Forms Manager - Instructions

Steps for executing primary functions in Gradience Forms Manager

Custom Forms Folder:

Create a place to store forms that have data or have been modified.

Click the yellow folder in the upper-left.

 

Right-click in the popup and click New > New Folder and when the folder appears, name it Custom Forms.

Click once in the empty area of the popup and then click the white X in the red box in the upper-right corner to close the popup.

Click the yellow folder in the upper-left.

When the popup opens, you will see your new folder at the top.

When entering data onto a form that you wish to save or when modifying a form for future use as a new template, you may save it into the new Custom Forms folder. This will be useful for storing an Accident Form or a Performance Appraisal or Employment Application for a particular individual and for storing new custom templates.

IMPORTANT! Please copy the new Custom Folder to a network drive or to an external hard drive (USB Device) each time you add or change a custom form. This way, if your computer crashes, you can install Forms Manager onto a new, replacement computer and then copy the Custom Forms folder from where you’ve saved it and paste it into the new forms folder where all of your regular Forms templates reside.

Logo: Incorporate your organization’s logo into a form

From within the program click the yellow Open folder icon in the upper-left.

 

Select the form you wish to open.

Once the form appears on screen, click the Design/Filler Mode icon.

On the left, click the Picture icon.

Navigate to where your logo resides.

Double-click on the logo to have it appear on the form.

Now, you may reposition and resize the logo as needed.  It will have a border around it that cannot be eliminated.  The ability to eliminate the border may be an enhancement available on a future version.

Click File > Save as and give the form a custom name to save it without overwriting the template.

Note:  You cannot overwrite a template.

E-Mail Forms:

From within the program, click the yellow Open file icon in the upper left.

  

Select the form you wish to open.

Once the form appears on screen, click Tools > Setup Routing.

When the Email Routing window opens, select Route in Sequence.

Enter the name and e-mail address of the recipient; then select the level of Access the recipient should have.

Click Create.  An e-mail message will open that will have a link the recipient would click to download the FREE Forms Reader to open the form.

Note:  Each time someone receives a form via e-mail, they will get a link to download the free reader. They may disregard the link after using it the first time.

Note: Click here for instructions on opening an e-mailed form.

Add a Page to a Form:

Click the Design/Filler Mode button at the top of the screen.

Note: The button will change.

Click Insert. > New Page.

Select Fill-in Box and click on the blank form to provide areas for more information to be entered.

Adding/Removing a Border from an Imbedded Image:

Click the Design/Filler Mode icon at the top of the screen.

Click the image that you wish to adjust.

Under Border on the left, click the 3^rd symbol down on the right.

Combine Several Form Elements into One Form:

You will need to open two instances of Forms Manager simultaneously.

From your desktop, click on the Forms Manager icon to open one instance of the program and bring up the form from which you will copy.

From within the form, left-click on the area to be copied.  This will “capture” the area to be copied.

Now, click on Edit and then click Copy.  Now, minimize this instance of Forms Manager.

From your desktop, click on the Forms Manager icon again to open another instance of the program.

Bring up the form into which you wish to paste what was copied from the other instance of the program.

At the top of the screen click on the Design/Filler Mode icon.  It has the image of a triangle and a ruler.

Click the Edit tab then Select All.

Click Edit again then select Paste or user Ctrl - V to paste.  The pasted portion may overlap a pre-existing potion of the form.  Use the down arrows, located on your keyboard to move the form into the desired area.

Save this form to your Custom Forms folder and if necessary, give it a unique name.

Send Forms Folder to Tech Support:

Sending a copy of your Forms folder to Tech Support can sometimes help speed a solution to an issue you may be facing.

Note:  Some e-mail services have restrictions on the transmission of attachments. Please check with your administrator to verify that your e-mail system will support sending attachments. 

Go to Start, click on Run, type in hrware.ini, and click OK and look for:

[FORMS]

Run_Path=C:\Program Files\Gradience\Forms Manager\FormMgr.exe

Note: Your path may be different.  Jot down the Run Path or print out the hrwar.ini file to use as a guide in navigating to where the folder is located.

Close out of the hrware.ini file and navigate through Windows Explorer (Not Internet Explorer) to where the Forms Manager folder is located.

Right click on Forms Manager and select your Zip/Compress feature and while doing so place a password on the new file. Note of where you are saving it.

Open your e-mail and attach the file and send the e-mail to support@gradiencesupport.com.  Please be sure to inform us of the added password.

Launch Error: “is not a valid integer.

• If your operating system is Windows XP do the following: 

From the desktop open your Control Panel and click Display.

When the Display Properties window opens, click the Settings tab at the top.

At the lower-right click Advanced.

When the next window opens, the DPI setting must indicate Normal size (96DPI).  If this option is not available, select Small Fonts.

Click OK.  If you cannot see the OK button, press the Enter key on your keyboard.

• If your operating system is Windows 7 do the following:

In a blank area of the desktop, do a right-click with the mouse.

Click on Personalize > Display and set the font size to Smaller – 100% (default).

Support

The software is supported until 12/31 of the version year. After that, it will continue to run indefinitely but it will no longer be supported and it will no longer be periodically updated for free.

For Free support go to www.gradiencesupport.com and Click on Register Now to create a FREE Gradience online support account.  This account will allow you to create your own Gradience Help Desk Tickets. These are then sent directly to Gradience Tech Support. 

Live technical support is FREE by phone for the first 30-days after purchase. After that, you would need to purchase a 12-month maintenance plan for $109 per software title - or pay a per-call fee of $59.99 - or use our free online support as described above.

Software Training

Tech Support does not provide assistance with learning how to use the software. Free instructional documents are available upon request. To get FREE ‘How-To’ instructions or to request FREE technical support, go to www.gradiencesupport.com and click Login and open a ticket requesting instructions or browse our knowledgebase articles.

Upgrades vs. Updates: Annual “upgrades” may be purchased but periodic “updates” to the current version year are FREE.

Occasionally, the software content may be changed, or the functions or features may be improved. When such changes occur during the version year of the software, FREE updates will be made available. The software will notify you when such FREE updates are made available for download. After the end of the version year, the software will continue to function indefinitely but is will no longer be supported nor will any further FREE updates be made available for that version. 

EXAMPLE: If you purchase the 2013 version, no further updates will be made available for that version year after 12/31/2013. To continue to ensure that the content and features are up to date, you need to purchase an “upgrade” for the next version year. We make the next version year available prior to the end of the current version year. And this generally occurs in the spring.

Accepting FREE Updates:

When accepting the update, you will be taken directly to the web page that has the downloadable installation file. When the web page opens, look for the heading; Download Software and click on Forms.

IMPORTANT! If you use Windows Explorer, you will get a popup that will give you the opportunity to Run, Saveor Cancel. Do not click Run. Click Save and save it to your desktop. The main thing to remember, no matter what web browser you use, do not run the installation from the web site, run it from your desktop.

Once the download is complete, do not click Run. Click Close and then, find the installation file on the desk top and run it from there. The installation file will look like this.

IMPORTANT! After updating the program, open it and click on Help > About to view the new full, multi-digit version number. Jot down that full number. In the event you need technical support, it helps for us to know all of the digits of your version number to render you the best possible support. Occasionally, solutions for particular issues change when the version number changes.

Moving Gradience Forms Manager to a New Computer:

If you have a Custom Forms Folder containing forms that have already been filled out or that have been modified as custom templates, please copy the Custom Folder to a network drive or to an external hard drive (USB Device). After you install Forms Manager onto the new computer, you can copy the Custom Forms folder from where you’ve saved it and paste it into the new forms folder where all of your regular Forms templates reside.

If you don’t have a Custom Forms folder in Forms Manager on the original computer, but you do have one or more forms that have already been filled out or that have been modified as custom templates, please copy them to a network drive or to an external hard drive (USB Device). After you install Forms Manager onto the new computer, you can copy it/them from where you’ve saved it/them and paste them into the new forms folder where all of your regular Forms templates reside.

Click on Help > About to check your current version. The version number has multiple digits and decimal points. What matters here is just the first decimal place.

IMPORTANT!  We normally begin offering the new version year during the spring of the current version year. Because of this, our Tech Support web site has both the current version year and the next version year available for download. Be sure to download the version that has the same number in the first decimal place.

EXAMPLE: If you are running version 9 on your original computer, do not download version 10 onto the new computer. If you do, you will find that upon opening the program, you will be prompted to enter the product key, which you will not have until you purchase that version.

Forms Manager Download link: http://www.gradiencesupport.com/entries/21042103-Forms-Manager

When the web page opens, look for the heading; Download Software and click on the title of software you wish to install. 

 

                                  

• If you see a slender popup window on your screen with three options (Run, Save, Cancel). Please don’t click Run. Instead, click the down arrow next to Save and select Save As. When your MyComputer screen opens, select Desktop and click Save. This will start the download process. When it is finished, do not click Run. Click Close. To “install” it, please follow the installation steps below.

 

• If you get a large popup with Run, Save, Cancel. There will be no down arrow next to Save so just click Save. You will then get the standard Save As popup window. Click the Desktop button on the left edge of the popup and then click Save in the lower, right corner. This will begin to download the installation file to your desktop. When it is finished, do not click Run. Click Close. To “install” it, please follow the installation steps below.

 

IMPORTANT!

After updating the program, open it and click on Help > About to view the new full, multi-digit version number. Jot down that full number. In the event you need technical support, it helps for us to know all of the digits of your version number to render you the best possible support. Occasionally, solutions for particular issues change when the version number changes.