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Procedure documentationDesigning an Offline Form Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

This procedure describes how you design an offline form using an XML schema and an Adobe XDP (XML Data Package) file that is bound to the XML schema. With the XML schema, you define the data structure of the form. With the XDP file, you define the form template, that is, the design of the form which is based on the XML schema.

You create the XML schema and the Adobe XDP file in the SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio. Then you use the XML Schema Editor in the Developer Studio to edit the XML schema and the Adobe LiveCycle Designer to design the form appearance.

Prerequisites

  • You have the necessary knowledge in designing an XML Schema. For more information, see Creating and Editing XSD Files.

  • You have the necessary installations to use Adobe Document Services and Adobe forms in processes. For more information, see Using Adobe Offline Forms, Prerequisites.

Procedure

1. Create and Edit the XML Schema

  1. In the Developer Studio, choose   File   New   Other  .

  2. Expand the XML node and choose XML Schema. Choose the Next pushbutton.

  3. Enter a name for the XSD file and select a project and a folder to store the XML schema. Choose the Finish pushbutton.

    The XML schema is created and opens for editing.

  4. Create the necessary types and elements of the XML schema.

  5. In the context menu of the XSD file, choose Properties and copy the location of the XML schema. You need to know the location of the schema when you create the form template which is based on the schema.

2. Create the Form Template

  1. In the Developer Studio, choose   File   New   Other  .

  2. Expand the General node and choose File. Choose the Next pushbutton.

  3. Enter a name for the file and .xdp as the file extension.

    Recommendation Recommendation

    We recommend that you use the same name for the XDP file and the XML schema, since they are bound together.

    End of the recommendation.

  4. Select a project and a folder to store the XDP file. Choose the Finish pushbutton.

    The form template is created and opens for editing.

  5. In the Adobe LiveCycle Designer, choose   Edit   New Data Connection...   to import the XML schema.

  6. In the wizard that appears, select the XML Schema radio button and choose the Next pushbutton.

  7. Provide the location of the XML schema you created and choose the Finish pushbutton.

    The data from the XML schema is imported and you can see it in the Data View palette in the Adobe LiveCycle Designer.

3. Designing the Form Layout

  1. In the Adobe LiveCycle Designer, drag the elements from the Data View palette to the form template and arrange them in the desired way.

  2. In the Library palette, open the Standard tab page, select Button and drag it to the form template.

    Caution Caution

    Use only the plain Button with the described configuration in form templates for BPM, as the default configuration of the other buttons cannot be modified appropriately.

    End of the caution.

  3. Change the control type of the button to Submit. To do that, open the Object palette and then the Field tab page and select the Submit radio button.

  4. On the Submit tab page, select PDF from the Submit Format dropdown list.

    Note Note

    It is not necessary to enter submit URL, because the BPM system prefills it at runtime. For more information about configuring e-mail send options, see Wizard-Based Configuration for Business Process Management.

    End of the note.

  5. In the Developer Studio, choose   File   Save   to save the template and copy the location of the template that is available in the XDP file properties.

    You need to know the location of both the XML schema and the XDP file to be able to find them and store them in the ECM repository. For more information, see Storing an Offline Form in the ECM Repository.