Creating custom adaptive form themes creating-custom-adaptive-form-themes

CAUTION
AEM 6.4 has reached the end of extended support and this documentation is no longer updated. For further details, see our technical support periods. Find the supported versions here.
CAUTION
AEM Forms provide the Theme Editor capability to create and modify adaptive forms themes. Peform the steps listed in this article, only if you have upgraded from a version that does not have Theme Editor and you have an existing investment in themes created using Less/CSS files (pre-theme editor method).

Prerequisites 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 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.

Adaptive Form and Client Library

To create an adaptive form theme to-create-an-adaptive-form-theme

NOTE
The following procedure is described using sample names for AEM objects such as node, properties, and folders.
If you follow these steps using the names, the resultant template should appear similar to the following snapshot:

Forest themed Adaptive Form snapshot
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.

    CRX repository snapshot

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

    Sample overriding variables:

    code language-none
    @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:

    code language-none
    @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:

    code language-none
    .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
    code language-none
    @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:

    code language-none
    #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 note
    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 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.

      CRX repository snapshot

    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.

      code language-none
      <%@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).

    CRX repository snapshot

  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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