OmniForm
User’s Manual
CAERE CORPORATION
100 Cooper Court
Los Gatos, California
95032-3321 USA
Caere GmbH
Innere Wiener Strasse 5
81667 München, Germany
Caere UK Information Centre
3 Catherine Place
Westminster, London SW1E 6DX
Centre d’informations Caere
72, rue Baratte-Cholet
94100 Saint-Maur, France
Please Note
In order to use this application, you should know how to work in the Microsoft Windows environment.
Please refer to Windows documentation if you have questions about how to use menu commands,
dialog boxes, scroll bars, edit boxes, and so on.
OmniForm
Version 4.0 for Windows 95, 98 and NT
Copyright© 1999 by Caere Corporation. All rights reserved. CAERE, Logical Form Recognition, and
OmniForm are registered trademarks of Caere Corporation.
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed
as trademarks. Such designations appearing in this manual have been printed in initial caps.
ii
800-1310-030B
Welcome
Getting Online Help..............................................................................................................2
Help menu.......................................................................................................................3
OmniForm Tutorials ......................................................................................................3
Context-Sensitive Help..................................................................................................4
Product Support ....................................................................................................................4
Chapter 1
Installation and Setup
System Requirements ...........................................................................................................8
Installing OmniForm and OmniForm Filler......................................................................8
Registering OmniForm .........................................................................................................9
Starting OmniForm .............................................................................................................10
Chapter 2
Form Usage
Using Form Assistant..........................................................................................................14
Opening Form Assistant .............................................................................................14
Form Assistant Options...............................................................................................15
Form Usage Options ...........................................................................................................16
Choosing a Form Usage Option.................................................................................16
Where to Select Form Usage Options........................................................................17
Changing Form Usage.................................................................................................18
International Settings ..........................................................................................................19
To Select a Language for Your Form:........................................................................19
How OmniForm Uses Language Selections.............................................................20
Allow Multiple Languages
The
Table of Contents
Option ........................................................................22
Chapter 3
OmniForm Procedures
Scanning a Paper Form .......................................................................................................26
Importing an Image File .....................................................................................................30
Proofing a Form ...................................................................................................................32
The Proofing Toolbar ...................................................................................................33
Filling a Form.......................................................................................................................34
iii
Printing a Form....................................................................................................................34
Before you Print Your Form .......................................................................................34
Importing an Existing Electronic Form.....................................................................36
Printing Your Form as a Macro..................................................................................37
Searching a Form.................................................................................................................38
Creating a New Form .........................................................................................................39
Opening a Form...................................................................................................................39
Mailing a Form ....................................................................................................................40
Adding a Routing Slip.................................................................................................43
Saving a Form ......................................................................................................................43
Publishing a Form to the Web...........................................................................................49
The Web Toolbar ..........................................................................................................52
OmniForm Internet Filler............................................................................................52
Chapter 4
Designing a Form
The Design Process .............................................................................................................56
The Design View Window.................................................................................................57
The Design View Toolbars.................................................................................................58
Customizing Toolbars .................................................................................................58
The Design Toolbar......................................................................................................61
The Font/Text Toolbar................................................................................................62
The Drawing Toolbar ..................................................................................................62
The Arrange Toolbar ...................................................................................................63
Creating Objects on a Form ...............................................................................................64
General Creation Guidelines ......................................................................................64
Creating a Text Object .................................................................................................65
Creating a Line Object .................................................................................................65
Creating an Oval Object..............................................................................................65
Creating a Rectangle Object........................................................................................66
Adding Graphics to Your Form.................................................................................66
Creating a Fill Text Object ..........................................................................................69
Creating a Comb Object ..............................................................................................70
Creating a Check Box Object ......................................................................................70
Creating a Circle Text Object......................................................................................71
Creating a Table Object ...............................................................................................71
Creating a Fill Graphic Object....................................................................................72
Defining Objects on a Form ...............................................................................................72
Defining a Graphic Object ..........................................................................................73
Defining a Fill Text Object ..........................................................................................73
Defining a Comb Object..............................................................................................78
Defining a Comb Element Object ..............................................................................80
Defining a Check Box Object ......................................................................................81
Defining a Circle Text Object .....................................................................................82
Defining a Table Object...............................................................................................83
Defining a Table Cell ...................................................................................................84
iv
Defining a Fill Graphic Object....................................................................................84
Setting Serial Numbers................................................................................................85
Changing Object Appearance on a Form.........................................................................86
Adding Color to a Form .....................................................................................................92
Adjusting Colors..................................................................................................................94
Editing a Form .....................................................................................................................95
Selecting an Object .......................................................................................................95
Moving an Object .........................................................................................................96
Resizing an Object........................................................................................................96
Deleting an Object ........................................................................................................97
Formatting Text ............................................................................................................97
Merging Text.................................................................................................................99
Formatting a Table .......................................................................................................99
Breaking a Table Apart..............................................................................................100
Aligning Objects on a Form ......................................................................................101
Sending Objects Front or Back .................................................................................102
Changing Tab Order on a Form...............................................................................103
Placing Objects in Table Cells...................................................................................106
Converting an Object to Another Type of Object ..................................................107
Chapter 5
Advanced Features
Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry...............................................................110
Creating a New AutoFill List ...................................................................................110
Create or Use an AutoFill List From Another Source...........................................113
Automatically Fill Fields on a Form........................................................................119
Creating an AutoFill List and Automatically Fill Fields ......................................126
Replacing Data Entered in a Field With New Data...............................................131
Creating AutoFills for Tables ...................................................................................132
Setting Attributes for a Form...........................................................................................134
Setting Up a Shared Form .........................................................................................134
Setting Summary Information..................................................................................135
Setting Submission Information...............................................................................136
Adding Security to Your Forms ......................................................................................137
Creating a User Database..........................................................................................137
Creating Signature Fields..........................................................................................140
Filling/Signing Signature Fields..............................................................................141
Verifying Signature Fields ........................................................................................142
Adding Hyperlinks to Your Forms.................................................................................143
Using the Scrapbook .........................................................................................................144
What Is the Scrapbook? .............................................................................................144
Inserting OLE Objects in a Form .....................................................................................148
Linking and Embedding ...........................................................................................148
How to Insert OLE Objects .......................................................................................149
Creating a New OLE Object .....................................................................................150
Creating an OLE Object From a File........................................................................151
v
Pasting a Linked OLE Object....................................................................................151
Setting Up Linking Options......................................................................................152
Using the
Chapter 6
Filling a Form
The Fill View Window......................................................................................................158
The Fill Toolbar ..........................................................................................................159
Moving Through Fields....................................................................................................160
Filling Fields.......................................................................................................................161
Type Ahead.................................................................................................................161
Shrink Text to Fit Fields ............................................................................................162
Fill Text ........................................................................................................................162
Comb............................................................................................................................162
Check Box....................................................................................................................162
Circle Text ...................................................................................................................163
Table.............................................................................................................................163
Fill Graphic .................................................................................................................164
List Fields ....................................................................................................................167
Fields Defined by a Calculation ...............................................................................167
Field Validation ..........................................................................................................168
Spell Checking ...................................................................................................................168
To Check the
Spell Checking Multiple Languages .......................................................................169
Dictionaries for Spell Checking ...............................................................................169
Spell Checking Your Form........................................................................................170
Saving in Fill View ............................................................................................................171
Object
Commands ....................................................................................153
Current Form
Language Selection: ...................................................168
Chapter 7
Managing an
OmniForm Database
What Is a Database? ..........................................................................................................174
Managing Database Records ...........................................................................................175
Creating New Records ..............................................................................................175
Duplicating Records ..................................................................................................177
Moving Through a Database ....................................................................................178
Searching Records for Information .........................................................................179
Sorting Records ..........................................................................................................183
Recalculating Records ...............................................................................................184
Deleting Records ........................................................................................................186
Refreshing Records ....................................................................................................187
Saving Records ...........................................................................................................187
Exporting Information...............................................................................................188
Using OmniForm Data Files.....................................................................................192
Importing Information ..............................................................................................193
vi
Protecting Your Database.................................................................................................197
Protecting Data ...........................................................................................................197
Protecting the Form ...................................................................................................198
OmniForm Filler.........................................................................................................199
Chapter 8
Using Calculations
Calculation Overview .......................................................................................................202
Creating a Calculation ...............................................................................................202
Using the
Calculation Guidelines ..............................................................................................207
Usage Conventions ....................................................................................................209
Operators ............................................................................................................................209
Operator Buttons........................................................................................................210
Operators — Quick Reference..................................................................................211
Functions ............................................................................................................................212
Functions — Quick Reference ..................................................................................213
Functions Sorted by Type .........................................................................................216
Recalculate...
Chapter 9
Technical Information
General Troubleshooting Solutions ................................................................................218
Solutions to Try First .................................................................................................218
OmniForm Setup Issues ...................................................................................................219
Memory and Installation...........................................................................................219
Installing OmniForm 4.0 over Older Versions.......................................................219
Uninstalling OmniForm ...................................................................................................219
Scanning and Recognition................................................................................................220
System Hang During Scan ........................................................................................220
System Hang During Auto Form Design ...............................................................220
Scanner Compatibility ...............................................................................................221
Operation ............................................................................................................................221
OmniForm Limits.......................................................................................................221
Low Memory ..............................................................................................................222
Low Disk Space ..........................................................................................................223
Right Mouse Button Functions.................................................................................223
Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Automation Support .............................223
Improving Performance ...................................................................................................224
Document Quality......................................................................................................224
Scanning Angle...........................................................................................................224
Scanner Glass Clarity.................................................................................................224
Paper Transparency ...................................................................................................225
OmniForm Compatibility.................................................................................................225
Command ...........................................................................207
Glossary
vii
viii
Welcome
Welcome to OmniForm, and thank you for using our software!
OmniForm is the easiest way to convert your paper forms to electronic
forms. Use OmniForm to edit, design, and fill forms, manage
information databases, and print and mail forms among other functions.
The following documentation has been provided to help you learn
about OmniForm.
This User’s Manual
This manual introduces you to the basics of using OmniForm. It
includes installation and setup instructions, an introduction to
OmniForm, ways to help you design and fill in forms, how to manage
databases and use calculations, and technical information.
OmniForm Online Help
OmniForm’s online help contains information on features, settings, and
procedures. The online help conforms to Windows online help
conventions and has been designed for quick and easy information
retrieval. Please see page 2 for information on using the online help.
Readme File
Readme
The
Please read it before using OmniForm. To open this text file, click
in the Windows taskbar and choose
Applications
Scanner Setup Notes
file contains last-minute information about the software.
Start
OmniForm Readme
Programs
after OmniForm has been installed.
Caere
Scanner Setup Notes
The
and related issues. To open this PDF file, click Start in the Windows
taskbar and choose
Documents
Scanner Setup Notes
contains information about supported scanners
Programs
Caere ApplicationsCaere
after OmniForm has been installed.
1
Getting Online Help
Using This Manual
This manual is written with the assumption that you know how to work
in the Windows environment. Please refer to your Windows
documentation if you have questions about how to use dialog boxes,
menu commands, scroll bars, drag and drop functionality, shortcut
menus, and so on.
The following conventions are used in this manual.
Convention Purpose
Italicized text
Getting Online Help
In addition to using this manual, you can use OmniForm’s online help
topics to learn about features and procedures. Online help is available
after you install OmniForm.
• Emphasizes menu commands,
dialog box options, and
labeled buttons
For example:
“Choose
menu.”
• Emphasizes new terms the
first time they are used
• Emphasizes important words
in a sentence
Note symbol Introduces a tip or an item of
note
Warning symbol Introduces important
information
Open...
in the File
OmniForm’s online help follows the conventions of Microsoft Windows
95 Help. Choose
information on using Help.
2
How to Use Help
in OmniForm’s Help menu to get
Help menu
Use the commands in the Help menu to find information about
OmniForm topics.
OmniForm Help
Select
Getting Started
get Microsoft Windows Help topics that explain how to use and
customize Help. Select
support services for OmniForm. Select
to obtain tips to help you use OmniForm. Select
information about your version of OmniForm.
OmniForm Tutorials
OmniForm has four online tutorials to step you through the basics. If
you have never used OmniForm before or you need to review some of
the procedures, please go through these tutorials.
• In the first tutorial,
and fill a Sample form (included in the OmniForm package) by
using the Form Assistant.
• In the second tutorial,
import the Sample form into OmniForm again and learn to use
the basic buttons and menu commands, verify and correct OCR,
and modify the form.
• In the third tutorial,
and learn how to create objects, define calculations, customize the
form, set the tab order, and add a graphic.
• In the fourth tutorial,
form that you created in the third tutorial and learn some basics
about OmniForm’s database as well as how to create and
manipulate database records.
OmniForm Help is the first
command in the Help menu.
Use it to get contents and index
listings for all Help topics.
to obtain OmniForm’s main Help topics. Select
to begin OmniForm’s tutorials. Select
Product Support
to find out how to get product
Tip of the Day... (
About OmniForm
Load and Fill a Form
Edit and Design a Form
Design Your Own Form
, you will scan (or import)
, you will scan or
, you will create a form
The OmniForm Database
Getting Online Help
How to Use Help
if a form is open)
to get
, you will use the
to
Welcome 3
Product Support
Context-Sensitive Help
You can get on-the spot information about a particular OmniForm
command, toolbar button, or dialog box option in the following ways:
Product Support
For the fastest and easiest way to get help, please look for solutions in
this manual or in the online Help. See “General Troubleshooting
Solutions” on page 218 for troubleshooting tips.
If you need additional help, please use the following resources:
• Click the Help button in the OmniForm design/fill toolbar to
turn your cursor into a question mark icon. Click any command,
button, or portion of the window to open context-sensitive help
for that topic.
• Click the question-mark button in the upper-right corner of a
dialog box and then click an item in the dialog box to get a popup explanation for that item.
• Some dialog boxes have a
information about that dialog box.
• Caere’s World Wide Web site
Go to Caere’s World Wide Web site for common questions and
answers, updates, patches, troubleshooting procedures, and
product information. Caere’s Web site address:
Help
button. Click
Help
to get
http://www.caere.com
Alternatively, you can go directly to Caere’s product support Web
site:
http://support.caere.com
• OmniForm Readme file
Read the
the software. This is available after installing OmniForm. To open
the file, click
Programs
Readme
• Scanner Setup Notes
Read the
scanners and related issues. This document has been provided to
you as an electronic document in PDF format. To open this
document, click
Programs
Notes
4
OmniForm Readme
Start
in the Windows taskbar and choose
Caere Applications Caere Documents OmniForm
.
Scanner Setup Notes
Start
Caere ApplicationsCaere Documents
.
file for last-minute information about
document to learn about supported
in the Windows taskbar and choose
Scanner Setup
Product Support
• Caere Product Support document
Read the
Caere Product Support
document to get a list of support
telephone numbers, including ones for international product
support. This document has been provided to you as an
electronic document in PDF format. To open this document, click
Start
in the Windows taskbar and choose
Applications
Caere Documents Product Support
Programs
Caere
.
You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.01 or greater installed if
you want to read the
Caere Product Support
PDF documents. To install the Reader, click
taskbar and choose
Acrobat Reader.
Programs
Caere Applications Caere Documents
Scanner Setup Notes
and
Start
in the Windows
Welcome 5
Product Support
6
Chapter 1
Installation and Setup
This chapter describes how to install OmniForm and begin using it.
For technical and troubleshooting information, please see Chapter 9,
“Technical Information.”
This chapter contains the following sections:
• System Requirements
• Installing OmniForm and OmniForm Filler
• Registering OmniForm
•Starting OmniForm
7
System Requirements
System Requirements
To install and run OmniForm, you need the following setup:
• Computer with an 80486 or higher processor
• VGA or SVGA monitor (24-bit display adapter recommended
for color forms)
• Windows-compatible mouse
•CD-ROM drive
• A minimum of 25MB hard disk space for OmniForm and up to
a maximum of 45MB
• A minimum of 10MB hard disk space for OmniForm Filler and
up to a maximum of 20MB
• A compatible scanner if you plan to scan documents
Please see
OmniForm CD-ROM, for a list of tested scanners
• Total system memory of at least 16MB RAM (32MB
recommended) for Windows 95 or 98, and Windows NT 4.0.
OmniForm 4.0 for Windows 95 or 98 and Windows NT 4.0 is a 32-bit
application and will not run on earlier versions of Windows.
Scanner Setup Notes
, which are included on your
Installing OmniForm and OmniForm Filler
This section describes how to install OmniForm and OmniForm Filler on
Windows 95 or 98 and on Windows NT 4.0. If you have an older version
of OmniForm, you might want to uninstall it before you install the latest
version.
Close all applications — including screen savers, virus checkers, and
mail applications — before installing OmniForm.
To install OmniForm and OmniForm Filler:
1 Start Windows.
2 Insert OmniForm’s CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.
The Setup program should start automatically. If it does not,
Start
click
The Control Panel appears.
8 Chapter 1
in the Taskbar and choose
Settings
Control Panel
.
Registering OmniForm
• Double-click
• Click
• Click
3 Select
4 Follow all the instructions in the dialog boxes that appear.
During installation, you will be prompted to enter a serial
number. You can find the serial number on the label of the CDROM.
OmniForm installs by default to the location c:\Program
Files\Caere\OmniForm. You can select another location if
you wish.
5 To install OmniForm Filler, repeat the preceding instructions,
but select
instead of
Registering OmniForm
Register your copy of OmniForm with Caere Corporation to receive
notification of special offers and the best prices on product upgrades.
Some versions of OmniForm will only launch 25 times if you do not
register it.
Add/Remove Programs.
The Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box appears.
Install...
Next>
and then
The OmniForm install screen appears.
OmniForm 4.0
OmniForm Filler
OmniForm 4.0
Install/Uninstall
in the
Finish
.
when the install screen appears
.
tab.
.
If you purchased your product directly from Caere or if you were
previously registered, you may not need to register again. If your
version of OmniForm does not display a
need to register.
To register OmniForm:
1 Click the
2 Click
3 Fill out the information requested on the screen and then click
Next>
Installation and Setup 9
Register
Register Now
.
menu to open the Register dialog box.
.
Register
menu, then you do not
Starting OmniForm
4 Follow the instructions on the screen.
OmniForm will decide on the best method of registration
according to your country and computer system. It may try
using modem, FTP, or HTTP (Internet) connections to transmit
your registration information directly. Or, it may prompt you to
call a phone number or print out and mail in your registration
information.
After registration is complete, you will be given a registration number.
Be sure to write that number down and keep it handy in case you need
to use it for reinstallation. If you reinstall OmniForm using your
registration number on the same computer, you will not have to go
through the entire registration process again to reregister it.
To reregister OmniForm after reinstallation:
1Click the
2Click
Starting OmniForm
This section describes how to launch OmniForm after it is installed.
Install your scanner and test it in Windows
OmniForm. Consult your scanner documentation or the scanner
manufacturer to resolve any scanner problems that may occur.
To start OmniForm:
1Click
Register
Reregister
Start
Applications
menu to open the Register dialog box.
.
before
using it with
in the taskbar and choose
OmniForm 4.0
.
Programs
Caere
10 Chapter 1
Starting OmniForm
The Form Assistant dialog box appears. It contains six options.
Each is a basic OmniForm procedure.
2 Select an option and click
Next>.
Proceed to Chapter 3, “OmniForm Procedures,” for detailed
information on the basic OmniForm procedures. Or, if you are
new to OmniForm try the online tutorials. Click
Getting Started
in the Help menu to access the tutorials.
Cancel
Click
to close Form Assistant if you do not want to choose
a particular option.
Installation and Setup 11
Starting OmniForm
12 Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Form Usage
This chapter describes basic OmniForm concepts you should know
before scanning, importing or designing a new form. It includes the
following sections:
• Using Form Assistant
• Form Usage Options
• International Settings
13
Using Form Assistant
Using Form Assistant
Form Assistant is a dialog box that appears when launching OmniForm.
If you are new to OmniForm, you might prefer to use the Form
Assistant, which makes decision-making easy when processing a form.
Later, you might choose to use the commands in the design toolbar or
menu. See Chapter 3, “OmniForm Procedures,” for more information
about using the commands.
This section contains the following topics:
• Opening Form Assistant
• Form Assistant Options
Opening Form Assistant
There are several ways to open Form Assistant.
• Form Assistant opens automatically the first time you open
OmniForm.
Click
OmniForm 4.0
• If Form Assistant is not open, you can either click the Form
Assistant button in the design toolbar at the top of the window, or
choose
Start
in the Taskbar and choose
.
Form Assistant...
in the File menu.
Programs
Caere Applications
The Form Assistant dialog box contains six options for basic OmniForm
procedures as described in the next section. You can also select or
deselect the option
Form Assistant dialog box appears on startup.
14 Chapter 2
Show on StartUp
, which determines whether the
Form Assistant Options
This section gives a brief description of each option in Form Assistant.
Through a series of dialog boxes, Form Assistant easily steps you
through the process of converting your form into an electronic form.
Scan a Form or Image File
Scan a form or image file
Select
file and to determine how you will work with the form in OmniForm.
Fill in a Form
Fill in a form
Select
fill it. See Chapter 6, “Filling a Form,” for more information.
Print a Form
Print a form
Select
print it.
Search a Form for Information
Search a form for information
Select
information or to open a form and search it.
to fill the currently open form or to open a form and
to print the currently open form or to open a form and
Using Form Assistant
to scan a paper form or import an image
to search the currently open form for
Work on a Form’s Design
Work on a form’s design
Select
open a form in design view. See Chapter 4, “Designing a Form,” for
more information.
Create a New, Blank Form
Create a new, blank form
Select
to redesign the currently open form or to
to open a blank page in design view.
Form Usage 15
Form Usage Options
Form Usage Options
Form usage affects the way you can use a form once it is in OmniForm.
This section contains the following topics:
• Choosing a Form Usage Option
• Where to Select Form Usage Options
• Changing Form Usage
Decide how you will use a form in OmniForm
it: as a
designed
form, as an
original
as described below.
Choosing a Form Usage Option
The following table provides the three usage options — designed,
original, and nondesigned form — and recommendations for your
choice.
Choose Designed
Form when you
want:
full control over a form’s
design
to edit all form elements
in design view
to create new objects in
design view
Choose Original
Form when you
want:
partial control over a
form’s design
to maintain a form’s
original look
to create new fillable
objects on the form in
design view
form, or as a
before
you scan or import
nondesigned
Choose
Nondesigned Form
when you want:
to input a form of such
poor quality that it
would cause recognition problems
to draw new fillable
objects on the form in
design view
print or mail the form
only
form image
to fill fields in fill view to fill fields in fill view
See Chapter 4, “Designing a Form,” for information on importing
graphics, creating objects, and using other design techniques.
See Chapter 6, “Filling a Form,” for information on filling fields in fill
view.
16 Chapter 2
Where to Select Form Usage Options
Different form usage options are available depending on whether you
open Form Assistant or choose
Form Assistant
You can choose to scan in or import either a designed form or an original
form in Form Assistant.
Scan Form...
Form Usage Options
in the File menu.
Designed form option
Original form option
Select this option for a
designed form. Deselect it
for a nondesigned form.
This dialog box is one of several in Form Assistant and appears during
the scanning or import process. See “Form Assistant Options” on page
15 for more information.
Scan Form Dialog Box
You can choose to scan in or import either a designed form or a
nondesigned form in the Scan Form dialog box after choosing
Form...
in the File menu.
Scan
Form Usage 17
Form Usage Options
Changing Form Usage
Choose
form. For example:
To change form usage:
Form Usage...
•If you have an
you would change the form to a designed form.
•If you have a
the original form to someone, then you would change the form to
an original form.
There is no original view for a form that you design yourself in
OmniForm.
in the View menu to change the way you can use a
original
designed
form but decide to change the design, then
form that you have edited but want to mail
1 Choose
The Form Usage dialog box appears.
2 Select a form usage option.
• Select
• Select
3Click
Your form changes to reflect the selected option.
Form Usage...
Use Designed Form
by OmniForm on import along with any changes you have
made to the form’s design.
You can edit all text and fields, and add graphics to the form.
Use Original Form
originally, before you scanned or imported it to OmniForm.
You can create, resize, move, delete, define, or change the
appearance of fillable fields with this option. Changes you
make to text, graphics, and nonfillable objects are not visible
until you select
OK.
in the View menu.
to view the form as it was designed
to view the form as it looked
Use Designed Form.
18 Chapter 2
International Settings
You can change the form usage from a
form. However, the form will be blank except for any fillable objects you
may have added.
International Settings
OmniForm supports different language and cultural conventions. You
can choose from 45 different
dialog box. A locale — as defined for OmniForm usage — is a
combination of a language and a region. The language you select for a
particular region affects how your form displays currency, numbers,
and dates.
To Select a Language for Your Form:
1 If you are in fill view, click the Design button in the design
toolbar or choose
2 Choose
3 Click the
Two options are
4 Click
Options...
International
Current Form.
in the Tools menu.
Current Form
locales
in the
Design
in the View menu.
tab.
nondesigned
International
New Forms.
and
form to a designed
tab in the Options
Language
The
for the currently open form. If you have the International
English, French, or German versions of OmniForm or if you
have multiple dictionaries, a dictionary in this language will
also be used during a spell check.
Form Usage 19
drop-down list displays the language being used
International Settings
You can only change the language for this option if you open the
Options dialog box in design view.
5 Select a language for the current form.
6Click
7 Select a language for new forms.
8Click
New Forms.
Language
The
will be used for the next form you open, scan, or import.
The language selected for a new form will also become the
Current Form
OK.
drop-down list displays the default language that
selection when that form opens in OmniForm.
How OmniForm Uses Language Selections
Current Form
The
• The formatting of currency, number, and date entries in the
currently open form.
• Which dictionary is used for spell checking.
• The international symbol that appears in the status bar when a
form is currently open.
New Form
The
• The formatting of currency, number, and date entries in new forms
you create by scanning or importing, or by choosing
File menu.
• The international symbol that appears in the status bar when a
form is not open.
language selection affects:
language selection affects:
New
in the
Control Panel Selections
Selections made in the
Regional Settings
the
Only the
displayed in OmniForm.
The Options Dialog Box Readouts
Below the
international symbol for the selected language (which appears in the
status bar); and currency, number, and date conventions specific to that
language.
20 Chapter 2
List Separator
Language
International
control panel.
option in these control panels affects how data is
selection, OmniForm displays readouts: the
tab do not affect selections made in
International Settings
The readouts show:
• How OmniForm expects data to be entered in fill view.
• How OmniForm will format data in fill view if it is not entered
correctly. (Formatting takes place after you move the cursor out of
a field.) See the next section for formatting examples.
Formatting Examples
Currency
If you select
German (Austrian)
as the
Current Form
language, the
numbers 123456 entered in an appropriately defined currency field
would display as öS 1.234,56.
If you select
German (Liechtenstein)
as the
Current Form
language, the
numbers would display as CHF 1’234.56.
Date
If you select
English (United States)
as the
Current Form
language, the date
2/5/96 entered in an appropriately defined date field would display as
February 5, 1996.
If you select
German (Standard)
as the
Current Form
language, the date
would display as 2. Mai 1996.
Euro Currency Symbol
Select the
Use euro currency symbol
to format currency fields with the
euro currency symbol. You can use this feature if your system supports
the euro currency symbol, that is, it can be entered via the keyboard,
displayed on your screen, and printed.
Form Usage 21
International Settings
The Scan Form Dialog Box
New Form
The
language selection appears in the Options dialog box,
which is selected from the Scan Form dialog box.
You cannot change the New
Forms language if you select
this option.
Click Options... to view the
current language for your form
or to change the language
selection.
• Click
Options...
to view the language of your current form and to
change the language for your new form.
You cannot change the
to Current Form
is checked because a language is already
New Form
language selection if
associated with the current form. A form can have only one
language.
•If you select
changes to reflect the
Add Page(s) to Current Form
Current Form
Add Page(s)
Language
, the
display
language if it is different.
The Object Definition Dialog Box Options
Current Form
The
for fillable objects defined as
language selection affects available formatting options
Number, Date, or Currency
in the Object
Definition dialog box. For example, the long-date format for English
(United States) is MMMM dd, yyyy. The long-date format for German
(Standard) is d.MMMM yyyy.
The
Allow Multiple Languages
Option
How it Works
You can select
first clicking
Recognition
Allow Multiple Languages
Options...
in this dialog box and then selecting the
in the Scan Form dialog box (by
tab) for multiple-language forms. OmniForm then
recognizes all characters in all languages that it supports. The setting
does not affect the language(s) selected for your form in the Options
dialog box and vice versa.
22 Chapter 2
International Settings
When you select
Allow Multiple Languages,
OmniForm turns off
dictionaries during optical character recognition (OCR) so that
recognizable characters are allowed. If dictionaries were on, special
characters such as umlauts might be discarded or questionable words in
one language could be mistaken for words in another language.
Do not select
Allow Multiple Languages
for a single-language form. OCR
may not be as efficient with dictionaries turned off.
Selecting the New Forms Language
Determine which language composes the majority of your form and
select that as the
Options...
in the Scan Form dialog box.
New Form
s language before scanning. To do so, click
Remember that the selected language affects sort order and how dates,
numbers, and currency are formatted in fill view. See “Spell Checking
Multiple Languages” on page 169 for information on spell-checking a
form with multiple languages.
all
Form Usage 23
International Settings
24 Chapter 2
Chapter 3
OmniForm Procedures
This chapter describes basic OmniForm procedures, including the
following sections:
• Scanning a Paper Form
• Importing an Image File
• Proofing a Form
• Filling a Form
•Printing a Form
• Importing an Existing Electronic Form
• Searching a Form
• Creating a New Form
•Opening a Form
• Mailing a Form
•Saving a Form
• Publishing a Form to the Web
25
Scanning a Paper Form
Scanning a Paper Form
This section describes how to use the
paper form into an electronic form. You can also use the Form Assistant
dialog box to scan a form. See “Using Form Assistant” on page 14.
You can scan paper forms directly into OmniForm if you have a scanner.
Forms should be blank with crisp, dark text for best results. OmniForm
can scan black-and-white and color forms.
You can use the Sample Form included with your OmniForm package
as a test page.
To scan a paper form:
1 Place your form in your scanner.
2 Click the Scan button in the design toolbar or choose
Form...
in the File menu.
The Scan Form dialog box appears.
Scan Form...
command to turn your
Scan
3 Select
4 If you are scanning a form that contains color (text or
OmniForm will not scan in grayscale.
26 Chapter 3
Scanner
background) and you want the color to be recognized, then
select the
in the Source box.
Scan in color
check box.
Scanning a Paper Form
5 Click
Set Up Scanner...
to choose a page size and adjust scanning
brightness.
• Select an option under
Letter
Select
Select
if the form is 8.5 by 11 inches.
Legal
if the form is 8.5 by 14 inches.
Page Size
.
Select A4 if the form is 21 by 29.7 centimeters (European).
• Select how light or dark the scanned image will be under
Brightness.
Lighten
Select
if the form has very thick or run-together text,
or if the background is smudged, shaded, or colored
Normal
Select
if the form has crisp, black text and objects are
on a white background.
Darken
Select
if the form has very thin or broken text such as
a poor-quality fax or a copy of a copy.
.
Thick, dark text.
Select Lighten.
Crisp, black text.
Select Normal.
Thin, broken text.
Select Darken.
6 Click OK to return to the Scan Form dialog box.
7 Select an option in the
• Select
Auto
to have OmniForm determine orientation
Orientation
drop-down list.
automatically.
• Select
• Select
OmniForm Procedures 27
Portrait
for a vertically oriented page.
Landscape
for a horizontally oriented page.
Scanning a Paper Form
• Select
Flipped
to automatically rotate a portrait page 180
degrees during the scan.
• Select
Flipscape
to automatically rotate a landscape page 180
degrees during the scan.
The
Flipped
and
Flipscape
options are useful for scanning pages in a
book that needs to be turned upside down or sideways.
8 Select import options under the
• Select
Auto Form Design
Settings
options.
to use Logical Form Recognition in
order to recognize text and fillable fields in the form.
This gives you full control over a form’s design.
• Deselect
Auto Form Design
to scan a form without recognizing
form design. Text and fillable fields are not recognized.
This is useful if you just want to print or mail a form, or if the
form is of such poor quality that it would cause recognition
problems.
• Select
Auto Form Straightening
to have OmniForm
automatically straighten a crooked page.
This is useful if you scan a page in a large, unevenly cut, or
thick document that is difficult to position correctly.
• Select
Add Page(s) to Current Form
to make the newly scanned
page the next page in the current form.
This option is only available if a form is open.
9Click
Options...
Recognition
• Select
Allow Multiple Languages
in the Scan Form dialog box and then click the
tab to set recognition options for your form.
if you have a form with
multiple languages and you want OmniForm to recognize
more than one language.
This setting does not affect the language setting in the
International tab. Do not select this setting for a single
language form because optical character recognition (OCR)
may not be as efficient.
• Select
Find Calculations automatically
if your form has
calculations and you want OmniForm to recognize the
calculations.
• Select
Find Hyperlinks automatically
if your form contains
hyperlinks and you want OmniForm to recognize the
hyperlinks. This option is only available if you are importing
a form.
28 Chapter 3
Scanning a Paper Form
• Select
Detect paper color automatically
if your form’s
background has color and you want OmniForm to recognize
the color during OCR. If you deselect this option, the form’s
background will be detected as white.
• Select
Show Proofreader after recognition
to open the
Proofreader after your form has been recognized. See
“Proofing a Form” on page 32 for more information.
•Click
Font Mapping...
to open the Font Mapping dialog box. In
this dialog box you select options to retain the font
characteristics of your form during OCR.
Select the fonts you want mapped to each font type and click
OK
when you are done.
10 Click
Options...
International
in the Scan Form dialog box and then click the
tab to make sure the appropriate language is
selected. If you need to change the language for your new form,
select an option in the
Language
drop-down list.
See “International Settings” on page 19 for more information on
international options.
Click OK to return to the Scan Form dialog box.
11 Click OK in the Scan Form dialog box to begin scanning.
OmniForm scans the form. The OmniForm window displays
the scanning, designing, and straightening progress if you
selected those options.
If your scanner does not allow you to stop the scanning process,
then the
Stop
button will be grayed out.
OmniForm Procedures 29
Importing an Image File
How your form appears depends on whether or not you chose
Auto Form Design
in the Scan Form dialog box.
12 Click the Save button in the design toolbar or choose
the File menu to name and save your file.
Color forms generally use more memory than black-and-white forms.
If you are scanning a color form and are concerned about the amount
of memory you might use, do not save your color form image with the
file. Choose
Save original form(s) with form file
If you have selected
Proofreader window appears to the left of the main window. For
more information, please see “Proofing a Form” on page 32.
13 Begin to edit or fill your form.
.See Chapter 4, “Designing a Form,” for detailed information on
defining, moving, resizing, and creating fields, as well as other design
functions
See Chapter 6, “Filling a Form,” for detailed information on the kinds of
fields you may find on a form and how to fill them.
Importing an Image File
This section describes how to use the
image file as a recognized OmniForm form. You can also use the Form
Assistant dialog box to import a form. See “Using Form Assistant” on
page 14.
Save As...
Save...
in
in the file menu, name your file, and deselect
Save
. Click
Show Proofreader after recognition
Scan Form...
to save your file.
, the
command to import an
OmniForm can import and recognize black-and-white and 24-bit color
forms in either PCX or TIFF format. Image resolution must be 200, 300,
or 400 dots per inch (dpi) for black-and-white forms, and 300 dpi for
color forms. If you have a fax modem, for example, you can receive a
faxed form and use the fax program’s software to save the file in PCX or
TIFF format. OmniForm offers the same import options for image files
as it does for scanned forms.
OmniForm automatically detects color/black-and-white forms when
processing an image file.
30 Chapter 3
To import an image file as a form:
Importing an Image File
1 Click the Scan button in the design toolbar or choose
Form...
in the File menu.
The Scan Form dialog box appears.
2 Select
Image File(s)
in the Source box to recognize a form in a
supported image format.
3 Click
Select Files
.
The Select Files dialog box appears.
• Locate and select a file. This could be a form created in
another program or one received as a fax file.
•Click
Add File
to add the file to the
Files to Process
list box.
•Click OK to return to the Scan Form dialog box when you are
done.
Scan
4 Follow steps 5 through 8 in the preceding section, “To scan a
paper form:”
5 Click OK.
OmniForm imports the form. The OmniForm window displays
the scanning, designing, and straightening progress if you have
selected these options.
How your form appears depends on whether you chose to have
OmniForm design the form during import.
6 Click the Save button in the design toolbar or choose
Save...
in
the File menu to name and save your file.
7If you have selected
Show Proofreader after recognition
, the
Proofreader window appears to the left of the main window. For
more information, please see “Proofing a Form” on page 32.
OmniForm Procedures 31
Proofing a Form
See Chapter 4, “Designing a Form,” for detailed information on
defining, moving, resizing, and creating fields, as well as other design
functions.
See Chapter 6, “Filling a Form,” for detailed information on the kinds of
fields you may find on a form and how to fill them.
Proofing a Form
After you scan or import an image file, you can use the Proofreader
option to make improvements to your form. If you have selected
Proofreader after recognition
of the main window immediately after you scan or import a form.
Proofreader window
8 Begin to fill or edit your form.
Show
, the Proofreader window appears to the left
Proofing toolbar
Click Next> to begin the
Proofreader.
If the Proofreader does not appear, choose
If you do not want the Proofreader window to appear, you can turn it
off. Choose
Recognition
the
To begin proofing:
1Click
2Click
32 Chapter 3
Options...
Next>
instructions in the panels that appear.
Finish
in the Tools menu and click the
tab, deselect
in the Proofreader window and follow all
to display the Proofreader Index panel.
Show Proofreader after recognition
Proofreader
in the Tools menu.
Recognition
tab. In
.
Proofreader Index
panel: The red bullet
indicates what will
be displayed in the
Proofreader
Instruction panel.
Proofreader
Instruction panel:
This panel displays
all the options in
the Proofreader.
Proofing a Form
The following Proofreader window appears.
This window displays all the options in the Proofreader. Click a
bulleted topic in the Proofreader Index panel to display that
section in the Proofreader Instruction panel.
To close the Proofreader window, click the Tools button in the
design toolbar.
Or, click the X button in the upper-right corner of the
Proofreader window.
The Proofing Toolbar
Use the proofing toolbar to edit your form. To view the proofing toolbar,
select Toolbars in the View menu and then select Proofing in the dropdown menu. Or, click the Toolbar button in the Final Adjustments
Instruction panel.
Format Painter
tool
Object Stamp tool
OmniForm Procedures 33
Line Convert tool
Tab Group tool
Proofing Options
tool
Field Name tool
Filling a Form
Filling a Form
If you would like to keep this toolbar on your desktop, see “Customizing
Toolbars” on page 58 for more information. See the online help or the
panels in the Proofreader for more information about how to use this
toolbar.
This section describes how to fill a form. You can also use the Form
Assistant dialog box to fill a form. See “Using Form Assistant” on page
14.
To fill a form:
1 If you have a form open and are in design view, click the Fill
button in the design toolbar or choose
2 Click in a field to place the cursor in the first field.
3 Type the information you want to enter.
4 Press the Tab key to move to the next field.
Press Shift-Tab to move to the previous field.
5 Continue to fill fields in this way.
See Chapter 6, “Filling a Form,” for more information.
Fill
in the View menu.
Printing a Form
This section describes how to print a form, how to print to OmniForm,
and how to print a form as a macro. You can also use the Form Assistant
dialog box to print a form. See “Using Form Assistant” on page 14.
Before you Print Your Form
Before you print your form, you can use the Page Setup dialog box to
select the paper size, margins, orientation, and color. To change the color
of your form, see “Adding Color to a Form” on page 92
You can print forms with different page sizes, margins, orientations
(portrait and landscape) and color.
To set up your form for printing:
1 Choose
The Page Setup dialog box appears.
2 In the Page Setup dialog box select/fill in your options for
Orientation
34 Chapter 3
Page Setup...
Margins
and
in the File menu.
Paper
.
,
Printing a Form
3 Select an option in the
• Select
Current page only
Apply to
drop-down list.
to have your selections apply to only
the current page.
• Select
Current page forward
to have your selections apply to the
current page of your form and all subsequent pages.
• Select
All pages
to have your selections apply to all the pages
of your form.
4 Click OK to apply your options and close the dialog box.
To print your form:
1 Click the Print button in the design toolbar or choose
the File menu.
The Print dialog box appears.
This is how the dialog box looks in fill view.
Print...
in
2 Select an option in the
• Select
Form and Data
Form/Data
drop-down list.
to print all text, graphics, and any
information in fillable fields.
• Select
Data Only
to print just the information you have typed
in the fillable fields. This is useful if you want to print data
over a preprinted form.
• Select
OmniForm Procedures 35
Form Only
to print a blank form.
Printing a Form
3 Select an option in the
This option is only available if
selected in the
• Select
• Select
records.
• Select
4 Select
5 Enter offset measurements under
6 Select
7 Select
Collate
sequence.
This option is only available if your form has more than one
page and your printer supports collating.
.
wish
This is useful if you want to position data in a specific place on
the page. This option is only available if
Form/Data
the
Use macro to print form
utility installed and want to print a stored print file. This option
is only available if you have set a macro number.
See “Printing Your Form as a Macro” on page 37 for
information.
Print Paper Color
of your form.
Form/Data
Current Record Only
Current Record Set
All Records
to assemble multiple printed copies in the proper
drop-down list.
Data
drop-down list.
Form and Data or Data Only
drop-down list.
to print just the current record.
to print the current found set of
to print every record in the database.
Print offsets for data
Data Only
if you have a macro programming
if you want to print the background color
if you
is selected in
is
8 Select any other print options you want.
9Click
OK.
OmniForm prints your form with the selected settings.
The Print to File dialog box appears after you click
have selected the
Select a location for the file, type a file name in the
box, and click
Print to file
OK.
option in the Print dialog box.
OK
File name
if you
text
Importing an Existing Electronic Form
Using the Print to OmniForm driver, you can print an electronic form
(created from any Windows application) to OmniForm. OmniForm
adds this driver as a printer to the Windows Printer Group during
installation. If you do not have this feature, reinstall OmniForm and
make sure that the
Additional Components dialog box. Then, use the following
instructions:
36 Chapter 3
Print to OmniForm Support
option is selected in the
To print your form to OmniForm:
1 Open the form in the application in which it was created.
Remove any colored or shaded background from the form.
Printing a Form
2 Choose
3 Select
4 Click OK.
OmniForm automatically scans in the form. The OmniForm
window displays the scanning progress of the form.
Your form opens in OmniForm. To make any corrections to the
form, see Chapter 4, “Designing a Form.”
Print
in the File menu.
OmniForm
in the
Printing Your Form as a Macro
OmniForm forms can be saved as a macro and then called as an overlay
from a printer’s memory, flash memory, or hard disk. OmniForm forms
are compatible with the Kelly FlashSIMM for Hewlett-Packard laser
printers. Please contact Kelly Computer Systems at (415) 960-1010 for
more information.
To set up a form as a macro:
1 Open or scan in the form you want to translate to a macro.
2 If the form opens in fill view, click the Design button in the fill
toolbar or choose
view.
3 Choose
The Print dialog box appears.
See page 35 for detailed information on the Print dialog box.
Print...
Design
in the File menu.
Name
drop-down list.
in the View menu to switch to design
4 Type a number in the
5 Select
6 Use your macro program to locate the file and assign it the same
7 Download the file to the flash device in your printer.
To print a macro:
1 Launch OmniForm and open the form that you want to print.
2 Choose
3 Select
OmniForm Procedures 37
Print to File
macro number that you entered in the Print dialog box.
See your utility program’s documentation for detailed
instructions.
Print...
in the File menu to open the Print dialog box.
Use macro to print form.
Macro Number
and click
text box.
OK.
Searching a Form
Searching a Form
This section describes how to perform a search on a form. You can also
use the Form Assistant dialog box to search a form. See “Using Form
Assistant” on page 14.
To search a form:
The field to search
How to search
What to search for
Which records to search
4 Select any other options that you want and click
See your macro programming utility documentation for an
explanation of the way a stored macro is printed.
1 If you have a form open and are in design view, click the Fill
button in the design toolbar or choose
2 Choose
The Search dialog box appears
Search...
in the Records menu.
Fill
OK.
in the View menu.
3 Select the field to search in the
4 Select how to search for the information in the
down list.
5 Type the information to find in the
6 Select which records to search.
• Select
• Select
7Click
OmniForm searches the records and finds any that contain the
information you specified.
See “Searching Records for Information” on page 179 for detailed
information on searching.
38 Chapter 3
Search All Records in the Database
the current database.
Only Search Current Record Set
found set of records. This option is only available after a
search.
OK.
Field Name
Val ue
to search the current
drop-down list.
Condition
text box.
to search all records in
drop-
Creating a New Form
This section describes how to create a new form. You can also use the
Form Assistant dialog box to create a new form. See “Using Form
Assistant” on page 14.
See Chapter 4, “Designing a Form,” for detailed information on form
design.
To create a new form:
Creating a New Form
Opening a Form
1 Click the New button in the design toolbar or choose
File menu.
OmniForm opens a blank form in design view.
2 Use the design view tools to create fields and objects on your
new form.
New
in the
This section describes how to open a form.
To open a form:
1 Click
2 Click the Open button in the design toolbar or choose
OmniForm Procedures 39
Start
in the Taskbar and choose
Applications
Click
the File menu.
Cancel
in the Form Assistant dialog box if it appears.
OmniForm 4.0
.
Programs
Caere
Open...
in
Mailing a Form
The Open dialog box appears.
Mailing a Form
3Make sure
down list.
4 Locate and select a file.
5Click
The form opens in the last view in which it was saved: design or
fill. You can switch the view if you wish.
6 If you are in design view and want to switch to fill view, click
the fill view button on the design toolbar.
See Chapter 4, “Designing a Form,” for detailed information on
defining, moving, resizing, and creating fields, as well as other
design functions.
7 If you are in fill view and want to switch to design view, click
the design view button on the fill toolbar.
See Chapter 6, “Filling a Form,” for detailed information on the
kinds of fields you may find on a form and how to fill them.
This section describes how to select a mail system and mail a form from
OmniForm.
You must have either Lotus cc:Mail (2.0 and above)/Lotus Notes or
Microsoft Exchange/Outlook installed to mail a form.
OmniForm Form
Open
.
is selected in the
Files of type
drop-
To select a mail system:
1 Choose
40 Chapter 3
Options...
in the Tools menu in either fill or design view.
The Options dialog box appears.
Mailing a Form
2 Click the
Select either
Outlook
.
General
tab and select an option under
Lotus cc: Mail/Lotus Notes
Microsoft Exchange/
or
Mail System
OmniForm selects your installed mail application by default if
you have only one installed.
3 Click
OK.
To send a form:
1 Open or scan in the form that you want to send.
2 Click either the design or fill view button in the design toolbar.
(You can also choose
Design
Fill
or
in the View menu.) In design
view you have two options: you can send only the form or send
the form as a mailable filler. In fill view you have several
options: you can send only the form, only the data, form and
data, or send the form as a mailable filler.
3 Choose
Send
in the File menu.
The following Mail Options dialog box is for fill view.
.
OmniForm Procedures 41
Mailing a Form
4 Select an option.
• Select
Send the Form and Data
to send all text, graphics, and any
information in fillable fields. This option is available only in
fill view.
• Select
Send the Data only
to send just the information you have
typed in the fillable fields. This option is available only in fill
view.
• Select
Send the Form only
to send the form as it would appear
in design view, without any information in the fillable fields.
• Select
Send as a Mailable Filler
to send the current form and
have it filled out by a user who does not have OmniForm.
• Select
Include the current record
to include the current record
that you have open. This option is available only in fill view.
5 If you are in design view or you are sending a mailable filler,
proceed to step 8.
6 If you are in fill view and not sending a mailable filler, you can
also specify a range of records to send.
Range...
Click
to open the Record Range dialog box and specify
a range of records to send.
If you do not specify a range, OmniForm will send all records by
default.
7 Specify a range.
• Select
• Select
All Records
to send all records in the current database.
Current Record Set
to send the current found set of
records. This option is available after a search.
Type the first record number to send in the
From
text box and
the last record number to send in the To text box to specify a
range of records.
• Click OK to return to the Mail Options dialog box.
8Click OK in the Mail Options dialog box.
A dialog box with your mail application program (either Lotus
CC: Mail/Notes or Microsoft Exchange/Outlook) appears.
42 Chapter 3
Saving a Form
9 Enter the information in your mail program’s dialog box. Refer
to your mail program’s documentation for more information.
The following box shows the Lotus CC: Mail application dialog
box.
Adding a Routing Slip
Saving a Form
10 Click
Microsoft Exchange/Outlook users can add a routing slip to mail. See
the Microsoft Exchange/Outlook documentation for detailed
information.
To add a routing slip:
1 Open or scan in the form to send.
2 Choose
3 Select the recipients and other routing information.
4 You can either send the document now or later.
This section explains how to save your form and how to use the
As...
and
a variety of formats.
Send
to mail your message and form as specified.
Add Routing Slip...
The Add Routing Slip dialog box appears.
form.
Route
to route the document.
Add Slip
to close the dialog box without routing the
•Click
•Click
Save As Mailable Filler...
in the File menu.
commands. You can save your form in
Save
To save your form:
Click the Save button or choose
save your form at any time in either fill or design view.
OmniForm saves your form in the default format: OmniForm
Form.
OmniForm Procedures 43
Save
in the File menu. You can
Saving a Form
To save your form in various formats:
1 Choose
Save As...
in the File menu.
The Save As dialog box appears.
2 Select an option from the
• Select
• Select
• Select
OmniForm Form
OmniForm 3.0 Form
OmniForm 2.0 Form
Save as type
drop-down list.
to save to OmniForm’s default format.
to save to OmniForm’s 3.0 version.
to save to OmniForm’s 2.0 version.
This is useful if you have users with a 16-bit Filler. You save
your form in 2.0 so that users of the 16-bit Filler can access the
form. However, some features available in OmniForm 4.0
may not be displayed or printed in the 2.0 version.
• Select
OFML 2.0
to save to Caere’s OmniForm Markup
Language (OFML), version 2.0.
• Select
OFML 1.0
to save to Caere’s OmniForm Markup
Language (OFML), version 1.0. OFML 1.0 is compatible to
OmniForm Internet Publisher, version 2.02.
• Select
HTML
to save the form to Hyper Text Markup
Language (HTML).
You can see how a form looks in HTML before you convert it
to HTML. Open a form and choose
Preview in Browser...
File menu. The Preview in Browser dialog box appears. Select
a browser and click
Preview
. Your form appears in the selected
browser.
• Select
• Select
PDF
to save to a Portable Document Format.
Microsoft Word (RTF)
to save the form in the Microsoft
Word rich text format.
in the
3 Type the name of your file in the
4Click
Add to PageKeeper
if you would like to link the saved form
File name
text box if necessary.
in PageKeeper’s default folder. This setting only appears if you
have PageKeeper installed on your system.
5 Depending on the
Save as type
option you have selected, do one
of the following:
•If you have selected
OmniForm 2.0 Form, OFML 2.0
OmniForm Form, OmniForm 3.0 Form
OFML 1.0
, or
, click
Save
and
,
OmniForm saves the form to your chosen format.
•If you have selected
Microsoft Word (RTF
), click
Options...
and
proceed to page 45
•If you have selected
page 46.
44 Chapter 3
HTML
, click
Options...
and proceed to
Saving a Form
•If you have selected
PDF
, click
Options...
47.
To set your options for Word conversion:
1 Select an option under
2 Select an option under
• Select
None
if you do not want the converter to change the text
Word Version
Line Retention
.
.
to fit the lines.
• Select
Size line by Scaling
(Word 97 only) to change the width
of the characters to fit the lines.
• Select
Size line by Character Spacing
in order to change the
amount of space between the characters to fit the lines.
and proceed to page
3 Click OK to close the dialog box.
4 Click
Save
to save your form to your chosen format.
OmniForm converts your form to the Microsoft Word format.
Open the converted form in Microsoft Word and select
Layout
in the View menu. You can now modify the form’s
Page
design.
To fill in the form’s fields, you must protect your form. To do so,
first select
Forms
modify the protected form’s design, you must select
Document
Protect Document
Protect Document For
in the
in the Tools menu, and then select
text box. If you decide to
in the Tools menu before you can modify the form.
Unprotect
Please refer to your Microsoft Word documentation for more
information.
OmniForm Procedures 45
Saving a Form
To set your options for HTML conversion:
1 Select an option under
• Select
HTML Version 4.0 & CSS
HTML Version
to support HTML version 4.0
.
and cascading style sheets, which provide the exact
placement of objects on a form.
• Select
HTML Version 3.2
to support HTML versions earlier
than 4.0.
2 In the option under
Form Fields,
select whether you want to add
a submit button, a reset button, or both.
• Select
Submit Button
to add a submit button to the bottom of
your form. This will allow you to submit your form to a Web
address after your form has been converted. To do so, first
type the Web address in the
Submission
tab of the Properties
dialog box. See “Setting Submission Information” on page 136
for more information.
• Select
Reset Button
to add a reset button to the bottom of your
form. This will allow you to clear the information from the
form’s fields after your form has been converted to HTML.
3If you have selected HTML
Browser Support (Version 4.0)
under
Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator
Version 4.0 & CSS
. You can select
.
, select an option
Microsoft
You can also choose to have both browsers supported. If you
Both Browsers Supported
select
the file will contain HTML for
both browsers and will double the file size, increase download
times and decrease performance.
46 Chapter 3
Saving a Form
4 Select
Calculation and Validation Support
validation, and field formatting options to be converted.
5 Select
Convert Tables to Layers
if you have tables and other
objects on your form and you want to maintain the position of
the objects.
6 Click OK to close the dialog box.
7 Click
Save
to save your form to your chosen format.
OmniForm converts your form to HTML with your selected
options.
To set your options for PDF conversion:
1 Select an option under the
Image Compression
if you want calculations,
box.
Compress using Zip
Select
if your file is large and you want to
compress it. If you have selected the compression option, you
can also select the
Convert to 7-bit ASCII format
. This option
converts your compressed file back to an ASCII format.
2 In the option under
Form Fields,
select whether you want your
form’s fields converted and if you want to add a submit button,
a reset button, or both.
• Select
Convert Fields
so that you will be able to fill all the fields
on the form after your form has been converted to a PDF. The
form retains the field’s definition. For example, if the form’s
field has been defined as a text field, you will be able to fill
that field with text. Likewise, if the form’s field has been
defined as a check box, you will be able to fill that box with a
check mark.
OmniForm Procedures 47
Saving a Form
• Select
Submit Button
to add a submit button to the bottom of
your form. This will allow you to submit your form to a Web
address after your form has been converted. To do so, first
type the Web address in the
Submission
tab of the Properties
dialog box. See “Setting Submission Information” on page 136
for more information.
• Select
Reset Button
to add a reset button to the bottom of your
form. This will allow you to clear the information from the
form’s fields after your form has been converted to a PDF.
3Click OK to close the dialog box.
4Click
Save
to save your form to your chosen format.
OmniForm converts your form to a PDF with your selected
options.
To save as a Mailable Filler:
The mailable filler option is a
limited
function filler that allows other
users, who do not have OmniForm installed, to receive and fill out
OmniForm forms. This option is also a limited license usage, that is, you
can use it for up to 100 licenses (and each license can be used once for a
specific form).
1 Choose
Save As Mailable Filler...
in the File menu.
The Save As dialog box appears.
2 Select
OmniForm Mailable Filler
3 Type the name of your file in the
4Click
Save
.
in the
File name
Save as type
text box.
text box if necessary.
OmniForm saves the form as a mailable filler. You can then send
it electronically to a user to fill out and have the user return it to
you in the same manner.
48 Chapter 3
Publishing a Form to the Web
OmniForm can easily publish your forms on intranets and to the
Internet.
To publish forms to the Web you will need Microsoft’s Web Publishing
Wizard installed on your system. If your system does not have Microsoft
Web Publishing Wizard installed, you can obtain this Wizard by 1)
installing the full application of Internet Explorer 4.0 and above, 2)
downloading the Web Publishing Wizard from Microsoft’s Web site, or
3) installing the Web Publishing Wizard from the Windows 98
installation CD if you are running Windows 98.
To publish a form to the Web:
1 Do one of the following:
• Scan a paper form
See “Scanning a Paper Form” on page 26.
• Import an existing PCX or TIFF form file.
See “Importing an Image File” on page 30.
• Open an existing OmniForm (OFM) or OmniForm Markup
Language (OFML) form.
See “Opening a Form” on page 39.
• Create your own design.
See Chapter 4, “Designing a Form.”
Publishing a Form to the Web
2 After you have your form ready to publish, choose
Web...
in the File menu.
The following dialog box appears.
OmniForm Procedures 49
Publish To
Publishing a Form to the Web
3 Select whether you want to publish the current form or
previously saved forms.
• Select
Publish the current form
to publish the form you have
open.
• Select
Publish previously saved forms
to publish saved forms.
4Click
Next>
.
•If you have selected
•If you have selected
Publish the current form
, proceed to step 5.
Publish previously saved forms
name or folder name in the dialog box that appears and
proceed to step 8.
If you have entered a folder name, all files in that folder will
be published to the Web. If you have also selected
subfolders
, all subfolders in that folder will be published to the
Web.
, enter the file
Include
5 Select the type of file you would like to publish in the dialog box
that appears.
50 Chapter 3
Publishing a Form to the Web
You ca n s el ec t
OFML 2.0, OFML 1.0, HTML, PDF
OmniForm Form, OmniForm 3.0, OmniForm 2.0
Microsoft Word (RTF)
or
information about these file types, see page 44.
• If you have chosen
Options...
to set specific formatting options. For information
HTML, PDF
Microsoft Word (RTF)
, or
about these options, see page 44.
•If you have selected
OmniForm 2.0
•If you have selected
Next>
, and proceed to step 6.
OmniForm Form, OmniForm 3.0
Microsoft Word (RTF)
, or
OFML 2.0, OFML 1.0, HTML
, proceed to step 8.
or
,
PDF
,
. For
, click
, click
6 Enter an action (that is, where your data will be sent after it is
submitted) in the
Action
text box.
It will be saved in the drop-down list for selection the next time
you open this dialog box.
OmniForm Procedures 51
Publishing a Form to the Web
• The action could point to a Common Gateway Interface (CGI)
script on a Web server; for example:
http://www.caere.com/location-bin/script.pl
This would tell OmniForm to submit data to a script on
Caere’s Web server.
• If the file is saved as HTML or PDF, the action could be an email address; for example:
mailto:name.othername@company.com
The form data would be submitted to that e-mail address.
7 Select a means of submitting data in the
• Select
• Select
8Click
Microsoft’s Web Publishing Wizard appears. Follow all the
dialog boxes in this wizard to publish your form to the Web.
The Web Toolbar
Use the web toolbar to preview your form in a browser, to access the
Publish Wizard, and to access the Hyperlink options. To view the web
toolbar, select
drop-down menu.
Preview in Browser
Publish
Method
GET
to append text to the Universal Resource Locator
(URL) specified in the Action drop-down list.
POST
to notify the Web server to open the CGI
application and pass the data to it.
Next>
.
Toolbars
in the View menu and then select
Hyperlink
drop-down list.
Web
in the
If you would like to keep this toolbar on your desktop, see “Customizing
Toolbars” on page 58 for more information. See the online help for more
information about each button in this toolbar.
OmniForm Internet Filler
After you publish a form to an intranet or the Internet, you can have
users fill in your form by using OmniForm Internet Filler. The Internet
Filler is an easy-to-use version of OmniForm that has a fill view but no
design view. Therefore, Filler users cannot edit the form’s design in any
way.
52 Chapter 3
Publishing a Form to the Web
OmniForm Internet Filler can operate within a Web browser or on its
own. When it runs within a browser, you can hyperlink to an OFML
form and fill it out online. When it runs on its own, you can work with
OFML forms off-line.
Installing OmniForm Internet Filler
OmniForm Internet Filler is included on your CD-ROM.
Close all applications — including screen savers, virus checkers, and
mail applications — before installing OmniForm.
To install OmniForm Internet Filler:
1 Start Windows.
2 Insert OmniForm’s CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.
3 Click
Explorer
Start
in the Taskbar and choose
(if you have Windows 95 or 98) or
Programs
NT Explorer
Windows
(if you
have Windows NT).
4Locate
5 Select
InetFill
Oif32.exe
on the CD-ROM.
(to install the 32-bit version) or
Oif16.exe
(to
install the 16-bit version).
6 Follow all the instructions in the dialog boxes that appear.
OmniForm Internet Filler installs by default to the location
c:\Program Files\OmniForm Internet Filler. You
can select another location if you wish.
See Chapter 6, “Filling a Form,” for more information about filling a
form.
OmniForm Procedures 53
Publishing a Form to the Web
54 Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Designing a Form
This chapter discusses how to design new forms and edit existing ones
in OmniForm. OmniForm contains numerous tools in design view that
let you create fields and objects, define calculations, and decide how
your form will look.
This chapter contains the following sections:
• The Design Process
• The Design View Window
• The Design View Toolbars
• Creating Objects on a Form
• Defining Objects on a Form
• Changing Object Appearance on a Form
•Editing a Form
The OmniForm\Sample Forms folder contains several sample forms
that you can use or redesign for your needs.
55
The Design Process
The Design Process
This section gives a brief overview of how to design a new form. A form
can be as simple as you need or as complex as OmniForm allows.
Although the steps below are not required, they are recommended.
See “Editing a Form” on page 95 for information on how you can change
existing forms.
To design a new form:
1 Choose
2 Choose
3 Select page size, orientation, and margins, and click
4 Choose
5 Assign a name and location for your form, and then click
Remember to save periodically so you do not lose any work.
6 Use the drawing toolbar to create objects on the form. See page
62 for more information on creating objects.
7 Choose
objects that you have created.
You can assign unique names, filling, and validation properties
for each object.
8 Choose
object’s appearance if necessary.
You can set borders, background color, and other properties.
9 Use the font/text toolbar to format both text objects and fillable
objects. See page 62 for more information.
Text entered in fill view will take on the formatting that you
specify in design view.
10 Drag the objects where you want them on the form and use the
arrange toolbar to align them. See page 63 for more information.
New
in the File menu to open a new, blank form.
Page Setup...
Save As...
Object Definition...
Object Appearance...
in the File menu.
in the File menu.
in the Format menu to define the
in the Format menu to set the new
OK.
OK.
11 Choose
order for filling the form when it is in fill view.
12 Test your form in fill view.
56 Chapter 4
Tab Or d er
in the Tools menu to set a logical tabbing
The Design View Window
This section provides an overview of the design view window.
If a form is open in fill view, click the Design button in the fill toolbar or
choose
Design
in the View menu to switch to design view.
The Design View Window
Design toolbar
Font/text toolbar
Drawing toolbar
The Status bar displays
current activity and
settings.
To open a shortcut menu, click the right mouse button and choose
Design
in this menu.
The design view window (after registration) contains five toolbars and
seven menus. If you have not registered your product with Caere, the
window will have eight menus, including one for registration.
Arrange toolbar
Proofing toolbar
The design view window also contains the calculation toolbar. Choose
Calculation
in the Tools menu to display this toolbar.
Use design view to edit and create fields on an existing form or to create
an entirely new form.
Designing a Form 57
The Design View Toolbars
The Design View Toolbars
This section describes each toolbar in design view and defines its
buttons. There are seven toolbars:
• The design toolbar
• The font/text toolbar
• The drawing toolbar
• The arrange toolbar
• The proofing toolbar (See “Proofing a Form” on page 32 for
information on this toolbar and its functions.)
• The calculation toolbar (See Chapter 8, “Using Calculations,” for
information on this toolbar and its functions.)
• The web toolbar (See “The Web Toolbar” on page 52 for more
information about this toolbar and its functions.)
You can drag these toolbars to any other location in the OmniForm
window.The toolbars remain where you last positioned them, even
when you close and reopen the program.
You can also move the toolbars from a horizontal position to a vertical
position. In this case, some of the icons may change. See the specific
toolbars for information on which icons may change.
Customizing Toolbars
There are several ways to customize the toolbars.
• To move toolbar buttons to other toolbars, simply drag the button
you want (by holding down the ALT key and clicking on a button)
to the desired location on another toolbar.
• You can toggle the visibility of the toolbars on your desktop by
selecting the
menu that appears, select the toolbars that you want displayed on
your desktop; or, deselect those that you do not want displayed on
your desktop.
• You can right-click on the perimeter of the main window to get a
shortcut menu for toggling the visibility or customizing the
toolbars.
• You can customize the toolbars by using the
command in the Tools menu. See the next sections “To customize
toolbars using the
Commands
the
58 Chapter 4
To o l b a r s
To o l b a r s
tab.”
command in the View menu. In the popup
Customize...
tab:” and “To customize toolbars using
The Design View Toolbars
To customize toolbars using the Toolbars tab:
To o l b a r s
In the
tab, you can:
• select and deselect the toolbars that you want displayed on
your desktop,
• select or deselect the
Show ToolTips
option,
• create a new toolbar,
• reset a toolbar to its original state, or
• delete a toolbar that you have created.
1 Choose
Customize...
in the Tools menu.
The Customize dialog box appears.
2 Click the
To o l b a r s
tab if it is not selected.
3 Select the toolbars that you want displayed on your desktop.
Deselect those toolbars that you do not want displayed on your
desktop.
4 If you want ToolTips to appear, select the
Likewise, if you do not want ToolTips to appear, make sure
To o l T i p s
5 Click
Designing a Form 59
is deselected.
New
if you want to create a new toolbar.
Show ToolTips
option.
Show
The Design View Toolbars
The New Toolbar dialog box appears.
• Type the name of your new toolbar in the
Toolbar name
box.
• Click OK to apply your name.
Your new toolbar appears on your desktop. If you want, you
can drag the new toolbar to another location on your desktop.
• To add buttons to your new toolbar, drag the buttons of other
toolbars to your new toolbar.
6Click
7Click
Delete
if you want to delete a toolbar that you have created.
Select the toolbar you want to delete in the
then click
Delete
.
Reset
if you want to return a toolbar to its original state.
To o l b a r s
list box and
For example, suppose you have created a new toolbar and have
dragged some buttons from the design toolbar. To return the
design toolbar to its original state with all its buttons, select the
Design
toolbar in the
To o l b a r s
window and then select
Reset
The design toolbar will return to its original state.
8Click OK to close the dialog box and apply your selections.
To customize toolbars using the Commands tab:
Commands
In the
tab, you can customize the toolbars by selecting a
toolbar and then dragging its button or buttons to another toolbar.
1 Choose
Customize...
in the Tools menu.
The Customize dialog box appears.
text
.
60 Chapter 4
The Design View Toolbars
2 Click the
• Select a toolbar from the
buttons for that toolbar are shown in the
Commands
tab in the Customize dialog box.
Categories
list box. The corresponding
Buttons
box.
• Click the button that you want and drag it to another toolbar
on your desktop. The button now appears in the other toolbar.
• Keep clicking and dragging buttons to another toolbar until
you have finished customizing the toolbar.
3 Click OK to close the dialog box and apply your selections.
The Design Toolbar
Use the design toolbar for basic file operations such as saving and
printing. Use it also to define and format the fields you create.
All buttons correspond to menu commands of the same name. Note how
Zoom
the
for an explanation of each button/menu command.
New
Designing a Form 61
Save
Open
Form
Assistant
Scan
Print
Preview
Spelling
Print
Zoom button in
vertical position
button changes in the vertical position. Refer to the online help
Cut
Copy
Paste
Design
Fill
Highlight
Fill Areas
Zoom
Object
Definition
Object
Appearance
Calculation
Size and
Position
Help
Tools
The Design View Toolbars
The Font/Text Toolbar
Use the font/text toolbar to format text. This toolbar is only active when
a fill text, comb, comb element, circle text, or table cell object is selected.
Font drop-
down list
Font drop-down list in
vertical position
Font Size drop-down
list in vertical position
Font Size
drop-down list
Bold Underline
Italic
Alignment
Center Alignment
Right Alignment
Left
Horizontal
Top A l ig n me nt
Justify
Alignment
Bottom
Alignment
Center
Verti cal
Shrink font
1 pt
Grow font
1 pt
The drop-down lists and buttons correspond to options in the Font or
Text dialog boxes (choose
how the
Font drop-down list
Font... or Text...
Font Size drop-down list
and
in the Format menu). Note
buttons change
in vertical position. Each button displays a thumbnail example of how it
formats text.
Text entered in fill view displays the formatting that you specify in
design view.
Refer to online help for an explanation of each button/menu command.
See “Formatting Text” on page 97 for detailed information on each
formatting option.
The Drawing Toolbar
Use the drawing toolbar to create and select objects. See the online help
for an explanation of each tool’s function. See “Creating Objects on a
Form” on page 64 for detailed information on using the drawing tools.
Graphic tool
Text tool
Selection tool
62 Chapter 4
Oval tool
Line tool
Rectangle tool
Fill Text tool
Circle Text tool
Comb tool
Check Box tool
Fill Graphic tool
Lock On/Off
Table tool
The Arrange Toolbar
Use the arrange toolbar to arrange and align objects on a form. Refer to
the online help for a brief explanation of each button’s function. These
buttons correspond to the
commands in the Format menu.
The last six buttons on the toolbar are only active when multiple objects
are selected. Each button gives a thumbnail example of how it aligns
objects.
Bring to Front
Align Left
Align, Bring to Front,
Center Horizontally
Align Bottom
The Design View Toolbars
Send to Back
and
Send to Back
Align Right
Align Top
Center Vertically
Designing a Form 63
Creating Objects on a Form
Creating Objects on a Form
This section explains how to create objects on your form. You can create
fillable objects that a user fills in fill view, and nonfillable objects such as
lines and rectangles that contribute to a form’s design.
This section discusses general creation guidelines and then lists all
objects in the same order as they appear in the drawing toolbar. All
instructions assume that you are in design view using either a new form
or a designed form.
See “Defining Objects on a Form” on page 72 for information on how to
define objects after you create them.
See Chapter 6, “Filling a Form, “for detailed information on how to fill
objects (fields) in fill view.
General Creation Guidelines
Use the same basic steps to create most objects. Some require more steps
as described in the following sections.
To create an object:
1 Click a tool in the drawing toolbar.
2 Click anywhere on the form to create an object of a default size,
or hold down the mouse button and drag the tool to make the
object the size that you want.
3 While drawing, hold down the Shift key to:
• Make a rectangular object a square.
• Make an oval object a circle.
• Make a horizontal, vertical, or 45-degree angle line object.
4 With the object still selected, you can:
• Type text if it is a text or a circle text object.
• Choose
object. See “Defining Objects on a Form” on page 72 for detailed information.
• Choose
ject’s appearance. See “Changing Object Appearance on a
Form” on page 86 for detailed information.
• Hold down the Ctrl key and drag the object to copy it.
5 Drag the object where you want it on the form.
When the object is complete and no longer selected, the drawing
tool reverts to the Selection tool unless the Lock On/Off is on.
Object Definition...
Object Appearance...
in the Format menu to define the
in the Format menu to set the ob-
64 Chapter 4
Creating a Text Object
A text object is most often used as a title, label, or header.
Creating Objects on a Form
Text object used as label
To create a text object:
1 Click the Text tool in the drawing toolbar.
2 Draw the text object.
3 With the object still selected, type the text that you want to
replace the word
Creating a Line Object
Use a line object to separate sections of a form or as a design element.
To create a line object:
1 Click the Line tool in the drawing toolbar.
2 Draw a line.
To make sure a line is horizontal or vertical, hold down the Shift key
while you draw.
To rotate a line:
The State fill text field
Label.
1 Click the Selection tool and select the line to edit.
A handle appears on each end of the line.
2 Place the cursor over one handle.
3 When the cursor turns into a crosshair, hold down the mouse
key and drag the end of the line where you want it.
To rotate the line in 45-degree increments, hold down the Shift
key while pulling one of the handles in the desired direction.
Creating an Oval Object
Use an oval object to highlight areas on a form or as a design element.
Designing a Form 65
Creating Objects on a Form
Creating a Rectangle Object
To create an oval object:
1 Click the Oval tool in the drawing toolbar.
2 Draw an oval.
To create a circle, hold down the Shift key as you draw.
Use a rectangle object to highlight areas on a form or as a design
element.
To create a rectangle object:
1 Click the Rectangle tool in the drawing toolbar.
2 Draw a rectangle.
To create a square, hold down the Shift key as you draw.
Adding Graphics to Your Form
You can add graphics to your form by first creating a rectangular object
by using the Graphics tool. Then copy, import, or scan graphics into this
object. For example, use this feature when you want the same graphic
(such as a company logo) to appear in every copy of your form.
To copy a graphic from your original scanned form to your
designed form:
1 Scan in your form.
2 Choose
Form Image
in the View menu.
66 Chapter 4
Designed form without graphic
Horizontal bar
Original form with graphic
Creating Objects on a Form
The screen splits to show the form both as it was designed with
Logical Form Recognition and as it was originally scanned.
Each view window has its own scroll bar so that you can scroll
to the same place in each form.You can use the horizontal bar in-
between the two windows to resize the view.Your cursor turns
into a resize cursor over the bar.
3 Click the Graphic tool in the drawing toolbar.
4 Select the graphic that you want to copy (in the bottom window)
by holding down the mouse button and slowly dragging the
cursor across the graphic. Your cursor changes to a graphic tool
shape in this window.
5 Let go of the mouse button and your graphic appears in your
designed form (the top window) in the same place as in the orig-
inal form (the bottom window).
6 The Graphic Definition dialog box automatically appears. Pro-
ceed to “To define attributes of your graphic object:” on page 68
to continue.
To import a graphic into your form:
1 Click the Graphic tool in the drawing toolbar.
2 Draw a graphic object.
Designing a Form 67
Creating Objects on a Form
To create a square graphic object, hold down the Shift key as you
draw.
The Graphic Definition dialog box appears.
3 Select
Graphic File
in the
4 Type a file name in the
Or, click
Browse...
if you need to locate a file.
Source
drop-down list.
File Name
text box.
• Locate and select a file.
• Click OK to return to the Graphic Definition dialog box.
The name of the selected file appears in the
File Name
text box.
5 Proceed to “To define attributes of your graphic object:” on page
68 to continue.
To scan a graphic into your form:
1 Click the Graphic tool in the drawing toolbar.
2 Draw a graphic object.
To create a square graphic object, hold down the Shift key as you
draw.
The Graphic Definition dialog box appears
3 Select
Twa in
in the
Source
drop-down list.
4 Proceed to the next section ”To define attributes of your graphic
object:” to continue.
To define attributes of your graphic object:
1 Select an option for the graphic.
• Select
Maintain Original Size
to import the graphic exactly as it
is.
68 Chapter 4
Creating Objects on a Form
• Select
• Select
• Select
• Select
Scale Proportionally
field while maintaining its exact proportions.
Stretch to Fit
and size to fit in the fill graphic field.
This option does not maintain a graphic’s original
proportions. Depending on the shape of the fill graphic field,
your graphic may be stretched or compressed. You might
want to use this for special effects.
Just Change the Options for this Graphic
ject already contains a graphic.
This changes how the graphic appears without reimporting it.
Store a Copy of the Graphic with the Form
of the graphic directly in the form. This increases form size depending on graphic file size. Otherwise, OmniForm loads the
graphic each time you open the form. If you move the original
graphic, OmniForm cannot load it and it will not appear in the
form until you reimport it.
This option only appears if
drop-down list.
to fit the graphic in the fill graphic
to change your graphic’s original shape
if the graphic ob-
to place a copy
Graphic File
is selected in the
Source
2 Click
OK.
OmniForm scans or loads the graphic, depending on the
selected source. The graphic appears in the Graphic object box.
Creating a Fill Text Object
Use a fill text field wherever you want to enter text in fill view. Fill text
fields are commonly used for information such as name, company,
address, comments, and so forth.
To create a fill text object:
1 Click the Fill Text tool in the drawing toolbar.
Designing a Form 69
Creating Objects on a Form
Creating a Comb Object
2 Draw the fill text object.
To create a square field, hold down the Shift key as you draw.
Use a comb field to separate information into separate groups of
elements while maintaining the field as a whole. For example, forms
used in the United States typically require that you enter zip code
numbers in five or nine separate boxes.
To create a comb object:
1 Click the Comb tool in the drawing toolbar.
2 Either click anywhere on the form to create a four-element comb
field, or move the cursor to anyplace on the form and hold down
the mouse button as you slowly drag the cursor.
The number of elements in the comb field increases as you drag
the mouse. Let go of the mouse button when the comb field
contains the number of elements that you want.
Many sample forms included with your OmniForm package, such as the
Objects form, contain comb objects that you can copy and paste into
your own form.
Creating a Check Box Object
Use check boxes for
choices on a form.
To create a check box object:
1 Click the Check Box tool in the drawing toolbar.
2 Draw a check box.
To create a square check box, hold down the Shift key as you draw.
70 Chapter 4
Yes/No
questions and for selecting one or more
Creating a Circle Text Object
Use circle text objects for
choices on a form.
To create a circle text object:
1 Click the Circle Text tool in the drawing toolbar.
2 Draw a circle text object.
To create a circle instead of an oval, hold down the Shift key as you
draw.
3 With the object still selected, type the text that you want to
replace the number in the object.
Ye s / N o
Creating a Table Object
Use a table to enter information for order forms, invoices, comparison
charts, purchase orders, and so forth.
Creating Objects on a Form
questions and for selecting one or more
A table consists of cells. Each cell contains a fill text object by default,
with the exception of the header. The header cells contain text objects by
default.
You can convert these objects to any other kind of object. You can insert
any object in a table cell. Cells can contain multiple objects.
See “Formatting a Table” on page 99, “Placing Objects in Table Cells” on
page 106, and “Breaking a Table Apart” on page 100 for more
information on tables.
To create a table object:
1 Click the Table tool in the drawing toolbar.
2 Either click anywhere on the form to create a table, or move the
cursor to anyplace on the form and hold down the mouse but-
ton as you slowly drag the cursor.
Designing a Form 71
Defining Objects on a Form
Creating a Fill Graphic Object
The number of rows and columns in the comb field increase as
you drag the mouse. Let go of the mouse button when the table
contains the number of rows and columns that you want.
To create a square table, hold down the Shift key as you draw.
Use a fill graphic object to allow the person who fills in the form to add
a graphic. For example, suppose you have designed a real estate form
that requires a picture of the property. You place a fill graphic object on
the form so that the person who fills in the form can add the picture of
the property. If, instead, you want to add a graphic to the form, see
“Adding Graphics to Your Form” on page 66.
To create a fill graphic object:
1 Click the Fill Graphic tool in the drawing toolbar.
2 Draw the fill graphic object.
To create a square, hold down the Shift key as you draw.
Defining Objects on a Form
This section describes the options in the Object Definition command and
how they affect a selected object. The dialog box that appears varies
according to the selected object and form language. Each definable
object is described in this section in the order it appears in the drawing
toolbar.
72 Chapter 4
Defining Objects on a Form
When you define an object you can:
• Give it a unique name that is useful when sorting or searching
records, arranging tab order, or defining calculations.
• Provide filling options such as a list of possible entries and help
messages that appear in fill view.
• Set validation options such as whether a field must be filled or can
be skipped.
See the previous section, “Creating Objects on a Form” on page 64 to
learn how to create objects. See “International Settings” on page 19 for
information on selecting a form language.
To define an object:
1 Select a fillable object on your form, a fillable object in a table
cell, or a comb element in design view.
You cannot define nonfillable objects such as lines.
2 Click the Object Definition button in the design toolbar or
choose
To open a shortcut menu, click the right mouse button over the
selected object. Choose
Object Definition...
Object Definition...
in the Format menu.
in this menu.
The dialog box that appears varies depending on the selected object. See
the following sections for descriptions of the definition options available
for each type of fillable object in a form.
Defining a Graphic Object
Click the Object Definition button in the design toolbar (or choose
Definition...
box when a graphic object is selected. This dialog box lets you select how
you want the graphic object to appear in the fill graphic field. See
“Adding Graphics to Your Form” on page 66 for detailed information.
in the Format menu) to open the Graphic Definition Dialog
Object
Defining a Fill Text Object
Click the Object Definition button in the design toolbar (or choose
Definition...
box when a fill text object is selected. This dialog box allows you to set
property, filling, and validation options. The properties tab allows you
to:
• . Provide a name for your field.
• Select a field type.
• Select a data format and define the format further.
Designing a Form 73
in the Format menu) to open the Fill Text Definition dialog
Object
Defining Objects on a Form
To set property options for fill text objects:
1Click the
2 Type a unique name in the
Properties
tab.
Name
text box.
Each object must have a unique name. A descriptive name such
Address
as
makes a field easy to find when sorting, searching,
defining calculations, and so forth.
3 Select a field type in the
Type
drop-down list.
The field type will be displayed in the status bar in fill view
when the cursor is in that field. This information helps the user
know what kind of entry is expected in each field. Field type
also helps OmniForm match data when sorting records and
when importing and exporting information.
If you select
Serial Numbers
Signature
or
as a field type, please see
the sections “Setting Serial Numbers” on page 85 or “Adding
Security to Your Forms” on page 137.
4 Select a display format in the
Format
drop-down list.
The format you select affects how field information is displayed
in fill view. Options vary according to the
•If you select
$0.00
lect
as the format. If you enter 7889 in the field, Omni-
Currency
as the
Type,
for example, you might se-
Ty p e
selection.
Form would format the entry as $7889.00. Formatting takes
effect in fill view after you move the cursor out of the field.
General
•A
format leaves the field entry exactly as it is entered.
In the previous example, 7889 entered in the field would be
displayed as 7889.
• Field type also affects field validation. You can require that
the field entry match the field type. See “To set validation options for fill text objects:” on page 76 for information.
74 Chapter 4
Defining Objects on a Form
5 The next two options are enabled when
Percentage
• Select
is selected in the
Use 1000’s Separator
Type
drop-down list.
to separate a series of three digits
with a separator specific to the form’s language.
See “International Settings” on page 19 for detailed
information on selecting a language for a form.
• Select
Enclose Negatives in Parentheses
numbers within parentheses in the field; for example, -123
would display as (123).
To set filling options for fill text objects:
1 Click the
Filling
tab.
Number, Currency,
to display negative
or
The Filling tab lets you:
• Enable the AutoFill Wizard to set up automated data entry.
• Designate whether a field can be filled.
• Set tab stops to allow the user to automatically move to the
next field.
• Set the length of the allowable characters in a field.
• Enter help messages that will appear in the status bar in fill
view.
2 Deselect or select
Enable AutoFill
. See “Setting up a Form for
Automated Data Entry” on page 110 for more information.
3 Deselect or select
•If you deselect
Can be Filled
Can be Filled
.
, then an empty field cannot be
filled and a filled field cannot be changed in fill view.
This option is particularly useful for fields such as
calculations where you do not want the person who fills out
the form to be able to change it.
Designing a Form 75
Defining Objects on a Form
•If you select
Can be Filled,
then an empty field can be filled and
a filled field can be changed in fill view.
Can be Filled
The
in
option when it is selected in the
4 You can either select or deselect the
• Select
option, when deselected, overrides the
Va li da ti on
tab.
Ta b S to p
Tab S t o p
so that the cursor automatically moves to the
selected field when the user presses the Tab key.
• Deselect
5 Select a
Ta b S to p
so that the cursor tabs past the selected field.
Maximum Length
option from the drop-down list. This
option lets you set the length of allowable characters in a field.
You can set the length from 5 to 100, or select
6 Select
Help Message
and type a message in the field box if you
wish. This message will appear in the status bar in fill view
when the cursor is in that field. A help message can be up to 100
characters long.
To set validation options for fill text objects:
1Click the
Vali dat ion
tab.
The validation option allows you to:
• Select whether a field must be filled in.
• Select whether the data must match the field type.
• Select whether the data must be in the list of choices.
• Select the highest and lowest number to specify the highest
and lowest number that a user can enter.
.
Unlimited
Must be Filled
.
76 Chapter 4
Defining Objects on a Form
2 Select
Must be Filled in
to display a prompt in fill view if the user
does not fill the field.
Can be Filled
The
Must be Filled in
the
3 Select
Data Must Match Field Type
option in the
option when it is selected.
Filling
tab, when deselected, overrides
to display a prompt in fill view
if the user enters incorrect information in the field.
If the selected field type is
enter text in the field; 5 is acceptable but
4 Select
Data Must be in List of Choices
Number,
for example, the user cannot
five
is not.
to force the user to enter a
choice from the field’s drop-down list. (Use the
ate a List of Choices.)
5 Select the options under
Number Checking
to set parameters for
lowest and highest allowable numbers in a field.
OmniForm displays a prompt in fill view if a user enters
numbers outside the set range.
Number Checking
Percentage
• Select
is the selected type in the
Lowest Number
is enabled when
and enter a number in the text box.
Number, Currency,
Properties
tab.
Numbers entered in the selected field must be equal to or
greater than this number.
• Select
Highest Number
and enter a number in the text box.
Numbers entered in the selected field in fill view must be
equal to or lesser than this number.
Filling
tab to cre-
or
6 Select or deselect
Allow user to override validation.
If you deselect
this option then you force the user to enter data in the selected
field. Otherwise, users can choose to override the warning that
appears if they enter either no or inappropriate information in a
field (such as
five
instead of 5 in a Number field).
7 Click OK to apply the changes and close the dialog box.
Designing a Form 77
Defining Objects on a Form
Defining a Comb Object
Choose
Definition dialog box when a comb object is selected.
This dialog box contains most of the same options as the Fill Text
Definition dialog box, but with these additions:
Object Definition...
•It contains an
instead of a
•It contains an
•It contains a
Format
in the Format menu to open the Comb
Interpret As
Elements
Fill Right to Left
drop-down list in the
drop-down list.
section in the
Properties
option in the
tab.
Filling
Properties
tab.
tab
These options are described in this section. See “Defining a Fill Text
Object” on page 73 for detailed information on the other options.
Interpret As
The
comb field will be used when searching, sorting, importing, and
exporting. Available options vary according to the
For example, suppose you select
0.00
fill view, OmniForm would interpret this number as 12.34 even if the
comb did not contain a decimal point as a
12.34 would return this record.
A specific
correct prefill elements in a comb object, such as a decimal point.
OmniForm would know the entry in this case is a decimal number even
if you select the
78 Chapter 4
drop-down list
Interpret As
in the
Interpret As
Interpret As
selection determines the way information entered in the
Ty pe
selection.
Number
drop-down list. If you enter 1234 in the field in
setting is not necessary when you define the
General
option in the
Interpret As
in the
prefill
Ty p e
drop-down list and
element. A search for
drop-down list.
Defining Objects on a Form
Element Options
You have three element options: number of elements, width of elements,
and inter-element spacing.
To set the Element options:
1 Click the
2 Type a number in the
Properties
tab.
Number of Elements
A zip code field for the United States, for example, would have
either five or nine elements.
3 Type a number in the
Width of Elements
all comb elements will be.
You can resize individual elements later if you want to change
their width.
4 Type a number in the
Inter-Element Spacing
amount of space between each comb element.
You can resize individual elements later if you want to change
inter-element spacing.
Fill Right to Left Option
Fill Right to Left
The
option allows you to designate whether you want
the user to fill the comb elements from right to left.
To set the Fill Right to Left option:
1 Click the
2 Select
Filling
tab.
Fill Right to Left
if you want the first character in the comb
field to appear in the rightmost element and move left as other
characters are added.
You would still read this entry from left to right.
This is useful for entering decimal numbers, such as percentage
and currency amounts, in fields with a prefill decimal point
element. When entering $598.07 in a field, for example, 07
would always appear after the decimal point. This would not
always happen if the numbers were entered from left to right.
text box.
text box to set how wide
text box to set the
3 Click OK to apply the changes and close the dialog box.
See “Defining a Comb Element Object” in the next section for
information on prefill elements.
Designing a Form 79
Defining Objects on a Form
Defining a Comb Element Object
Choose
Element Definition dialog box when a comb element is selected.
This dialog box allows you to:
To define a comb element:
Object Definition...
• Designate the border height of the element.
• Create a prefill element.
• Enter a number to designate the amount of allowable numbers for
each element.
in the Format menu to open the Comb
1 Select left and right border measurements under
This sets the left and right border height of each element. You
might, for example, select
height often seen on forms. See “Changing Object Appearance
on a Form” on page 86 for more information.
2 Select
3 Type a number in the
4Click OK to apply the changes.
Prefill element
other characters, such as a period, comma, or parenthesis in the
selected element. You will need to delete the hyphen and type
the character that you want.
This is useful for phone numbers and other hyphenated
numbers. You can select this element in design view and change
it to another character such as a parenthesis.
This tells OmniForm how many characters to allow in the
selected element before moving to the next element. In some
countries, for example, the length of the area code element in a
phone number is 3.
1/2
to use the popular half-border
to place a hyphen (the default character) or
Length
text box.
Border Height.
80 Chapter 4
Defining a Check Box Object
Choose
Definition dialog box when a check box object is selected.
This dialog box allows you to set property, filling, and validation
options for your selected check box.
To set property options for check boxes:
Object Definition...
in the Format menu to open the Check Box
Defining Objects on a Form
1 Click the
2 Type a unique name in the
Each object must have a unique name. A descriptive name such
Yes Check Box
as
searching, defining calculations, and so forth.
3 Type a group name in the
check box belongs to an option group.
Creating an option group restricts you to one selection per check
box group. Selecting a check box in an option group
automatically deselects any checked box in the same group.
The group name you enter automatically appears in the
Group
this name to include the check box in the group.
Properties
drop-down list of the next check box you create. Select
tab.
Name
text box.
makes a field easy to find when sorting,
Option Group
drop-down list if the
Option
4 Select or enter an option in the
The on-value is stored in the database when the check box is
selected. It is exported along with other information during
export. It can also be used in calculations. Grouped check boxes
must have unique on-values. You can let OmniForm create a
unique on-value for each new check box added to a group.
5 Select or enter an option in the
The off-value is stored in the database when the check box is
deselected. It is exported along with other information during
export. It can also be used in calculations. This option is not
available for grouped check boxes.
Designing a Form 81
On-Value
Off-Value
drop-down list.
drop-down list.
Defining Objects on a Form
To set filling options for check boxes:
1Click the
2 Select a mark for the check box: a check mark, an X, or a fill.
3 Deselect
filled field cannot be changed in fill view.
4 Select
selected field when the user presses the Tab key.
Deselect
5 Select
bar in fill view when the cursor is in that field.
6Click OK to apply the changes and close the dialog box.
To set validation options for check boxes:
1 Click the Validation tab.
2 Select
box.
3 Select or deselect
this option then you force the user to enter data in the selected
field.
Otherwise, users can choose to override the warning that
appears if they enter either no or inappropriate information in a
field (such as
Filling
tab.
Can be Filled
Ta b S t o p
Help Message
Must be Filled in
so that the cursor automatically moves to the
Ta b S t o p
so that the cursor tabs past the selected field.
to type a message that appears in the status
Allow user to override validation.
five
instead of 5 in a Number field).
so an empty field cannot be filled and a
to require that the user fill in the check
If you deselect
Defining a Circle Text Object
Choose
Definition dialog box when a fill circle object is selected.
This dialog box has the same options as the Check Box Definition dialog
box. See “Defining a Check Box Object” on page 81 for information.
82 Chapter 4
Object Definition...
in the Format menu to open the Circle Text
Defining a Table Object
Choose
Definition dialog box when a table object is selected. This dialog box lets
you:
To define a table object:
Object Definition...
• Set tabbing properties so that you can tab either from left to right
or top to bottom.
• Select the amount and width of columns.
• Select the amount and height of rows.
Defining Objects on a Form
in the Format menu to open the Table
1 Define the table object. Click the
name in the
Each table object must have a unique name. A descriptive name
such as
sorting, searching, changing tab order, and so forth.
2 Select the
Bottom
3 Click the
want in the table in the
4Set column width:
• Type the column width in the
• If you have unequal column widths and would like them to be
the same width, select
OmniForm resizes columns to an equal width without
changing table size. If you had two columns, one four
centimeters wide and the other two centimeters wide, for
example, each would be resized to three centimeters wide.
Name
text box.
Order Information
Tabbing
. Click OK to apply the option.
Columns
option that you want:
tab. Type the number of columns that you
Number of Columns
Make Columns Equal Width
Properties
makes a field easy to find when
Width of Columns
tab and type a unique
Left to Right
text box.
or
text box.
.
Top to
5 Click OK to apply the option.
6 Click the
the table in the
Designing a Form 83
Rows
tab. Type the number of rows that you want in
Number of Rows
text box.
Defining Objects on a Form
Defining a Table Cell
Defining a Fill Graphic Object
7Set row height:
Type the row height in the
If you have unequal row height and would like all the rows to
be the same height, then select
OmniForm resizes rows to an equal height without changing
table size. If you had two rows, one four centimeters high and
the other two centimeters high, for example, each would be
resized to three centimeters high.
8Click OK to apply the option.
A table cell contains a fill text object by default. See “Defining a Fill Text
Object” on page 73 for more information. See any relevant entry in
”Defining Objects on a Form” if the table cell contains another type of
object.
A table cell can contain more than one object. It can also contain
graphics. See “Placing Objects in Table Cells” on page 106 for
information.
1 Choose
Graphic Definition dialog box when a fill graphic object is
selected.
Object Definition...
Height of Rows
Make Rows Equal Height
in the Format menu to open the Fill
text box.
.
2 Type a unique name in the
Each graphic object must have a unique name. A descriptive
name such as
importing, exporting, and changing tab order.
3 You can either select or deselect the
that the cursor automatically moves to the selected field when
the user presses the Tab key. Deselect
tabs past the selected field.
4 Select
5Click OK to apply the changes.
84 Chapter 4
Help Message
sage will appear in the status bar in fill view when the cursor is
in that field.
Logo
makes a fill graphic field easy to find when
and type a mes sage in the text box. This m es-
Name
text box.
Ta b S to p
Ta b S to p
. Select
Tab St o p
so that the cursor
so
Setting Serial Numbers
You can keep track of your form by using serial numbers. You can set
serial numbers for fill text objects and comb objects. You define serial
numbers in design view and they appear in fill view. As a new record is
created in fill view, serial numbers will automatically change by the
increment you have entered. You can also use serial numbers in
calculations. If you save your form to an older version of OmniForm, the
serial number fields will convert to a
format.
To set serial numbers:
1 Select either a fill text object or a comb object on your form.
General
Defining Objects on a Form
field type and
General
2 Choose
Object Definition button in the design toolbar.
If you have selected a fill text object, the Fill Text Definition
dialog box appears.
If you have selected a comb object, the Comb Definition dialog
box appears.
3 Select
4 Click
The Serial Number Settings dialog box appears.
5 In the Serial Number Settings dialog box:
• Enter a starting number in the
• Enter an increment number in the
• Type a prefix, if you want, in the
• Type a suffix, if you want, in the
The sample text box displays your first serial number,
including, if applicable, a prefix and suffix.
Object Definition...
Serial Number
Settings...
any number from -99,999,999 to 999,999,999. The default is 1.
can enter any number from -999 to 9,999. The default is 1.
up to 8 characters.
up to 8 characters.
.
in the Format menu. Or, click the
Type
in the
drop-down list.
Start at
text box. You can enter
Increment by
Prefix
text box. You can enter
Suffix
text box. You can enter
text box. You
Designing a Form 85
Changing Object Appearance on a Form
6Click OK in the Serial Number Settings dialog box to apply your
settings.
7Click OK in the Fill Text Definition dialog box to close the dialog
box.
Changing Object Appearance on a Form
This section describes the options in the Object Appearance dialog box
and how they affect a selected object. See the section “Creating Objects
on a Form” on page 64 to learn how to create objects.
To change object appearance:
1 Select an object or objects in design view.
2 Click the Object Appearance button in the design toolbar or
choose
To open a shortcut menu, click the right mouse button over the
selected object. Choose
3 Click each of the four tabs in the Object Appearance dialog box
to change the background, border, fill lines, and visible options.
Available options depend on the selected object.
Object Appearance...
Object Appearance...
in the Format menu.
in this menu.
Background options
There are four options that affect the background of your form. These
Color, Pattern, Pattern Color
are
86 Chapter 4
, and
Clear
.
Color
Changing Object Appearance on a Form
For background color of the object, select a color from the
Color
drop-
down palette.
For custom colors, click
customize a color, enter a number from 0 to 255 in the text boxes (
Sat, Lum, Red, Green
More Colors...
Blue
, and
. The Color dialog box appears. To
Hue
). Or, drag the crosshair across the Color
,
box.
See “Adding Color to a Form” on page 92 for more information about
the Color dialog box and how to add color to a form’s background.
As long as your program is open, you can store up to eight custom colors
in your
Color
drop-down palette. Each time you choose a custom color
and click OK, the new custom color is stored in the area below the 40color drop-down palette. This makes it easy to use a variety of custom
colors in your form.
You can also change the colors of your object. See “Adjusting Colors” on
page 94 for more information.
Pattern
For background pattern of the object, select a pattern from the
Pattern
drop-down list.
Designing a Form 87
Changing Object Appearance on a Form
Gradient
You can select from Gradient (Horizontal) and Gradient (Vertical).
Pattern Color
For a color for the background pattern, select a pattern color from the
Pattern Color
Clear
• Select
Gradient (Horizontal)
to have the background color
gradually change to the pattern color, from top to bottom.
• Select
Gradient (Vertical)
to have the background color gradually
change to the pattern color, from left to right.
drop-down list.
Make sure that
Clear
is deselected so that your selected colors and
pattern appear as the object’s background.
See “Paint Order” on page 92 for a description of how paint order affects
color and pattern display Border Options
Border options affect the sides of your object. There are six Border
options:
Color, Style, Weight, Clear, Borders
, and
Shadow
.
Color
For a border color, select a color in the
Color
drop-down palette. See
“Color” on page 87 for more information about how to choose color.
Style
To change a line style, select
Style
from the drop-down list. You can
select from one continuous line to a variety of dotted line styles.
88 Chapter 4
Weight
Changing Object Appearance on a Form
To change the border thickness, select
Weight
from the drop-down list.
You can select from a 1- to 12-point thickness.
Clear
Clear
Select
to hide the border and OmniForm will display any paint
layers beneath it.
See“Paint Order” on page 92 for an explanation of how paint order
affects border display.
Borders
Borders
The
rectangle in the
selected, click each side of the
• To round the corners of the border, select
section lets you remove borders from your object. The
Borders
section represents your object. With your object
Borders
rectangle that you want to remove.
Rounded
.
• To round or square individual corners, click the corners of the
rectangle after selecting
Rounded.
• To indicate the degree of border curve, enter a measurement from
0 to 14 in the
Rounded
text box.
Shadows
For a shadow effect, select an option in the
Shadow
of points in the
section. To offset the shadow from the border, select the amount
Offset
drop-down list.
Location
drop-down list in the
Fill Line Options
Fill Line options affect fill lines inside an object. There are four Fill line
options:
Indentation
Designing a Form 89
Color, Style, Weight, Clear
.
Start Fill Line at First Line
, and
Changing Object Appearance on a Form
Options in this tab are only active for selected fill text objects. Text
alignment must be set to
lines can be set. See “Formatting Text” on page 97 for information.
Fill lines appear inside the object much like lines appear on writing
paper.
To p
or
Exactly
in the Text dialog box before fill
Color
Select a color for the fill lines in the
Color
drop-down palette. See “Color”
on page 87 for more information about how to choose color.
Style
Select a line style in the
Style
drop-down list. See “Style” on page 88 for
more information.
Weight
Select line thickness in the
Weight
drop-down list. See “Weight” on page
89 for more information.
Clear
Deselect
90 Chapter 4
Clear
to display the fill lines.
Changing Object Appearance on a Form
See “Paint Order” on page 92 for information on how paint order affects
fill line display.
Start Fill Line at First Line Indentation
Start Fill Line at First Line Indentation
Select
to indent the first fill line the
same amount as the first line of text entered in the field.
See “To format the placement of text objects:” on page 98 for more
information.
Visible Options
Visible options pertain to how you want the selected object to appear to
the user.
Display
• Select how you want the selected object to appear to the user.
• Select
Always
if you want the field/object to always appear on
screen and when printed.
• Select
Never
if you do not want the field/object to appear in fill
view. However as the designer of the form, you can see the object
in design view.
• Select
Print Only
if you want the field/object to appear on the
printed form, but not on the screen.
• Select
Screen Only
when you want the field/object to appear on
the screen, but not when printed.
Designing a Form 91
Adding Color to a Form
Paint Order
OmniForm uses a specific paint order. For example, a table object itself
is painted first, then the cells inside the table, and then objects inside the
cell. This makes it possible to have three layers of paint. The last layer
painted in an object overrides all other layers. Because objects inside a
cell are painted last, they will cover up the cells and portions of the table.
If an object’s background or border is
the object is transparent and an object painted below can show through.
You can use the
menu to change paint order.
Adding Color to a Form
You can add color to the background of your form. You can add it to one
page or to all pages of your form.
You can also add color to an object on your form. For information about
adding color to an object, see “Changing Object Appearance on a Form”
on page 86.
You can adjust the color of the background of your form, the selected
objects, or the background of your form.
To add background color to your form:
1 Open a form in design view.
2 Choose
The Page Setup dialog box appears.
Send to Back
Page Setup...
Clear,
however, then that part of
Bring to Front
and
from the File menu.
commands in the Format
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