Table of Contents

Filling a Form

This chapter describes how you or another user would fill out a form created in iDocs.

This chapter contains the following sections:

You must first open, scan, or import a form in order to fill it.

The Fill View Window

This section provides an overview of the fill view window.

If you are in design view, click the Fill button in the design toolbar or choose Fill in the View menu to switch to fill view.

To open a shortcut menu, click the right mouse button and choose Fill in this menu.

The fill view window contains a toolbar and seven menus.

Use fill view to enter data in fields, create a records database, import and export information to and from records, and print or mail forms.

See “Managing a iDocs Database” for detailed information on database creation and management.

The Fill Toolbar

Use the fill toolbar for basic file operations such as saving and printing. Use it also to move through records in a database.

All these buttons correspond to menu commands of the same name. Clicking a button is the same as choosing its corresponding menu command.

All corresponding menu commands are explained in online help or in various sections throughout this manual (see the index for exact locations). Processes such as scanning or opening a form are explained in the Chapter on “iDocs Procedures.”

You can also drag the fill toolbar to any other location in the iDocs window.

Moving Through Fields

You can click in any field to place the cursor there or you can use the following keyboard commands to move the cursor within a form.

Filling Fields

This section describes each type of fillable field in iDocs, how to fill it, and how to check spelling. It contains the following topics:

These instructions assume that the cursor is already in a field.

The way information is displayed in a field depends on the current form language selection and the object definition. See “International Settings” and “Defining Objects on a Form” for more information.

Type Ahead

As you begin to enter a word in a fill text object, iDocs will automatically complete the word. This option works only when there is previously filled information that matches the word you are entering. It also works for dates, times, and pop-up lists.

To type ahead:

Shrink Text to Fit Fields

When filling a form, the text you enter may not always fit in the fill text fields. You can make your text automatically fit your fields.

To shrink text to fit fields:

Fill Text

Enter characters in a fill text field: letters, numbers, symbols, dates, and so forth. Fill text fields can contain any sort of textual information. The example below shows First Name and Last Name fill text fields.

Comb

Enter characters in a comb field: letters, numbers, or symbols appropriate to the field. Phone numbers and zip codes are commonly used comb fields. A comb field consists of individual comb elements. Each element can contain a different number of characters.

You do not have to tab from element to element in a comb field. Just type the required amount of information and iDocs automatically moves the cursor to the next element as appropriate.

Check Box

Click a check box field to fill it. A check box field can contain one of three elements: a check mark, an X, or a fill. The default value of a check box is an X; but you can easily change it to a check mark or a fill.

Check boxes are commonly used for Yes/No questions and for selecting an item in a group, as in the two examples below:

Check boxes may be grouped; this means that only one can be selected. Selecting one check box automatically deselects another checked box in the group as in the example below.

To move through grouped check boxes, use the arrow key on your keyboard.

Circle Text

Click a circle text field to fill it. A border appears around the filled field. A circle text field can contain text and other characters, or it can function much like a check box (see the previous section “Check Box”).

Table

A table field consists of individual cells. Table cells are fill text fields by default. Enter characters in these cells just as you would in fill text fields.

A table cell can also contain any other type of field, even multiple fields of the same or different types. In the example below, the table cells on the right contain check box fields.

The user clicks this cell to fill it in the same way as a check box field. See “Designing a Form,” for information on tables, converting fields from one type to another, inserting objects in table cells, and so on.

Fill Graphic

A fill graphic field contains a graphic you select. You can import an existing graphic or you can select a TWAIN-compatible scanner source and scan an image directly into the fill graphic field. This section describes both options.

To import an existing graphic:

Select Maintain Original Size to import the graphic without changes.

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.

To import a graphic from a TWAIN source:

To delete a graphic from a fill graphic field:

Select None in the Fill Graphic dialog box to delete a graphic from the form and leave the fill graphic field empty.

List Fields

Fields can contain a list of selectable entries. A drop-down list arrow appears when the cursor is in the field.

Click the arrow to open the list

Select an entry. The entry appears in the field.

Fields Defined by a Calculation

The only time you would notice a calculation in fill view is when a field fills in automatically.

In the example below, the TOTAL field automatically added the amounts entered in the first and second fields. The TOTAL would increase if the third and fourth fields were filled as well.

You define a calculation on a field in design view. See “Using Calculations,” for detailed information on calculations.

Field Validation

Fill text fields can be configured by the creator to:

This is field validation and ensures that information entered in a form is consistent.
For example, you may be required to enter a date in a validated Date field. You would receive a reminder prompt from iDocs if you attempted to enter anything other than a date.

See “To set validation options for fill text objects:” for detailed information on field validation.

Spell Checking

Use the spell-checking feature to verify that text field entries are correct.

Before you check spelling make sure you have selected the correct language for your form in the Options dialog box as described below.

Proceed to “ Spell Checking Your Form” on page 170 if you have a single- language form, or the Current Form language selection is correct, or you have a dictionary for that language.

To Check the Current Form Language Selection:

Spell Checking Multiple Languages

You may have scanned in a form with the Allow Multiple Languages option selected. (See “The Allow Multiple Languages Option”.) You have two choices for effective spell checking:

This is more time-consuming but more accurate. Remember that changing the Current Form selection could cause iDocs to reformat data already entered in fill view.

Dictionaries for Spell Checking

Dictionaries for all supported languages are included in the International English version of iDocs. The United States version has a standard English dictionary. You can call 1-800-654-1187 to order additional dictionaries. You must have a dictionary that matches the language of a form to spell check it.

Spell Checking Your Form

iDocs has two ways to spell check your form.

To spell check your form:

Saving in Fill View

iDocs automatically saves in fill view. iDocs saves after numerous user actions, such as, moving from one record to another, printing or closing a form, before importing or exporting data, and in many other situations. You would rarely need to use the Save command in fill view except to:

Use the Save As… command in fill view to save a form to another location or with a different file name.