Patent ID: 7206999

Claim:
A form processing method for generating a form by entering data into a form file, which has a field object indicating an output area of the data to be entered into a field, and an object that appears in an area other than the field object, and causing the data to be output in the output area indicated by the field object, comprising: a linkage determining step of determining whether a setting has been made to link an output position of the object to an output position of the field object into which a variable-length table is output by entering the data; an offset-value acquisition step of acquiring an offset value between the output position of the object and the output position of the field object into which the variable-length table is output, if it has been determined at said linkage determining step that a setting has been made to link the output position of the object; an output step of deciding and outputting the output position of the object based upon the offset value and the output position of the field object into which the variable-length table is output; and a setting step of setting the form file, wherein said setting step includes: a linkage setting step of making a setting, based upon an indication from a user, in such a manner tat the output position of the object and the output position of the field object into which the variable-length table is output will be linked by way of the offset value; a storing step of storing the setting that has been made at said linkage setting step; a multiple-column determining step of determining whether a setting has been made such that the field object into which the variable-length table is output will be formed by multiple columns on the same page of the form; and a linking-method setting step of setting a linking method for linking the output position of the object to the output position of the field object into which the variable-length table is output, if it has been determined at said multiple-column determining step that a setting has been made such that the field object will be formed by the multiple columns.