A
form that has a flowable layout contains subforms and other elements
that adjust to accommodate the amount of data available to fill
the form. The form can be interactive, which means that users can
fill the form, or non-interactive, where a server-based process
merges data into the form. (See Form design layouts.)
Master pages, content areas, and subforms are the elements that
control how Designer places objects in the form and adjusts to display
varying amounts of data.
Differences at design time and run time
In a flowable layout, keep
in mind that what you see at design time is not what users see when
the form is rendered. For example, a form design may contain one item
row to enter data in. However, when the form is rendered on the
client, the form may contain several item rows and users may be
able to insert additional item rows. The number of rows that appear
at design time depends on whether you wrapped the objects in the
item row in a subform that uses the Min Count or Max options. Setting
up the subform Min Count or Max options controls the number of rows
that are initially available for users to fill and the number of additional
rows that users can later add.
Because a form that has a flowable
layout adjusts automatically to accommodate data, you do not have
to set the size of objects or the number of item lines that the
form requires. For example, by selecting options such as Allow Multiple
Lines, Allow Page Breaks Within Content, and Expand To Fit, you
can design flowable interactive forms that adjust to an undetermined
amount of data.
For an example of the differences between
the design and run-time views of non-interactive forms, see How non-interactive forms that have a flowable layout work.
