Checking and Testing a PDF-Based Print Form 

Use

To guarantee that your form is free from errors, and that its layout meets your requirements, you can use a range of check options. You can run checks on the form and test it in the print preview. The system also runs automatic checks when you activate the form. You can run additional checks in the layout of Form Builder. These checks test the data links between the context and the layout.

Prerequisites

To check the layout and display the preview, you must have installed Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat (both with Version 7.0 or later) on your front end.

Features

The system enables you to check your form in the following ways:

●      Check the interface

The system runs a syntax check on the interface.

●      Check the form

The system runs a syntax check in the context. For example, it checks to see whether all necessary field properties have been entered. The system also checks whether the assigned interface is active, and whether all the fields in the context have a link to the interface. Links to the interface can be lost when the interface is modified. These checks also run each time you start to edit the layout.

●      Activation checks

The system checks the form each time it is activated.

●      Check the layout

The system checks whether all fields from the context have been inserted in the layout, and also whether all fields in the layout have a data link to the context.

●      Form preview with and without inserted data

The form is displayed in PDF format in Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat.

●      Test the form

The system generates a function module that contains the form description. You can send test data to this function module, which then inserts this data in a print preview of the form.

Activities

Checking an Interface

...

       1.      You are in the interface of Form Builder.

       2.      Choose  Check (Ctrl+F2) in the application toolbar.

       3.      The system checks the interface and displays any errors or warnings in a list.

       4.      Double-click a message to locate the error in the interface.

Checking a Form

...

.

       1.      You are in the context in Form Builder or in the layout in Form Builder.

       2.      Choose  Check (Ctrl+F2) in the application toolbar.

       3.      The system checks the interface and displays any errors or warnings in a list.

       4.      Double-click a message to locate the error in the context.

Checking a Layout

...

...

       1.      You are in the layout in Form Builder.

       2.      Choose  Layout in the application toolbar.

       3.      The system checks the layout and displays any errors in a list. These messages are just warnings; you can still activate the layout later. You cannot navigate to the fields from this list.

Preview Without Data

You use the preview function in Adobe LiveCycle Designer to display the form in PDF format while you are creating the layout. However, this function does not insert any data.  The appearance of the preview can also differ from a form created at runtime or in a test. This is because LiveCycle Designer functions and your front-end settings are used to create the PDF, and not Adobe Document Services. More information is available in the online help in Adobe LiveCycle Designer.

Print Preview with Inserted Data or Form

When you display the print preview (by choosing the test function ()), Adobe Document Services generates the form and displays it in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.

Note that there may be differences between the appearance of the form in the print preview, and the actual printout from the SAP system, particularly when using front-end printing. There may be differences in:

●      Character set selection and display

●      Country settings

●      Margins, zoom, and scaling

 

To test a form, proceed as follows:

...

       1.      You are in the context in Form Builder or in the layout in Form Builder.

       2.      Choose  Test (F8) in the application toolbar.

       3.      The screen Test Function Module: Initial Screen appears.

       4.      Enter the test data for the import parameters and choose Execute.

       5.      The printer settings dialog box appears. Enter your data and choose Print Preview.

       6.      The system starts Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader and displays the PDF form with your data inserted.

If the form does not appear how you want it to, or if errors occur, activate the function Saving Runtime Data and Runtime Information Locally and repeat the test.