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Completing the Styles tab

 About Skin rules

Complete this tab to identify up to four CSS style sheets — saved as text file rules — to be used at runtime when a web browser displays Process Commander forms and pages to a user associated with a portal rule that references this skin rule.

Your entries override styles in default style sheets (saved in standard text file rules). The specific style sheets and the order they are applied depends on the value of the Type field in the portal rule. See More about Skin rules.

For each field, click the magnifying glass icon (Magnifying glass) to see the Style Picker, which lists qualifying text file rules. Use the Style Picker to preview the appearance of important styles in a selected rule. To see a complete preview of all the styles defined in a text file rule, use the Style Viewer rather than the Style Picker. See About the Style Viewer tool.

AdvancedStandard style sheets containing rtl at the end of the name are designed to support localization in languages such as Arabic and Hebrew that have a right-to-left text direction. Labels appear to the left of the field that they identify.

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Field

Description
Auto-generated?

If selected, normally indicates that this skins rule and associated CSS text file rules identified in the Desktop, Work, and Report fields were created and maintained by the Application Skin wizard. (The auto-generated skin rule and CSS text file rules all belong to one RuleSet version and have similar names.)

Clear the check box to enable access to these three fields. You can then modify the Desktop, Work, and Report fields, but can no longer copy or update this rule using the Application Skin wizard. See About the Application Skin wizard.

CautionDo not clear this check box (if checked) if you plan to further modify these CSS styles through the Application Skin wizard. Any changes to you make through the text tile rule form will be overwritten if you re-run the wizard.
Desktop

Optional. Select a text file rule with a name starting with css/desktop_ that defines styles for the Process Commander portal workspaces and navigation panel. Leave blank to use the classic CSS styles for the workspace and navigation panel.

Standard choices include:

Text File Rule

Description
css/desktopbaseuser Supports the standard WorkUser and WorkManager portals.
css/desktopbase Classic styles. Marked as final. Default.Replaces css/desktop rule used from 04-02-01 to 05-04-NN.
css/desktop_metal Metallic appearance introduced with V4.2SP5
css/desktop_metal_rtf Metallic appearance introduced with V4.2SP5, as in right-to-left form
css/desktop_rtl Classic from V04-02-01 in right-to-left form

The Style Picker list displays only text file rules with desktop_ as a portion of the second key part, but you can reference any text file rule that has webwb as the first key part and css as the final key part here.

This field is disabled if the Auto-generated? option is selected.

AdvancedYou can define a custom CSS for your application desktop and reference it here. As a starting point, download and copy the CSS definitions in desktop_.css (all empty) and carefully modify style definitions. Upload the CSS file into a text file rule in your application RuleSet. By convention, start the second key part of the text file rule with desktop_ (for example desktop_mortgage). Your CSS may introduce additional styles, but do not remove any styles.
Work

Optional. Select a text file rule with a name starting with css/workform that defines styles for the work object forms defined though harness rules, section rules and flow action rules. Leave blank to use the css/workform styles.

This field is disabled if the Auto-generated? option is selected.

These standard choices are available to illustrate the range of possibilities:

Text File Rule

Description
(Default) Compact styles introduced with Version 5.3. Recommended; used by default in the standard skins Developer and User.
css/workform Classic styles from 04-02-01
css/workform_rtl Classic from 04-02-01 in right-to-left form
css/workform_metal Metallic appearance introduced with 4.2SP5.
css/workform_metal_rtf Right-to-left version of css/workform_metal
css/user_work_form Contains only style names, not style definitions, of styles most often customized
css/work_form_lite Demonstrates how to override styles with a work_form_ CSS; uses pale and light colors
css/work_form_lite_rtl  Demonstrates how to override styles with a right-to-left CSS; uses pale and light colors
css/work_form_mac Override styles with appearance similar to Apple Macintosh OS X user interface
css/work_form_mac_rtl Right-to-left override styles with appearance similar to Apple Mac OS 9 user interface
css/work_form_xp_flat Override 2D styles similar to Windows XP user interface
css/work_form_xp_flat_rt Right-to-left override 2D styles similar to Windows XP user interface

Click the magnifying glass icon (zzz) to preview the appearance of eligible text file rules with a Style Picker display.

At runtime, the style sheet you reference here appears in HTML code before any custom style sheets or custom styles that are referenced in the Scripts and Styles tab of a harness rule.

The SmartPrompt list displays only text file rules with workform_ as an initial portion of the second key part, but you can reference any text file rule that has webwb as the first key part and css as the final key part here.

Leave blank to use the css/desktop CSS styles for the work object forms. See More about Skin rules.

AdvancedYou can define a custom CSS for your work object forms and reference it here. As a starting point, download the CSS definitions in workform_.css (all empty) and carefully modify style definitions. Upload the CSS file into a text file rule in your application RuleSet. By convention, start the second key part of the text file rule name with workform_ (for example workform_mortgage).

Your CSS may introduce additional styles, but do not remove any styles. Use the Style Viewer tool and the Style Discovery tool to identify the elements. See also Understanding CSS styles.
Report

Optional. Select a text file rule with a name starting with css/report that defines styles for the Process Commander list view and summary view displays.

This field is disabled if the Auto-generated? option is selected.

Click the magnifying glass icon (zzz) to preview the appearance of eligible text file rules with a Style Picker display.

Leave blank to use the default CSS styles for the report displays.

The SmartPrompt list displays only text file rules with report_ as a portion of the second key part, but you can reference any text file rule that has webwb as the first key part and css as the final key part here.

At runtime for list view reports, the style sheet you reference here appears in HTML code before any custom style sheets or custom styles referenced in the Format tab of a list view rule.

AdvancedYou can define a custom CSS for your reports and reference it here. As a starting point, download the CSS definitions in reports_.css (all empty) and carefully modify style definitions. Upload the CSS file in a text file rule. By convention, start the second key part with reports_ (for example reports_mortgage). Your CSS may introduce additional styles, but do not remove or rename any styles.
Rule

AdvancedOptional. Select a text file rule with a name starting with css/ruleformstyles_zzzzz where _zzzz is arbitrary, that defines styles for the Process Commander rule forms produced by the Form Builder.

You can define a custom CSS for your rule forms and reference it here. As a starting point, download the CSS definitions in ruleformstyles.css (which is a Final rule) and carefully modify style definitions. Upload the resulting CSS file in a text file rule. By convention, start the second key part with ruleformstyles_ (for example ruleformstyles_gaudy).

This field does not control styles of harness-based rule forms. For harness-based rule forms, the Scripts and Styles tab identifies the style sheet, normally css/workform_ruleform.

CautionDo not attempt to remove capabilities from rule forms by making the styles not visible to developers. This approach may interfere with proper operation of the rule form, or affect multiple rule forms in unexpected ways.

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