Livecycle

To create a form design using a flowed context

Using a flowed context, you build the form design using as many master pages and subforms as required. The concept of pages is ignored. The creation of pages occurs during processing, when the form design is merged with data and the amount of data overflows the current page. The dynamic properties are applied after the layout and formatting is complete.

Creating a form in a flowed context is often the best approach to building a form when you are starting with an XML schema. In addition, advanced users may choose this method because it provides a better feel for the dynamic behavior of the form at design time. However, it takes some time to become comfortable with creating a form in a flowed context. This is primarily due to the unexpected behavior that results from designing inside a flowed container.

The following steps provide a general idea of the design process for creating a form in a flowed context, assuming that the planning stage is completed.

1.	Create the required master pages.

2.	Create the form’s content in the following manner.

•	Create the subforms and their content. The page default subform becomes the first subform in the form. You should resize it to accommodate its content.

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Additional pages are not required. Continue to add as many subforms as necessary to complete the form design. As you design the form, additional pages will be placed when the created subform does not fit onto the current page. This is not always obvious because it is automatic and the Hierarchy palette does not show these extra pages.

•	Apply the necessary formatting to the objects.

•	Finalize the layout of the objects within their subforms and the arrangement of the subforms.

•	Add scripting if required.

3.	Implement the dynamic concepts.

•	Apply the necessary formatting to the subforms, such as subform binding type and borders.

•	Define the flow. This task includes setting the occurrence values, allowing page breaks, defining leader and trailer subforms, defining which subforms to keep together, associating subforms to master pages and setting margins.

4.	Test the form by using sample data.

To create a form design using a flowed context