Chapter 4
(continued)
Working With Entry Forms
Manually Creating and Editing Entry Forms
The Entry Form Wizard simplifies setting up Entry Forms, but restricts the functionality you can access when designing your Entry Forms. By manually creating and editing Entry Forms with the askSam Entry Form Editor, you can customize the design of your Entry Forms. You can add texts, graphics, and other formats. You can place multiple fields on a single line, add blank lines to your forms, and more.
Although manually creating Entry Forms is slightly more complex than using the Entry Form Wizard, it is still a relatively simple process. The Entry Form Editor is similar to a word processor. To manually create an Entry Form, you type field names where you'd like them placed on the screen. You use the standard word processing features tabs and styles to format the Entry Form. There's no programming involved.
To Add or Edit Entry Forms:
1. Choose TOOLS -> ENTRY FORMS.
The Entry Forms Dialog Box will appear.
2. To edit an existing Entry Form (for example the Normal Entry Form), select the name of the Entry Form and choose the EDIT button.
To create a new Entry Form, enter a name and choose the CREATE button.
3. This will switch you to the Entry Form Editor. This is where you enter the fields, text, and graphics for the Entry Form. In the Entry Form Editor, the DOCUMENT pull-down menu switches to the ENTRY FORM pull-down menu.
4. Type the field names and text into your Entry Form.
(See the sections immediately following for details.)
All the standard features of the Word Processor are available. You can: change styles, fonts and colors; include graphics; insert tabs; modify the margin settings; define headers and footers; and set the justification for the text. (See the chapter on the askSam Word Processor for details.)
5. To save your Entry Form, choose FILE -> SAVE (or press CTRL+S).
A message will appear asking if you wish to turn on Data Entry mode. Data Entry mode simplifies entering data in fields (see the Working with Documents chapter for details). If you want to enter data in fields, choose the YES Button. If you are entering information without fields, choose the NO Button.
6. To close the Entry Form Editor and return to your Data Documents, choose
ENTRY FORM -> CLOSE.
Your Form will be saved and you will return to the first Document in your file.
To add a Document with your Entry Form, choose DOCUMENT -> ADD ENTRY FORM,
and select the name of the Entry Form you wish to add.
NOTES:
1. Setting the Default Entry Form. askSam lets you define multiple Entry Forms in a file. To make entering data as efficient as possible, the Form you use most often can be set as the Default Entry Form. The Default Entry Form is added when you choose DOCUMENT ->
ADD DEFAULT ENTRY FORM (or press CTRL+A). You set the Default Entry Form by choosing FILE -> PROPERTIES -> DEFAULT ENTRY FORM, and selecting the desired
Entry Form.
2. When you modify an Entry Form, the changes are only in the Entry Form and new Documents entered using the modified Entry Form. Previously entered information is not modified.
Entry Form Editor
When you create a new Entry Form (without using the Entry Form Wizard) or edit an existing Entry Form, you enter the Entry Form Editor. The Entry Form Editor is where you design Entry Forms.
When you switch to the Entry Form Editor, you'll notice the following changes on your screen:
· The ENTRY FORM menu replaces the DOCUMENT menu.
· The Search Line is replaced by the Entry Form toolbar
You exit the Entry Form Editor and return to Data Documents by choosing ENTRY FORM -> CLOSE.
When you enter the Entry Form Editor, the Entry Form menu replaces the Document menu. The Entry Form menu contains the following commands:
Command Function
ADD Adds a new Entry Form.
ADD OTHER Adds a new Entry Form, a duplicate of the current Entry Form, a new Report, or a new Mail Merge Document.
CLOSE Closes the Entry Form Editor and returns you to the first Data Document in your file.
DELETE Deletes the current Entry Form.
VIEW DELETED ENTRY Lists the deleted Entry Forms and lets you undelete them. Deleted FORMS Entry Forms are permanently removed from a file when you pack.
INSERT DATE Inserts the Date command at the current cursor position. The Date command will automatically insert the system date when data is added using this Entry Form.
INSERT TIME Inserts the Time command at the current cursor position. The Time command will automatically insert the system time when data is added using this Entry Form.
INSERT WEEKDAY Inserts the Weekday command at the current cursor position. The Weekday command will automatically insert the weekday when data is added using this Entry Form.
INSERT COUNTER Inserts the Counter command at the current cursor position. The Counter command will automatically insert a number when data is added using this Entry Form.
SET HYPERTEXT LINK Displays the Hypertext Dialog Box and lets you set Hypertext Links in your Entry Form.
CLEAR HYPERTEXT LINK Clears Hypertext Links in your Entry Form.
WIZARD Runs the Entry Form Wizard to guide you through adding fields to a Form.
PROPERTIES Displays the Entry Form Properties Dialog Box. The Dialog lets you rename and define settings for your Entry Form.
About Fields and Formatting Entry Forms
If you are manually creating and editing Entry Forms, you'll need to understand how askSam fields work. The following sections will help you understand how to insert and format fields, text, and graphics into Entry Forms.
Single Line Fields
To structure information askSam allows the use of fields. Entering fields into an Entry Form is as simple as typing text. No special definitions are required. Just type the field name in the row and column where you want it to appear. For example:
If you want more than one field on a line, insert a closing bracket ( ] ) where the first field should end, and then type in the next field name. For example:
The closing bracket ends the field and also can be used to restrict the field length. When a field is output in a report, it is output until the end of a line or until a closing bracket ( ] ).
There is no limit to the number of fields that you can insert in an Entry Form.
NOTES:
1. Your fields may be entered in any font. If you choose a proportional font and have multiple fields on a single line, you will need to set the fields on tabs (to prevent the position of the second field in the line from changing as you enter information). When you set up fields with the Entry Form Wizard, they are automatically placed on tabs.
2. Do not insert spaces between the field name and the opening bracket: For example, this is incorrect:
This is correct:
3. A field name cannot contain spaces. If you want a multiple word field name, connect the words with the underline character.
For example, this is incorrect:
This is correct:
Your field names may be as long or as short as you wish. One approach is to have as few distractions as possible on the screen. Here keeping the field names as short as possible is the priority. For example:
In other cases, especially when other users are entering information, it is essential that the form be as self-explanatory as possible. In this case, you would use longer field names to better indicate what information they contain. For example:
4. Aligning Fields on the right bracket often makes your Entry Form more appealing. For example:
Align fields by inserting spaces before the field name or setting the field on a “Field” Tab. Again, do not insert spaces between the field name and the opening bracket ( [ ).
5. You can enter field names in a different color from the text. We recommend using a style to define your fields and another style for the field data. This makes it easy to change the formatting or your database (by simply modifying the styles). When you set up fields with the Entry Form Wizard, they are automatically formatted with a style. Fields are assigned the “Field” style. Data is assigned the “Field Data (Default)” style.
6. You can make the field character and closing brackets invisible by choosing FILE ->
PROPERTIES -> HIDE FIELD CHARACTERS.
Multiple Line Fields
If you require a field longer than one line, just place a closing bracket in the line beneath the field name. When you begin entering information, askSam will automatically expand the field. For example:
By placing a closing bracket ] in the line after Comments[, the Comments field becomes a multiple line field.When askSam stores your information, blank spaces and lines are compressed. This means that leaving space for a field does not dramatically increase the size of your file.
NOTE: Field Size. A long field can contain any amount of information from a single word to thousands of pages of text.
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