Working with data in tables

Some data from a data source could be shown in a table. When you connect to a data source, the Data View palette identifies any items that could be tables. Designer also shows which items will become rows in the table if it finds a repeating data group.

After you connect to a data source, you can drag items from the Data View palette onto the form design to quickly create fields that are bound to the data source. If you drag a table item from the Data View palette onto the form design, Designer creates a table and, when you select a data file, you see a table like this one at run time. The repeating data group in the data file has four records.

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1. Ensure you are connected to a data source. See Connecting to a data source .

   For example, if you or your administrator installed the samples that come with Designer, locate and open the following schema: Purchase Order.xsd in the Data Connections dialog box.

2. In the Data View palette, locate a node that could be a table. For example, locate the following item node.

   

   I tem node represents the table

3. Select the node and drag it onto your form design. For example, this is what you should see after dragging the item node onto your form.

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   The Data View palette shows that the node is bound to an object.

4. To select a data file, select File > Form Properties and click the Preview tab.

   For example, if you or your administrator installed the samples that come with , locate and open the Purchase Order.xml data file.

5. View the form in the Preview PDF tab.

   Designer automatically creates a table that dynamically grows, depending on the amount of data in the data source.

If you have already created a table that has a fixed number of columns and rows, you can convert it to one that dynamically grows based on the amount of data from a data source. Converting the table involves setting the subform that contains the table to Flowed and setting the body row or rows to repeat.

1. Create a table. See To create a simple table .

2. Select the rows below the first row.

   In a table whose number of columns are fixed, but its number of rows will change depending on how much information is in the data source, only one row is needed. Therefore, you must delete all the rows except the first row in the table. You can keep the footer row.

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3. Select Table > Delete > Row.

4. Save the form as Adobe Dynamic XML Form (*.pdf).

5. In the Hierarchy palette, select the subform that contains the table.

6. In the Object palette, click the Subform tab and select Flowed from the Content list.

   

7. In the Hierarchy palette, select the body row (for example, Row1).

8. In the Object palette, click the Binding tab and select the Repeat Row For Each Data Item option.

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9. Connect to a data source. See Connecting to a data source .

   You must connect to a data source, such as an XML schema, to show data in the table.

10. Select a data file. See To preview a form using sample data .

    You must select a data file to view and test the form with the data.

11. View the form in the Preview PDF tab.