Creating and Using External Overlay Files

If you use overlays, you will probably find that you often want to reuse them. A logo, for example, might appear in every form for a given customer or company division or even on different pages of the same form. By exporting an overlay that contains the logo to an external file, you can save it for future use in other forms.

Since overlays are always embedded in SFX forms, exporting an overlay is the only way to create an external overlay file. External overlays can be created by exporting them, just as you can with SFX files. When an external file is imported, it is embedded into the form.

Exporting overlays

Regardless of the type of form you have loaded, you can export the overlay as either a CDD or an XTemplate composition file:

  • Overlays for the I-32 environment are saved as CDD files.

  • Overlays for the Expere environment can be saved with either an .xcomp extension or .xml extension. If you need to use the file in an application where the .xcomp extension is not recognized, save it with the .xml extension. Otherwise, the .xcomp extension is probably preferable, as it identifies the file specifically as a composition file.

The exported overlays can be added to any page in your form in I-32 Forms Design 6. You can also use them in other compatible applications.

To export an overlay:
  1. Right-click on the overlay name in the FormView tree to display the context menu and select Export File.:

    The Export file dialog is displayed:

  2. Select the file type you want to export from the Save as type drop-down list. Options are:
    • CDD File (*.cdd)
    • Composition File (*.xcomp)
    • Composition File (*.xml)
  3. If the dialog does not open to a previously defined default location, navigate to the folder where you want to save your overlay.
  4. The default file name is the overlay name from your form file. You may change it to the name of your choice. You do not need to add an ex­tension, as it will be added automatically.
  5. Select Save to export the overlay. A completion message is displayed:
  6. Select OK to return to I-32 Forms Design.
To export more than one overlay at once:
  1. Hold down Ctrl and select the overlays you want to export.
  2. Right-click one of the selected overlays to display the context menu.
  3. Select Export File from the context menu to display the Export file dialog. You will see the name of the first overlay you selected in the File Name field.
  4. To save the first overlay, selectg Save. A completion message is displayed.
  5. Click OK to clear the message and the Export file dialog reappears. The dialog is displayed for each of the remaining overlays you are exporting:
    • When the dialog appears, change the file name if necessary and click Save, then click OK to clear the completion message.
    • If no dialog appears after the completion message clears, all your overlays have been ex­ported.

Adding external overlays to your forms

When you add an overlay to an SFX form, you import a copy of the file. The overlay is embedded in the file. The external file will not be affected, even if you edit the overlay in the form file.

When you add an overlay to an XTemplate file, you can only embed the file. When you import, it is imported as a copy, just as it is for an SFX file. Edits to the overlay do not affect the original file.

To add an overlay file:
  1. Right-click on the name of the page that you want to add the overlay to, and select Add Overlay. The Add Overlay File dialog appears.
  2. Select the file type of the overlay you want to add from the Files of type drop-down list. Options are:
    • CDD File (*.cdd)
    • Composition File (*.xcomp, *.xml)
  3. Navigate to the folder where the overlay is stored.
  4. Select the desired file name and then select Open. The overlay file is added to your form.