Flowable form not flowing on to next page

[yenna128]

I've been perusing forums for the last few hours and still can't solve my problem with flowable forms. I have several text fields that need to be able to expand text and continue on to the next page if needed. Each of my text fields allow multiple lines, allow page breaks within content, expand to fit, and are put into subforms so they won't overlap each other when expanded. The preview is dynamic and it's saved as dynamic XML.  The text fields expand properly except when they reach the bottom of the page, at which point they overlap my footer and disappear. It seems like I need to make my Page1 and Page2 as fillable instead of  positioned, but when I do that, all the formatting gets shoved to the  left and I can't position the boxes where I'd like. Any ideas?

I only want the footer on the first page (so I didn't add it to the master page), but I still need a way for the expandable text fields to wrap around that footer and onto the next page, pushing down whatever is on the next page.

Any guidance would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

[jeanette614]

You have to make the Page1 subform Flowed and select either top to bottom or Western Text as your layout requires.

[yenna128]

How do I do that without making all the text be shoved to the left side?

[jeanette614]

Yes, that's a problem. I go back after all the text has moved and group things into "positioned" subforms so that I can make the layout as required. So if I know that I'm going to need the form to flow from page to page, I create a template page with a flowed Page1 subform and then I drag in all the objects that I need and then work from the top down to group them into subforms that are positioned the way I want them. Then your items will all move along like little boxes on a conveyor belt.  It's quite a shock the first time you click on flowed if your form is already laid out, isn't it?

[yenna128]

Haha yes! I believe my exact response was "Ah!"

I heeded your advice and changed page1 and page2 to flowable and repositioned everything on page1, but it won't let me change the subformatting of page2 so I can move things. Any ideas?

Also, do you know how to get rid of an extra page? I have a page3 that I don't need but it's not showing up in the heirarchy.

Thanks!

[jeanette614]

On a flowable form, you don't have a page2 exactly. You keep putting everything on page1 and it automatically flows to the next page and the next page. Getting rid of an extra page requires looking in the hierarchy and delete everything on that page including the subform which you have to delete last. Sometimes it's really stubborn and I don't know enough about subforms to know why that is but maybe someone else will jump in to tell us both. You'll get a warning telling you that you are trying to delete the last subform on the page and just say ok.

Now, if you already have a page 2 and stuff on it, open a blank, control all, then control C and paste all that stuff onto the blank, then delete everything off page2 and then delete page2. Go to the blank and repeat the copy process for everything there and paste it onto page one. It should flow over several pages depending on how many objects you have. Then you can close the blank and get rid of it. It's just an object holder while you get your original documents extra pages deleted.

Like I said, I create a blank form, change the Page1 subform to "Flowed" and then save that as a LiveCycle template called "Flowable Layout" or something like that. Then I look at the form I need to make and decide if it needs to flow or not and use a static template for ones that don't and my flowable template for those that do. Knowing ahead of time that you'll need it to flow saves from laying out the form twice. So I just let it flow from top to bottom and set my pieces of layout into positioned subforms. Then it's also easy to show or hide the subforms as needed. I use alot of buttons (visible screen only) to show hidden subforms that aren't needed until someone selects that section. It's all just great fun......

[yenna128]

Thanks for all your help! Good fun indeed. I'm importing this form from a Word document so unfortunately didn't have the option to make it flowable before I started. Your tip to put everything on Page1 worked and I could format the second page properly, however I'm still having the page break problem of things not flowing from the first page on to the second.