Create a Form from Scratch: Possible or Not

So, I have Acrobat X.
I want to create a form from scratch. I have Word doc, but it wasn't created to look like a form, and I didn't like the way it imported.
So, can I create a form from scratch. Or Not?
If you try to start from scratch, it suggests a template on formscentral - and after signing up for free and spending an hour making the form, I find that I can not save or save as PDF the form that I created without forking over my credit card information - for a free trial that bills in a few weeks. (As much as I like the form data collection tools available, I cannot have my data collected by Adobe.)
I can open an empty MS Word doc to start from - as my import choice - but can you make it any harder to mave the text around or enter new text? I never did figure out how to edit text. Is the answer going to be to edit my text in Word or in the plain PDF tool?
I just found the form creation to be completely counter intuitive.

Acrobat is not a Word processor, really. "Adding a carriage return" makes sense in a word processor, where the layout is still fluid. In a PDF the layout is finished, everything is a graphic. So, absolutely, it's designed to work with pre-made forms. To me, that's a strenghth - you can use the tools you already know to make the form background, then you add the fields in Acrobat. With work, you can preserve the fields over remaking the PDF, then just adjust the field positions.

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Adobe forms from scratch - Standard programs?

Hi,
I have just begun trying to implement Adobe forms from scratch at my company. Previosly we have used an external printing solution so I can't convert anything. My plan is to create a new output medium and let the users select the new type by themself. But I have a couple of questions:
1. How do I create a new medium (Examples: Print output/Fax/Telex, as found in t-code NACT - Processing routines)
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We have ERP6 ehp4 on netweaver 7 ehp1 and I have created one "Adobe form" myself so I can confirm that it works. but I don't want to invent the wheel twice...
Thanx in advance!
Br Linus Hellsing

Hi Linus,
I was wondering if you had a moment to comment on an opportunity that I am having regarding Adobe forms development efforts?
If so, please read on:
Our offshore team has worked on a development effort to replace Smart Forms PO's and Contracts with Adobe forms. They created new output types for these Adobe forms. In testing I noticed that the only way I can get them to print - is if I go into Print Preview and print -or- use SP01 and click on the .pdf icon and print. In both cases it uses Adobe Acrobat to perform the actually printing.
We cannot seem to get them to print using the normal SAP message utility. Our users would expect to continue to:
1. Use the Messages button while in the PO document - and select the new output type along with Meduim= Printed Output...
2. Then they select Further data button - to specify Send Immediately.
3. Then they use the Communication Method tab and specify the Logical Destination (as LOCL) and click on the Check box for Print immediately.
They get what appears to be an rambling of Adobe error lines followed by many blank pages....
At this point I am not sure if the print program is working correctly - or if the problem is with Adobe Document Services?
Have you ever encountered a situation like this during your Adobe development efforts?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Regards,
Steve

I've created a PDF form using Adobe acrobat. I created the forms from a PDF that I made using pages

I've created a PDF form using Adobe acrobat. I created the forms from a PDF that I made using pages and word on Mac running Mountain lion. How do I allow the user of the form to insert JPEG files when filling out the form and how do I allow the user to add more fields or groups of fields as needed.

The type of form yo're describing is possible if you create it in LiveCycle Designer. It may also be possible in Acrobat, but there are certain restrictions. The type of form is known as a dynamic XFA form. LiveCycle Designer is not available on the Mac, so you'd have to install the software on a Windows machine and learn how to create this type of form. The LiveCycle Designer forum here is a good resource for getting more help.
Reader 11 now supports creating new pages using templates with a form that you create in Acrobat (Acroform). This requires some JavaScript programming. It also adds support for using a button to display a page from a PDF, which can be an image or anything else a PDF can be. So the user would click a button, be prompted to import a page from an existing PDF, and the button (or a different button) displays it as its icon. This would require the user to convert the image to PDF first, which is relatively easy these days (e.g., using Preview on the Mac, or Word on Mac/Windows). This too involves a bit of JavaScript programming, but it's very simple and straightforward.

Creating a new connection when creating a report from scratch

I've searched all around but I haven't managed to find any samples or forum posts that show how to create a connection when creating a report from scratch via RCAPI. All of the code that I've found has been aimed at replacing the ConnectionInfo for an existing connection. I figured that it would work something like this:
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m_connection.open();
but this produces a NullPointerException within Connection.open(). If I leave the connection closed but add it to the report via DatabaseController.addConnection() then I just get the exception later on when I try to add tables using the connection.
Can anyone give me any pointers please?
Thanks,
Rich.

Just in case anyone else runs into this, I managed to fix it by leaving the connection closed and then using the connection info instead of the connection when creating tables, eg:
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Creating vb forms from designer

After creating oracle forms from designer whenever we run form it display no records at the first and we can add/edit/delete/query
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Can't we do it just like in oracle forms

Hi Niall,
After updating Properties>Compatibility and settings Target version on the old xdp I see following xml generated.
Does this sound right () ?
Thanks
YogLC
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?xfa generator="AdobeLiveCycleDesignerES_V9.0.0.1.20100329.2.659576" APIVersion="3.1.9277.0"?><xdp:xdp xmlns:xdp="http://ns.adobe.com/xdp/" timeStamp="2010-06-21T15:15:11Z" uuid="42e37fb9-0d21-499d-94bd-259200a97a10"><
template xmlns:xfa="http://www.xfa.org/schema/xfa-template/2.1/" xmlns="http://www.xfa.org/schema/xfa-template/3.0/">
<?formServer defaultPDFRenderFormat acrobat9.1static?>
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<?formServer formModel both?>
<subform name="F" layout="tb" locale="ambient">

Create a report from scratch, add Table and Datasource Problem

Hi,
I'm using the latest Crystal Reports Runtime supplied for eclipse.
I want to create a report from scratch, add a Table and then add a ArrayList of Pojos as the Datasource.
But unfortunately depending on the ConnectionInfo I supply to the Table I get different errors.
I looked through the samples and see that I have to supply properties
like
"Database DLL", "crdb_javabeans.dll" and ConnectionInfo.setUserName("");
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I looked through the forums and find different set of properties.
Actually because I am just working with Pojos I would have thougth that something like the following
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table.setName("reportTable");
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doc.getDatabaseController().setDataSource(myCoolection, myClass, "reportTable", "reportTable");
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Edited by: jack mann on Aug 31, 2010 3:25 PM

With XI Release 2, you can come quite close to creating from scratch:
http://technicalsupport.businessobjects.com/KanisaSupportSite
/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=5074668
You need Service Pack 2:
http://support.businessobjects.com/downloads
/service_packs/crystal_reports_en.asp
Sincerely,
Ted Ueda

Acrobat XI - Create Form, from scratch or template greyed out

Morning All
I have a user that has just had Acrobat XI installed and he has gone to make a form but the "From Scratch or Template" option in the Create Form window is greyed out and unavailable. He can only pick "From existing document". Does anyone know why this is and how to fix it?
He is running Windows 7 64 bit.
Thanks

The forms central app can be used to design and layout simple forms, either from scratch or by using one of the many templates that are available, and then convert them to PDF forms. The layout options are rather limited compared to the freedom you have with forms created in Acrobat, but sometimes that's just what's needed. I think the biggest benefit to using FormsCentral is not related to the form designer but rather the server that securely collects and stores the submitted forms data. A form created in Acrobat can take advantage of this just like a form created with the FormsCentral app. Note that a form created in the FormsCentral app can be either a web form (HTML) or converted to a PDF form. Each has its limitations and benefits, so which one you choose depends on what's needed. So to summarize, there are three types of forms you can create with Acrobat 11:
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2. A PDF form created in the FormsCentral app. Can be used with the FormsCentral service to collect submitted form data or by itself, usually via email.
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Creating separate forms from Database

I'm using Acrobat 9.1.2 and LiveCycle Designer ES ver. 8.2.1x.
I have an MS Access database populated with names/info regarding various people (Customers). I'm trying to create/generate separate (Order) forms, one for each Customer, each pre-populated with the Customer's contact information from the database. I want to e-mail each customized form to each Customer.
Each Customer should be able to change/correct inaccurate Customer information on the form (set control "Type" to "Calculated - User can override"?).
Each form will also have a table containing various "Products" (not connected to the database) and drop-down list controls from which each Customer can select the number/quantity of each Product he/she wants to order. Price extensions, subtotals, and totals are all calculated using FormCalc.
The Customer will then be able to both "Submit by e-mail," and "Print" and return the form by mail with his/her payment. I will then collect/assemble the returned .xml files and import them into the MS Access database myself.
Where I'm hung up is when I connect the Order form to the database, only one form is created, and only data from the first record appears in it. How do I create one form for each Customer from the database?
You can e-mail me at [email protected]

So each record in the DB represents a separate instance of the form to be mailed out to someone.....right?
Normally that level of functionality is done server side but there is one reason why you may not want to do this clicent side. Let me explain. You woudl have to write an automation script that woudl retrieve each record from the DB. Once a record is retrieved you coudl automate the mail of the doc , then get the next record and mail ...etc...until all records are done. All of this is possible except for the sending of the email. Acrobat/Reader will allow you to create the email message and control all aspects of it, but it will not allow you to send an email without the user hitting the send button. So if you want to have the mail generated, then hit send after every instance then it could be done.
If you do this using server products then this is not an issue and can be easily done, but note that the cost of the server products will make the solution out of reach for all but the company's that do mass mailings or e-statements etc.
Hope that helps
Paul

Creating a report from scratch in java and getting invalidfield error

hello
I am trying to generate a report java.
I am getting invalidfieldobject - the field was not found
I checked the resultset and it does contain the column called trn
package com.surecomp;
import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.OutputStream;
import com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.application.ReportClientDocument;
import com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.data.DBField;
import com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.data.FieldValueType;
import com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.definition.FieldObject;
import com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.definition.ISection;
import com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.exportoptions.ReportExportFormat;
import com.crystaldecisions.sdk.occa.report.lib.ReportSDKException;
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Hi,
I have the same problem, did you get this resolved? I am new to the Crystal Report Java SDK and want to create reports from scratch but I can't find any good resources on the internet or the website.

Create pdf forms from a xml file for follow up information

Forgive my amateurishness, I have a simple .xml that was created with excel with name, address, date of service, age, dob, account #, unit, and business name. I need a form to be pre-populated with the .xml data but have other fields (mainly Yes/No check boxes) that need to be populated by another user. This user would then finish filling out the form and return it to me via email. I have created the form in LC Designer ES2 and created it with Acrobat Pro X. However when I attempt to import data I can only see the first .xml record. So my question is, how do I create multiple .pdf forms for each .xml record? Do I need to use Java within LC Designer? Or use Adobe Pro? I am not afraid to attempt to code, (I have many excel programs that batch print to .pdf using vb).
Thank you in advance

I don't play with forms enough to give an answer. However, you might search the Forms sub-forum for a possible solution. You might also find better answers there, though many of the forms experts drop by here too.

Creating pdf forms from a Word doc that will need to be edited in the future

Ok, I searched everywhere for an answer to this situation... and I want to know if there is a work around.
Basically, I have a word document. I will use this Word document to create a application form. So I will manually create fields where needed after I convert the document to pdf.
Now here is the issue... at some point, the Word document will have to be changed... maybe a date or an address or something. This would mean I would have to change the original Word document, re-create the form (adding all the fields again) and re-publish it.
Can I somehow edit the text in the pdf (with the fields already in place) without having to change the original word file and re-create the form?
Has anyone had this problem? Am I doing something wrong? Or is there an assumption that the original Word document you use to create your form (pdf) will not be changed at a later date?
Thanks.
Quinn

Ok, sorry if I haven't quite figured this out.
When I create a pdf form, AA can detect some fields and automatically creates them. This is great. For other fields, I have to create them. No problem.
So here I have Document A (MS Word) and my new pdf form (Document B).
I edit Document A and change the date in the header let's say. I re-create my pdf form (Document C).
How will Document C remember to re-associate the fields I created in Document B? Won't I have to start all over again?
This is my question. If the answer is no, then I just have to hope that when I create the new form, AA can figure out as many fields as possible (and selection choices such as bullet, check marks, etc).
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Quinn

CLD: Do you have to create the GUI from scratch?

I'm a little confused, because the ATM Machine example instructions seem to imply you're supposed to create the front panel from scratch. It also gave specifications on the Account.txt file.
However, some posts on this board have led me to believe that a GUI (and even data files) are provided for you ahead of time.
For people who have actually taken the exam: do I need to practice throwing the GUI together when I run through the practice exams, or should I be copying over the front panel from the solution?
Thanks.
http://linkd.in/mikele

In your exam packet, a USB stick will be provided. The USB stick will have the following:
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The main VI with a fully developed front panel and the associated typedefs saved in the Controls folder. You must utilize the front panel as given. Note: You will have fill in the tips/description for the Controls, the VI documentation and develop a simple icon.
A data file (.csv or ini) file needed for the application
We are currently in the process of updating the sample exams to reflect this change. The updated samples will be available in the first week of July.
Thanks
Zaki Chasmawala | Certification Development Group Manager | Training & Certification | National Instruments | [email protected]

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Does anyone know of a quick way to create an HTML Form from an existing PDF Form?
Thanks everyone!
mars

From ID you can export to XHTML which is indeed consumed by DW but not via Acrobat...
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When I meant was - InDesign can export to XHTML
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Jon

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How do I create a writeable form from a pdf or word file.

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Re: Help creating digital forms from paper forms on a mac

This is a pretty general question but does anyone know of a way to create a digital form from a scanned paper form on a mac? I know that people use software such as Nuance's Omniform on the Windows platforms but I can't seem to find such a program for the mac. Is there someway to pull this off using Adobe PDF files? I would appreciate any help you guys can provide.
Thanks,
Stu

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Filemaker Pro so happens to be owned by Apple, but it's a seperate company, so you know it will work well.
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http://homepage.mac.com/hogfish/Personal11.html

Create a Form from Scratch: Possible or Not

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