Form Repeater Component

Definition

A generic design template for displaying data in a repeating form layout.

Depending on the application, individual forms may be expanded to display further form fields, but only one form at a time may be in its expanded state. The fields displayed in this expanded version of the data are not necessarily displayed in a form format but can actually be displayed in another format such as a table or list or even a Composite component. A separate UIBB configuration, known as the Swap UIBB, displays the expanded version of the form data.

This component is implemented using the Web Dynpro component FPM_FORM_REPEATER_UIBB.

The information displayed in this component at runtime is determined by the feeder class assigned to the configuration of the Web Dynpro component FPM_FORM_REPEATER_UIBB.

Use

You use this design template when you want to display data using a form. You can determine the concrete display of the data in this component when configuring the Web Dynpro component FPM_FORM_REPEATER_UIBB.

Structure at Runtime

The screenshot below shows how a Form Repeater component may look at runtime. Note that the third form has been expanded to show more fields.

Figure 1: Form Repeater Component using Swap Component

Each form displays a different data-set or record, and individual forms are, optionally, divided by separators.

Each form in a Form Repeater component has a structure identical to the Form GL2 component. However, the expanded version of the data may be displayed in a format other than a form, for example in a list format.

Forms may be grouped together but only one level of grouping is available.

Any action buttons that appear at runtime are defined in the relevant feeder class.

Editing the Structure at Design Time (FLUID)

You configure this component using the FPM configuration editor, FLUID.

At design time, the Preview panel in FLUID displays the Form Repeater component in WYSIWYG-like style. A grid enables you to place elements (fields, label, toolbars, and so on) accurately inside your form. You can change the layout of the form using the relevant field in the General Settings panel.

Note The Preview panel displays only the main form of the Form Repeater component. The extra fields that appear in the expanded version belong to another component (that is the Swap UIBB). To see the fields of the Swap UIBB inside the Preview panel, take note of the Web Dynpro Component and Configuration ID of the Swap UIBB, and open FLUID for this component configuration.

You add extra fields to this component using one of the following methods:

Drag and drop a field from the Repositories panel onto the Preview panel
Choose the Add Element button in the Form Repeater UIBB Schema panel

Additionally, FLUID provides you with the following elements:

Add Swap UIBB button allows you to change the Swap UIBB for a new one.
Group Field, in the General Settings panel, allows you to group the individual forms at runtime by a single field.
If no value is specified in the Row Count field, all data records of the form are displayed one below the other. Entering a value larger than zero activates a paginator, enabling you to view records by selecting particular pages rather than by scrolling.

For more information on the attributes of this component in FLUID, choose Field Help from the context menu in the system.

Further Notes on the Swap UIBB

The toolbar of the Form Repeater UIBB Schema contains the button Add Swap UIBB. This allows you to add another UIBB that is configured to display extra fields at runtime, and that can be exchanged for the Form Repeater UIBB temporarily. The Swap UIBB is a separate UIBB configuration and may be of any UIBB type, for example, it may be a configuration of FPM_LIST_UIBB. At runtime, the user may, for example, choose a Details or Expand button attached to a particular form to see extra fields. The data and its layout that is displayed is provided by the UIBB configuration that is chosen as the Swap UIBB.

The Attributes panel may contain the Swap Events table that displays a list of events triggering the swapping of the Swap UIBB with the original form component. These events are defined in the relevant feeder class. Swap events comprise the following:

An FPM Event ID
A Swap Type which defines whether the event invokes or hides the Swap UIBB
An Event Condition which defines whether only the UIBB events, events of the Swap UIBB or any events are taken into account

For example, a row action of the Form Repeater feeder class can be configured as a Swap-In event, so that an Expand link in each repeating unit triggers its representation to be replaced by a Form UIBB displaying an extended representation of the entity, that is, showing more fields. An action of the Form feeder class can then be configured as a Swap-Out event so that a Collapse link triggers a return from the Form UIBB representation by the repeating unit of the Form Repeater.