Form template designer is an advanced form layout editor with a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) interface designed to allow users the ability to drag and drop form fields within the form layout.

A form layout consists of a table of cells referenced by row number and column number. A form layout can have an unlimited number of rows and columns, however, on average it should have no more than 10 columns (but as many rows as required). Fields are contained within a particular cell. A cell can have an unlimited number of fields/elements.

If a form layout contains a large number of fields, it is advisable to divide the form layout into multiple pages. A form template can have unlimited pages.

• To add a new page simply select the location where you wish to insert the page then click on the Insert Page button.
• To switch between pages simply click on the require page number displayed.

When designing the form layout, the number of cells in the form can be changed as required.

• To insert a new row of cells, simply select the location of where the new row should be inserted then click on the adjacent Insert button.
• To delete a row of cells, simple click on the Delete link button for the row you wish to delete

The same editing technique can be applied to changing the number of columns in the form layout.

• To change the number of columns, simply change the value for the number of columns then click on the Update link button

Fields can be add or removed by using the context menu available for each cell.

• To add a field to a cell, simply move the mouse to the center of the cell. An empty box will appear around the cell. Right mouse click on the box to view context menu options. Click on the Add new Field menu item.
• To edit a field in a cell, simply move the mouse to the center of the field. A blue box will appear around the field. Right mouse click on the box and a context menu will appear. Click on the Edit field menu item.
• To change a field property, simply move the mouse to the center of the field. A blue box will appear around the field. Right mouse click on the box and a context menu will appear. Click on the Edit cell properties menu item.

The image below shows a form layout containing a total of 10 cells (2 rows by 5 columns). Click to enlarge:

Note: Guidelines of how to edit the form layout are displayed in the form template designer screen. This help option can be switched off by unselecting the Show Help option available from the top right corner of the screen.

The Form Template Designer consist of three components:

Form Layout: This is the main component of the template designer where form fields are created and maintained.

Cell Properties: This component provides the ability to setup individual cells in the table format of the form layout.

Field Properties: This component provides the the ability to setup individual field properties in table cells of the form.