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XForm Editor is an easy-to-use, graphical tool for creating and editing documents with XForm-based content. The generated XForm files stored on the server are intended to be managed by the workflow process console. Moreover, XForm Editor provides the capability of internationalizing XForms by choosing desired languages.
To build new XForms, XForm Editor analyses data obtained from a generic xml flux provided by the ProEd Process Editor that contains the properties defined in the process or the activities, and then it creates the corresponding XForm elements.
XForm Editor is included with the ProEd workflow editor. The ProEd application provides an xml data flux, the desired languages, and the URL of the servlet that will provide existing XForm files and save new or modified XForms.
To launch the XForm Editor, from the Project/Activity properties window click the "Edit XForm" button in the "Attributes" tab, as shown in the following figure.
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After starting the XForm Editor, the following main panel will display.
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Use the editing toolbar to:
A complete description of menu can be found here. A complete description of toolbars can be found here |
This dialog can be accessed in the following ways:
From the main starting panel, right click on the selected INPUT component.
From the main starting panel, double click on the selected INPUT component.
![]() | Following customization can be
performed:
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This dialog can be accessed in the following ways:
From the main starting panel, right click on the selected ENUMERATION component.
From the main starting panel, double click on the selected ENUMERATION component.
![]() | The following customization can be
performed:
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After saving the XForm (Save button of the XForm Editor), click on the "View Xform look&feel" button on the first toolbar.
A default navigator window opens that displays the generated XForm look and feel, as shown in the following figure. It simulates exactly the look and feel of the form that will be displayed within the process console.
A complete description of the toolbars can be found here.
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Click on the "View document XML" button on the first toolbar. A window opens in which the generated XForm source is displayed. All modifications performed within XForm Editor are reflected immediately in the displayed source code (there is no need to save the XForm).
A complete description of the toolbars can be found here.
View Document XML: open a window to display the XForm document (xhtml file).
View look&feel: open a web browser to display the form that will be seen in the process console.
There are two toolbars with icons:
Tools toolbar: this toolbar provides a pallete of icons to access some tool functions.
Editing toolbar: this toolbar provides a pallete of icons for edit functions in the main window.
Save: save current XForm files on the server.
View Document XML: open a window to display the XForm document (xhtml file).
View look&feel: open a web browser to display the form that will be seen in the process console.
Help: open a window to browse the online documentation for the tool.
move to the top: move the selected component to the top.
move up: move the selected component up one.
move down: move the selected component down one.
move to the bottom: move the selected component to the bottom.
change input or textarea: switch the selected component from input to textarea XForms Form control or the opposite.
change select: switch the selected input type component from input to secret XForms Form control or the opposite.
multiple select: switch the selected select type component from select1 (single selection) to select (multiple selection) XForms Form control or the opposite.
delete: delete the selected component(s).
up: select the previous component.
down: select the next component.
home: select the first component.
end: select the last component.
shift-up: select the previous component and the current component.
shift-down: select the next component and the current component.
shift-home: select all components from the current component to the first component, inclusive.
shift-end: select all components from the current component to the last component, inclusive.
control-up: move the selected component(s) up one.
control-down: move the selected component(s) down one.
control-home: move the selected component(s) to the top.
control-end: move the selected component(s) to the bottom.
This window below the two toolbars (described in chapter 4) shows the XForms Form control that represents the properties defined in the process or in the activity element within ProEd editor. The following options are available from this window:
Change the main type of XForms Form control by selecting the component and clicking on the three icons to the right of the edit toolbar (chapter 4).
Change the order of the components with the edit toolbar.
Open the property window of a component.
The id and the main type of each XForms Form control is displayed. The submit component has no id.
The window name is the name of the process or the activity from which XformEditor has been opened.
The property window of a component can be accessed in the following ways:
right click or
left double click
on the box containing the type of the component.
This input properties window can be accessed from the Main XForm window.
The characteistics of an input form control can be managed from this window.
The following characteristics are defined:
Label: (lang1, lang2, lang3): this label displayed in the form can be localized in three languages.
Data type: this feature provides the ability to give a value type. The browser can then check that the values match the required type. The following types can be defined within the XForm editor :
String: is defined in standard XML Schema. A string with whitespace characters replaced by the space character.
Integer: is defined in standard XML Schema. It is a positive or negative number without fraction digits (The ·value space· of integer is the infinite set {...,-2,-1,0,1,2,...})
Date ISO: is defined in standard XML schema as date. Format examples: 2002-10-10, 2002-10-10-05:00
Date dd/mm/yyyy: is a specific French format defined in a custom shema. Format example: 10/10/2002
Time: is defined in standard XML schema. Format example: 12:34:29.8 (hh:mm:ss.sss)
Required: describes whether or not a value must be supplied before the form is submitted.
If 'Yes' is selected, this attribute will be mandatory. If 'No' is selected, the attribute will not be mandatory. To make the attribute mandatory only in some cases, select 'Condition', which causes the 'Edit condition' link to appear to the right of the selection box. This provides access to the condition panel.
Relevant: allows this form control to be disabled. If this property is set to false, the workflow attribute is unavailable to the user.
If 'Yes' is selected, this attribute will be visible in the form. If 'No' is selected, the attribute will not appear in the form. To make the attribute visible only in some cases, select 'Condition', which causes the 'Edit condition' link to appear to the right of the selection box. This gives access to the condition panel.
Readonly: describes whether or not the value is restricted from changing.
If 'Yes' is selected, the user will be able to enter a value in the form. If 'No' is selected, the attribute will be read-only. To make the attribute read-only only in some cases, select 'Condition', which causes the 'Edit condition' link to appear to the right of the selection box. This provides access to the condition panel.
Constraints: press this button to display the constraints dialog to edit constraints for the attributes.
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The enumeration properties window can be accessed from the Main XForm window.
Two types of enumerations could have been defined under ProEd: static and dynamic enumeration. Definition windows are the same, except that localization of the possible values is only available for static enumeration.
The following characteristics are defined:
Label (lang1, lang2, lang3): this label displayed in the form can be localized in three languages.
Possible (lang1, lang2, lang3): the column 'value' shows the key value entered into the enumeration definition of proEd. The column 'label' will be displayed in the form based on the browser language and the performed localization in three languages.
![]() | Warning |
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When modifying a cell in the right column (label), the modification is validated when the cell loses focus. Therefore, after modifying the last cell, it is necessary to shift focus to another cell before clicking on the Okay button. |
Required: describes whether or not a value must be supplied before the form is submitted.
If 'Yes' is selected, this attribute will be mandatory. If 'No' is selected, the attribute will not be mandatory. To make the attribute mandatory only in some cases, select 'Condition', which causes the 'Edit condition' link to appear to the right of the selection box. This provides access to the condition panel.
Relevant: allows this form control to be disabled. If this property is set to false, the workflow attribute is unavailable to the user.
If 'Yes' is selected, this attribute will be visible in the form. If 'No' is selected, the attribute will not appear in the form. To make the attribute visible only in some cases, select 'Condition', which causes the 'Edit condition' link to appear to the right of the selection box. This provides access to the condition panel.
Readonly: describes whether or not the value is restricted from changing.
If 'Yes' is selected, the user will be able to enter a value in the form. If 'No' is selected, the attribute will be read-only. To make the attribute read-only only in some cases, select 'Condition', which causes the 'Edit condition' link to appear to the right of the selection box. This provides access to the condition panel.
Appearance: allows the appearance of the selection field in the form to be selected.
For Single selection select type:
'Minimal' will result in a small drop-down menu. 'Extended' will result in a larger selection field. 'Radio' will create a radio button for every possible value.
For Multiple selection select type:
'Minimal' will result in a small selection field. 'Extended' will result in a larger selection field. 'Checkboxes' will create a checkbox for every possible value.
The same characteristics as those in the previous section, static enumeration, can be defined (except for the localization of possibles values initially entered with ProEd Editor, which is not allowed for dynamic enumeration).
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These specify a condition that must be satisfied for the data to be considered valid. It allows provides the capability of including extra contraints with other attribute values.
The constraint dialog for string type is accessed in the following ways:
From the main window showing the form controls, right click or double click on INPUT to open the Input properties window.
Then, from Input properties window that shows Data type : String, click on the "Edit constraint" button.
The constraint dialog for string type contains the followings pre-defined constraints:
length: lower and upper limit for the string's length.
must [not] start with: Enter a space separated list of strings.The value of the attribute must [not] start with one of these strings.
must [not] contain: Choose whether or not the value must [not] contain one or all the specified strings. Enter a space-separated list of strings.
Attribute value =: Enter a space separated list of values. The value of the attribute must be equal [not equal] to at least one of these values. Other string attributes can be added using the combobox on the right. In this case, this is the value of the attribute that is used for the comparison. Note that If the string entered matches the name of an attribute, the same previous mechanism is applied.
Attribute value !=: same principle as previous, but with "not equal" assertion.
All characters allowed: When this radio button is selected, any character is authorized. Some sets of characters can be prohibited by checking the checkboxes on the right or by typing them in the following input field. Be careful not to use a prohibited character in another constraint in the right.
lower case: means character list: "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz".
Upper case: means character list: "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ".
Numbers: means number list: "0123456789".
Spaces: blank and tabulation characters
Accents: means character list: "àâäéèêëìîïòôöùûüç".
No character allowed: same principle as previous constraint but with opposite assertion: No character allowed.
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The constraint dialog for integer type is accessed in the following ways:
From the main window that shows the form controls, right click or double click on the INPUT cell to open the input properties window.
Then from the input properties window that has Data type : Integer, click on the "Edit constraint" button.
The constraint dialog for string type contains the followings pre-defined constraints:
First constraint: Enter a lower and an upper value for the value of the attribut named: Id
Second constraint: Choose other integer attributes as a lower value and as an upper value.
Third and forth constraints: these allow a space-separated list of values to be entered. In the example, the attribute named Id must be equal [not equal] to at least one of these values. Other integer attributes can be added using the combobox on the right. In this case, this is the value of the integer attribute that is used for the comparison.
The Condition panel displays the current set of rules for the required, relevant, and readonly properties. It can be accessed in the following ways:
From the main window that shows the form controls, right click or double click on INPUT or ENUMERATION cell to open the properties window.
Then from the properties window, select 'Condition', which causes the 'Edit condition' link to appear to the right of the selection box. This Provides access to the condition panel as shown in the following figure.
Each row in the table represents a rule. Multiple rules are logically combined using the Operator column. The columns are as follows:
Op - This column allows the selection of either "AND" or "OR" to logically combine multiple rules.
"("- Multiple parenthesis levels can be used to build complex conditions.
Attribute - This column will display a drop down list of all attributes visible in the form. Select the attribute desired for the rule.
Comp - Select either "=" or "!=" comparison for the rule.
Value - Select or enter the desired comparison value. If the selected attribute for this rule is an enumeration type, then the list of valid enumeration values is displayed in this column.
")"- Same as above.
To change the value of a cell in the condition table, click on the desired cell and a text entry or a combo box will appear that will allow the appropriate value to be entered or selected.