AgileApps Support Wiki Pre Release

Exercise 04: Creating Forms

From AgileApps Support Wiki

Introduction

Forms

  • A Form is the user interface for an Object
    • Defines what is displayed when a user views or edits a record
  • Every Object gets an automatically-generated default form (Default Layout)
    • You can build other Forms to show data to different User Roles

Creating a Form

  • Specify what to use the Form for:
    • Managing Records
    • Printing Records
    • Mobile Access
    • Web Forms



Clone Layout Button.png

  • Specify other options:
    • Properties
      • Show field hints
      • Display in sidebar: Actions-list, print action, Tasks, files/attachments, Processes, …
    • Form Scripts
      • On Load and On Save processing using JavaScript
      • Common functions used for both events can be defined
    • Layout Rules
      • Dynamically vary what is displayed and what is required, based on conditional expressions

Editing Form Layout

  • WYSIWYG editor allows you to design the UI as it looks
  • Forms have Field Elements (fields) and Form Controls (form spacers and sections used to structure the form)
  • Drag and drop Fields and Form Controls from the palettes to any section in the Form



Elements Window.png

Form Fields

  • To modify a Field in a Form, click one of the Field’s icons:
    • Edit Field
    • Move Field
    • Field Script
    • Remove Field



Form Default Layout.png

Form Controls

  • Spacer
    • Vertical space between elements in a Form
    • Commonly used in a multi-column form where one cell is blank�
  • Label
  • Horizontal Line
    • Adds a divider between elements in a section�
  • Section
    • A way to break one form into parts that will be displayed using separate tabs�
  • Quick Link
    • Provides the ability to pass a value from a record to a website URL



Elements Window Form Controls.png

Related Information Section

  • Recap:
    • Objects can be related via Object Relationships
    • “Detail” Objects have (generated) Lookup fields �to their “Master” Object�
  • Related Information section of a Form displays records of related Objects
    • Records of other Objects that contain a Lookup to the current record
    • Automatically created for all related Objects
    • Can be customized



Related Information Window.png

  • Example:
    • When viewing a Customer, the Related Information section shows you all Orders the Customer has made
    • That view is made possible by the fact that the Orders Object has a Lookup to Customers

Rollup Summary Fields



Rollup Summary Fields.png

  • Rollup Summary Fields summarize information contained in related records that have a Lookup to the current Object
  • Rollup Summary Field can be used to get a Record Count, Sum, Average, Maximum, or Minimum value from related records
  • The Lookup field that targets the current Object must be the first field in an Index defined on the detail Object
  • Rollup Summary Fields are calculated asynchronously in the background by default
  • Rollup Summary Fields:
    • are universal, read-only fields
    • should not be used to build filter criteria for Formulas, Data Policies, Validations, Indexes, or Searches.
    • cannot be created based on another Rollup Summary Field
    • can be created only in Master-record Objects

Mobile Access Forms

  • The AgileApps interface is mobile-enabled, right out of the box
    • All interaction with Forms and other platform operations can be accomplished using a mobile device�
  • You can also define Forms specifically for mobile use



Clone Layout Mobile Access.png

  • Also:
    • Clicking on a Geolocation Field automatically fills in the user’s location
    • Clicking on an Image Field automatically activates the camera

Web Forms

  • Allows external customers to create new Object records
  • Two types of Web Forms:�

a) Linked Form (also known as a "Case Form Link")

  • Clone an existing Form (such as the Default Layout)
    • Specify “Use this Form for” = Web Forms
    • Add the From Name and From Address fields to the Form, make them required
  • Create a Web Form of type “Case Form Link”
    • Choose a Form from a list of Forms that have been previously created on the platform
    • Choose to accept email from anyone or existing contacts only
      • Fields to include are chosen when you design the assigned Form
      • Web Form is hosted by the AgileApps platform -> copy & paste the link to your external page
      • Platform does error processing and messaging
      • HTML formatting and the [Submit] button label are fixed

b) Customizable HTML (also known as "Generated HTML")

  • Create a Web Form of type “Customizable HTML“
    • Specify which fields to include in the form, arrange them, and specify which are required
    • Choose to accept email from anyone or existing contacts only
    • Copy the generated HTML into your page, customizing it in whatever manner you want
      • An HTML version of the Form is generated, with a [Submit] button
      • The HTML and button name can be fully customized
      • You must implement error handling on your own

Assigning Forms to Application Roles

After you create a Form:

  • For each Application Role defined in the application:
    • Select the Form used to access the current Object's data
    • Make one selection for online access and one for mobile access



MyOrders Forms Assignment.png

Validating Data in a Form

  • When a User types data into a Form field
    • You can ensure that the data enter is valid
    • Example: a ZIP code has the correct number of digits
  • Create Validation Expressions
    • Common functions: IF, DATECOMP (compare), TODAY, NOW
    • You can write expressions that are true when data is NOT valid
      • Write an expression for valid data, and surround it with: !(…)
      • Always [Check Syntax]
    • Specify the error message to display to the user if the data is not valid



Form Validation.png

Form Validation 01.png

Custom Form Actions

  • For a User, Custom Form Actions appear in the sidebar in the Actions dropdown list
  • You can configure Custom Form Actions to invoke:
    • JavaScript
    • A Page which is a standard JSP (Java Server Page)
    • For more complex actions use Macros (see later)
  • Make the Action visible to Application Roles
  • Example:
    • Create an invoice record when finishing a Case



Custom Form Actions.png

Executing JavaScript in AgileApps Cloud

  • Forms: “On Load” and “On Save” events (plus shared functions)
  • Fields: “On Focus” and “On Change” events (plus shared functions)
  • Custom Form Action: Action implementation
  • Lookup Fields: Post Selection JavaScript
  • JSP/HTML Page: Client-side processing without affecting the Agile Apps platform

Use to:

  • Access data in Form fields
  • Manipulate fields (validate, hide, make visible, make required)
  • Execute platform REST APIs
  • Access remote servers
  • Add buttons
  • Open a platform JSP page or external HTML page

Resources



Exercise

In webMethods AgileApps Cloud, a Form defines the fields that are visible to a User when the User views or edits an Object record. This exercise has four parts:


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