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When you add elements to a form, ABBYY FormDesigner automatically builds a document structure: a hierarchy of form fields linked to one or more elements on the form image. You can modify the document structure and link elements to any fields of the appropriate type. The document structure is saved and exported as part of the XFD file.

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View the document structure

To view the structure of the current document, select View → Document Structure. The field hierarchy appears in the right-hand pane. Right-click a field to add, delete, or rename fields (Add Field, Delete Field, Rename Field).
The names of fields that have no elements linked to them appear in italics in the document structure pane.

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Add fields

When you add a new element to a form, ABBYY FormDesigner automatically creates a field of the same type in the document structure. To create a field manually, select Add Field and choose a type for it. When you add an element, ABBYY FormDesigner links it to the field automatically created for it. To link an element to a different field:
1

Select the element

Select the element on the form image.
2

Open its properties

Right-click the element and select Properties… on the shortcut menu.
3

Choose a field

On the Linked Field tab of the Element Properties dialog box, select a field from the drop-down list. You can choose only fields of the type that matches the selected element. If the element is part of a group, you can link it only to fields that belong to the corresponding group field.

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Move fields

To move a field in the hierarchy, press Ctrl+Up or Ctrl+Down, or select Move Field Up or Move Field Down. If a field has elements linked to it, you can move it only within its current level. Otherwise, you can also move it between groups.

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Delete fields and elements

To delete a field, select it and press Delete, or right-click it and select Delete on the shortcut menu. When you delete an element, the field it is linked to is also deleted, unless other elements are linked to that field. To delete an element without deleting its field, press Shift+Delete, or select Delete Block on the Edit menu or the shortcut menu.