AX1546

Using spreadsheet formatting for a Formatted Grid

When the Grid Formatting option for a Formatted Grid component is set to Spreadsheet, then the grid adopts the formatting defined in the spreadsheet. You must format the cells in the data source as you want them to display in the rendered form. This includes setting formatting such as fonts, colors, and borders.

IMPORTANT: The spreadsheet formatting option primarily exists to support backward-compatibility for forms that were created prior to the introduction of the thematic grid (in version 2016.1). For any new grids, we strongly recommend using the thematic grid, as it will be the focus for all new enhancements moving forward.

The adoption of the spreadsheet formatting in the Axiom form is as close as possible, but some limitations and exceptions apply. The following table summarizes the spreadsheet formatting options and how they apply to the formatted grid in the Axiom form:

Spreadsheet Format Notes and Limitations

Borders

Inherited as defined in the spreadsheet.

Column width

Column width can be set using the spreadsheet column widths, or by using the [ColumnWidth] tag. When using the spreadsheet column widths, the actual width in the form depends on whether Fit Columns is enabled for the Formatted Grid component. For more information on both options, see Setting column sizes for Formatted Grids.

Conditional formatting

Conditional formatting can be used with some limitations. See Using Conditional Formatting in spreadsheet-formatted grids.

Data validation

The following types of Data Validation are supported:

  • Drop-Down lists: You can use the List option of Data Validation to define drop-down lists for use in the formatted grid.

  • Number validation: You can use the Decimal option of Data Validation to determine valid numeric inputs for the cell in the formatted grid.

For more information, see Using Data Validation in spreadsheet-formatted grids.

Fill formatting
  • Fill colors are inherited as defined in the spreadsheet, unless content tags are used to specify the background color. For more information, see Using content tags in Formatted Grids.
  • Fill patterns are not supported.

Font formatting

Inherited as defined in the spreadsheet, with one exception: if content tags are used to specify the foreground color, this overrides the font color. For more information, see Using content tags in Formatted Grids.

It is strongly recommended to use a common font such as Arial, which all client machines and devices are likely to support. If the font used in the spreadsheet is not found on the client machine, then the font specified by the form-level skin is used.

NOTE: Underlined text is not supported by Mozilla Firefox.

Number formatting

Inherited as defined in the spreadsheet.

Protection

The cell Locked status is used to determine whether a cell in the grid is editable or not. The sheet does not have to be protected in order for this setting to take effect in the Axiom form. For more information, see Interactivity options for Formatted Grids.

Row height

Inherited as defined in the spreadsheet.

Formatted Grid components support options to auto-expand or auto-shrink the grid to match the total height of all rows in the data source. For more information, see Setting row sizes for Formatted Grids.

Text alignment

Inherited as defined in the spreadsheet.

Text controls

  • Wrapped text is supported, but should only be used when absolutely needed due to performance considerations. If all cells in a grid are set to wrap text, this may impact form performance.

  • Merged cells are not supported. If the cell is for display only, you can use Center Across Selection instead. If the cell is for user input, you can use the TextArea content tag instead (see Using text boxes in Formatted Grids).

Additional considerations

Note the following additional considerations about formatted grids:

  • If you want to display a symbol in the grid, use the special content tags to specify the symbol rather than simply changing the cell font to something like Wingdings. Wingdings and other built-in symbol fonts do not display on non-Windows platforms (such as when viewing Axiom forms via the iPad). For more information, see Using symbols in Formatted Grids.

  • You can include hyperlinks in a grid in a variety of ways. Note however, that you cannot simply enter a plain hyperlink into the cell. For more information on the various options, see Using hyperlinks in Formatted Grids.

  • If an Initial Dynamic View is set for the source file, it will be applied when the file is viewed as a form and can be used to impact the row heights and column widths of Grid data sources. The view will also be reapplied after Axiom queries are refreshed in the source file. However, there is no way to change the view from an Axiom form—once it is applied as the Initial Dynamic View it cannot be changed or removed.

  • Raw HTML tags placed in the grid will not be rendered in the Axiom form.

  • When the file is rendered as an Axiom form, the source file is always read using the Web spreadsheet engine. Therefore, any spreadsheet design considerations that apply to the Windows Client also apply to use of Axiom forms. For more information, see Windows Client design considerations for Axiom files.

See also