How Do I ... Generate a PDF form
Some of the laboratory submission forms are in 'pdf' format with pull-down boxes to fill in the lab Addresses - specifically those from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency.
These can be added/accessed with the AP Metacharacter
^38=name_of_forme.g. for the Avian Submission Form, create an AP card and add to the Extra's lines
^38=vla2.pdf (at the time of writing vla2.pdf
is the correct form).
When used, the form will be copied over to the Attachment Screen and a PDF reader will be called. You can fill in the details and click print. As the form has been copied over before you fill in the details if you click 'save' the competed form will be saved with no additional steps needed.
| Description | VLA Avian Submission Form |
|---|---|
| Keyword | vla2 |
| M.Factor | Suppressed |
| Extras | ^38=vla2.pdf |
The Name of the attachment will be taken from the description of the AP card. In the above example it would end up as:
VLA Avian Submission Formand it will be attached as an 'AP Form'.
If you want to alter the defaults then add a params.txt entry:
Form_filename = Description | Attach as (the '| Attach as' is optional)For the Avian Submission Form (vla2.pdf) this could be
Form_vla2.pdf = VLA Avian Form | VLA Avian
The description would be taken as 'VLA Avian Form' and it would
be classed as 'VLA Avian'. If the VLA issue new forms, just
download and save it in the text folder.
Note: The form will be copied over to the attachment screen BEFORE the system checks they can actually be opened on the screen you are on. This allows the forms to put into place and another member to staff to finish them off and print them later.
You can use ^38= with any Windows type forms, for example,
adding a Dental chart, Pathology lab form etc. - just set
^38=name-of-form and it will call up Word, Adobe, a browser as
needed. See the guide Dental Charts
for details.
The current VLA forms can be downloaded from Defra Web Site or use Help -> Updates -> Others -> Lab Forms. See the Guide Downloading Lab Forms for details. The guides are based on the filenames on the WebSite or in the Download package so copying the examples above will work.