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Considerations when using Axiom forms as plan files

You can use form-enabled Axiom files as plan files in a file group. This topic discusses some considerations when using this configuration.

Opening form-enabled plan files

Form-enabled plan files can be accessed using either the Web Client or the Desktop Client (Excel Client and Windows Client).

If end users will access plan files using the Web Client, you can provide this access using one of the following approaches:

• The recommended approach is to configure the users' form-enabled home page to include a hyperlink to the relevant Plan File Directory page. (This hyperlink could also be placed on a similar form that is used as a launching point for the particular planning activity.) The user can click the link to be taken to a system-generated list of plan files that is filtered to only show the plan files that the current user has access to. The user can open their plan files from this page. This approach provides a user interface that is similar to the Open Plan Files dialog in the Desktop Client.

  For more information on how to link to this page and how to configure this page, see Using the Plan File Directory page.

• Alternatively, you can manually generate a list of hyperlinks to plan files and include it on the users' form-enabled home page (or similar form). For example, you could use an Axiom query to populate a Formatted Grid component with a list of plan codes (such as departments), and then use the HREF content tag to create hyperlinks to the corresponding plan files. You would need to be able to filter the query so that it only shows the plan files that the user has access to. This approach takes more work to set up, but allows you to present the list of plan files however you like.

• Lastly, users can use the built-in browse page for Axiom forms in the Web Client. Keep in mind, however, that this page lists all forms that the user has permission to access, including reports. Forms are organized by folder, so the user would have to navigate to the appropriate file group folder in order to access their plan files.

If end users will access plan files using the Desktop Client, they can access these form-enabled plan files using the normal Open Plan Files dialog for the file group. If a plan file is form-enabled, it will automatically open as a web form in the user's browser (when using the Excel Client), or as a web tab within the application (when using the Windows Client).

If you need to open a form-enabled plan file as a spreadsheet in the Desktop Client, you can right-click the plan file in the Open Plan Files dialog and choose Open as Spreadsheet. This should be a rare occurrence since any modifications to the source spreadsheet file should be made in the template, not in the individual plan files. However you may need to occasionally open a form-enabled plan file as a spreadsheet for troubleshooting.

Security configuration for form-enabled plan files

When configuring security for form-enabled plan files, keep in mind the following:

• Axiom forms are always opened read-only, so read/write access is irrelevant for end users. However, read/write access is still required to allow upload of plan file attachments, if applicable.
• Allow Save Data must still be enabled if you want the user to save data. Note that process ownership can be used to elevate users to this permission as normal.
• Allow Calc Method Insert must still be enabled if you want users to be able to insert calc methods, assuming that the Axiom form is configured to support inserting calc methods.
• All other special permissions are irrelevant in the Axiom form context (such as calc method change, unprotect, etc.).

If you are using composite forms as plan files, then end users must also be granted access to the child forms that are included in the parent plan file. For more information, see Designing composite plan files with Axiom forms.

Creating plan files

For standard file groups, form-enabled plan files are created as normal, using the Create Plan Files utility. There are no special considerations in this case.

Special considerations may apply to on-demand file groups, depending on the method of plan file access.

• If plan files will be created using the Desktop Client (Excel Client or Windows Client), then all normal on-demand features can be used to create plan files. The only time special considerations apply is when you must collect starting values for the plan code table, for columns that are not lookup columns or the template column. The Desktop Client will automatically prompt the user to select values for lookup columns and the template column. If you need to collect values for other columns, then you will need to create an Axiom form to collect these values as part of the plan file creation process, and assign this form as the Add File Form in the file group properties.

• If plan files will be created using the Web Client, then you must provide users with the means to create plan files by configuring an Axiom form with the Add Plan File command. Additionally, if starting values are necessary for certain columns in the plan code table, you must configure the Axiom form to collect these values and pass them to the table using the Add Plan File command—the Web Client does not provide any means to automatically collect these values for any column.

  You can provide a link to this "plan file creation" form on the users' form-enabled home page (or similar form). You can also designate this form as the Add File Form for the file group, which means that users can access the form from the Process Summary component or from the Plan File Directory page.

For more information see Collecting values for the plan code table when creating an on-demand plan file and Creating new on-demand plan files using an Axiom form.

Access to plan file features

When using form-enabled plan files, keep in mind that users will not have access to most Axiom Software features that are available when using spreadsheet plan files. Users will also not have access to spreadsheet features such as cell formatting, creating formulas, etc.

Axiom form users only have access to planning features that are supported for use in Axiom forms, and even then only if the form is configured to use them. For example, Axiom forms support inserting new rows using calc methods, but if the form itself is not configured with this functionality, then it will not be available to the user. There are no "built-in" planning features for Axiom forms; users can only do what the form is configured to allow them to do.

In some cases, you can manually create form equivalents to certain features that are available in spreadsheet Axiom forms. For example, although the Change View feature is not available in Axiom forms, you can simulate this feature by configuring certain row and column tags in a Formatted Grid to dynamically show and hide. You can then set up an interactive component, such as a combo box or radio buttons, to allow form users to switch between these "views".