Populating PDF Form

Hello;
I have XP Pro SP2 with Acrobat Pro 8.1.0 I have received a form that is in PDF format. But I can't populate its fields. That is, when I try to type in the field, nothing happes. I have played around by going to Tools and checking the Form but haven't been able to resolve it.
Hope someone can help and step me throug...
Regards...
J

There is no security on the document, so it would be easy to use a variety of different tools to populate the form (as Robert said, it is a PDF of a form, but is not a fillable form. This aspect of a form or a fillable form is a distinction that the IRS has used for a long time, though most of theirs are now fillable.
To fill it out, there is always the by hand method (probably what most of the customers use), the typewriter tool, the text touchup tool (holding the ctrl key as you place the cursor), or create your own form fields.
I would probably just get out a pen and PRINT. A bottle of white out might be useful if you are sloppy, but you can always make another copy and fill it out. Pencil is probably not acceptable. Just be sure it is correct and easy to read.
Before I go further, I would ask them if they have a fillable version. If they do not understand the question, don't push it.

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Populating PDF Form with XML File.

Hi,
I need my PDF form to be populated with the data in XML file.I've created a data connction to the file and binded the values to my fields.When I've opened the form in Reader/Acrobat i'm not able to see any date on the form.
Currently,I'm using "xfa.host.importData()" to import an XML file on a button click.It is working fine.But I need to load the data on Form Load itself.
I'm relatively new to PDF technologies.Any help would br gratly appreciated.
Thanks in Advance.

The binding feature in designer just allows you to describe how to map fields to data elements, not to actually populate them autotmatically. You would need to have a server component to merge data / pre-populate or a script on your reader-enabled form to load the data. You can use xfa.host.importData() in DocReady event if you want it to prompt on loading the pdf. Earlier events in the chain wont work until the form has been properly loaded.

Pre-populated PDF forms and form submission

Ok, I must be blind or something, I've searched for answers to this question, and see unanswered posts around the web, and if there are answers, they don't help. Perhaps if someone can answer this, it will help many others as well:
I've read about how FDF/XFDF (the older method) can be sent to the client side, which will open the specified PDF file (as specified using the "/F" flag in the FDF) and load the fields values also specified in the FDF (using the /FIELDS and /T flags, etc.). I was recently told that XFA is the new format, but reading the docs is not clear to me.
QUESTION: What is the proper method to pre-populate the FIELDS of a PDF form (created using LiveCycle Designer, or Acrobat, or whatever) that gets sent to a client browser? Changes to this pre-populated data gets re-submited via an HTTP post button (or whatever) back to the server.
Note: At the server backend, say using C# in Visual Studio 2005, I can simply read the posted HTML form and store the fields values into a database; However, I need to be able to pre-populate these PDF forms with selected patient names, etc., so that healthcare officials can complete them more easily BEFORE they get posted back to the server. These pre-populated fields (some of them anyhow) must STILL be editable (not flatten to static text or something).
Thanks.

From your description, is doesn't sound like it has anything to do with the virtual enviroment. It does sound like the forms simply need to be Reader-enabled. This allows Reader to save filled-in forms, which is necessary when you want to email them. If all of your users can use Reader 11, the forms do not need to be Reader-enabled since it is capable of saving non-enabled form. To enable a form in Acrobat 10, select: File > Save As > Reader Extended PDF > Enable Additional Features

2 problems with populating pdf forms

I created a form in LiveCycle on top of an existing PDF. The form has 2 text fields (a company name) and an image (a company logo), and all are dynamically populated depending on who requested the form. I am using CF 8 to read the database and populate the fields. See tags below.
1. I have tried a zillion different ways to generate a line feed in one of the text fields but to no avail. In all cases, the characters actually appear in the output text. Supposedly the LiveCycle doc says I can use udf escape sequences like "\u000d\u000a" but those do not work Other attempts included '\x0d\x0a' " \r" " " \line but to no avail.
Does anyone know what character sequence to embed in a text field to cause a line feed in the output PDF?
2. I cannot find any documentation on how to specify the value for an imagefield on the PDF form. I am trying to place a company logo but nothing comes out on the pdf. Apparently I need something other than value="logofilename.jpg" but I can't find any doc on what to use.
Here is my code - very simple:
 <cfpdfform source="#sourcePDFpath#" action="populate">
 <cfpdfsubform name="topmostsubform">
 <cfpdfformparam name="txtAssocName" value="#Trim(assocName)#"> 
 <cfpdfformparam name="txtAssocAddress" value="#Trim(assocAddrFields)#" > 
 <cfpdfformparam name="logo" value="1.jpg" > 
 </cfpdfsubform>
 </cfpdfform>
Thank you, in advance, for your help!

Not sure if there is a way to pass a graphic into a PDF like that, but I've done it lots of times by positioning the graphic onto a PDF file using the iText java library (ships with CF). Might want to head over to http://www.lowagie.com/iText/ to check it out.

Saving dynamically populated pdf forms

We have forms developed in Live Cycle that are dynamically populated.
We have extended these forms in Acrobat so that users may save them with the pre-populated data.
Our issue is that the user must manipulate the form in some manner, such as changing a field, in order for it to be saved with the pre-populated data.
Is there a way we can enable the user to simply open the form that has been dynamically populated and save it with this data simply by doing a "Save As"?
Thanks in advance for any help offered~
~Chris

> So, it appears that a server product is necessary to utilize and activate Reader Rights for users... Is this correct?
No. Acrobat Pro 8 and 9 can activate certain rights, such as saving, which is what you said you did in your original post.
Like I said earlier, the problem you're experiencing is odd, and may be related to the way the form was created in LiveCycle Designer or the way in which you are populating the form with data. If I were you, I would pose this question in a Designer-related forum. Include the details related to how the form is being dynamically populated. It would also be helpful to be able to look at a document in question.
George

Populated PDF form in Preview shows as blank when viewing

I have a pdf template form that I have filled in.
I did this in Preview and used 'save as' to create my copy.
However, the thumbnail preview of the pdf shows as blank, and if i send it windows users or preview it in gmail, it also shows as blank.
To start with I thought that I had accidentally saved the wrong version, but no, I can double click the pdf in Finder, and it opens in Preview with all the data present, exactly as I had saved it.

What I have noticed is that if I send the pdf to another mac user, they can see all the info fine. If I send the output from Preview in gmail, and someone downloads it, they can only view the information if they click on the "highlight fields" button, but then it still doesn't look quite right, with loads of expander "+"s all over the form.
When I tried opening the form in adobe reader from the link you provided, I get a different view again. I can examine each field and view the individual data items, but it is not possible to 'show all fields'

PleaseHELP!: pass value asp to xfdf, open pdf form prepopulated

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I am working on this same problem too and after playing with the code above, I found *a solution*. I am not sure it is exactly what you want to do but it works nonetheless. It does not prompt the user to download the document because I took out the Content-Disposition header. This is just some proof of concept code in C#: protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) { string xml = "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?><xfdf xmlns=\"http://ns.adobe.com/xfdf/\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><f href=\"http://SERVERNAMEHERE/TestPDF.pdf\"/><fields><field name=\"CompanyName\"><value>It Worked!</value></field></fields></xfdf>"; Response.Clear(); Response.ContentType = "application/x-pdf"; Response.AddHeader("Content-Type", "application/vnd.adobe.xfdf"); System.Text.ASCIIEncoding ascii = new System.Text.ASCIIEncoding(); Response.AddHeader("Content-Header", xml.Length.ToString()); Response.BinaryWrite(ascii.GetBytes(xml)); Response.End(); } If I run that code, it does actually work and puts "It Worked!" in a form field I named CompanyName in the test PDF document I created. From playing with it, it does look like you have to pass it the full URL to your source PDF document -- at least I couldn't get it to work if I just entered the PDF document name and not the full URL (even though the PDF was in the same directory as my page). Hope this helps somebody.

Dynamically populating a PDF form?

I've created a form in InDesign that I use in my daily work -- it has several fields that hold information about issues I'm currently working on. This information comes from a proprietary in-house system that I have access to via JDBC, SQL, language bindings, etc. I would like to take my InDesign document, create a PDF form with it, and then have new PDFs automatically generated with the data provided by our own database. I can handle 90% of this, but the Adobe end of it is confusing and (frankly) a bit frustrating.
I can make a static PDF from InDesign just fine, but how can I create a PDF that is meant to be populated at a later time using external data? I can put it any format - XML, CSV, whatever you want. I just don't want to have to launch InDesign every time I want to print a new form. Launching Acrobat would be fine, if not optimal -- at least in Acrobat I don't have to be careful not to mess up the source document.
I would love it if Adobe provided a way (outside of LifeCycle - I don't have the money for that) to automate this entirely within CreativeCloud, but I am more than competent with outside programming environments if that's going to be required.
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Irosenth,
Thanks for the response. I'm going with option 2. For anyone finding this question in the future, here's the tutorial video to create an interactive PDF from InDesign:
Create an interactive PDF | Adobe Creative Cloud tutorials

PDF forms populating Access DB and vice/versa

I have a PDF from that I published to Acrobat.com There are fields to be filled out. Problems:
1. How can I set the fields to populate into an existing MS Access DB once submitted results back to me?
2. How can the form populate upon a certain chouice criteria?
Scenerio: Form is a log file for patients seen, including name, date, room#, diagnosis codes, testing, medications, f/u. The same fields exist in MS Access but distributed among 3 tables (linked). In the PDF form I have created a New Data Connection (OLEDB), Connection string (Provider for ODBC drivers), In the Data View I see my fields from access - so for each input Binding it points to the field (i.e.: for patient name - $record.Patient.Last_Name).
But here is the rub:
1. When the first patient filed is filled, all subsequent patient names are filled with same name (and they keep just replaceing the other inputs).
2. I cannot seem to create a date calender, or have the current date default (taken from the computer time stamp).
3. I can not seem to calculate the follow/up (it's 4 weeks) from the input of the date.
4. When selecting a facility, how do I populate the fields with current patient names and previous Diagnosis (if at all possible).
5. When I created the data connection, the fill in spaces become obscured and my drop down box for facility choice stops working.
I know this is big, but any advice and help is greatly appreciated in advance. I have also attached the PDF form for analysis. Please not that there are two, one is the original prior to Life Cycle modification and the other is with the DB linking attempt.
Thanks
Shai

Hi Paul,
Thanks for the reply and help. I am uploading the MS Access DB (2007). Another caveat, when I chose to use the creat new connection and then chose the build - Microsoft Office 12.0 Access Databse Engine OLE DB Provider, I am not able to link into the database at all. I double checked the location and everything. I do not have any user name or password set-up and chose to leave it blank but get his error:
Test connection failed because of an error in initializing provider. Could not find file 'C:\User\........'
Since I am new at this, please feel free to change any structure of the form as needed - as long as the end result will work
The set-up sounds quite easy and straight forward, but guess its a bit more complicated than I thought. I even have the book: Adobe Acrobat 9.0 in a class room - but no help there either. I am familiar with some Javascripting, so your explanations hopefully will not be over me head.
Thanks again for your dedication and help
regards
Shai
Message was edited by: Shailevit - I am not able to upload the Access database - file not allowed. it's in the .accdb format. Is there a different format that is accepted to be uploaded ? (PS: Zip doesn't seem to work either) - Thanks

Opening and populating a PDF form with VBA code in Access 2007

I had posted this in Acrobat Windows. It was suggested this (and the SDK forum) may be a better forum ...
I'm trying to load and then populate a PDF form programmatically using Access/VBA. I'm patterning this after code that worked fine in Acrobat 5.0 but is throwing errors in Acrobat 9. We're using Access 2007 on Windows XP and Vista computers.
The Access project has a reference to Adobe Acrobat 9.0 Type Library. Attached is a jpg showing all the references in the Access project.
The error "Object variable not set (Error 91)" is happening with this statement:
Set PDDoc = AVDoc.GetPDDoc
Here is the code I'm trying to use. I've always been a little fuzzy exactly which objects need to be created and the sequence they need to be created in. Once I got it working in Acrobat 5 I left it alone.
 Dim WshShell As Object
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 Dim PauseTime, Start
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Christian Bahnsen

Using the "Developing Applications Using Interapplication Communication" reference, I've been filling in knowledge gaps and baby-stepping until I hit this major wall. FYI: from page 22 in the reference
Example 2.6 Displaying “Hello, Acrobat!” in the JavaScript console will not work as shown in Access VBA. I've tried the example in both Access 2003 and 2007. The sample code as is throws error 91 (see attachment error91.jpg), "Object variable ... not set".
I add Set to the following 3 lines:
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 Set jso = gPDDoc.GetJSObject
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Here's the entire code snippet:
Private Sub cmdHelloAcrobat_Click()
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 Dim gPDDoc As Acrobat.CAcroPDDoc
 Dim jso As Object
 Set gApp = CreateObject("AcroExch.App")
 Set gPDDoc = CreateObject("AcroExch.PDDoc")
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Populating a PDF form with database data

I would love to know how (if possible) to populate an Adobe PDF form with data pulled from an Access database.
Background
I have a registration form already created using Adobe LiveCycle which is used by people to fill in their details. With a built-in xml schema, the user saves the form and sends them to me. I extract the data into an xml document which I can then import in an Access database using VBA code.
The Need
When it comes time to re-register, much of the original data provided by the user has not changed. Rather than ask them to fill out the form all over again, I would like to send them their original data and they can update whichever fields they need to. With the xml schema built into the form, I would love to turn this form into a two-way avenue for both importing and exporting data. Is this possible?
Any assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know if I have not provided enough information.
Brett

You can connect the form to the DB using anODBC connection. This functionality comes as part of Acrobat but the form must be Reader Extended by the full LiveCycle Server version of Reader Extension to allow this in Reader. In your case, if your system is the only on ethat will interact with the DB then this might be a viable solution (but you woudl have to use Acrobat). This solution woudl involve create an ODBC connection in your system then configuring the form to make use of that connection.
Does that make sense?
Paul

Dynamically populating a dropdown list in a pdf form from a datasource

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Derrick,
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Steve

Populating a pdf form from a database

There seems to be a lot of information on the forum that skirts around this problem, but so far everything I've tried falls short.
 
 I have a pdf form that can be filled out via a browser (the web server is Win2k and IIS.
 
 I can fill out this form and use an http submit button to send it to a .asp url where a vbscript program captures the data and creates a record in a sql server table.
 
 What I want to be able to do is call up that pdf form and populate it with the data from a specific record from the table - again using .asp and vbscript. The following code brings up the form, but does not fill in the fields. Is what I want to do possible and if so can someone help?
 
 Thanks.
 
 Dave Space
 
 <%@ LANGUAGE = VBScript%>
 

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David, Can you try to loop through your recordset before doing any of the Response.Write(). Save the the output in a string called "mystring" and output it at the end? So it would look something like this: Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.adobe.xdp+xml" Response.Write "<?xml version=""1.0"" encoding=""UTF-8""?>" Response.Write "<?xfa generator=""XFA2_0"" APIVersion=""2.2.5028.0""?>" Response.Write "<xdp:xdp xmlns:xdp=""http://ns.adobe.com/xdp/"">" Response.Write "<xfa:datasets xmlns:xfa=""http://www.xfa.org/schema/xfa-data/1.0/"">" Response.Write "<xfa:data>" Response.Write "<form1>" Response.Write(mystring) Response.Write "</form1>" Response.Write "</xfa:data>" Response.Write "</xfa:datasets>" Response.Write "<pdf href=""http://aaa.bbb.edu/pdf_forms/aaa.pdf"" xmlns=""http://ns.adobe.com/xdp/pdf/"" />" Response.Write "</xdp:xdp>" Response.Flush Response.End %> Can you tell me what is your "mystring" look like? See if you get a different result?

Populating a PDF form

My company uses CF MX7, and we're looking for a way to
populate a PDF form with data from a SQL database. The PDF form is
a fillable form that we've downloaded from a government site. Can
anyone recommend a best practice for doing that? Any suggestions
anyone might have would be much appreciated...thanks.

Check this out:
http://www.pdflib.com/
I know CF works well with this and there is a download
version.
Can't tell you more than this because I've seen it but never
actually do the programming with it

Populating a PDF form with XML data

Hi folks,
I would like to create some pdf form template, populate it with xml data and output from it a pdf file.
Can I do such thing using LiveCycle?
Yair

With the recent release Adobe changed the name to Adobe Digitial Enterprise Platform (ADEP)..
http://www.adobe.com/solutions/customer-experience/enterprise-platform.html
ADEP server software comes with lot of services to help with many solutions for the enterprises, so it would be better to call the Adobe Sales team and discuss your needs and they will be best people to suggest what suits your company requirements.
Thanks
Srini

Populating PDF Form

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