Forms containing subforms that are
set to flow content have a varying number of pages. When the form
is rendered, objects are placed inside content areas and, if the
data fills the content area, a page break is automatically inserted.
By default, all of the pages inherit the format of the default master
page.
When more than one master page is available, each one can influence
how pages are formatted. In this case, the layout of a master page
is applied when the subform that it is associated with is rendered.
That is, if the subform is rendered on page 2 of the form, the format
of the assigned master page is applied to page 2.
Two options are available for applying master pages to forms
whose number of pages vary. The nature of the type of form should
dictate which of these options are used.
First, you can limit the number of times a master page is used
in a form by setting minimum and maximum page-occurrence settings.
For example, the first master page needs a minimum and maximum page-occurrence
setting of one to indicate that it always occurs only once. For
master pages, the default minimum count is 0 and the maximum count
is -1. For the second master page, the layout can be rendered on
a page an infinite number of times.
Alternatively, you can define the placement of the master pages
in the page set, such as in the first printed page, the last printed
page, or the printed pages that occur in between. For example, a
pay statement has company and employee-specific information on the
first page. Subsequent pages show very little company or employee
information and a significant amount of time card information. You
can define two master pages. The first master page will have the company
logo and contact information first, outside the content area. A
small content area will follow to receive employee-specific information.
The second master page will have a larger content area, possibly
covering the whole page, to receive time card information.
By default, all form designs are created with the option of applying
master pages by setting minimum and maximum occurrence values. Although
different, the result of the rendered page using either option is
the same. However, if the form is intended for double-sided printing,
use the placement options.
Keep in mind that if you define the placement of the master pages
in a form design and then you switch to setting page-occurrence
values, you may need to make some changes to the form before it
will behave as expected. Also, defining the placement of master
pages is recommended only for form designs saved as Acrobat 8 (Static)
PDF forms or for form designs intended for printing, including PCL
and Postscript.
