Rendering HTML Forms Using Custom CSS Files rendering-html-forms-using-custom-css-files
Samples and examples in this document are only for AEM Forms on JEE environment.
The Forms service renders HTML forms in response to an HTTP request from a web browser. When rendering an HTML form, the Forms service can reference a custom CSS file. You can create a custom CSS file to meet your business requirements and reference that CSS file when using the Forms service to render HTML forms.
The Forms service silently parses the custom CSS file. That is, the Forms service does not report errors that may be encountered if the custom CSS file does not comply with CSS standards. In this situation, the Forms service ignores the style and continues with the remaining styles in the CSS file.
The following list specifies styles that are supported in a custom CSS file:
- Class level selector-style pairs: If present in a custom CSS file, selectors used in the HTML form as class styles are used. Unused class styles are ignored.
- Identifier level selector-style pairs: All identifier styles are used if they are used in the HTML form.
- Element level selector-style pairs: All element styles are used if they are used in the HTML form.
- Style Priority: Style priority (like important) is supported and can be used in a custom CSS file.
- Media Type: One or more selector-style pairs can be wrapped in @media style to define the media type. The Forms service does not check whether the specified media type is supported. The media type specified in the custom CSS file is merged in the HTML form.
You can retrieve a sample CSS file by using the FormsIVS application. Upload the form, select it in the Test Form Design page, and click GenerateCSS. You are not required to set the HTML transformation type before clicking the button. Next select save. You can edit this CSS file to meet your business requirements.
Summary of steps summary-of-steps
To render an HTML form that uses a CSS file, perform the following tasks:
- Include project files.
- Create a Forms Java API object.
- Reference the CSS file.
- Render an HTML form.
- Write the form data stream to the client web browser.
Include project files
Include necessary files in your development project. If you are creating a client application by using Java, include the necessary JAR files. If you are using web services, ensure that you include the proxy files.
Create a Forms Java API object
Before you can programmatically perform an operation supported by the Forms service, you must create a Forms client object.
Reference the CSS file
To render an HTML form that uses a custom CSS file, ensure that you reference an existing CSS file.
Render an HTML form
To render an HTML form, specify a form design that was created in Designer and saved as an XDP file. Select an HTML transformation type. For example, you can specify the HTML transformation type that renders a dynamic HTML for Internet Explorer 5.0 or later.
Rendering an HTML form also requires values, such as URI values needed to render other form types.
Write the form data stream to the client web browser
When the Forms service renders an HTML form, it returns a form data stream that you must write to the client web browser to make the HTML form visible to the user.
See also
Render an HTML form that uses a CSS file using the Java API
Including AEM Forms Java library files
Forms Service API Quick Starts
Render an HTML form that uses a CSS file using the Java API render-an-html-form-that-uses-a-css-file-using-the-java-api
Render an HTML form that uses a custom CSS file by using the Forms API (Java):
-
Include project files
Include client JAR files, such as adobe-forms-client.jar, in your Java project’s class path.
-
Create a Forms Java API object
- Create a
ServiceClientFactory
object that contains connection properties. - Create a
FormsServiceClient
object by using its constructor and passing theServiceClientFactory
object.
- Create a
-
Reference the CSS file
- Create an
HTMLRenderSpec
object by using its constructor. - To render the HTML form that uses a custom CSS file, invoke the
HTMLRenderSpec
object’ssetCustomCSSURI
method and pass a string value that specifies the location and name of the CSS file.
- Create an
-
Render an HTML form
Invoke the
FormsServiceClient
object’s(Deprecated) (Deprecated) renderHTMLForm
method and pass the following values:- A string value that specifies the form design name, including the file name extension. If you reference a form design that is part of a Forms application, ensure that you specify the complete path, such as
Applications/FormsApplication/1.0/FormsFolder/Loan.xdp
. - A
TransformTo
enum value that specifies the HTML preference type. For example, to render an HTML form that is compatible with dynamic HTML for Internet Explorer 5.0 or later, specifyTransformTo.MSDHTML
. - A
com.adobe.idp.Document
object that contains data to merge with the form. If you do not want to merge data, pass an emptycom.adobe.idp.Document
object. - The
HTMLRenderSpec
object that stores HTML run-time options. - A string value that specifies the
HTTP_USER_AGENT
header value, such asMozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)
. - A
URLSpec
object that stores URI values required to render an HTML form. - A
java.util.HashMap
object that stores file attachments. This is an optional parameter, and you can specifynull
if you do not want to attach files to the form.
The
(Deprecated) renderHTMLForm
method returns aFormsResult
object that contains a form data stream that must be written to the client web browser. - A string value that specifies the form design name, including the file name extension. If you reference a form design that is part of a Forms application, ensure that you specify the complete path, such as
-
Write the form data stream to the client web browser
- Create a
com.adobe.idp.Document
object by invoking theFormsResult
object 'sgetOutputContent
method. - Get the content type of the
com.adobe.idp.Document
object by invoking itsgetContentType
method. - Set the
javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse
object’s content type by invoking itssetContentType
method and passing the content type of thecom.adobe.idp.Document
object. - Create a
javax.servlet.ServletOutputStream
object used to write the form data stream to the client web browser by invoking thejavax.servlet.h\ttp.HttpServletResponse
object’sgetOutputStream
method. - Create a
java.io.InputStream
object by invoking thecom.adobe.idp.Document
object’sgetInputStream
method. - Create a byte array and populate it with the form data stream by invoking the
InputStream
object’sread
method and passing the byte array as an argument. - Invoke the
javax.servlet.ServletOutputStream
object’swrite
method to send the form data stream to the client web browser. Pass the byte array to thewrite
method.
- Create a
See also
Rendering HTML Forms Using Custom CSS Files
Quick Start (SOAP mode): Rendering an HTML form that uses a CSS file using the Java API
Render an HTML form that uses a CSS file using the web service API render-an-html-form-that-uses-a-css-file-using-the-web-service-api
Render an HTML form that uses a custom CSS file by using the Forms API (web service):
-
Include project files
- Create Java proxy classes that consume the Forms service WSDL.
- Include the Java proxy classes in your class path.
-
Create a Forms Java API object
Create a
FormsService
object and set authentication values. -
Reference the CSS file
- Create an
HTMLRenderSpec
object by using its constructor. - To render the HTML form that uses a custom CSS file, invoke the
HTMLRenderSpec
object’ssetCustomCSSURI
method and pass a string value that specifies the location and name of the CSS file.
- Create an
-
Render an HTML form
Invoke the
FormsService
object’s(Deprecated) renderHTMLForm
method and pass the following values:- A string value that specifies the form design name, including the file name extension. If you reference a form design that is part of a Forms application, ensure that you specify the complete path, such as
Applications/FormsApplication/1.0/FormsFolder/Loan.xdp
. - A
TransformTo
enum value that specifies the HTML preference type. For example, to render an HTML form that is compatible with dynamic HTML for Internet Explorer 5.0 or later, specifyTransformTo.MSDHTML
. - A
BLOB
object that contains data to merge with the form. If you do not want to merge data, passnull
. (See Prepopulating Forms with Flowable Layouts.) - The
HTMLRenderSpec
object that stores HTML run-time options. - A string value that specifies the
HTTP_USER_AGENT
header value, such asMozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)
. You can pass an empty string if you do not want to set this value. - A
URLSpec
object that stores URI values required to render an HTML form. - A
java.util.HashMap
object that stores file attachments. This is an optional parameter, and you can specifynull
if you do not want to attach files to the form. - An empty
com.adobe.idp.services.holders.BLOBHolder
object that is populated by the(Deprecated) renderHTMLForm
method. This parameter value stores the rendered form. - An empty
com.adobe.idp.services.holders.BLOBHolder
object that is populated by the(Deprecated) renderHTMLForm
method. This parameter stores the output XML data. - An empty
javax.xml.rpc.holders.LongHolder
object that is populated by the(Deprecated) renderHTMLForm
method. This argument stores the number of pages in the form. - An empty
javax.xml.rpc.holders.StringHolder
object that is populated by the(Deprecated) renderHTMLForm
method. This argument stores the locale value. - An empty
javax.xml.rpc.holders.StringHolder
object that is populated by the(Deprecated) renderHTMLForm
method. This argument stores the HTML rendering value that is used. - An empty
com.adobe.idp.services.holders.FormsResultHolder
object that will contain the results of this operation.
The
(Deprecated) renderHTMLForm
method populates thecom.adobe.idp.services.holders.FormsResultHolder
object that is passed as the last argument value with a form data stream that must be written to the client web browser. - A string value that specifies the form design name, including the file name extension. If you reference a form design that is part of a Forms application, ensure that you specify the complete path, such as
-
Write the form data stream to the client web browser
- Create a
FormResult
object by getting the value of thecom.adobe.idp.services.holders.FormsResultHolder
object’svalue
data member. - Create a
BLOB
object that contains form data by invoking theFormsResult
object’sgetOutputContent
method. - Get the content type of the
BLOB
object by invoking itsgetContentType
method. - Set the
javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse
object’s content type by invoking itssetContentType
method and passing the content type of theBLOB
object. - Create a
javax.servlet.ServletOutputStream
object used to write the form data stream to the client web browser by invoking thejavax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse
object’sgetOutputStream
method. - Create a byte array and populate it by invoking the
BLOB
object’sgetBinaryData
method. This task assigns the content of theFormsResult
object to the byte array. - Invoke the
javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse
object’swrite
method to send the form data stream to the client web browser. Pass the byte array to thewrite
method.
- Create a
See also
Rendering HTML Forms Using Custom CSS Files
Invoking AEM Forms using Base64 encoding