Livecycle

Plan the form design 

Keep these considerations in mind when planning a form design:

Data capture requirements

Consider the data you hope to gather or distribute and how you will capture and process it. Will users manually enter all data, or can any data be prepopulated in the form?

Calculations or scripts to associate with the data and where they will be run (client, server, or client and server)

Script will only run on a server if you are deploying forms through LiveCycle Forms ES and/or LiveCycle Output ES.

Security requirements.

Will users require a password for such things as opening, printing, copying text or applying signatures? See About secure forms, Overview of password fields, and Overview of signature fields.

Determining user needs

Your primary design objective should be to satisfy the needs of the people who use your forms. The clearer your goals, the better the form design.

Create a library of fragments

Consider creating fragments for logos, headers, address blocks, and footers that can be shared among form designs.

•	Decide whether you will use the FormCalc or JavaScript language.

•	Examine which security options you will apply to the form.

•	Set accessibility standards, if needed.

Considering form usability

When planning a form, remember to build usability into the design. Here are a few points to consider:

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A form should be easy to use. A simple layout with clear, meaningful captions will make the form easier to understand. Forms can validate user input and supply prompts to assist users who enter data. If LiveCycle Forms ES is available, some of the information can be filled in ahead of time through merged data. In addition, scripts attached to objects can calculate numeric values automatically at run time. If you are adept at scripting, you can also develop scripts to process or route data and forms automatically from the click of a button.

•	A form should be accessible to users with disabilities.

See About accessible forms and About tabbing order.

Plan the form design