Building Other Custom Screens

Overview Advanced Custom Forms

Overview

Advanced Custom Forms provide you more control over the look and layout of the form that users will be accessing to enter data.

You can access Advanced Custom Forms by expanding the Custom Form from the Custom Form main screen.

Advanced Custom Forms

To begin building an Advanced Custom Forms screen, click the Add Advanced Form link.

The Advanced Custom Form Maintenance screen will display. Enter a Name for the screen and begin adding content to the form.

We will now review one section at a time, as well as the buttons/options on the Advanced Custom Form Maintenance screen.

System: This field cannot be edited. It is based on the type of Custom Form you are working in.

Name: This is the name of the Advanced Custom Form and is the name that users will see when trying to access the information.

Layout: Click this button to toggle the orientation of the form between Portrait (the default) or Landscape. This effects how the form will print when sent to a printer.

Table: The options under here are to be used if using a table on the form. You would want your cursor placed in the row you wish to work with, and then you can select to Clone a Row, Delete a Row, or Delete to Last Row which will remove the row with your cursor, and all rows of the table below it.

Fields: This is where you can access all of the available Skyward fields and Custom Fields created for the form and choose to add them to your form.

This window will display and you can move your mouse to the header of it to drag it anywhere on the screen. With this open, you can still update/enter text on your form, so moving it around can be very helpful so that you don’t have to constantly open and close it.

You can see the two groups of fields, and next to each field there is the Add link, just like in the Basic Custom Screen. The difference here is that you need to have your cursor in the location on the form where you want the field to be when you choose to add it.

JavaScript: You can enter the code into this area instead of entering it into the Source. Adding JavaScript directly to the Source could cause the Advanced Custom Form to no longer open. This can be used for something like adding an on screen alert.

Save: Use this to save your work without closing the screen.

Save & Close: Use this button to save your work, and close the screen to return to the Custom Form main screen.

Print: Click this button to create a printable version (a .PDF) of the form. This is helpful to verify that you are formatting the form to your liking.

Back: Click this to return to the Custom Form main screen without saving your work.

Page Layout: This is displaying the option set in the Layout area previously discussed.

Secure Form: This allows you to be able to assign security to Advanced Custom Form independently from other Custom Screens that are not secured. If you only want a group of users that enter data into Custom Forms to be able to fill out the Screen you are creating, check this option.

Set Security Groups: This button will be active if the Secure Form option is checked. Click on this button to be able to select which Web Student Management Security Groups you want to access on this screen. The actual Security Levels will be set back on the Custom Form main screen.

This set of buttons is used to modify the formatting of the information entered on the screen.

Use this button to undo your recent changes to the Undo body of the form. Clicking [Ctrl]+[z] while on the

screen will also accomplish this.

Use this button to redo a change that the Undo button had been used on. Clicking [Ctrl]+[y] while Redo on the screen will also accomplish this. This button

will only be active if no other changes were made since clicking Undo.

Use this button to find specific text within your form.

Find

This screen will appear where you can enter in your text (any characters), and choose from the additional Find Options.

Use this button to find specific text within your form, and then have it replaced with different text.

Replace

This screen will appear where you can enter in your text you want to find, and then enter the text you want to replace it with. You also can choose from the additional Find Options.

Use this button if you wish to select all information added to the form. This can be helpful if you need Select All to start over (click this, and then

Delete/Backspace), or if you need to standardize the formatting.

Click this to remove any additional formatting Remove Format made to text on your screen.

Use this button to paste any text from your Clipboard into the form. Clicking [Ctrl]+[v] while Paste on the screen will also accomplish this. Note: You

cannot paste images into the form. You should use the Image button.

Use this button when pasting text that may have some formatting, which you either do not want on your form, or if it may be “hidden” in the background (i.e. pasting from Microsoft Word).

Paste as plain text

This screen will appear. Paste your text into this window, and then click ok. Note: When pasting from Word, even with this option, some formatting may still cause the form to not function correctly. It is best to enter your text directly into the form.

Use this button when pasting items that were Paste from Word copied from the Microsoft Word program.

Click this option to make your text bolded. Clicking Bold [Ctrl]+[b] while on the screen will also accomplish

this.

Click this option to make your text italicized. Italic Clicking [Ctrl]+[i] while on the screen will also

accomplish this.

Click this option to underline your text. Clicking Underline [Ctrl]+[u] while on the screen will also accomplish

this.

Click this option to show the strike through your Strike Through text.

Click this option to be able to enter subscript text Subscript before or after your regular text.

Click this option to be able to enter superscript Superscript text before or after your regular text.

Click this option when you wish to start a new Insert/Remove numbered list (the list will start indented from the Numbered List regular alignment), or when you wish to end a numbered list.

Click this option when you wish to start a new Insert/Remove bulleted list (the list will start indented from the Bulleted List regular alignment), or when you wish to end a bulleted list.

Use this button to move the alignment back to the right after increasing the indentation. This button Decrease Indent will only be active on a line that the Increase Indent has been used on.

Use this button to move the alignment away from the far left in about ½ inch. As text wraps from Increase Indent line to line, or return lines are entered the new lines will keep this indentation.

Use this option to create indented text with an Block Quote extra line above and below the block.

Align Left This aligns the paragraph along the left margin.

This aligns the paragraph evenly down the center Center of the form.

Align Right This aligns the paragraph along the right margin.

This aligns your text evenly along the left and right margins. This will increase the spacing between Justify words on a line so that the start and end of it are

at the margins. The last line of a paragraph will use normal spacing between words.

Text Color You can change the color of the text here.

You can change the background color of the text Background Color here.

Use this to create a hyperlink within your text.

Link

This window will display where you can select the type of link (URL, an Anchor in the Form, or an Email), and then enter the details for the link. The other tabs are available for more advanced options.

When you have linked text selected, this button Unlink will be active allowing you to remove the link.

Use this button to upload an image to be displayed on your form. Most common web images are accepted.

Image

This window will appear, go to the New Image tab, then browse for your image from your computer, and then click Upload Image. It will then take you back to the Existing Image tab where you can set some additional image properties.

Use this button to add a table to the form. Tables are great to use to accomplish unique layouts, or to keep text within certain margins.

Table

Clicking the Table button will open this screen where you can begin to set up the new table’s properties. A table width of 820 pixels will span the width of an 8.5 inch wide piece of paper (Portrait Layout form). A table width of 1080 pixels will span the width of an 11 inch wide piece of paper (Landscape Layout form).

Once a table is added to the form, you can then right click with your mouse in it to get additional formatting functionality with the rows, columns, and individual cells.

This will insert a line that will display and print on Insert Horizontal the form that will span the width of the form, or Line the cell it was inserted into.

This will insert a special character into the form that you can’t enter in with a normal key-stroke. Insert Special Character A screen will display allowing you to select the character. The character will be placed wherever your cursor is on the form.

This will allow you to insert a line that will force Insert Page Break everything below it to print on a new sheet of for Printing paper. This will appear like a horizontal line on screen, but will not show when printed.

You can select the font you wish to use for your Font Name text or form fields from this drop-down.

You can select the size of the font you wish to use Font Size here.

You can select the size of the line you wish to use Line Height here.

Click this button to toggle between the Form Editor view (the default), and seeing and editing the actual HTML code. Source

If you are familiar with HTML code, this can be very helpful to accomplish tasks that the Form Editor would not let you do.

When your Advanced Custom Form is saved, it will then be available for users to begin accessing and entering data into.

Expand the Custom Form from the Custom Form main screen and then expand the Advanced Custom Form area to view the screen just created. Click Edit next to the form at any time to modify the layout, click Delete next to the form to remove it, and you can use the Save Current Version as Backup once you have a working form.

It will then prompt you to confirm the backup, and then give you the options you see on the image to the right with the form.