XFA Specification
New XFA Template Features
973
Widget borders, version 2.1
Any of the user interface widgets may specify a border.
Choice List Widgets
Multiple selections, version 2.1
Choice list widgets can now allow the user to select multiple options from the list of options.
Immediate commitment of selections, version 2.1
The default behavior of choice lists widgets is now to commit the selected data, as soon as the user makes
the selection. When data is committed, it is propagated to the XFA Data DOM. Previously, choice list
selections were submitted only when the choice-list field was exited.
Note:
Templates based on XFA versions prior to 2.1 may need to be modified to retain their original
behavior. This is accomplished by adding to the
choiceList
element the attribute definition
commitOn="exit"
.
Caption Appearance
Captions can differ between views, version 2.4
The
caption
element now accepts a
relevant
attribute. This makes it possible for a caption to differ in
different views of the form, for example when printed versus when filled in interactively. For more
information see the
“Template Specification” on page 418.
Caption margins, version 2.1
Captions may specify a margin, which insets the caption text from the edge of the containing field. The
margin prevents the widget from being eclipsed by the field’s border, especially in the situation where the
border is wide and is even- or right-handed. Also, the margin allows more refined placement of captions.
Form Navigation
Accelerator key allows keyboard sequence to bring fields into focus, version 2.2
Fields and Exclusion Groups may now have an accelerator key property (
accessKey
). When the character
assigned to a field’s accessibility key is selected in combination with the system’s modifier key (on
Windows, Alt), the form’s focus shifts to the indicated field.
Aids for Vision-Impaired Users
Role of a container may be defined, especially for table headings and rows, version 2.1
The assist element now includes a role attribute, which can be used to declare the role any container plays.
XFA processing applications can use this property to identify the role of subforms, exclusion groups, fields,
and draws. One possible use of this new attribute is to assign it values from the HTML conventions. Such
values would declare the role of the parent container, such as
role="TH"
(table headings) and
role="TR"
(table rows). Such role declarations may be used by speech-enabled XFA processing
applications to provide information about a particular container.