Forms
  • 30 Jun 2022
  • 2 Minutes to read
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Forms

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Article Summary

A Form is an end-user interactive interface that can display or collect user input. Forms are built using various Form Controls and can have logic applied to them using Active Form Flows. To have a Form displayed to an end-user, the Form must be used in a Flow

Forms can be used to:

  • Collect important information from the end-user
  • Display data to a user
  • Create tasks for users through Assignments

Forms are created within the Decisions Studio in the Form Designer. The Form Designer offers a visual interface to build a Form and provides additional functionality that can be applied to Forms.

Form Designer Features

Creating a Form in a Designer Project or using a Show Form step within a Flow will open the Form Designer that will contain different options and settings to create, configure, and implement Forms. 

Create


  1. Side Panel
    The Form Designer has four tabs on the left side of the window to create and configure the Form.
    Panel NameDescription
    InfoDisplays general information about the Form such as the Form Name, Description, Owner, Tags, and more.
    ToolboxSet of categorized Form controls that provide various functions on the Form.
    ExplorerLists all the control elements and the layouts each is contained in
    Tab EditorSets the sequential order in which controls are navigated by when pressing the Tab key
  2. Top Action Bar
    The Top Action Bar contains the core actions used by all Designers. Keyboard shortcuts may also be used to perform certain actions.
    Action NameDescription
    SaveSaves the Form. Will display a dialog window to write notes for the current save if needed.
    CheckpointCreates a Backup of the Form at the place where the checkpoint is saved, then stores it in the history folder. This is useful when making drastic changes that could affect the Form's functionality. 
    Undo Reverses the last change
    RedoReapplies the last change
    ViewDisplays the edges of controls added to the Form
    PreviewDisplays how the Form will render to the end-user
    DependenciesDisplays the Dependency Browser for the Form that will display the elements the Form depends on.
  3. Workspace
    The Workspace enables the ability to build a Form with the drag and drop functionality of the Form Controls. The Form can be manually resized using the icon in the bottom left corner of the Form.

Configure

  1. SETUP INPUT DATA
    The SETUP INPUT DATA button allows input data to be passed into the Form. After entering an input data value, the Data panel will be displayed on the Side Panel.  
  2. Properties Panel
    Allows the configuration for the layout, appearance, and added functionality with Active Form Flows for the Form.

Implement

Forms can be implemented into a Flow to have various business logic that responds to user input or implemented by the various types of Forms available.

Form Types

Forms can be created from a variety of template types to output data to the end-user

Form TypeDescription
FormsStandard Interactive Form type
Simple FormsAllow for quick construction of basic functionality and offer sleek, modern design with the most commonly used Form controls
AssignmentsForms that can be set as tasks for a user
External Form CommunicationForms that can gather data via external interaction through HTML and/or service call integrations

Active Form Flows

Active Form Flows allow users to dynamically alter how Form controls and their data are handled within the Form. The most common use cases involve visibility rules that hide a certain control when another is enabled/disabled, enforcing validation checks to ensure data accuracy, and enabling/disabling a control altogether to prevent additional editing to its contents.


For further information on Forms, visit the Decisions Forum.

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