The form transformation tool uses several input files. To transform forms to pages, you must define a set of mapping rules, which are contained in five transformation input files. The rules map objects in the Classic client to objects in the RoleTailored client.
When you install the form transformation tool, you get the transformation input files for the standard application. You can modify these input files to account for changes that you have made in customized forms. Additionally, you can create new transformation input files for your own forms. We recommend that you use the Transformation Input File (TIF) Editor to modify the standard application transformation input files or to create new transformation input files. You can also modify the .xml files directly.
This topic includes the following:
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Descriptions of each of the transformation input files.
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Details about how the TIF Editor displays the information in the .xml files. Using the TIF Editor is the recommended method of modifying the input files.
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Details and snippets of the .xml files, which will be valuable if you choose to modify the input files directly instead of using the TIF Editor.
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Details about how to use the functions in the TIF Editor to modify the transformation input files.
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Other files that the transformation tool uses.
Transformation Input Files
The transformation input files that define form to page mappings are the following:
To edit these files by using the TIF Editor, you use several different functions. For more information about the functions, see TIF Editor Functions in this topic.
TransformPages.xml
The TransformPages.xml file contains the two required page properties:
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Page Type
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Card Form ID
In addition, this file defines additional instructions for user experience (UX) transformation. For more information about UX Transformation, see Form Transformation Objectives.
TransformPages.xml in the TIF Editor
After you import the TransformPages.xml file into the TIF Editor, each form that is listed in the file is added to the editor, with the form type, page type, and card form ID properties. Any additional transformation information is also added to the editor, such as promoted actions, added FactBoxes, and HomeParts.
TransformPages XML File
In the TransformPages.xml file, each page is assigned a PageType. List pages that have an associated card have a CardFormID. For example, the section of the TransformPages.xml file for Page 16, Chart of Accounts includes the following.
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<Page ID="16" Name="Chart of Accounts"> <Transformation FormType="Chart of Accounts" /> - <Properties> <PageType>List</PageType> <CardFormID>17</CardFormID> |
The TransformPages.xml file also contains information about controls and elements on the page. For example, Page 16, Chart of Accounts includes a FactBox with account dimensions. The FactBox is page 9083, Dimensions FactBox. The FactBox control will be assigned the control ID 300000001 on the transformed page instead of being automatically assigned an ID by the transformation tool. The Visible property on the FactBox by default is set to No.
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- <Controls> - <FactBoxArea> - <Part> - <Properties> <NewID>300000001</NewID> <Visible>No</Visible> <PartType>Page</PartType> <PagePartID>9083</PagePartID> <SubFormLink>Table ID=CONST(15),No.=FIELD(No.)</SubFormLink> |
Finally, the TransformPages.xml file contains specifications for new actions, the location of the actions in the menu, and specifications for both new and existing actions that have been promoted. For example, Page 16, Chart of Accounts, includes an action for the existing command Indent Chart of Accounts (MenuItem ID = 30). The .xml file specifies that this action be promoted to the Action Pane. It also includes a new action to open page 116, G/L Registers. This action is also promoted to the Action Pane. The action will be assigned the control ID 300000002 on the transformed page instead of being automatically assigned an ID by the transformation tool.
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- <ActionItems> - <Action> <ID>30</ID> <Promoted>Yes</Promoted> <PromotedCategory>Process</PromotedCategory> </Action> </ActionItems> <RelatedInformation> - <Action> <NewID>300000002</NewID> <CaptionML>ENU=G/L Register</CaptionML> <RunObject>Page 116</RunObject> <Promoted>Yes</Promoted> <PromotedCategory>Process</PromotedCategory> </Action> </RelatedInformation> |
IgnorePages.xml
The IgnorePages.xml file lists forms that the transformation tool will ignore. The tool will not create pages for the forms listed in this file. This is relevant in the following situations:
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If a form cannot be transformed to a page for technical reasons, for example, forms with matrix box controls.
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If you choose not to transform a form to a page.
IgnorePages.xml in the TIF Editor
After you import the IgnorePages.xml file into the TIF Editor, the Ignore column is populated with a check mark for each form in the IgnorePages.xml file. For example, after you import the IgnorePages.xml file for the standard application into the editor, the line for form 113, Budget, has a check mark in the Ignore column.
IgnorePages XML File
The IgnorePages.xml file lists each of the pages to ignore. For example, pages 113, 408, and 490 are included in the following section of the file.
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<Page ID="113" Name="Budget" /> <Page ID="408" Name="G/L Balance by Dimension" /> <Page ID="490" Name="Acc. Schedule Overview" /> |
MovePages.xml
The MovePages.xml file allows you to specify rules for replacing one form with another. For example, if you redesign a form because it cannot be converted to a page by creating a new form, the new form replaces the original form. The MovePages.xml file contains the IDs of both the original form that will be replaced and the new form that replaces the original. You must also include the original form in the IgnorePages.xml file.
MovePages.xml in the TIF Editor
After you import the MovePages.xml file into the TIF Editor, the DestinationID, DestinationName, and FormReplacedBy columns are populated with information from the file. A form that is being replaced has the form ID of the new form in the FormReplacedBy column. A new form that replaces another form has the ID and name of the original form in the DestinationID and DestinationName columns. For example, after you import the MovePages.xml file for the standard application into the editor, the line for form 113, Budget, has ID 9202 in the FormReplacedBy column, indicating that form 113 will be replaced by the new form, 9202. The line for form 9202 has ID 113 in the DestinationID column and "Budget" in the DestinationName column, indicating that form 9202 replaces form 113, Budget.
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The original form still exists and retains its original ID. The transformed page has the ID of the original form. |
MovePages XML File
The MovePages.xml file lists each of the replaced forms. For example, in the standard application MovePages.xml file, the following line instructs the form transformation tool to replace the original form 113, Budget, with the new form 9202, the new, redesigned Budget form. The original form 113, Budget, is not transformed.
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<Page ID="9202" Name="_Budget" destinationID="113" destinationName="Budget" /> |
DeleteElements.xml
The DeleteElements.xml file lists control IDs for a given form that you do not want to transform. It allows you to specify individual controls on selected forms that cannot or should not be transformed onto the corresponding page. An InfoPane frame on a sales document is an example of a layout that cannot be automatically converted to a corresponding control or element in the RoleTailored client. Instead, you should add a FactBox. Another example is the ”Post Code/City” label. The DeleteElements.xml file for the standard application specifies that this label is deleted from all the forms where this control is found. The reason it is deleted is that in its caption, the label refers to two fields.
DeleteElements.xml in the TIF Editor
After you import the DeleteElements.xml file, the Delete Page Elements window for each form in the file is populated with elements that will not be transformed. For example, after you import the DeleteElements.xml file for the standard application, in the TIF Editor, select form 42, Sales Order, click Input, and then click Delete Page Control. The Delete Page Elements window lists four controls that will not be transformed: 205, 87, 96, and 98. The following table describes these controls.
Control ID | Description |
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205 |
The InfoPane frame |
87 |
The Post Code/City label on the General tab |
96 |
The Post Code/City label on the Invoicing tab |
98 |
The Post Code/City label on the Shipping tab |
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If you delete a ControlContainer, such as Tab or Frame, you will also delete all other controls that have this container as a parent. Therefore, you do not need to specify deletion rules for each control on a tab or frame that you delete. |
DeleteElements XML File
The DeleteElements.xml file lists each of the controls that will be deleted for each page. For example, in the DeleteElements.xml file for the standard application, for form 42, Sales Order, the InfoPane frame and three Post Code/City labels are deleted from the page.
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- <Page ID="42" Name="Sales Order"> <Element ID="205" /> <Element ID="87" /> <Element ID="96" /> <Element ID="98" /> |
MoveElements.xml
The MoveElements.xml file lists properties for form elements that specify UX modifications. The following table shows the properties that you can use in the MoveElements.xml file.
Property | Description |
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FixedLayout ID |
Specifies each label control in the first row of a page with a matrix-like layout. |
PromotedField |
Specifies properties that are essential and will be displayed as a summary on the collapsed FastTab. |
InstructionalTextML |
Specifies label controls that contain text instructions, such as those found on confirmation dialog boxes. |
Add image to action by caption |
Assigns an icon to an action that is shown next to the action when the action is promoted onto the Action Pane. This assignment is based on mapping the icon and action caption. |
Promote action by caption |
Identifies by caption a few recurrent actions, such as Post, Print, and Register that are promoted to the action pane. You apply this property to the actions instead of specifying them on each form. |
Add big image by caption |
Identifies by caption a few recurrent actions, such as Post, Print, and Register that are assigned a big icon. You apply this property to the actions instead of specifying them on each form. |
Add shortcut to action by caption |
Assigns a shortcut to a new action. |
Move shortcuts |
Replaces shortcuts used in the Classic client. |
Move action by caption |
Specifies the menu in the menu bar to which actions from a menu button will be moved. |
Move trendscape control by caption |
Specifies that the period options for a trendscape form will be moved to a drop-down list. |
TabControlNewIDs |
Specifies a control ID that is assigned to a tab in a TabControl. Tabs in a TabControl are transformed to FastTabs on a page. If you do not specify a control ID for tabs, then an ID is automatically assigned. |
AdditionalField |
Specifies a field that is hidden from the expanded FastTab by default. To view the hidden fields, click Show more fields in the FastTab. |
MoveElements.xml in the TIF Editor
After you import the MoveElements.xml file into the TIF Editor and then click Input, the various options that you can select will display the elements that will be moved. The following table shows TIF Editor examples of each of the properties and elements in the MoveElements.xml file for the standard application.
Property | TIF Editor example for the standard application |
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FixedLayout ID |
After you import the MoveElements.xml file into the TIF Editor, select form 151, Customer Statistics, click Input, click Add, and then click New Control Property. The Move Page Elements window lists four controls that are the labels on the first row of the matrix. These controls are the following:
For more information about the FixedLayout property, see How to: Set the FixedLayout Property. |
PromotedField |
After you import the MoveElements.xml file into the TIF Editor, select form 21, Customer Card, click Input, click Add, and then click New Control Property. The Move Page Elements window lists several controls that have the Group field set to PromotedField. These controls will be displayed as a summary if you collapse the FastTab on the transformed Customer page. |
AdditionalField |
After you import the MoveElements.xml file into the TIF Editor, select form 21, Customer Card, click Input, click Add, and then click New Control Property. In the Move Page Elements window, for any of the controls listed, in the Group field, select AdditionalField from the drop-down list. This control will be hidden from the expanded FastTab. To view the hidden field, click Show more fields in the FastTab. |
InstructionalTextML |
After you import the MoveElements.xml file into the TIF Editor, select form 6002, Cancelled Allocation Reasons, click Input, click Add, and then click New Control Property. The Move Page Elements window lists control ID 2 as InstructionTextML. The control with ID 2 is the label on the form with the caption, "Do you want to cancel the allocation?" |
Add image to action by caption |
After you import the MoveElements.xml file into the TIF Editor, click Input, click Add by Caption, and then select Image to Action. The Add Image by Caption window lists values for the CaptionML property. Every action with the CaptionML property that matches a value in the list will have an icon displayed with the action. The name of the icon is listed in the NewName column. |
Promote action by caption |
After you import the MoveElements.xml file into the TIF Editor, click Input, and then click Promote Action by Caption to view the actions that are promoted to the action pane. The Promote Action by Caption window lists values for the CaptionML property. Every action with the CaptionML property that matches a value in the list will be promoted to the Action Pane. |
Add big image by caption |
After you import the MoveElements.xml file into the TIF Editor, click Input, click Add by Caption, and then click Big Image to Action. The Add Big Image by Caption window lists values for the CaptionML property. Every action with the CaptionML property that matches a value in the list will have a big icon displayed with the action. |
Add shortcut to action by caption |
After you import the MoveElements.xml file into the TIF Editor, click Input, click Add by Caption, and then select Shortcut to Action. The Add ShortCut by Caption window shows the CaptionML property of new commands and the shortcut that will be assigned to them in the RoleTailored client. |
Move shortcuts |
After you import the MoveElements.xml file into the TIF Editor, click Input, click Move, and then click Shortcuts. The Shortcuts - Move Elements window shows the shortcuts that will be replaced in the RoleTailored client. If a new shortcut is not defined, then the existing shortcut will be deleted. |
Move action by caption |
After you import the MoveElements.xml file into the TIF Editor, click Input, click Move, and then click Action by Caption. The Move Action by Caption window shows the menu in the menu bar to which an action from a menu button will be moved. All actions whose CaptionML property matches a value in the list will be moved to the menu listed in the destinationType column. By default, when forms are transformed, actions are moved to the Related Information menu. Specifying actions in the Move Action by Caption window overrides the defaults. |
Move trendscape control by caption |
After you import the MoveElements.xml file into the TIF Editor, click Input, click Move, and then click Trendscape Control by Caption. The Move Trendscape Control window shows period options for trendscape forms. The period options specified by OptionCaptionML will be moved to a drop-down list. The caption specified by CaptionML will be the label for the list. |
TabCtrlNewIDs |
After you import the MoveElements.xml file into the TIF Editor, click Input, click Add, and then click New IDs in TabControl. The New ID in TabControl window allows you to specify TabControl IDs and PageNamesML values for the form and the new control ID for the FastTab on the transformed page. In the TIF Editor, click Input, click Add, and then click New Control Property. If you specified TabControl IDs in the New ID in TabControl window, then the Move Page Elements window lists the TabControl ID. |
MoveElements XML File
The MoveElements.xml file lists each of the controls on a page that will be assigned a new property or moved. The following table shows .xml examples of each of the properties in the MoveElements.xml file for the standard application.
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You cannot update the CaptionML property or the OptionCaptionML property of an element by using the MoveElements.xml file. The CaptionML and OptionCaptionML in the MoveElements.xml file is used by the transformation tool only for searching. For more information about translating multilanguage strings, see How to: Add Translated Strings By Importing and Exporting Multilanguage Files. For more information about preserving translations during form transformation, see How to: Create the PageTranslations.txt File. |
Property | XML example for the standard application | ||||
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FixedLayout ID |
The following lines specify four labels on form 151, Customer Statistics that are marked with the FixedLayout ID property.
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PromotedField |
The following lines specify a set of fields on form 21, Customer Card that are marked with the PromotedField property.
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AdditionalField |
The following line specifies that control 16, the Contact field, on form 21, Customer Card, is hidden from the expanded FastTab.
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InstructionalTextML |
The following lines specify that control ID 2 on page 6002, Cancelled Allocation Reasons, will be marked as InstructionTextML.
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Add image to action by caption |
The following line instructs the tool to set an image called “Invoice” to every action in the application whose CaptionML property is “Sales Invoice." The page ID in this line, -5, specifies the group of Add Image to Action by Caption lines in the file. It does not specify a particular page.
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Promote action by caption |
The following line instructs the tool to promote all actions whose CaptionML property is "ENU=Post" to the Action Pane. The page ID in this line, -2, specifies the group of Promote Action lines in the file. It does not specify a particular page.
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Add PromoteIsBig by Caption |
The following line instructs the tool to add a big image to all actions whose CaptionML property is "ENU=Post." The page ID in this line, -6, specifies the group of Add PromoteIsBig by Caption lines in the file. It does not specify a particular page.
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Add shortcut to action by caption |
The following line instructs the tool to add a shortcut to all actions whose CaptionML property is "ENU=Edit Journal." The shortcut key is Return. The page ID in this line, -4, specifies the group of Add Short Cut to Action by Caption lines in the file. It does not specify a particular page.
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Move shortcut |
The following line instructs the tool to replace a shortcut in the Classic client with a new shortcut in the RoleTailored client. The page ID in this line, -1, specifies the group of Add Short Cut to Action by Caption lines in the file. It does not specify a particular page.
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Move action by caption |
The following line instructs the tool to move all actions whose CaptionML property is "ENU=Print" to the Actions menu. By default, when forms are transformed, actions are moved to the Related Information menu. This line overrides the default setting. The page ID in this line, -3, specifies the group of Place in ActionContainer lines in the file. It does not specify a particular page.
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Controls on trendscape forms |
The following line instructs the tool to move period options on trendscape forms to a drop-down list with the caption View by. The page ID in this line, -7, specifies the group of lines in the file for controls on trendscape forms. It does not specify a particular page.
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TabControlNewIDs |
The following line instructs the tool to assign the ID 3000000 to the FastTab control that is transformed from the Invoicing tab on the form.
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TIF Editor Functions
The TIF Editor includes several functions that allow you to modify the transformation input files. The following table shows the functions on the Input menu in the TIF Editor, the transformation input file that each function modifies, and comments about each function.
Menu | Submenu | Transformation input file | Comments |
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Add |
New and Promoted Actions |
TransformPages.xml |
Use to add actions to the menu bar and to the Action Pane, and to specify big images for promoted actions. |
Add |
FactBoxes |
TransformPages.xml |
Use to add FactBoxes to the FactBox pane. |
Add |
HomeParts |
TransformPages.xml |
Use to add Home Part elements to a Role Center. |
Add |
New Control Property |
MoveElements.xml |
Use to add the following to a control:
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Add |
New IDs in TabControl |
MoveElements.xml |
Use to assign a specific control ID to a new FastTab control. |
Add by Caption |
Image to Action |
MoveElements.xml |
Use to add an image to an action. The image files are part of the source code and cannot be modified. Every action with a given CaptionML value will have the same image. |
Add by Caption |
Big Image to Action |
MoveElements.xml |
Use to add a big image to an action. The image files are part of the source code and cannot be changed. Every action with a given CaptionML value will have a big image. |
Add by Caption |
Shortcut to Action |
MoveElements.xml |
Use to add a shortcut to an action. |
Move |
Action by Caption |
MoveElements.xml |
Use to move an action in the menu bar to a different menu. By default, when forms are transformed, actions are moved to the Related Information menu. |
Move |
Shortcuts |
MoveElements.xml |
Use to replace a shortcut that is used in the Classic client with a new shortcut in the RoleTailored client. |
Move |
Trendscape Control by Caption |
MoveElements.xml |
Use to specify period options on trendscape forms. |
Promote Action by Caption |
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MoveElements.xml |
Use to promote to the Action Pane all actions with a given caption. |
DeletePageControl |
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DeleteElement.xml |
Use to specify individual controls on forms that will not be transformed onto the corresponding page. |
Bulk Edit Actions |
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MoveElements.xml |
Use to view and specify actions in menus for all pages. |
Other Form Transformation Files
The other files that the transformation tool uses are the following:
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Coderules.txt Code rules that are used to remove unsupported triggers and methods. For more information, see Code Rules.
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Forms.xml The file to which you export the existing forms that you want to transform.
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Schema files Files that define the structure of the input and output files of the form transformation tool.
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ApplicationObjects.xsd
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Common.xsd
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DeletePageElement.xsd
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Form.xsd
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IgnorePage.xsd
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MovePage.xsd
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MovePageElement.xsd
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Page.xsd
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Report.xsd
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TransformationInput.xsd
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PageTranslations.txt Control IDs associated with translation strings for multilanguage applications. You create this file by running the Translate Export function in the Tools menu.