{{tag>business_object form user_interface ui concepts}}
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====== Business Object Forms ======

As we saw in the [[docs:2000_concepts:0400_data_entry_and_editing|Data Entry and Editing]] section whenever data entry and editing occurs //**Aware IM**// displays a form that allows a user to enter or modify the values of the attributes of a business object. In this section we will look at this process in greater detail.

The form that //**Aware IM**// displays during data entry or editing may be defined as part of the business object’s configuration. When the configurator provides a definition of a business object //**Aware IM**// generates the default form. This default form is used for data entry/editing unless the configurator defines a different form. The default form contains input controls for each attribute defined in the business object. The type of the input control corresponds to the type of the attribute – for example, text and numbers are represented by a simple text box, input fields for document attributes are represented by a text box with the Browse button next to it (the button allows choosing the document); reference attributes are represented by a reference table. For a complete list of attribute types and their default representation on the business object form see [[docs:2500_config_apps:0700_add_edit_attributes|Adding/Editing Attributes]]. The input controls on the default form are laid out in a top-down fashion – every subsequent input control is placed underneath the previous one. An example of the default form is shown on the picture below:

{{ docs:images:form_example.png?nolink&600 |}}

It is possible to change the default form and specify which attributes will be shown on the form and in which order, or specify different type of an input control for a particular attribute. It is also possible to provide a completely customized layout of the form. 

One can also define more than one form for a business object. For example, one form may be used when a new instance of a business object is created and another one – when an existing instance is modified. This may be useful if some attributes are only relevant when the object is being modified and irrelevant when a new instance is being created or vice versa. Certain forms may be used on special occasions only – for example, when clients register themselves as new system users or when the form is displayed by a particular process only (the name of the form may be explicitly specified in the ''[[a_f:a:enter_new|ENTER NEW]]'', ''[[a_f:a:edit|EDIT]]'' or ''[[a_f:a:view|VIEW]]'' actions). Certain forms may also be used only for certain categories of users – see [[docs:2000_concepts:0900_prod_feats:0100_access_control|Access Control]]).

Configuration of forms is described in detail in the [[docs:2500_config_apps:0500_add_edit_objects:0200_defining_forms|Defining Forms]] section.