if
the output pages in the set should be produced.
All of the conditions in a Condition Set must be true in order for the output pages in the set to be
produced. Add Condition Sets to define conditions that will produce other forms from a page of data
in the datastream.
Creating a formset
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Conditions on the same Condition tab perform an "AND" operation while executing.
Conditions on different Condition tabs perform an "OR" operation while executing.
Each condition has the following parts:
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Field—defines where to find the data in the datastream.
Operation—defines the type of test to do against the data.
Compare Value—defines the fixed value that the data is compared against.
Type—defines if the data and compare values are treated as strings (text), or numeric
values.
If the datastream is made up of multiple individual jobs, you can use the job properties to split the
datastream into its individual jobs.
If First Page is checked, then the conditions determine the forms to produce and signify the start of a
new job.
If Last Page is checked, then the conditions determine the forms to produce and signify the end of
the job.
The Script field is used to specify the server script to run for the job.
Setting up the Page Print Profile
The Page Print Profile is optional and sets properties on how the form will print (source drawer,
output bin, media type, and so on). If a Page Print Profile is not set, then the printer defaults will be
used.
Creating a formset
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Setting up Project Properties
The General tab lets you select Grid and Ruler options like the Default Page Size, Default Font
Name, and Size for the project.
The Page tab lets you set specific page properties for the project like Page size, Margins, and
Orientation.
The Additional Files tab lets you include any additional files into your project, such as any files that
could be used for variable images.
The Form Information tab is for information about the project like the author's name, comment, and
description of the project.
The Security tab is where you can set a password or expiration date for your project.
The PDF tab contains Author, Subject, and Title information to put into the Document Properties/
Summary of the final merged PDF. The check box for Embed fonts indicates if you want the fonts
used in the PDF to be stored within the PDF file. This adds to the size of the PDF, but ensures the
best fidelity when viewing or printing the PDF.
Note: If the text of a final merged PDF does not look correct, it is possible that a font
substitution has occurred. Try embedding fonts to see if that corrects the problem.
If it does not correct the problem, use the Server Manager program and look in the
log for any font substitution warning messages. This means the server does not
have access to the font to embed it. Use Forms Composer to change to a different
font or purchase the font, with embedding rights, and install it onto the Windows
server.
Creating a formset
13
5
Loading your formset
Now that you have created the formset and set your variables and activation conditions, it’s time to
upload the form to the Document Producer server.
Once merge action is executed and the form is merged with its related information from the
datastream, you can:
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Move your forms to other servers on the network
Combine your forms with powerful scripts (created with the Workflow Composer software)
that let you attach your form to a workflow (fax, e-mail, archive, and so on)
Formsets are uploaded from the Server Manager by using the Add Formset icon, or the Formsets tab
under the Manage Formset icon.
When uploading a formset to the server, there are several ways to specify the action to take when the
server receives data for a formset. Only one action will be performed, and only in the order in which it
is specified on the Add Formset—Select Actions dialog box.
When the data stream is received by the Producer Server, the server checks if the data is in TXT
format or in RDI (Raw Data Interface, for example, from SAP systems), and if it contains directives
within specifying the actions to be performed for that formset. For more information, see E-forms
directives on page 20.
If no directives are specified in the datastream, the server checks for the Page Activation conditions
specified within the formset.
If nothing is specified in the Page Activation conditions, the server checks for the action associated
with the formset, as specified on the same dialog box.
If no action is specified on the tab, the server checks for actions associated with the named pipe
being used by the formset.
The Action Settings associated with the formset can be used to specify five kinds of actions (Only
one can be used at a time):
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Print—Specify the IP address or Queue Name, ("Queue Name" is the name of the printer
as it appears in the Printers Folder of the Windows system), number of copies, duplex,
Paper type, Paper size, Orientation, and Printer type.
Note: Using the queue name is recommended if you plan to do a high volume of printing.
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SMTP Email—Specify the Address, To, cc, bcc, From, Reply To, Subject, Message, and
Character set.
Loading your formset
14
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Fax via printer—Specify the IP Address, Station ID, Fax number, Wait for completion,
Minutes to Redial, Times to Redial and Paper size.
FTP Put—Specify the Server Address, Username, Password, Account, Transfer mode,
Destination Path, Append Time stamp, Create directory and Overwrite File.
Save in a file—Specify the File Path and Name, Append a time stamp, Overwrite and
Create directory.
The wizard now has all the information required to add the formset to the server, and thus takes you
to the Summary screen. You can either click Finish or select the option Start the Create Named
Pipe Wizard after adding the Formset to the server.
Creating a Named Pipe
A stream of data is sent to a location where a Formset waits to take information from the data stream
and fill in the variables on the Formset. Once the Formset has the information it needs, the action
specified by the Associate Action setting is performed. This option is only available with the
Document Producer software installed.
1 In Server Manager, click the Manage Formsets icon from the Home Page. The Formsets
page opens in the server notebook. Click Named Pipes, and then click Create New Pipe.
This starts the Create a Named Pipe Wizard.
2 Name—Enter a name for the new pipe. \\ .\pipe\ is prefixed to the name entered. The
following characters are not allowed in the name: /, \, :, *, ?, ", >, <, and |.
3 Associate a Formset—You have two choices for this setting:
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This pipe will be used by multiple Formsets—This is the default setting. The pipe receives
Formsets and examines them for activation conditions within the Formset to indicate how
to process them.
Always use this pipe with the following Formsets—This setting tells the pipe to assume all
incoming Formsets are of a specified type. Each Formset does not need to be examined
to determine what action to take.
4 Associate Action—This setting tells the pipe to choose an action to perform when the
Formset is received by the server. You can choose:
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Action will be specified in the pipe or data stream—Directives in the data stream specify
what actions to perform or Page Activation Conditions set up in the Forms Composer
specify the actions to perform.
Perform this action—Choose an action to perform on the Formset. Options include SMTP
Email, Fax via Printer, FTP put, Save in a file, and Print.
Run a script—Only available if the Document Distributor or Document Producer server is
installed. If you already have a script written that can be applied to the form, select it here.
Loading your formset
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5 Data Type—Forms received by the pipe are assumed to be of the specified data type.
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Various Data Types—Incoming Formset is checked for its data type. This option should
be selected if you are unsure of what data type will be received or if more than one type of
data will be received.
Formsets are always this type—Choose between "A stream of plain text" or "A stream of
structured data". A stream of structured data would be RDI, for example.
6 Click Finish—This page displays a summary of the selections made for the new pipe. Click
Back to change any settings.
Now that you have created your new named pipe, you need to connect to a Windows printer object.
Connecting the named pipe to a printer object
To connect the named pipe to a printer object:
1 Click Start Æ Settings Æ Printers.
2 Click Add Printer.
3 Create a Windows printer object and new local port. Under the port settings, create a new
Local Port. Enter one of the pipe names specified in the Server Manager Named Pipe Wizard
in the following format:
\\.\pipe\pipe_name
where pipe_name is the name from the Server Manager Named Pipe Wizard.
4 Select Generic from the Manufacturer’s list and the Generic/Text Only printer driver.
5 After you have created your Windows printer object, point your data stream to it.
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If the data stream is coming from an application on that system, then print to that printer object.
If the data stream is coming from another Windows system, then set the printer object to be shared
and print to the printer object.
If the data stream is coming from an AS/400 or UNIX system, run a service program on the system
called TCP/IP Printing Service. This is free with Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP,
but is an optional install. In UNIX terms, this is an LPD program (Line Printer Damon). It listens on
the network for print data streams that are sent by other systems. It receives them off the network
and sends them to the specified queue.
If the data stream is coming from a mainframe, you would run a printer emulation program on the
system. These programs emulate a mainframe printer. They receive the print data stream from the
mainframe, convert it from EBCDIC to ASCII, and send it to the correct Windows printer queue.
See your System Administrator for more information about mainframe printer emulation programs.
Loading your formset
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6
Creating and loading a sample form
The following exercise takes you through the entire process of creating and loading a formset.
Setting up the variables on your form
1 Open the Forms Composer software by clicking StartPrograms Æ Lexmark Æ Document
Solutions Æ Forms Composer.
2 Click New from the File menu.
3 Select the formset type. Select Document Producer.
4 Click Load Data File from the Data menu.
5 The default Forms folder is opened. Select debittext.txt.
6 Using the mouse, draw a rectangle around the month/day/year on debittext.txt in the right
side pane.
7 A Field Variable dialog box is opened. Accept the defaults and name the variable DATE. Click
OK.
8 Draw a rectangle around the words “Debit Memo,” and call the variable DEBIT_CHECK. Click
OK.
9 Draw a rectangle around the three lines under “Debit To:,” and call the variable DEBITTO.
Click OK.
10 Draw a rectangle around the number “1234,” and call the variable DEBIT_NO. Click OK.
11 Draw a rectangle around the number “1357,” and call the variable INVOICENO. Click OK.
12 Draw a rectangle around “Invoice Date” value, and call the variable INVDATE. Click OK.
13 Draw a rectangle around the number “2468,” and call the variable CUSTORDNO. Click OK.
14 Draw a rectangle around the “Credit Date” value, and call the variable CREDIT_DATE. Click
OK.
15 Draw a rectangle around the “Transaction list,” and call the variable DEBITS. Click OK.
16 Draw a rectangle around the “number list,” and call the variable AMOUNTS. Click OK.
17 Draw a rectangle around the number “10.00,” and call the variable TOTAL. Click OK.
Creating and loading a sample form
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18 Draw a rectangle around the name at the bottom left of the page, and call the variable
APPROVAL. Click OK.
19 Draw a rectangle around “Company Debit,” and call the variable REASON. Click OK.
20 Right-click in the right pane, and select Save. This saves the file as a field map (.fmp). Enter
Tutorial for the name.
21 Select the PDF box from the Drawing tool menu bar. In the open dialog box, select
DEBITMEMO_IMPORT.pdf. This provides a background to draw on.
22 Select the image box from the Drawing tool menu bar. An image dialog box opens. Select the
type of image as Fixed image. Click Browse and select ProgressiveImg.
23 The image is placed in the upper left corner of the design pane. With the Select box
highlighted from the Drawing tool menu bar, left-click the image and move the object to the
right 1" and down 1/2".
Setting your variables
1 Select the Text box from the Drawing tool menu bar.
2 Hold the left mouse button down and draw a small text box next to the word Date:. Right-click
in the text box, and select Insert Variable. Select Show All and choose DATE from the dropdown menu. <DATE> now appears in the text box to represent the variable.
3 Repeat step #2 for Debit Memo, Debit To, Invoice Number, Invoice Date, Customer Order
Number, Credit Date, Debits, Amounts, Total, Reason, and Approved By.
Setting your Page Print Profile and Project Activation Conditions
1 From the File menu, select Page Print Profile. When the dialog box opens, click New. Select
the Paper Tray to be 1. Click Save. Save the Page Print Profile as Tutorial. Click Close.
2 From the File menu, select Project Activation Conditions. From the dialog box, click Add
Set.
3 For the first Condition, select DEBIT_CHECK from the drop down menu under Field. Select
Contains from the Operation drop down menu. Type Debit Memo for the Compare Value.
Select String from the drop down menu under Type.
4 From the File menu, select Page Activation Conditions. From the dialog box, click Add Set.
5 For the first Condition, select DEBIT_CHECK from the drop-down menu under Field. Select
Contains from the Operation drop-down menu. Type Debit Memo for the Compare Value.
Select String from the drop-down menu under Type. Click OK.
6 Under Output Forms, for the first row, select Page 1, and Tutorial.ppf for the Page Print
Profile.
Creating and loading a sample form
18
7 Click OK.
8 From the main dialog box, click Save to update the project.
9 At this point, the formset Tutorial.fdd is ready to upload to the Server and merge with the
data.
Loading the formset to the Server
Now that you have created the formset and set your variables and activation conditions, it’s time to
upload the form to the Document Producer server.
1 Open the Document Server Manager by clicking Start Æ Programs Æ Lexmark Æ
Document Solutions Æ Server Manager.
2 If a Document Producer Server has not been added yet, click Add Server in the Welcome to
Document Server Manager window. Type the server IP address and the name of the server in
the Add Server window. If a server or multiple servers are already defined, then select the
server and click Open.
3 Enter the administrative password for this server. (The password was created during the
installation of the Document Server Manager.)
4 Click the Add Formset icon on the Home Page. This starts the Add Formset Wizard.
5 Click Browse and go to the directory where the formset was saved; select the formset
Tutorial.fdd. Click Next.
6 Choose an action to perform when the formset is received by the server:
–
The action will be specified by the pipe or in the data stream—This setting means
that:
a) The pipe has an action associated with it. The pipe associates this default action with
the formset.
b) The data stream contains a directive that tells it which action to perform. For more
information, See Data stream commands on page 20.
c) There are Page Activation Conditons set when designing your form in the Forms
Composer. These Page Activation Conditions are set to activate an action if certain
conditions are met.
–
–
–
Perform this action—There are five actions you can associate with a formset; Print,
Save to File, FTPput, E-mail, and Fax.
Run a script—If the Document Distributor server is installed and there are scripts
available, you can select and associate a script with the formset.
Click Next.
7 A Summary page opens with a summary of the choices you have made. You have the option
of creating a named pipe to receive the data stream that is placed on the new form. Click
Finish.
Creating and loading a sample form
19
7
E-forms directives
Data stream commands
The following is a list of directives, commands within the data stream, supported by the e-forms
merge process. These commands can be used to override any activation conditions or properties
found in the formset.
If a directive appears more than once on a page, only the last occurrence is used.
#!FORM_SET=NAME!#
Specifies the formset to use for this data stream. Only one formset is used to process the whole data
stream. Therefore this directive must appear on the first page of data; otherwise it is ignored by the
handler.
#!FIELD_MAP=NAME!#
Specifies the name of the field map file to use for this page of data.
#!FORM_NAMES=(NAME1, PPF File1),(NAME2,PPF File2)...!#:
A comma-separated list of the form Names/Page Print Profiles (PPF file names) to create from this
page of data. Each member in the list is enclosed in parentheses (). The members are separated by
commas. Within each member is the form name (1, 2, 3, and so on.), followed by a comma, and then
the PPF file name. It is valid for the PPF file name to be blank. In this case the form names are still
enclosed in parentheses, but the comma between the form name and PPF file name is optional. The
following examples are both valid.
•
#!FORM_NAMES=(1),(2),(3)!#
•
#!FORM_NAMES=(1,),(2,),(3,)!#
#!DEFAULT_FIELD_MAP=NAME!#
Specifies the name of the field map file to use for this page of data and all following pages of data,
until another DEFAULT_FIELD_MAP directive is found.
E-forms directives
20
#!DEFAULT_FORM_NAMES=(NAME1, PPF File1),(NAME2,PPF
File2)...!#
A comma separated list of the form Names/Page Print Profiles (PPF file names) to create for all
pages of data, until a new DEFAULT_FORM_NAMES directive is received.
#!FIRST_PAGE!#
Indicates that this page is the first page of a job. If a job is already started, it returns to the receiver.
This page is the first one processed on the next 'GetNextJobFromStream' call from the receiver.
#!LAST_PAGE!#
Indicates that this page is the last page of a job. After this page is processed, the job returns to the
receiver.
#!SCRIPT_NAME=NAME!#
Specifies the name of the script that processes this job. Each job can contain multiple pages, but
only one script can process it. Only the last occurrence of this directive in the pages of the job is
used.
#!DEFAULT_SCRIPT_NAME=NAME!#
Specifies the name of the script that processes this job, and all following jobs until another
DEFAULT_SCRIPT_NAME directive is found.
E-forms directives
21
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