Summary
An earlier project created an AcroForm, a technology that works by overlaying fields on the print PDF design, for related Corporate Agreements. This form provided a form choice and field validation and ensured that required fields were complete prior to printing and signing. After several years of use, Mekon recommended replacement of the form using the LiveCycle Designer dynamic form technology. An internal American Express review and re-design process offered the opportunity to re-design the form as a dynamic form.
Key Issues
A new project offered the opportunity to create two new dynamic forms relating to American Express Purchasing Solutions. American Express required a good user experience during form completion, and the printing of completed forms for signature and processing.
Solution
The Mekon Form Framework provided a screen-sized, landscape, Master-page layout with a toolbar at the top supporting navigation by form section and by page within a form section. It also provided a centralised library of JavaScript code functions, the function-calls for which are embedded in the relevant trigger events of specific fields.
Benefits
- Form design and field layout are combined into a single design process.
- Different presentation for form completion and form printing. Fields and text are presented at screen size for completion, and are reduced for printing.
- The same form sections are re-drawn (superfluous questions removed and remaining sub-sections fully expanded) and re-flowed onto different print Master Pages for printing
- No page scrolling required during completion.
- Form sections can be shared between forms and re-usable “fragments” can be used within form sections.
- One form required the printing of up to five forms from the single set of information. Entered once printed many.
- Form section content divided up into “Subforms” to control the dynamic showing and hiding of questions. The user only has to complete relevant questions.
- Repeating form sub-sections are implemented as “repeatable” subforms e.g., Programme Administrators, Authorised Representatives etc.
- Standard library fields were modified to develop a custom field library for the project.
- Field and document level validation. The document level validation is modelled on the requirement that all visible fields must be completed. The form hides any irrelevant fields and/or sections.
- Reader Extensions allows local save, submission as a PDF, and export to XML in Adobe Reader.
