Back ForwardHow to provide inline Word property display

What is inline Word display?

Advanced featureThe value of a Single Value property of type Text can be an entire Microsoft Word document. The document can contain field codes, formulas, sophisticated layouts and formatting. Through Word's Field Codes capability, the document can identify property values to be supplied later when the Word file is "merged" with the clipboard.

With appropriate setup, users can edit the property value   — the Word document — directly within an Internet Explorer window, using familiar Microsoft keyboard and mouse operations. Through the Information Rights Management (IRM) features of Microsoft Word, the developer can control the areas of the document that users can edit.

Prerequisites and restrictions

This capability works with Microsoft Word 2002, 2003, 2007, and 2010. It works with files of DOC and DOT file formats.

CautionAt runtime, this requires substantial memory on the workstation.

NoteWord 2007 and 2010 on Vista and Windows 7: When running in one of these configurations, each application end user who you expect to use inline Word operations when accessing your application in their browser must complete certain steps on their workstations before using your application's inline Word operations. Otherwise, they might see browser error messages when using your application's inline Word operations in their browsers. See the section How to set up Microsoft word for inline display or editing — Word 2007 and 2010 on Vista and Windows 7.

Example

You can review this capability using two flow actions included in the sample flow PegaSample.WordEmbedMergeTest.

The first flow action PegaSample.EmbedWordTextAreaSet supports inline editing for three properties: pyDescription, pyMyEdits, and pyNewFormula.

The second flow action PegaSample.CreateMergedWordDoc searches these property values — each a Word document — for Field Codes that represent clipboard properties, and merges in the current values. You can also insert HTML code from correspondence rules, images from binary file rules, and other text as Field Codes.

How to configure

  1. Identify which Single Value properties in your work item are to have a Word document as their values. In the Property rule form on the General tab, check that the Property Type for each is Text. Leave the Maximum Length and Control fields blank.
  2. Identify the harnesses, sections and flow actions that are to present the properties in either display-only mode or input mode, which allow editing. (This capability is limited to sections and flow actions in the SmartFrames format.)
  3. Edit the harnesses, sections, or flow actions. Create in the rule a Field for the property value.
  4. Complete the Cell Properties panel for the field. In the Control field, enter WordTextArea, a standard control rule.
  5. Save the rule form and test.

Internal notes

This facility requires the prVisioInterface ActiveX control and Word macros contained in the template WordMacroManagerDot.Dot template file. Both files have certificates digitally signed by Pegasystems. See  How to set up Microsoft Word for inline display or editing. Operation of the ActiveX control and macros is automatic and requires no user interaction.

Definitions ActiveX control, open authoring
Related topics About Word Template rules
How to provide Word merge operations
How to set up Microsoft Word for inline display or editing

UpUser Interface category