Patent ID: 7475333

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for creating a form including a plurality of layout items that define the presentation of data, said method comprising: displaying simultaneously a logic view, a property view, and a form layout view, the logic view including nodes representing the layout items and display labels, associated with the nodes, the nodes in the logic view having an order that corresponds to structure information of the layout items in the layout view, the order of the nodes defining a processing order of the layout items, the property view displaying properties of the layout items, and the form layout view displaying a representation of the form that provides a preview of the location of the layout items in the form wherein each of the layout items contains a label that summarizes the information to be entered into the layout item, and wherein the label for each of the layout items in the layout view contains wording different from wording used in the form sent to an output device; selecting a layout item in one of the logic, property, and form layout views; continuously displaying and continuously highlighting the layout item as selected in one of the views other than the view in which the layout item was selected for the entire time that the layout item is selected; modifying the selected layout item in one of the views; and creating a form definition document based on the modified selected layout item.