Main window menus

The main window has seven menus: File, Edit, View, Form, Elements, Tools, and Help.

File

Command	Description
New…	Opens the Quick Start dialog box, which contains commands often used when starting the application: open a file, open a recently opened file, create a blank form, or start the Form Wizard.
Open…	Opens a form.
Save	Saves a form.
Save As…	Saves a form under a new name, or saves a form or page as a sample.
Export To	Exports the form to another format. The Export to submenu lists the available formats.
Import from Searchable PDF file…	Imports a form from a PDF file created in another form layout editor.
Publish Form	Publishes the form.
Save Editable Copy As…	Saves a copy of the form that can then be edited.
Distribute Form…	Opens the Form Distribution Wizard, where you can select form sending and receiving parameters.
Print Setup…	Opens the Print Setup dialog box.
Print Preview	Shows how a form will look when you print it.
Print	Prints the form with default print settings.
Print Filled-Out Forms…	Prints forms filled out with values from a file or a database.
Recent form	Displays the list of recently opened files. Select any of the recent files to open it.

Export to submenu

The Export To submenu offers the following commands:

Command	Description
Image File…	Exports a form to an image file.
Image file with color separation…	Exports a color form to an image file with color separation: a black-and-white TIFF file and a color TIFF file.
XML Form Definition…	Exports a form to XML Form Definition format (only for published forms).
PDF Form…	Exports an ABBYY FormDesigner form to a PDF form (only for published forms). You can also add response buttons to the form for e-mail or website response, and set export parameters. To export to a PDF form, your form must have at least one editable field.
InfoPath Form…	Exports an ABBYY FormDesigner form to an InfoPath form. To export to an InfoPath form, your form must have at least one editable field.
Adobe Illustrator File…	Exports your form to an Adobe Illustrator file.

Edit

Command	Description
Undo	Cancels the results of the last action.
Redo	Cancels the results of the last Undo action.
Cut	Cuts a selection (element or text) and places it into the Clipboard.
Copy	Copies a selection (element or text) to the Clipboard.
Paste	Pastes the contents of the Clipboard into the form.
Delete	Deletes the selected elements. The fields in the document structure that are linked to these elements are also deleted.
Duplicate	Duplicates the selected elements.
Edit Text	Lets you edit the text within the selected text or checkmark field element.
Rename Field	Renames the selected field.
Delete Block	Deletes the selected elements without deleting their linked fields in the document structure.
Select All	Selects all the elements on the current form.
Select by Type…	Opens the Select by Type dialog box, where you can specify the types of elements to be selected.

View

Command	Description
Toolbars	Shows or hides individual toolbars and switches between large and small buttons.
Status Bar	Shows or hides the Status bar, which displays explanations for buttons and menu items; the size, position, and type of the selected element; and page properties.
Document Structure	Shows or hides the document structure pane.
Element Properties	Shows or hides the element properties window.
Grid	Shows or hides the grid.
Main ruler	Shows or hides the main ruler.
Margins	Shows or hides the margins.
Snap to Grid	Snaps the top left corner of newly created elements to the nearest grid node. When moving a form element, it is also snapped to the nearest grid node.
Snap Align Rulers to Elements	Turns on or off the automatic binding of elements to rulers. When this mode is on, moving a ruler on the form binds it to the elements that are sufficiently close to it.
Show Align Rulers	Shows or hides alignment rulers.
Delete All Align Rulers	Removes all alignment rulers.
Zoom	Sets the zoom level of the Form window.

Toolbars submenu

Command	Description
Standard	Shows or hides the Standard toolbar.
Formatting	Shows or hides the Formatting toolbar.
Form Elements	Shows or hides the Form Elements toolbar.
Design Tools	Shows or hides the Design Tools toolbar.
Large Toolbar Buttons	Makes the toolbar buttons large or small.

Zoom submenu

Command	Description
200%	Zooms the Form window to 200%.
150%	Zooms the Form window to 150%.
100%	Zooms the Form window to 100%.
75%	Zooms the Form window to 75%.
50%	Zooms the Form window to 50%.
Fit to Width	Fits the image to the width of the Form window.
Fit to Height	Fits the image to the height of the Form window.
Best Fit	Fits the entire image to the Form window.
Zoom Out	Halves the form image.
Zoom In	Doubles the form image.

Form

Command	Description
Form Properties…	Opens the Form Properties dialog box.
Add Page	Adds a page to the form.
Delete Page	Deletes the current page.
Page Properties…	Opens the Page Properties dialog box.

Add page submenu

Command	Description
Empty	Adds an empty page to the form.
Based on Page Sample…	Adds a page created from a sample.

Elements

Command	Description
Draw an Element	Selects a tool for adding an element to the form.
Align	Aligns the selected elements.
Size	Resizes the selected elements.
Bring to Front	Moves the selected elements to the foreground.
Send to Back	Moves the selected elements to the background.
Merge	Merges the selected elements on the form.
Split	Splits the selected elements on the form.
Add to Merged Elements	Adds elements to previously merged elements. Both the elements to be added and the previously merged elements must be selected.

Draw an element submenu

Command	Description
Selection Tool	Selects a tool on the Form Elements toolbar or an element on the form.
Entry Field	Selects the Entry Field tool, which adds an entry field element to the form.
Date Field	Selects the Date Field tool, which adds a date field element to the form.
Numeric Field	Selects the Numeric Field tool, which adds a numeric field element to the form.
Checkmark Field	Selects the Checkmark Field tool, which adds a checkmark field element to the form.
Group of Elements	Selects the Group of Elements tool, which adds a group of elements to the form.
Table	Selects the Table tool, which adds a table element to the form.
Vertical Separator	Selects the Vertical Separator tool, which adds a vertical separator to the table.
Horizontal Separator	Selects the Horizontal Separator tool, which adds a horizontal separator to the table.
Delete Separator	Selects the Delete Separator tool, which deletes a separator from the table.
Vertical Ruler	Selects the Vertical Ruler tool, which adds a vertical ruler to the form.
Horizontal Ruler	Selects the Horizontal Ruler tool, which adds a horizontal ruler to the form.
Text	Selects the Text tool, which adds a text element to the form.
Line Separator	Selects the Line Separator tool, which adds a line separator element to the form.
Rectangle	Selects the Rectangle tool, which adds a rectangle element to the form.
Picture	Selects the Picture tool, which adds a picture element to the form.
Anchor	Selects the Anchor tool, which adds an anchor element to the form.
Identifier	Selects the Identifier tool, which adds an identifier element to the form.
Filling Template…	Adds a filled-out sample to the form.
Group of checkmarks…	Opens the Checkmark Group Creation Wizard, which lets you create a checkmark group element and add it to the form.

Align submenu

Command	Description
Left	Aligns the selected elements to the left edge of the last selected element.
Center Horizontally	Centers the selected elements along the center of the last selected element without changing their vertical position.
Right	Aligns the selected elements to the right edge of the last selected element.
Top	Aligns the selected elements to the top edge of the last selected element.
Center Vertically	Centers the selected elements along the center of the last selected element without changing their horizontal position.
Bottom	Aligns the selected elements to the bottom edge of the last selected element.
To Grid	Aligns the top left corners of all the selected elements to the nearest grid nodes.
Space Evenly Across	Spaces the selected elements evenly across the page.
Space Evenly Down	Spaces the selected elements evenly down the page.

Size submenu

Command	Description
Make Same Width	Makes the width of all the selected elements the same as the width of the last selected element.
Make Same Height	Makes the height of all the selected elements the same as the height of the last selected element.
Make Same Width and Height	Makes the width and height of all the selected elements the same as those of the last selected element.
Size to Grid	Expands the borders of the selected element to the nearest grid lines.
Size to Fit	Expands or shrinks the borders of the selected element to fit the size of the data inside.

Tools

Command	Description
Check Form	Checks whether the form is machine-readable.
Options…	Opens the Options dialog box, where you can change the main window view, export parameters, and empty page layout properties.

Help

Command	Description
Help Topics	Opens the ABBYY FormDesigner help.
Web Help	Opens the ABBYY FormDesigner help website.
Technical Support	Opens the Technical Support page.
Send feedback…	Sends feedback on ABBYY FormDesigner to ABBYY. The company page opens, where you can find an ABBYY FormDesigner and ABBYY FlexiCapture feedback form.
About	Opens the About ABBYY FormDesigner 12 window, which contains brief information about the program.

Introducing ABBYY FormDesigner

ABBYY FormDesigner Interface

Working with ABBYY FormDesigner

Appendix

File

Export to submenu

Edit

View

Toolbars submenu

Zoom submenu

Form

Add page submenu

Elements

Draw an element submenu

Align submenu

Size submenu

Tools

Help

​File

​Export to submenu

​Edit

​View

​Toolbars submenu

​Zoom submenu

​Form

​Add page submenu

​Elements

​Draw an element submenu

​Align submenu

​Size submenu

​Tools

​Help

File

Export to submenu

Edit

View

Toolbars submenu

Zoom submenu

Form

Add page submenu

Elements

Draw an element submenu

Align submenu

Size submenu

Tools

Help