Controlling XML output Livecycle Designer 8.0

Question

Hello.
I am new to XML and somewhat new to LiveCycle Designer, however I have acclimated rather well.
Here is what I want to do:
1) Create a PDF fill-in-form (including various fields...text, numeric, radio buttons, and some FormCalc functions)
2) Create a Submit button that emails an XML file to the form administrator
3) Use MS Excel to import XML files into pre-mapped fields
Basically, I do not have server database support, and this is the best workaround (and most functional) I could come up with.
After mapping fields in Excel, I exported the *.xsd and created a new data connection within LiveCycle. Then, I linked the schema fields with the bindings - corrected any errors, and have tested the form (form1). I made the submit button - that's all good, too. When I import the XML into Excel - that's where I have a problem, and it's not an issue with Excel to my knowledge, but rather how the form generates the XML output.
For example, I have 25 fields that will be outputted via XML. My PDF form consists of 4 pages (8.5" x 11"). When I created the form and got to the end of the page, I "inserted new page" and went on my merry way. When I import the XML, Excel properly maps the fields, however, it does not import the info to a single row. What I have discovered is that since my PDF form consists of 4 pages (each bound to "sheet[*]"), the XML output looks like the following:
Example of the XML output from my form:
<form1>
<sheet>
<submissionID xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
>743</submissionID>
<reviewerID xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
>234</reviewerID>
<date xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
>24/01/2008</date>
</sheet>
<sheet>
<tag1>input</tag1>
<tag2>input</tag2>
</sheet>
</form1>
Wherever there is a "<form>" tag (hence a new page in my PDF document), Excel puts that data on a new column. All fields within form1 are imported and mapped to the correct field, however importing a single XML file will occur on 4 rows.
I bound each "page" as "sheet[*]" mostly because that is the only way I knew how to use FormCalc to do calculations from fields that occur at different places throughout the document.
So, I have tried to be as clear as possible, and would like suggestions/help as how to control the XML output from a LiveCycle document. If I am to modify the outputted XML and remove the multiple instances of <sheet> and </sheet> then Excel imports the data just fine and on a single row.
I would love some help on this rather specific problem. I guess it's a very basic issue that someone with experience could help.
Thank you so much!!
Jim

Answer 1

I have a vital form that clients fill out, which is passed to many people in the company along the workflow. The form is a Planner and we have in the following PDF, Word Doc..
Well before, the Planner.pdf was originally created in Word, since most people have access to Word.. but evolved to a PDF form created from the Word Doc via Adobe LiveCycle Designer 8.0 w/ User Rights enabled so that the form could be filled out and saved using Adobe Reader.. which was a step better than Word.. being that it is free. But this needed to be easier and more to the point b/c some clients don't particularly like installing the latest version of Reader, even if you provide them the link. Nor do they like saving the form, filling the form, and attaching the form to send back.
My goal is to have the client fill an HTML version of the form, submit and be done with it, but everyone in the workflow be able to easily receive the filled Planner as a PDF form.
So some months ago I ran into this post Chris Trip, "Populate Livecycle PDF from mySQL database using PHP" #8, 22 Sep 2007 4:37 pm
which uses the command line Win32 pdftk.exe to merge an FDF file into an existing PDF on the remote server, and serve this to whoever.
My problem was with shared hosting and having the ability to use the Win32 pdftk.exe along with PHP which is predominantly used on Linux boxes. And we used a Linux box.
so i created the following unorthodox method, which a client fills the HTML version of the Planner, all field values are INSERTED into a table in MySQL DB, I and all filled planners that have been filled by clients to date can be viewed from a repository page where an XML file is served up of the corresponding client, but someone would have to have Acrobat Professional, to import the form data from the XML file into a blank form.. altoughh this is simple for me.. I have the PHP file already created so that when a Planner is filled and client submits. >> the an email is sent to me with a table row from the repository of the client name, #, email, and a link to d-load the XML file,
But I also have the PHP files created so that the Planner can be sent to by email to various people in the workflow with certain fileds ommitted they they do not need to see, but instead of the XML file beiong served up i need the filled PDF Planner to be served.
I can do this locally with ease on a testing server, but I am currently trying to use another host that uses cross-platform compatibility so i can use PHP and the pdftk.exe to achieve this, as that is why I am having to serve up an XML file b/c we use a Linux server for our website, and cant execute the exe.
Now that I am testing the other server (cross-platform host), just to use them to do the PDF handling (and it's only $5 per month) I am having problems with getting READ, WRITE, EXECUTE permissions..
Si guess a good question to ask is can PHP do the same procedure as the pdftk.exe, and i can eleminate it.
or how in the heck can i get this data from the DB into a blank PDF form, like i have described??
here are some link to reference
Populating a LiveCycle PDF with PHP and MySQL
http://www.andrewheiss.com/Tutorials?page=LiveCycle_PDFs_and_MySQL
HTML form that passed data into a PDF
http://www.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.20/20.11/FillOnlinePDFFormsUsingHTML/index.htm l
and an example
http://accesspdf.com/html_pdf_form/