These options help you to design a new Form from an empty sheet. The flexibility of the design process makes this a good way of creating, for example, a simple questionnaire.
The design process follows these steps:
- Give the new form a name and description
- Add text and graphics to be printed on the header and footer
- Select a type of question to add
- Add question fields to the content part of the form
- Save the form for printing or further editing.
- In the Tasks list of Designer Home, select Design a new form from scratch
- The Design your Form page is displayed, enter the following details:
- In Form Name, give the Form a unique name within the OpenForms System
- In Description, describe the purpose of the form
- In Page Size, select the size of paper
- In Orientation, choose between Portrait and Landscape
To design the header and footer of the new form
You can add text and graphics to the header and footer areas of the form in the same way.
- In the Design your form page, Header or Footer section, click
- In Upload Image dialog, click Browse to find the graphic file of an image you want to use and click Upload
- If you are satisfied with the uploaded image, click OK
- If required, you can make further changes to the logo, either
click
and upload a different file, or
click
- Use the text editor to write and format the text you want to display.
About the pre-defined questions
You can select the following types of question:
| Question field | Purpose | Configure Answer Options |
| HWR Free Text | Use the Digital Pen to write text in ordinary handwriting that will be converted to digital text. For example, patient’s notes | Specify how many lines of text will be needed |
| Image Only Free Text | Record handwriting that will not be converted to digital text. For example, a signature. | Specify how many lines of text will be needed |
| Comb box | This item is split up into individual characters that are required. For example a national insurance number requiring 9 characters. | Specify:
Select: This question to be sent for confirmation Configure advanced options |
| Date field | A custom comb box that is formatted for date recognition. | Select your choice of format for the date (for example, dd/mm/yy)Select:This question to be sent for confirmation |
| Postcode field | A custom comb box that is formatted for post code recognition. | Select:This question to be sent for confirmation |
| Check box | A box that allows one or more answers to be selected | Add or remove one or more questions. |
| Radio button | A button that allows only one answer in a group to be selected. | Add or remove one or more questions. |
To select questions and display them in the content of the form
- In the Content area click one of the buttons:
to add Question fields to the form [MORE … ]
- The Add a Question window is displayed, open the Select a type of question from the drop-down list
- Use the Text Editor to write and format the text that will appear alongside the printed field
- If required, enter the details in Configure Answer to complete the specification of the question
- Click Add
- The question appears in the Content section, you can use
and 
to move the text to the appropriate level.
to insert printed text (for example, an introduction to the question) [MORE … ]
- In the Add Text window, use the Text Editor to write and format your entry
- Click Add
- The new text appears in the Content section, you can use and to move the text to the appropriate level.
to insert dividing lines (for example, between each group of questions) [MORE … ]
- In the Add Dividing Line window, use the Editor to select and format your entry
- Click Add
- The new line appears in the Content section, you can use and to move the line to the appropriate level.
- When the question is displayed, use the following actions to continue working on it:
to reopen the property dialog of the question field
to delete the question field
to move the question either up or down one line
- When you have finished adding items to the Content area, choose one of these actions:
Save, to save the changes you have made and continue working;
note that you will not be able to save the form until you have added at least one question
Save & Close, to save your changes and return to the Designer Home window
Discard changes, to discard all changes you have made since your last Save
- The form is displayed in View all Forms and you can choose to export, print and edit the form.