How to Create a Form

Info: For further information on forms please click here.
  1. To create a new form you can either:
  1. Press the Form Details Form Details button button on the Home tab (if you have an item open in a form)
  2. Select Window > Form Details
  3. Press Ctrl+F10:

Screenshot of the Form Details dialog

Tip: To reset the dialog to its default values press the Reset button.
  1. By using the For Type pulldown menu choose which type of information the form will show or you can choose All item types:

Screenshot of the Form Details dialog showing the For Type drop-down

  1. Highlight the Form icon and you can then choose whether to add a Gap, Row, Column or Data layout part:

Screenshot of the Form Details dialog showing the DATA drop-down

Note: Layout parts may be added, copied, removed and repositioned using the appropriate buttons available.
  1. For rows and columns you have the following options:

Layout properties for rows and columns

  1. Style - As one of Basic or Panel. If you select Panel the row or column will be shown as a panel so can be expanded or collapsed. If Basic is chosen no panel is shown.
  2. Side - Set the side as one of Default, Left, Right, Top or Bottom. This is the side of its container against which to place the part. By default, this depends on the type of container. If the container is a row, the part will be placed against the left side inside the row. If the container is a column, the part will be placed against the top side inside the column.
  3. Align - Set the alignment as one of Default, Left, Centre or Right
  4. Label - This is only available if the Style is set to Panel. Enter a label (title) for the panel.
  5. Show panel collapsed by default - This is only available if the Style is set to Panel. Select whether the panel is collapsed by default.
  1. For gaps you have the following options:

Layout part properties in forms

  1. Width - Width of the layout part in pixels
  2. Height - Height of the layout part in pixels
  3. Side - Set the side as one of Default, Left, Right, Top or Bottom. This is the side of its container against which to place the part. By default, this depends on the type of container. If the container is a row, the part will be placed against the left side inside the row. If the container is a column, the part will be placed against the top side inside the column.
  4. Align - Set the alignment as one of Default, Left, Centre or Right
  1. For data you have the following options:

Screenshot of the Form Details dialog showing the Layout Part Properties section

  1. Enter the following information:
  1. Width - Width of the layout part in characters
  2. Height - Height of the layout part in lines
  3. Side - Set the side as one of Default, Left, Right, Top or Bottom. This is the side of its container against which to place the part. By default, this depends on the type of container. If the container is a row, the part will be placed against the left side inside the row. If the container is a column, the part will be placed against the top side inside the column.
  4. Align - Set the alignment as one of Default, Left, Centre or Right
  5. Wrap - If you have chosen a Frame as the Data value, you can set the Wrap to be None, Character or Word
  6. Label - Enter a label for the layout part to be displayed in the form. If the data property is Text, this specifies the static text to be displayed.
  7. Data - Choose the data to be displayed
Note: Most of the available selections directly correspond to item properties, such as Identity and Owner. Not all of these properties are applicable to all item types. For a generic form all data properties are listed as the form may be used with more than one item type. For forms with a specified To Type, only those data properties that are appropriate are available. A data property of Text does not display an item property, instead it displays static text specified as the part's label.
  1. Value - If you have chosen Frame, Category or Calculation as the Data value, you can choose either a frame name, category name or calculation by using the Value pulldown menu. If Data is set to Linked items you can choose from the following options:
  • All linked items - Displays all linked items (both cross references and pseudo cross references)
  • All cross referenced items - Displays all cross references
  • Cross referenced items of type - Provides a further dropdown (To Type) to choose a specific item type of the linked items
  • Cross referenced items matching query - Provides a further dropdown (Query) to choose a specific query that contains the linked items
  • All pseudo cross referenced items - Provides further options (Query and View) to use to filter your results
  • Diagrams containing this non-model information - Provides further options (Query and View) to use to filter your results

Depending on the item type you will also see the following options when Linked items is selected:

For diagrams you can also choose from:

  • Parent diagrams
  • Child diagrams
  • Data definitions for diagram symbols
  • Data definitions in diagram's interface
  • Data definitions internal to diagram
  • Specifications for diagram symbols
  • Specifications referenced by diagram symbols
  • Specification equivalent to diagram
  • Diagrams referenced by this diagram
  • Diagrams referencing this diagram
  • Specifications referencing this diagram
  • Non-model items for diagram symbols

For specifications you can also choose from:

  • Input & output data definitions
  • Input data definitions
  • Output data definitions
  • Diagrams containing specification
  • Diagrams referencing specification
  • Diagram equivalent to specification
  • Diagrams referenced by this specification
  • Specifications referenced by this specification
  • Specifications referencing this specification
  • Specification containing this specification
  • Specifications contained by this specification
  • Specifications tagging inputs/outputs of this specification
  • Specifications with an input/output tagged by this specification
  • Child specifications
  • Descendant specifications
  • Parent specifications

For data definitions you can also choose from:

  • Parent data definitions
  • Child data definitions
  • Diagrams containing data definition
  • Diagrams containing data definition as an interface
  • Diagrams containing data definition internally
  • Source & destination specifications
  • Source specifications
  • Destination specifications

For events you can also choose from:

  • After events
  • Before events

If you have chosen Command as the Data value you can then enter an external command. When using $PATH, $FILE or $DIR the not yet saved item will be exported to a temporary file for the external command to use. The temporary file will then be reimported. When using $UPATH, $UFILE or $UDIR a file chooser will be displayed where you can manually choose the path, file or directory. Also the not yet saved item will be exported to a temporary file for the external command to use. The temporary file will then be reimported. Please note that the ALLOW_EXPORT and ALLOW_IMPORT privileges are required to import/export from/to the temporary file. You can enter \n in the Label which creates a new line.

If you have chosen Frameset as the Data value you can then choose from one of the following:

  • Text - All text frames that do not have a stereotype selected
  • Binary - Any frame that is not referenced by a stereotype and whose frame types' base type is Binary
  • Category Multiple Picklist - Any frame that is not referenced by a stereotype and whose frame types' base type is Multiple Picklist
  • Stereotype - All frames that have the matching stereotype to the open item
  • SysML - All frames for the model, including the frames that match the item's stereotype
  • Other - Any frame that is not referenced by a stereotype and whose frame types' base type is not Text or Binary or Multiple Picklist
  1. Navigation - If the Data is set to Linked items you can choose a navigation for the linked items
  2. View - If the Data is set to Linked items you can choose a view to display them
  3. Show as read-only - Whether the attribute is to be shown read-only
  1. To copy definitions, select the Copy button and then amend the Layout Part Properties if necessary
  2. To reposition the definitions use the Up and Down buttons.
Tip: The Up and Down buttons only move tree nodes between siblings.
  1. You can move nodes into a container or out of a container by using the <- and -> buttons.
  2. Select Delete to delete a definition
  1. To apply changes to the current form select Apply
  2. To save any changes to the current form select Save
  3. To save a form under a new name select Save As

Screenshot of the Save Form As dialog

Tip: If a form is selected in the Form Details dialog and you choose Save As, the name of the selected form is shown in the Name field.

Form definitions store settings for forms that you may wish to repeat. You can choose a name for the form definition, and where it is to be stored, as one of a set of storage locations, each with its own scope (that determines who can access definitions in that location). Please note the following list shows ALL locations but you CANNOT store definitions in the System location:

Irrespective of the location that you choose, the form definitions will be stored by the CDS in a directory on the machine that runs the CDS. That is, form definitions are never stored on your local machine.

  1. You can then choose the Location and enter a Name
Note: Your choice may be restricted by the privileges in your User Profile.
  1. Select OK

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