Problem with Cform7 formatting JDE PDF project correctly

I am having issues with Cform7 formatting my JDE PDF projects correctly.

The issue is that Cform3.2 had the setting "Break auto-size section" in the section properties of Inserted sections. Cform7 does not have that setting.

The problem is that with JDE PDF's I use inserted sections to print text message variables so the page formats nicely. I set the section to auto-size because I never know if the message will be 1 line, 5 lines or 20 lines. I want the section to break across pages but with Cform7 you can't do that.

I can't believe that I'm the first/only one with this problem. Inserted sections with auto-size and page break were the standard way to get JDE PDF's to format the project page correctly.

I am hoping someone has come across this with Cform7 and JDE PDF projects migrated from Cform3.2. If so, what's your method to get your page to format correctly?


Thanks much -
Karen Swaeby

WinServer 2008 R2 Standard
CformServer 7.0.520.3307
CformDesigner 7.0.508.3170
Patches 508, 518, 519, 510 applied
JDE E1 8.11

Karen,

We have two methods of handling attached text variables (I'm not sure if this is what you mean by text message variables). Both involve changing the UBE. The first method involves printing the attached message variable in the same section as the document to which it is attached, but there was something else we had to do and I can't remember the details. This works most of the time. Sometimes there is a problem with large attached text printing across a page break. The second is to use a separate section and print one line of attached text at a time in multiple occurrences of the section, "manually" handling page breaks.

We have never used the insert section method. I think inserted section functionality become available after we first installed Create!form in 1999.

I have noticed that Cform 7 does take a step backwards in a few areas from Cform 3/6. I can't remember the details, but recently I had to fix a problem caused by the upgrade to 7 where a system variable was no longer available.

Yes, what called "text message variables" are text variables (also know as media objects). In my UBE's there are Order Header text variables (messages attached to the Order Header) and Detail Line variables (messages attached to Detail Lines). I have seen various combinations - sometimes they are in the section with the rest of the data, sometimes they are in a section all their own. In both cases I've seen cases where there is more than one text variable in that section.

BT specifically told me "Avoid using inserted or alternate sections. They exist only to facilitate migrations -- and there will be cases where they dont work properly. There is no reason to use these in Create!form 7 as all objects in the existing data sections can be conditional and the existing data sections can be auto-size based on total content versus in 2.x/3.x where you needed to auto size on particular value(s)".

I can understand that "page break auto sized sections" on Inserted sections not being available because that function only existed in Cform32. What seems odd is them recommending not to use Alternate or Inserted sections at all. Those functions have been in CformDesigner since v6 (if not longer). Does a statement like that mean they are going to be removed at some point? Or is it just a CYA statement so when I report they are not working support can say "we told you".

Karen,

Thanks for the update.

The possibility that Alternate Sections will be phased out concerns me. We don't have a great number of Create!form projects, but we do use Alternate sections a lot. I haven't looked to deeply at conditional objects but to convert all our alternate sections to conditional individual objects would probably be fairly tedious and possibly complex.

Is this actually documented anywhere?