I've got a form that I downloaded, I'd like to prefill some content on the form (this is easy using cfpdfform).
Where it gets tricky is I would like to allow the user to modify the contents of that form, and then somehow have those modified contents accessible to me. I didnt build the source PDF so I dont know how to allow the user to "save" the new contents so they can be read.
Any ideas on where I might start on this one?
You can also use the cfpdfform tag to read/write data to a PDF file which has a form. The important thing is that the PDF document already have the form fields available, or that you add them.
I just recently completed a task where I had to have a user fill out a normal web form, and then create a filled version of an existing PDF document. It worked like a breeze!
I think that depending on what you are trying to accomplish, having the user fill out the data in a web form is less confusing than serving up a PDF and expecting them to save that to update a file on a remote server. Just my opinion, though.
http://www.cfquickdocs.com/cf8/?getDoc=cfpdfform#cfpdfform
It's possible for users to complete most PDF forms in Adobe Reader, but when user's try to save the changes they get a popup prompting them that the PDF cannot be saved and would need to upgrade to Adobe Acrobat to have this functionality.
Since Acrobat 7 (or possibly) 8 it's possible to create a form so that it can be completed and saved in reader. In Acrobat open your PDF, and select Advanced -> Enable usage right in reader from the menu. This will prompt you to save the form and then anyone using Adobe reader can complete it.
Once that's done you can open the form in ColdFusion, populate some of the fields and serve it up to the user. Once they fill it in, save it and get it back in ColdFusion you can read the contents using the PDF related tags.
Please note: It's currently not possible to set the "enable usage rights in reader" flag from ColdFusion, you need a copy of Adobe Acrobat or access to Adobe LifeCycle server to do this.
This document may help you:
http://www.adobe.com/education/instruction/teach/coldfusion/CF8-2_advanced_cf8_development_unit8.pdf
Related
I'm trying to find a way to host some fillable PDF forms on our website that people can download, fill out, and then they have a SUBMIT button on it that would 1) upload the completed form to a folder on our web server as a PDF file, and then ideally 2) email a direct link to the file on the server. I know how to add the button, just not clear on the actions side for this scenario.
Adobe docs have some info here, https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/publishing-interactive-pdf-web-forms.html, but nothing specific to what I need.
Does anyone have any experience with this? And if it's even a realistic goal given the number of different PDF readers, browser-based viewers, etc and how it would be supported by all?
Thanks in advance
I am not sure how to phrase this question. We have code that creates a PDF that is PDF/A compliant, we put in some xml data into the metadata section. We then display the PDF in a preview window where the user can download the PDF. As part of our users process they open up the PDF in a text editor and search for one of the xml tag, "vendor" while all the data is encrypted, the tag value of "vendor" is still visible, such that the search would work. And then the users submit these files to US Courts that export the data.
I am on a Mac and I follow this process and it works perfectly.
The issue we have is that on Chrome/Windows users when they download the PDF and try to search for "vendor" it doesn't work. The search fails. If the user opens up the document in Adobe Acrobat Pro and then just hit Save, then open it in their Text editor it then works. The problem is our users are now complaining about having to do those two extra steps.
This only occurs on Windows users with Chrome. It does not happen on Mac/Safari.
I wish I could attach a sample, but the documents are extremely confidential, and I can't make one up with non confidential data as that would then not match what happens in our application.
I have a very specific question and I would be extremely happy if anybody has any guess on how to solve it. I have: 1.- a PDF form which I have not created myself. 2.- a GoogleSpreadsheet created by myself.
Now the question is: is there any way I can fill in the PDF form using the information in the GoogleSpreadsheet, taking into account that this process should be activated from the GoogleSpreadsheet (since the PDF form is not mine)?
Best regards and thanks so much for everyone's input!
It depends.
You would need edit access to the PDF form, in order to get the field names. With that information, you could create a FDF (Forms Data Format, a PDF-related file format for data, using PDF syntax) file from the Google spreadsheet, which does refer to the PDF form as a base PDF. You then could open that FDF from the spreadsheet, and it should, if your webbrowser supports the Acrobat browser plug-in, grab the base PDF and populate it.
If you can not get the opening from the spreadsheet to work, download the FDF file and open it in Acrobat/Reader, or open the base form in Acrobat/Reader and import the data from the FDF file.
I was wondering if it is possible to open a pdf file (located on a web server) in a web browser, edit it and then save it with the changes. Basically what I need is to open, edit and save a certificate protected pdf file in my web browser, without ever having to download a copy to my desktop. The pdf file contains textfields that needs to be filled out with text before saving the changes.
I know that it is possible to view pdf files in a browser, but im unsure if it is possible to edit it when it is protected by a certificate.
What you are asking can be performed in the following methods: First which is the simplest way is to use Adobe Forms server. If you would like to use your own PDF, you will need to extend reader extensions display the form in a frame and perform cross scripting to tell the form to post itself to the server. Note: read Adobe Reader Extension licensing extending reader extension has restriction on usage.
Obviously you can enable reader extension allow user to download edit and upload the file to your server.
Certified forms means you cannot change the form structure but you can fill the form and save it (if it is reader extension enabled)
I am embeding a PDF form on my web application. The application allows you to fill in the fields in the form, and when you are done, click on a "Submit" button, which saves whatever you've entered into the form. This functionality is working fine.
Unfortunately, Adobe Reader displays a message on top of their embeded control that says: "Please fill out the following form. You cannot save data typed into this form. Please print your completed form if you would like a copy for your records."
Now, I know what Adobe Reader is trying to tell the user. Basically, Adobe Reader will not allow you to save the contents of what you've entered into your local hard drive as a new PDF.
However, since we've added a Submit button which effectively will save what they typed within our application, and it is working. Therefore, we think this message is misleading, and would like to remove it.
I use iTextSharp in .Net for our form automation server side. I have not found a way to remove this message from the embeded forms.
Any help?
It has been a long time, but adobe has added option to hide this annoying message.
On OSX 11.0.3, Preferences>Forms>Always hide document message bar
I'm pretty sure that there is no way around this if you want to continue to use Acrobat Reader to display the PDF. This message is built into Acrobat Reader, and I am not aware of any way to override it from the outside.
Sorry, this is more in the way of a negative answer than a positive one.
There are some third-party, free, projects that are basically PDF viewers for .NET. This would allow you to get rid of the message by avoiding Acrobat Reader entirely, although this is a large amount of work just to get rid of a message.
This one is pretty comprehensive.
Another option that I'm sure you already thought of is to just build the form on the web page, instead of using the PDF. Again, a lot of extra work just to remove a message.
Adobe Acrobat (Standard and Pro) can change PDF forms to enable Adobe Acrobat Reader users to 'fill+save' form data (instead of the standard 'fill+print').
It is a special option available when saving the PDF saying "Save PDF with extended Reader functions" (or similar... I'm translating this back from German into English).
This cannot be achieved with any non-Adobe PDF creating software (unless this has licensed that function from Adobe). The technical reason for this is that Adobe uses a digital signature to protect this function, and that you'll have to agree to not reverse engineer the key when you accept the Adobe EULA. Acrobat Reader has that key compiled into its binary, and if it verified the key, it will change the message displayed to the user indicating that the form data of this document can be saved (it will also change its behaviour and indeed save the data).
Maybe this info helps you?
Switch to View > Full Screen Mode (short cut is on a mac is ⌘L).
Although this mode hides all menus and scroll bars too, I prefer it. IMHO the reader uses far too much screen real estate on junk)