Developing Adobe Interactive Forms: Considerations and setup
Preliminary cosiderations
A form works an interactive user interface, that means it's main purpose is to display data and serve as an interface for the input of user data. Therefore data processing should be limited on
- retrieving data from the data source / integrated data
- preparing the data for display
- validating user input
- handling data input for postprocessing applications / purposes
State things clear before you start with the development
- What is the main purpose of the form?
- Do we have requirements which should be better implemented in the data layer (preprocessing) or business logic (postprocessing)?
- Postprocessing application logic: Find out if there are special requirements on the data your form will provide
- Preprocessing data layer: Try to prepare your data source ready-to-serve according to your form functionalities
- Develop step-by-step and structure your implementation into iterative steps. Test together with your customer after each iteration.
Form Layout development
- Define the fields (values, validation, UI properties)
- Retrieve dependand and dynamic values and fields (a diagramm can help!)
- Take a pen and and set up a simple wireframe.
- Develop a form layout based on your analysis and with the help of professional UX guides.
- Take your mockup to the customer and simulate the form filling process.
- Find out answers on questions which your customer didn't provide yet. (What will happen if the user interacts not according to the requirements? Remember, users can be ingenious...)
- Which user interactions have to be prevented? (Considering the possiblities the user has to interact with the form)
Scripting development
- Group your functionalities
- Make a concept for your scripting implementation
- Setup up prototype and reusable functions
- Use global scripting variables (and fragments, if your LCD dupports them)
- Try to implement according to an object oriented point of view: modular, coherent and consistent. Don't twist up.
Setup your development environment
Those of you who already worked with scripting in Adobe LifecycleDesigner know that developping script in Adobe Interactice Forms can really result in a spaghetti-code-nightmare. Regarding the "IDE" in Adobe LifecycleDesigner I recommend to take advantage of the "stand-alone-script-window-toggle-by-keyboard-functionality" ;-) described by Stefan Cameron:
» Designer Environment Initial Setup
[Screenshot: http://forms.stefcameron.com/2009/10/30/designer-environment-initial-setup/]
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