This article is for Alpha Four users who would like to create data-entry forms that look nicer than the default form.  Sure, the default form will provide the user with a way to enter data, and it could be argued that this is all that's necessary.  However, for the same reason that a person will debate about the color or interior of their next car (when neither is essential to the car's task; basic transportation), there are people that will say, "If I'm going to look at my computer a lot, I want to look at something nice."

Here are a few examples of how you make your data-entry form look more professional (or just plain nice):

1.	Add some color. Plain white characters on a blue background isn't too bad, but can get rather boring after a while.  If you have several forms, you might want to make each one a different color.  While this might sound trivial, it could also serve a useful function in helping to identify which form you're in.  This, in turn, could prevent errors in data entry.

2.

Move the fields around on the form. On the default form, the fields are arranged on the left side of the screen, and have numbers preceding them.  This seems rather stark, and somewhat ungainly, since the field labels are all left justified.  Since they aren't all the same length, the space between the labels and fields varies quite a bit. Try moving the fields to the center of the screen, and eliminating the numbers.  You can also right-justify the field labels, so the distance from the right side of the label to the left side of the field is always the same.  Sometime's I'll change the field labels to upper and lower case, instead of all upper case.  I'll also remove the colons on some forms, when I use different colors for the background, which brings me to...

3.

Use different-colored backgrounds for the labels and fields. If you put the field labels on one color background, and the fields on a different color, it becomes more obvious where the actual fields are.  One color scheme I like is using white characters on a dark background for the field labels, and dark characters on a light background for the fields.

4.	Use different colors for important fields. If you want a particular field to stand out (such as the amount still due on an invoice), try using bolder colors.  For example, black characters on a yellow background is a real eye-catcher.

5.

Use lines as borders to separate sections on a form. Some data-entry forms have so many fields that it becomes hard to tell what's going on.  To alleviate this problem somewhat, you can put a horizontal line between two sections to separate them.  Or, you can put a group of fields in a box.

6.

Use shading to give a 3-D effect to the form. This trick can make a form look more professional. First, create a block of color on the form that contrasts with the background.  Next, to create a shadow beneath the block, select a color from the pallet that is black background with the same color foreground as the screen's background.  Make a one-row strip of this color below the block (at first, you won't see any difference).  Next, start one column to the right of the left corner of the block, and put in the ASCII character 220 (press the ALT key, and then press 220 in the number keys at the right side of your keyboard).  When you release the ALT key, you will see a half-row high black box immediately below the block.  Continue to the right until you get to one column past the right corner of the block, and stop.  If all went well, you now have a black shadow beneath the block. To get a one-column width shadow to the right of the block, use ASCII 219 in one column to the right of the block, except for the top.  At the top, use ASCII 223.  This should give you a shadow that looks like this:

Notice that I have combined several of the suggestions above in this form.  While you might not like the specific colors, you can see how the different schemes affect the appearance of the form.  By the way, the background behind this form is the standard dark blue, which is noticeably darker than the area with the field labels.
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