APPLICATION DESIGN

Specifying the event that causes an object to autolaunch
You can design a form so that an object autolaunches when a user creates, edits, and/or reads the document. A new object autolaunches when a user creates a document. By default, existing objects autolaunch each time a user reads or edits a document containing an object.

Autolaunching new objects

You can control whether the object in the first rich text field in a form autolaunches when a document is created, edited, or opened. If the form you're designing autolaunches a new object, make sure the "Launch when" setting includes "Creating," because this is the only event that launches a new object. After the user creates the document, the new object is saved with the document. Other "Launch when" settings, such as "Reading" or "Editing," take effect when a user subsequently opens the document.

Making settings compatible

If you set the form to "Automatically enable Edit mode" (on the Form Defaults tab of the Form Properties box), make sure the "Launch when" settings are compatible. For example, if you design the form so that the object launches only when users open the document in Read mode and you set the document to enable Edit mode automatically, the document always opens in Edit mode and the object never autolaunches.

To specify the event for autolaunching

1. Open the form containing the object.

2. Choose Design - Form Properties.

3. Click the Launch tab.

4. Select Creating, Editing, and/or Reading in the "Launch when" box.

5. Close and save the form.

Examples of specifying the event for autolaunching

Design a form to distribute financial information contained in a 1-2-3 object. In the form, you embed a 1-2-3 object that is a template for entering financial information. Create a rich text field in the form, and specify that the field display the object. Also specify that the object autolaunch only when a user uses the form to create a document.

When a user uses the form to create a document, the 1-2-3 object autolaunches so the user enters the information in 1-2-3. The user closes and saves the 1-2-3 object, and then closes and saves the new document. When people read the document, the 1-2-3 object is visible in the rich text field, but the object does not autolaunch. To edit the object, the user opens the document in Edit mode and double-clicks the object to launch it.

See Also