Pattern
«Pattern» – is a form component, which describes a particular fragment (rectangular area) in the Excel-template. The «Pattern» has to be replicated (on the worksheet) any times in runtime (at resultant XLSX-file creation).
In other words, «Patterns» are fragments laid out (in user-defined sequence) on a worksheet of resultant XLSX-file.
Note: a sequence of insertion of patterns into the worksheet of Printing form at runtime, is defined only by sequence of components in a form's structure tree (and is not defined by current location in the Excel-template).
Properties tab:
Item «Area in the template»
The item is for Template binding: assigning the «Pattern» to the cell range in the Excel-template. For binding, You have to perform next steps successively:
select a required cell range in the Excel-template;
press a button "Pencil" located in the item «Area in the template»:
Item «Appearance at runtime»
By default, a Pattern is always appearing in the Printing form at runtime. But it is possible to dynamically define a presence of component in the Printing form.
The item is for associating the component appearance (in Printing form at runtime) with value of any context field (the Pattern will be output in the Printing form only if the specified context field is not initial).
You have to press a button «Pencil»
and then in the popup search-help You have to choose required context field (so-called Appearance indicator):
If an Appearance indicator has character data type, You are able to set for analyzing just a part of string (substring) instead of entire string. To do that You have to press a button:
and then on a popup window specify a start position and number of characters that should be analized:
Item «Output direction at runtime»
The item defines a place of the Pattern relative to previous component in runtime (at resultant XLSX-file creation). To change an output direction You have to press a button:
By default, the output direction:
is predefined – it means that the pattern will be placed BELOW the previous component in runtime (at resultant XLSX-file creation).
The upper-left corner of the border of the current pattern (marked by green color) will be placed beside to the lower-left corner of the previous component (marked by yellow color):
If the output direction:
is predefined – it means that the pattern will be placed TO RIGHT OF the previous component in runtime (at resultant XLSX-file creation). The upper-left corner of the border of the current pattern (marked by green color) will be placed beside to the right-upper corner of the previous component (marked by yellow color):
If the previous components are enclosed in a folder, the above principles are applied to the borders of this folder.
Example 1: Current pattern (marked by green color) is placed below the previous folder (marked by blue color).
Example 2: Current pattern (marked by green color) is placed to right of the previous folder (marked by blue color).
Item «Copy properties»
Copy column width / row height from template.
Item «AutoFit merged cells»
Premise: When the cell is not merged, we can adjust the row height or column width to the fit the cell contents by using the AutoFit feature in the Excel template. But this function does not work for merged cells.
This option runs OLE/VBScript post-processing procedure to forcibly adapt merged cell size to content.
Note: I strongly recommend you to use post-processing only when it is really needed, because it has a few negative factors:
It won't be performed in background mode of printing program run
It won't be performing if MS Excel application is not installed on frontend computer
It reduce performance
Item «Copy formulas from template»
The option is checked off by default therefore formulas will not be transferred from template to resultant file in runtime. You should provide formulas from printing form via VALUE component.
If the option is checked on, all fomulas within PATTERN will be transferred "as is" from template to resultant file in runtime. Here "as is" means without cells address correction therefore collisions/ errors/ cycle links are possible. Use this option carefully.