Can LiveCycle Designer do this?

[Former Community Member]

I am a very new previewer of LiveCycle Designer ES and despite reading much documentation and many forum posts, I cannot figure out if this program will definitely meet our organization's one need.



We need to be able to create forms which have expanding text boxes that expand as the user types in them (as opposed to expanding to fit merged data). These text boxes must then expand to show and print out whatever the user has typed, not cut off the input.



I need to be sure that this program will indeed do what we require before we invest significant time and money into it.

[Jasmin_Charbonn]

We can adjust the text box when you leave the field (using the Expand to Fit option)



Would that be good enough.



Jasmin

[Former Community Member]

That would work, as long as the form would actually print out the complete text box and not truncate it.

[Former Community Member]

I tried this- set up a dummy form with two text fields, set to allow multiple lines and to expand to fit. The fields did not grow to show all of the text when I tabbed out of them, they just added a scroll bar. This would not work for our purposes, we need the whole field to be visible.



Can Designer ES do this?

[Former Community Member]

Cris.

You need to wrap your text fields in a flowed subform (if both fields are not right next to one another on your form set each field up in its own subform), and have each text field you want to expand set to expand to fit length. Also make sure that your form is saved as a dynamic one and not static. If your form isn't saved as a dynamic form, or your text fields are not wrapped within a flowed subform, the text fields will not grow as you desire, based on user entry.

[Former Community Member]

OK, so far so good. This worked great on a test form- thanks! However, on the form I had already set up, I do not have the option to save as dynamic XML, only as static pdf or .xdp. There is no artwork on the form. Why can I not save it as a dynamic form?



Also, as soon as I check off "Expand to fit" for height (I don't have an option for length, only width and height) I can no longer type in text on the preview- I can type in text before checking this.



Thanks in advance for the help!

[Former Community Member]

I tried copying all of the elements into a new form that I first saved as dynamic. It worked- I can type in the boxes and they do expand. Nearly there!



One last issue...as the boxes expand, they simply superimpose themselves over the text boxes below them, which do not move down to accommodate the enlarged text boxes above. How do I get these text boxes to move down?

[Former Community Member]

Cris



You will need to set up a structure of subforms to handle this. First wrap the fields below your expanding text fields in a subform. Keep this form set to positioned rather than flowed. Do the same for your fields above the expanding field. Next wrap all of these subforms in their own subform (this should be a subform that includes all of your form elements at this point), and set that subform to flowed. What this does is keep the fields above and below your expanding text field in the same position you have them set to on your form (the two positioned subforms). The subform that then encapsulates all of your subforms then allows the form to expand and contract based on the amount of text entered in the expanding fields. The positioned subforms will move within the flowed subform based on the expansion of the expanding text field.



To save a form as dynamic you must do a "save as", and change the type to dynamic instead of the default static. None of the expansion will work properly without the form being saved as a dynamic form.

[cherstein]

Kyle, I am totally insane and bewildered. I am a neophyte to LiveCycle. I have a form that I have been trying to create for 2 days!  I'm having the same problem regarding text boxes (form is attached).  I had converted a PDF file, but that form didn't work, so I thought I would start from scratch and now creating a new one in LiveCycle.  My deadline is looming!!!

In the Business Goals section on the form, I have 5 goal sections that need to be completed by the employee.  Each goal section must allow multple lines and expand to accomodate additional text.  I have tried everything everyone has suggested. The form was saved as a Dynamic Form. Each text box was set so layout expands to fit in height and allow multiple lines. Each box was put into a subform. I have tried flowed as well as postioned. I need to have each box viewable and expandable and to be able to print the form with each box showing its entire text. It can't flow into the box beneath it, but that seems to always happen ... no matter what I do.

I am pleading for help at this point.  Any chance you can take a look?

[Raghu_Nagireddy]

1. As fields are growable save it as dynamic form.

2. With growable text fileds, pages need to be Flow Content (ex: Page1, page2)

     This step is Specific to ur form - will make some of the form lay out will change, so group the radio buttons in to an subform before change to flow layout.

Make the above changes then ur from will work.

Please check the modified attached pdf (modified for first text field).

RAGHU.

[cherstein]

Wow - I see that Goal 1 and 2 worked. But do you know what I did wrong? I think you are Mr.LiveCycle Designer!  I had saved it as a dynamic form but not sure of the rest.  How do I  make a page a subform? I only see that option available on individual fields which I tried to no avail. What am I missing?

[Raghu_Nagireddy]

1. form as static insted of dynamic and page,

2 [(untitiled subform) page2] is not flow lay out - these two are the mistakes u did in the form.

Page means its already the main subform for that page it self.

In side page subforms are works like, irrespective of the flow or position lay out it will forllow which ever layout having the main subform i,e. page.

I changed whole form, compare with this so u can see what are the changes done.

RAGHU.

[cherstein]

I opened the revised form and looked at the hierarchy, but don't see any subforms listed.  I must be dense. I only see the test fields with allow multiple lines,allow page breaks with content and layout expand to fit. Yet it is working beautifully?  Everyone told met hat you need subforms?

[Raghu_Nagireddy]

Please see the attached image, may be you got confused.

RAGHU.

[cherstein]

Oh, I see now. You renamed the subforms. I didn't know you could do that? How? And you put the whole in a subform, too. but how do you do that? When I move my cursor up to the end of the page and right click, the option to wrap in subform is greyed out.

[Raghu_Nagireddy]

We can re-name any form/subform/any type of field for redability and understand purpose.

u can see wrap in subform option on right click when u select same level fields/subforms.

may be u selected page(main subform) and inside fields and subforms at the same time, so it got greayed out.

RAGHU.

[cherstein]

You are terrific!  You are a master at this !  One last thing, I figured that you can wrap the page in the hierarchy by right clicking. But then how do you get to the Palettes for the page so that i can make it expand to fit and flow from page to page?

[Raghu_Nagireddy]

Check the attached image, select the page u can see the pallet as usual for other fields, but object tab will vary with the options.

Mostly need to check for Page level pallet object tab and layout tabs.

RAGHU.

[cherstein]

Thanks, again for your assistance in this. As I said I am very new and have to try to understand and work hard at this.  But heading home for now.... looks like I missed my deadline today. Will try again on Monday.Have a great weekend!

[Bntrong]

I've got an issue that i've been banging my head on for quite 5 hours.. I've being working with livecycle and have the fields expanding and everything worksl like a champ.  My issue is say between page 2 (untitled subform)(page2) and page 3 (untitled subform)(page 3) when the field expands and lets say it goes on the next page the form leaves the rest of the page blank more than half and then the next page contains the next subform.

My question is how do you get the subform from the third page to start right after the last one on the second page regardless of how much text is put in by the user essentially eliminating all the dead space.

Everything is under form1 with 10 subforms each with their own page. 

PLEASE HELP i will be forever grateful.

[Raghu_Nagireddy]

That is the expected behaviour if each subform on its own page.

All subforms will starts from new page, it wont start at the end of previous subform, bcz all are not in same page (u specified in ur post).

if u want to start every other subform, at the end of previous subform make sure all subforms in one page and the page has flow layout.

Still have the same problem, please post the form here. it will be easy to explain and solve.

RAGHU.