Creating custom adaptive form themes

Prerequisites

• Knowledge of the LESS (Leaner CSS) framework
• How to create a client library in Adobe Experience Manager
• Creating an adaptive form template for using the theme you create

Adaptive form theme

An adaptive form theme is an AEM client library that you use to define the styles (look and feel) for an adaptive form.

You create an adaptive template and apply the theme to the template. You then use this custom template to create an adaptive form.

To create an adaptive form theme

Figure: Forest Theme Sample

1. Create a node of type cq:ClientLibraryFolder under the /appsnode.

   For example, create the following node:

   /apps/myAfThemes/forestTheme

2. Add a multi-valued string property categories to the node and set its value appropriately.

   For example, set the property to: af.theme.forest.

   

3. Add two folders, less and css, and a file css.txt to the node created in step 1:

   • less folder: Contains the less variable files in which you define the less variables and less mixins that are used to manage the .css styles.

     This folder consists of less variable files, less mixin files, less files defining styles using mixins and variables. And all these less files are then imported in styles.less.

   • cssfolder: Contains the .css files in which you define the static styles to be used in the theme.

   Less variables files: These are the files, where you define or override the variables that are used in defining CSS styles.

   Adaptive forms provide OOTB variables defined in the following .less files:

   • /apps/clientlibs/fd/af/guidetheme/common/less/globalvariables.less
   • /apps/clientlibs/fd/af/guidetheme/common/less/layoutvariables.less

   Adaptive forms also provide third-party variables defined in:

   /apps/clientlibs/fd/af/third-party/less/variables.less

   You can use the less variables provided with adaptive forms, you can override these variables, or you can create new less variables.

   NOTE

   While importing the files of the less pre-processor, in the import statement specify the relative path of the files.

   Sample overriding variables:

   @button-background-color: rgb(19, 102, 44);
   @button-border-color: rgb(19, 102, 44);
   @button-border-size: 0px;
   @button-padding: 10px 15px;
   @button-font-color: #ffffff;
   

   To override the lessvariables:

   1. Import default adaptive form variables:

      /apps/clientlibs/fd/af/guidetheme/common/less/globalvariables.less/apps/clientlibs/fd/af/guidetheme/common/less/layoutvariables.less

   2. Then import the less file that includes overridden variables.

   Sample new variable definitions:

   @button-focus-bg-color: rgb(40, 208, 90);
   @button-hover-bg-color: rgb(30, 156, 67);
   

   Less mixin files: You can define the functions that accept variables as arguments. The output of these functions are the resultant styles. Use these mixins within different styles, to avoid repeating CSS styles.

   Adaptive forms provide OOTB mixins defined in:

   • /apps/clientlibs/fd/af/guidetheme/common/less/adaptiveforms-mixins.less

   Adaptive forms also provide third-party mixins defined in:

   • /apps/clientlibs/fd/af/third-party/less/mixins.less

   Sample mixin definition:

   .rounded-corners (@radius) {
     -webkit-border-radius: @radius;
     -moz-border-radius: @radius;
     -ms-border-radius: @radius;
     -o-border-radius: @radius;
     border-radius: @radius;
   }
   
   .border(@color, @type, @size) {
      border: @color @size @type;
   }
   

   Styles.less File: Use this file to include all the less files (variables, mixins, styles) that you need to use in the client library.

   In the following sample styles.less file, the import statement can be placed in any order.

   The statements to import the following .less files are mandatory:

   • globalvariables.less
   • layoutvariables.less
   • components.less
   • layouts.less

   @import "../../../clientlibs/fd/af/guidetheme/common/less/globalvariables.less";
   @import "../../../clientlibs/fd/af/guidetheme/common/less/layoutvariables.less";
   @import "forestTheme-variables";
   @import "../../../clientlibs/fd/af/guidetheme/common/less/components.less";
   @import "../../../clientlibs/fd/af/guidetheme/common/less/layouts.less";
   
   /* custom styles */
   
   .guidetoolbar {
     input[type="button"], button, .button {
       .rounded-corners (@button-radius);
       &:hover {
         background-color: @button-hover-bg-color;
       }
       &:focus {
         background-color: @button-focus-bg-color;
       }
     }
   }
   
   form {
       background-image: url(../images/forest.png);
    background-repeat: no-repeat;
    background-size: 100%;
   }
   

   The css.txt contains the paths of .css files to be downloaded for the library.

   For example:

   #base=/apps/clientlibs/fd/af/third-party/css
   bootstrap.css
   
   #base=less
   styles.less
   
   #base=/apps/clientlibs/fd/xfaforms/xfalib/css
   datepicker.css
   listboxwidget.css
   scribble.css
   dialog.css
   

   NOTE

   The styles.less file is not mandatory. This means that you do not need to create this file, if you have not defined any custom styles, variables, or mixins.

   However, if you do not create a style.less file, in the css.txt file, you need to uncomment the following line:

   #base=less

   And comment the following line:

   styles.less

To use a theme in an adaptive form

After you have created an adaptive form theme, perform the following steps to use this theme in an adaptive form:

1. To include the theme created in to create an adaptive form theme section, create a custom page of type cq:Component.

   For example, /apps/myAfCustomizations/myAfPages/forestPage

   1. Add a sling:resourceSuperType property and set its value as fd/af/components/page/base.

      

   2. To use a theme in the page, you need to add an overriding file library.jsp to the node.

      You then import the theme created in To create an adaptive form theme section of this article.

      The following sample code snippet imports the af.theme.forest theme.

      <%@include file="/libs/fd/af/components/guidesglobal.jsp"%>
      <cq:includeClientLib categories="af.theme.forest"/>
      

   3. Optional: In the custom page, override the header.jsp, footer.jsp, and the body.jsp, as required.

2. Create a cutom template (for example: /apps/myAfCustomizations/myAfTemplates/forestTemplate) whose the jcr:content points to custom page created in the previous step (for example: myAfCustomizations/myAfPages/forestPage).

   

3. Create an Adaptive form using the template created in the previous step. The look and feel of the adaptive form is defined by the theme created in To create an adaptive form theme section of this article.

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