What is a Form?
Forms are SAP objects used to create documents that need to be printed, displayed on screen, or sent via email. Examples include invoices, delivery notes, purchase orders, and purchase requisitions.
SAP Technologies for Form Creation
- SAPScripts: The initial tool created by SAP for form development. It's not very user-friendly or flexible, but it's still used in many work environments, especially in older SAP versions.
- SmartForms: Introduced in SAP version 4.7, replacing SAPScripts. They are more developer-friendly and flexible for making changes. SmartForms offer numerous advantages over their predecessors.
- AdobeForms: The latest SAP technology for forms, resulting from the partnership between SAP and Adobe.
The SmartForm Model
A SmartForm consists of two objects:
- A print program: where the data to be printed on the form is defined.
- A form: where the layout of the data is defined.
There are two ways to execute a form:
- Execute the print program, which will trigger the form execution.
- Configure printing by associating the print program and form with the execution of a specific event in the system. For example, a purchase order, where creating the order automatically triggers form printing.
Parameterization is done through the SPRO Customizing transaction.
Transactions for SmartForms creation
- SMARTFORMS: for creating the layout or data arrangement.
- SMARTSTYLES: for creating styles used in SmartForms. Styles can be created via the SmartForms transaction.
- SE38: for creating the print program that executes the form.
Styles:
Every SmartForm utilizes styles, which can be SAP standard or user-defined. Styles define paragraph formats containing information on indentation, spacing, font settings, text, colors, numbering, and character formats used to assign special output attributes to text sections within a paragraph.
To create a style, access transaction SMARTSTYLES, enter the style name, and press the create button.
In the parameterization tab, default values for a Smartstyle are visible. If no other paragraph and character format values are assigned to the form, the system will use these default values.
Creating a Paragraph Format
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To create a paragraph format, select the Paragraph Formats folder, right-click, and choose Create nodes.
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In the subsequent dialog window, assign a name to the format and press continue.
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Then assign a description to the paragraph format.
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In the Indents and Spacing tab, alignment, paragraph spacing, space between lines, and other settings can be selected.
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It's highly recommended to use CM or MM instead of other measurement units as they simplify form comprehension.
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In the Font tab, font type, letter size in points, bold, italic, underline, and font color can be designated.
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In the Tabulators tab, tabulators for starting text in different columns of a paragraph can be created.
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Lastly, in the Numbering and Scheme tab, numerators similar to those in Microsoft Word can be created.
All measurements used in SmartForms can be expressed in the following units:
CH - Characters
LN - Lines
CM - Centimeters
MM - Millimeters
IN - Inches
PT - Points
TW - Twips (1/20)
Creating a Character Format
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To create a character format, select the Character Formats folder, right-click, and choose Create nodes.
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In the subsequent dialog window, assign a name to the format and press continue.
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Then assign a description to the character format.
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In the Standard Parameterization tab, subscripts, superscripts, and barcodes can be added.
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Barcodes are maintained through transaction SE73.
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In the Font tab, attributes for the font are assigned.
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Finally, activate the style.