Form Layout

SAIL Design System guidance available for Form Layout When you need to collect data in a structured, intuitive way, use the form layout. Learn how to use the form layout to simplify data collection and create forms that work as seamlessly as they look.

Function

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a!formLayout( backgroundColor, formWidth, showWhen, label, instructions, showHeaderDivider, isHeaderFixed, contents, skipAutoFocus, buttons, showButtonFooterDivider, validations, validationGroup )

Displays any arrangement of layouts and components beneath a header and above buttons. Use this as the top-level layout for start and task forms.

See also: Dashboard, Columns

Parameters

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Usage considerations

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Using a!formLayout()

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• A button layout must be present for a back button to appear for activity-chained tasks.
• Use form validation messages for problems that are not specific to a single component.
• This component cannot be read-only or disabled.

Form width in record action dialogs

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If you are planning to display the form in a record action dialog, keep in mind that the dialog size is set in the record type and that the form width is set in the form layout. Be sure to open the record action to make sure the form width looks good with the dialog size.

We recommend setting the formWidth parameter to "FULL" when displaying the form in a dialog.

Initial behavior & focusing

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• The component is not in an initially collapsed section.
• Focus will automatically be applied on initial load to the first component in a form that is one of the following:
  • Checkbox
  • Date
  • Date and Time
  • Decimal
  • Dropdown
  • Encrypted Text
  • File-Upload
  • Integer
  • Multi-Dropdown
  • Paragraph
  • Picker Components
  • Radio Button
  • Text

Scroll behavior in wizards

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In wizards, Appian automatically handles the page scrolling between each step of the wizard. This means that whenever a user navigates to the next step, the page will automatically scroll to the top of the page.

If you are using the form layout in a wizard, make sure that the buttons or dynamic links that control form navigation are placed in the buttons parameter. If they are placed in the contents parameter, auto scrolling will not work.

Examples

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To experiment with examples, copy and paste the expression into an interface object.

Read-only form

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Use the interactive editor below to test out your code:

Form with background color

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a!localVariables(
  local!data:a!map( firstName:null, lastName:null, email:null, country:null, orgName:null, title:null ),
  a!formLayout(
    backgroundColor: "#f8f6f0",
    formWidth: "MEDIUM",
    label: "REGISTER NOW",
    instructions: "Enter your details below to register for the conference",
    contents: {
      a!sectionLayout(
        label: "YOUR DETAILS",
        labelSize: "SMALL",
        labelColor: "STANDARD",
        contents: {
          a!cardLayout(
            contents: {
              a!columnsLayout(
                columns: {
                  a!columnLayout(
                    contents: {
                      a!textField(
                        label: "First name",
                        value: local!data.firstName,
                        saveInto: local!data.firstName
                      )
                    }
                  ),
                  a!columnLayout(
                    contents: {
                      a!textField(
                        label: "Last name",
                        value: local!data.lastName,
                        saveInto: local!data.lastName
                      )
                    }
                  )
                }
              ),
              a!textField(
                label: "Email address",
                labelPosition: "ABOVE",
                value: local!data.email,
                saveInto: local!data.email,
                marginAbove: "STANDARD"
              ),
              a!dropdownField(
                label: "Country",
                labelPosition: "ABOVE",
                placeholder: "Select your country of residence",
                choiceLabels: {"United States", "United Kingdom", "Canada"},
                choiceValues: {1, 2, 3},
                value: local!data.country,
                saveInto: local!data.country,
                marginAbove: "STANDARD"
              ),
              a!textField(
                label: "Organization name",
                labelPosition: "ABOVE",
                value: local!data.orgName,
                saveInto: local!data.orgName,
                marginAbove: "STANDARD"
              ),
              a!textField(
                label: "Job title",
                labelPosition: "ABOVE",
                value: local!data.title,
                saveInto: local!data.title,
                marginAbove: "STANDARD"
              )
            },
            style: "#f2ede1",
            shape: "SEMI_ROUNDED",
            padding: "STANDARD",
            marginBelow: "STANDARD",
            borderColor: "#d4cebe"
          )
        },
        marginAbove: "STANDARD"
      )
    },
    buttons: a!buttonLayout(
      primaryButtons: {
        a!buttonWidget(
          label: "Register",
          icon: "arrow-right",
          submit: true,
          validate: true,
          style: "SOLID",
          color: "#DEB03D"
        )
      },
      secondaryButtons: {
        a!buttonWidget(
          label: "Cancel",
          submit: true,
          validate: false,
          saveInto: {},
          style: "OUTLINE",
          color: "#000000",
          value: true
        )
      }
    ),
    showButtonFooterDivider: false
  )
)
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Displays the following:

Feature compatibility

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Old versions

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There are older versions of this interface component. You can identify older versions by looking at the name to see if there is a version suffix. If you are using an old version, be sure to refer to the corresponding documentation from the list below.

To learn more about how Appian handles this kind of versioning, see the Function and Component Versions page.

Related Patterns

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The following patterns include usage of the Form Layout.

• Add Multiple Validation Rules to One Component (Validation): Enforce that the user enters at least a certain number of characters in their text field, and also enforce that it contains the "@" character.

• Add Validations to an Inline Editable Grid (Validation, Grids, Looping): Allows the user to change data directly in a grid, and validate a various entries.

• Add, Edit, and Remove Data in an Inline Editable Grid (Grids, Looping): Allow the user to change data directly in an inline editable grid.

• Add, Remove, and Move Group Members Browser (Hierarchical Data, Group Management): Display the membership tree for a given group and provide users with the ability to add, remove, and move user members from a single interface.

• Build a Wizard with Milestone Navigation (Conditional Display, Validation, Wizards): Create a wizard that divides a form into validated steps and uses the milestone component to display progress.

• Configure Buttons with Conditional Requiredness (Validation): Present two buttons to the end user and only make certain fields required if the user clicks a particular button

• Configure a Boolean Checkbox (Choice Components): Configure a checkbox that saves a boolean (true/false) value, and validate that the user selects the checkbox before submitting a form.

• Configure a Dropdown Field to Save a CDT (Choice Components): When using a dropdown to select values from the database, or generally from an array of CDT values, configure it to save the entire CDT value rather than just a single field.

• Configure a Dropdown with an Extra Option for Other (Choice Components): Show a dropdown that has an "Other" option at the end of the list of choices. If the user selects "Other", show a required text field.

• Make a Component Required Based on a User Selection (Validation): Make a paragraph component conditionally required based on the user selection.

• Set the Default Value Based on a User Input (Default Value): Set the default value of a variable based on what the user enters in another component.

• Set the Default Value of CDT Fields Based on a User Input (Default Value): Set the value of a CDT field based on a user input.

• Set the Default Value of an Input on a Start Form (Default Value): Display a default value in some form inputs on a start form, and save the value into the process when submitting.

• Set the Default Value of an Input on a Task Form (Default Value): Display a default value in some form inputs on a task form, and save the value to process when submitting.

• Showing Validation Errors that Aren't Specific to One Component (Validation): Alert the user about form problems that aren't specific to one component, showing the message only when the user clicks "Submit".

• Track Adds and Deletes in Inline Editable Grid (Grids): In an inline editable grid, track the employees that are added for further processing in the next process steps.

• Use Links in a Grid to Show More Details and Edit Data in External System (Grids, Web Services): Allow end users to click a link in a read-only grid to view the details for the row, and make changes to the data.

• Use Selection For Bulk Actions in an Inline Editable Grid (Grids): Allow the user to edit data inline in a grid one field at a time, or in bulk using selection.

• Use Validation Groups for Buttons with Multiple Validation Rules (Validation): Present two buttons to the end user that, based on the selection, will validate only after a particular button is clicked.

Feedback

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