Prefill / personalize a PDF Form

I want to create a mailing with personalized PDF forms attachments. I have a tool that will create the emails from an excel file and it can attache individual files to the mails. It even can creat personalized PDF's but not forms.
What products do I need to prefill PDF form fields? The receiver of the mail must be able to change the information in the form fields.
I have access to CS2/3 and MS office 2003/2007 and have done some access vba coding. I need a simple solution that can be used by normal users.
Is there an Adobe product with this feature build in?
Best regards
Arno

You need one or more of the Livecycle Products. Can you say really big money?
Here is a post that will give you an idea of the capabilities of the different products. You'll need to figure which is exactly right for you. Please be aware these solutions require a fair bit of change and a server to boot.
http://www.avoka.com/blog/?p=184http://www.avoka.com/blog/?p=184http://www.avoka.com/blog/?p=184http://www.avoka.com/blog/?p=184

Similar Messages

How do I prefill an xdp/pdf and then submit the completed form to database

I would like to send prefilled data into the xdp/pdf file.
The starting point would be a web page, with a link that directs the user to the xdp/pdf file and prefill that form with some data from the url link. Then let the person complete the rest of the form and click on a submit button which would send the form to a url so I can process the data into a datbase.
I did this in the past with Acrobat 5.
Now I have Acrobat Pro 10 with lifecycle designer.
I am looking for tutorial on this material.
Thanks in advance for any assistance
Dean-O

Thanks for your reply... but i don't believe that does not apply to PDFs and XDP files created in Life Cycle... unless I missed something. Please advise.
XDP files are the new form tool for Adobe, but not sure I like the change. They have gotten rid of the document level javascripts, which is what would be used to populate a PDF, but not an XDP file.
Any others have any ideas on how I can create a link in a web page that would point to an xdp file (new adobe form) and send in url parameters to prefill fields in the form?
Thanks in advance
Dean-O

The pre filled fields from downloaded pdf forms are blank; e.g.; prefilled pdf forms from insurance companies.

I download pre filled pdf claim forms from the web site of my insurance company. The fields are not pre filled with my personnal data ( name, address, etc) like it is supposed to. Furthermore, I cannot even type my own data in the blank fields. All of this works all right with another browser.

The new built-in PDF viewer does not have the capability to do fill-in forms. Development is still underway on enhancements to the PDF viewer.
In the meantime, you will need a PDF application that can do fill-in forms (Adobe Reader and Foxit Reader are 2 free PDF applications that can fill-in PDF forms).
*You have Adobe Reader 9.3.4 installed, but it is a very old version and needs to be updated due to security issues.
*Check your Plugins - https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/plugincheck/
*Info about Adobe Reader - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/use-adobe-reader-plugin-view-or-download-pdf-files?esab=a&s=pdf&r=0&as=s#os=winxp&browser=fx19
You can change Firefox settings to use another application's plugin to fill-in forms in Firefox instead of using the built-in PDF viewer as a default. Here's how to do that - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/disable-built-pdf-viewer-and-use-another-viewer

How do I change the order of the fields in my pdf form?

I am using pdf. form I made in Acrobat and distributing with Adobe FormsCentral. We use a table format for our teachers to fill out their field trip schedules and therefore use many different fields.
How can I change the order of the fields (not for tabbing, we figured that out)...so that when we receive our notification email, I can see the inforamtion in a specific order (Date, Time, School, Program, etc).
We would also like this same order to appear in the "View Responses" table. I know you can drag and drop the order in the table but we have over 100 fields and that is going to take a really long time.
Please help???
DATE
TIME
To start/finish
Name of Program
TEACHER’S
NAME
TEACHER’S EMAIL
# OF
STUDENTS
Setup in
Room #
03-21-14
Solids vs. Liquids
03-21-14
Solids vs. Liquids
03-21-14
Solids vs. Liquids
04-11-14
Solids vs. Liquids
04-11-14
Solids vs. Liquids
04-11-14
Solids vs. Liquids

What do you mean by the "order they appear in the pdf structure"? What is the "Pdf structure"?
thank you for your help... this is really upsetting, as I thought we finally found a solution with Adobe Forms : (
We really need the fields to report back in a specific order and wouldn't have time to rearrange over 100 fields with every form that is submitted. We receive about 10-20 different forms a day (same form layout, just some of the fields will have to be prefilled depending on school/teacher reservation... so we have to name each form a different name, for each school).
Thank you again and maybe one day they will change that. Is there anyway to set it up in the web verison of Adobe FormsCentral to look similar to the table we have created?
DATE
TIME
To start/finish
Name of Program
TEACHER’S
NAME
TEACHER’S EMAIL
# OF
STUDENTS
Setup in
Room #
03-21-14
Solids vs. Liquids
03-21-14
Solids vs. Liquids
03-21-14
Solids vs. Liquids
04-11-14
Solids vs. Liquids
04-11-14
Solids vs. Liquids
04-11-14
Solids vs. Liquids

Webservice call not working in published PDF form

I've set up a dropdown field in a standard PDF form and have written the following code to run on the 'On Focus' event:
var service = SOAP.connect("http://localhost:50592/lookup.svc?wsdl");
var values = service.GetDropdownValues();
this.getField("LookupField").setItems(values);
This works great in Adobe Acrobat Pro X, but when I save as a Reader Extended PDF with Additional Features, the code no longer runs and I'm stuck with what was prefilled in Professional before the save.
We're trying to get dynamic values for these fields from users in the field who will be filling out and submitting these forms. We are also limited to a standard PDF form, LiveCycle isn't an option for us. Can anyone recommend a method that will work or maybe tell me why this isn't working like we believe it should?
Thanks.
Matt Williams

It's not working because the usage right that is required for it to work in Reader is not added when the form is enabled with Acrobat. It can be added if you enable the form with LiveCycle Reader Extensions.
An alternative is to submit (using doc.submitForm JavaScript method) to a web server and have it return an FDF that sets the dropdown values. This can work even if the form is not Reader-enabled. You'll just need to find out how to create the type of FDF that will do this and program the server to return it.

Submit PDF form as attachment

I am having a problem with getting my form to submit as an attachment once the submit button is clicked.
What I envision happening is , a form is completed on line from my website, the user click the SUBMIT button,
the email box opens , receipent address is automatically prefilled , the form is attached and is sent.
I created the SUBMIT button and selected "PDF the complete dcoument" option in the Submit Form Selections properties.
When I tested it the PDF form doesnot attach.
Can anyone enlighten me on what I am missing.
Thanks

Do not use the PDF complete document for a web form. You are under license restrictions when you do that and web forms often will lead to a violation of those restrictions. The restriction comes because you have to activate User Rights on the form so folks with Reader can save the form for submission. The save process is not needed if the data is submitted and you are typically submitting a much smaller file. The data file can be imported to the original form and so you will have the same results as the customer.
Be careful with email submission for both client problems with e-mail submission (you have no control over this) and the lack of security if sensitive data is included. You should definitely not include credit card numbers or related info.

Yesterday, as today's deadline for filing tax returns approached, I was paralyzed by the inability to create new IRS PDF forms and to retrieve archived ones from a year ago. My computer went crazy. 24 hours later, I am still paralyzed. Can you help?

My computer went crazy yesterday on two occasions involving PDF documents. One dealt with attachments to an email from a bona fide corporation. The other dealt with IRS PDF forms & schedules needed for today's submission.
As both dealt with PDF and had nothing else in common, I suspected my PC had a virus. When I asked a local store technician, he agreed. I turned to Norton, which protects my PC from viruses, and after a few hours of really thorough searching, the computer was found to have no viruses.
Before describing what I call "crazy" computer behavior, you need to know that I have long had IE8 as my default browser but a few weeks ago switched to Mozilla Firefox because IE8 had beome incompatible with some websites from which I get information.
When I received the email from AT&T email service and clicked the first of four icons representing attachments, there was figuratively an explosion on my monitor: a series of new tabs, each called New Tab, burst onto the monitor--but no text or picture. The new tabs appeared faster than I coul kill them. I finally decided just to shut down the computer, hoping they would not reappear when I restarted. I was wrong. After 2 repeats, I decided to forget about the attachments and asked the sender to send them to me by regular mail.
That was no solution for my IRS PDFs. I wanted to complete filling in the various forms and schedules that I had begun months ago so that I could mail them today to the IRS (without having to copy them all in ink). When I tried to open the first one, BOOM. The same thing happened: the blizzard of New Tabs atop blank pages; my IRS form or schedule did not show up. Did the same shutdown/restart routine with the same results.
When I looked at the list of current forms that had to be completed, I noticed something very strange: the icons that began the listing of the documents' names were replaced one by one by Mozilla icons. When I moused over them, they said Firefox HTML. Why?
Starting the day today, I had the same experience. What's more, when I started to retrieve 2012 IRS PDFs from a year ago, the same New Tab tabs appeared and had to be killed, and Mozilla icons replaced whatever icon was there before.
Assuming that the problem arose with Adobe Reader's reading of the PDFs, I contacted Adobe but got no helpful phone number because PDFs are a free service and was directed to use this Forum to get help.
What do I have to do to (a) read and use PDFs in the normal way and (b) remove the Mozilla icon from those that have appeared on icon documents. If Mozilla is the source of the problem, shall I go back to IE8? (In my 80s, I want eventually to replace my old computer but for the time being I must continue using it. It will not take an IE9. Anther possible default browser would be Google Chrome, but I have unfavorable impressions of it because of its intrusiveness, loading my PC with stuff I do not need.
Can you help?

The problem is absolutely not Reader. The problem is that FireFox has stepped in front of Reader and handles all the PDF stuff - wrongly in your case. FireFox is DESIGNED to take over PDF files. But it is not capable of doing IRS forms!
To start with go back to IE for these forms. When you save them to disk DO NOT DOUBLE CLICK ON THEM until this is fixed. Just open the in the normal way - start Adobe Reader and use Open from the File menu.

Is there a way to create a PDF form that ANYONE can fill out and SAVE with their content?

Is there a way to create a PDF form that ANYONE can fill out and SAVE with their content? By anyone, I mean someone who can download and use the free Adobe Reader, on either a Mac or PC. I have Acrobat Pro, and would like to be able to create forms that can not only be filled out and printed, but saved and emailed, which is not an option with the forms I have created to date. They can be filled out, but not saved, with Adobe Reader.
TIA,
Nancy

To do what Dave indicated you need to do, it depends on what version of Acrobat you have:
Acrobat 8: Advanced > Enable Usage Rights in Adobe Reader
Acrobat 9: Advanced > Extend Features in Adobe Reader
Acrobat 10: File > Save As > Reader Extended PDF > Enable Additional Features
Acrobat 11: File > Save as Other > Reader Extended PDF > Enable More Tools (includes form fill-in & save)
I wonder what it will be next time?

I am working in Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro and just created a pdf form from a MS Word document. I need to find out how to have a date field in my form which will update automatically. Can some one out there help me?

I am working in Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro and just created a pdf form from a MS Word document. I need to find out how to have a date field in my form which will update automatically.

Update automatically under which circumstances, exactly?

I have created a PDF form with field but for some reason I cant type in them

I have created a PDF form with field but for some reason I cant type in them

May be that the text fields are read-only.

I have created a PDF form with multiple drop downs, all with the same drop down values. When I select a value from 1 of the drop down fields, it replicates in all of the others - which I do not want. How can I fix this?

I have created a PDF form with multiple drop downs, all with the same drop down values. When I select a value from 1 of the drop down fields, it replicates in all of the others - which I do not want. Can I fix this?

I'm fairly new to this, but I think it has to do with the way you have the drop downs named. Did you copy one then keep pasting it in each field? If so, that is the problem. You should rename each one with a different number: Dropdown1, Dropdown2, etc. I think that might solve the issue.

Published pdf form is unable to connect with database

Hi Guys!
I have created a PDF form using Adobe Live Cycle Designer which have some text fields namely RECORD and NAME. I have connected this form with a Database. When I enter a record in the RECORD number field the NAME field of this form has been populated with the help of XFA Script which is written on the exit event of the RECORD text field. When we publish this form, a new interactive PDF is created which works fine and populates the NAME field from the an SQL database but when I access this PDF form (which is located on a shared location) from some another location (not on the same machine where i designed this form) it is unable to connect to the database and does not work as expected.
I think there is some thing i am missing for the database connectivity.
If any body on this forum can help me out.
thanks
Here is the Script for the above form which i used to populate the NAME FIELD on the basis of enetered RECORD number.
----- Document.Page1.txt_MRN::exit: - (JavaScript, client) -----------------------------------------
/* This dropdown list object will populate two columns with data from a data connection.
sDataConnectionName - name of the data connection to get the data from. Note the data connection will appear in the Data View.
sColHiddenValue - this is the hidden value column of the dropdown. Specify the table column name used for populating.
sColDisplayText - this is the display text column of the dropdown. Specify the table column name used for populating.
These variables must be assigned for this script to run correctly. Replace <value> with the correct value.
var sDataConnectionName = "DataSource"; // example - var sDataConnectionName = "MyDataConnection";
var sColHiddenValue = "RecordNum";   // example - var sColHiddenValue = "MyIndexValue";
var sColDisplayText = "Name";   // example - var sColDisplayText = "MyDescription"
// Search for sourceSet node which matchs the DataConnection name
var nIndex = 0;
while(xfa.sourceSet.nodes.item(nIndex).name != sDataConnectionName)
nIndex++;
//var oDB = xfa.sourceSet.nodes.item(nIndex);
var oDB = xfa.sourceSet.nodes.item(nIndex).clone(1);
oDB.open();
oDB.first();
// Search node with the class name "command"
var nDBIndex = 0;
while(oDB.nodes.item(nDBIndex).className != "command")
nDBIndex++;
// Backup the original settings before assigning BOF and EOF to stay
var sBOFBackup = oDB.nodes.item(nDBIndex).query.recordSet.getAttribute("bofAction");
var sEOFBackup = oDB.nodes.item(nDBIndex).query.recordSet.getAttribute("eofAction");
oDB.nodes.item(nDBIndex).query.recordSet.setAttribute("stayBOF", "bofAction");
oDB.nodes.item(nDBIndex).query.recordSet.setAttribute("stayEOF", "eofAction");
// Clear the list
this.clearItems();
// Search for the record node with the matching Data Connection name
nIndex = 0;
while(xfa.record.nodes.item(nIndex).name != sDataConnectionName)
nIndex++;
var oRecord = xfa.record.nodes.item(nIndex);
// Find the value node
var oValueNode   = null;
var oTextNode   = null;
var sRecordNum = $.rawValue;
for(var nColIndex = 0; nColIndex < oRecord.nodes.length; nColIndex++)
if(oRecord.nodes.item(nColIndex).name == sColHiddenValue)
oValueNode = oRecord.nodes.item(nColIndex);
else if(oRecord.nodes.item(nColIndex).name == sColDisplayText)
oTextNode = oRecord.nodes.item(nColIndex);
var found= 0;
while(!oDB.isEOF())
if (oValueNode.value== sRecordNum)
txt_FirstName.rawValue = oTextNode.value;
txt_LastName.rawValue = oTextNode.value;
found = 1;
break;
//this.addItem(oTextNode.value, oValueNode.value);
   oDB.next();
   if (found == 0)
    txt_FirstName.rawValue = "";
    txt_LastName.rawValue = "";
// Restore the original settings
oDB.nodes.item(nDBIndex).query.recordSet.setAttribute(sBOFBackup, "bofAction");
oDB.nodes.item(nDBIndex).query.recordSet.setAttribute(sEOFBackup, "eofAction");
// Close connection
oDB.close();

Finally achived the database connectivity for the published pdf form developed in the Adobe LiveCycle Designer 8.0.
There must be the same driver version of the DSN on both machines. The machine which published the form and the one accessing it.
Use the Admin account to add the DSN on both machines.
Get rid of the error: Connection for Source "DataConnectionName" failed because the environment is not trusted.
Thanks
AbdulHafeez

Is there any part of a PDF Form that is ignored when digitally signing?

I'm building a simplified workflow process using PDF forms. Users would add a Submit button to a form that posted to an internal web service, which would add the forms to an internal document system for further processing.
Part of the process involves subsequent users in the workflow opening the forms and adding additional signatures, then submitted them back into the system.
I'm trying to find a way to identify PDF forms that have already been submitted vs. new forms that have not been seen before. I'd like to add an internal identifier (flag, ID value, something) to the PDF the first time we see it. But, I need to make sure not to invalidate the existing signatures. I don't want to change any of the form fields, or the visual content, or any other user-facing aspect of the PDF itself; I'm looking more for, say, a custom property, or new keyword, or something.
Is there any portion of a PDF that does not get considered as "part" of the form when applying and validating the digital signatures?

Yeah I kinda figured that... Really too bad. Seems lke it should be possible somehow. Anyway, do you all have any suggestions about the best way to combine a static form that is really just text fields and such (that comments and markup tools can be used in) with another page that is sections of narrative that would need to be able to flow?
Or better yet, a way to draw lines on to a form without using the comment and markup function?
I like your idea about connecting two forms - but I need to keep the final product as simple as possible. Once the user fills it out, they would be to be able to submit it and it show up as one file, even if that is just a flat file. I don't expect you all to tell me how to do this, but it would be nice to know its possible before I commit to the project and research. Thanks in advance.

Send PDF form to e-mail as attachment with a PHP script on the server

Hi,
For several days I've been searching though the internet looking for a solution, a quite simple one in my opinion, but I got a little desperate not getting any result I want.
Okay. The Situation.
I have a PDF form to order sandwiches and drinks.
The PDF has serveral area's and columns where customers fill in the amount of the products they would like to order.
At a position of a field, the kitchen can almost blindly see what products a customer ordered.
Therefore, when someone fills in the form, I want to send the filled PDF by e-mail to the kitchen's e-mail adress. And important: the PDF in the kitchen's mailbox should be completely identical to the form the customer filled in.
So, I have an Order button in my form. I set the action as 'Submit a form'.
In the settings under 'Enter a URL for this link' I used just some PHP mailer script I also use on my website contact form.
IF I check 'HTML' under 'Export Format' the PHP mailer works fine. I receive an HTML e-mail listed the ordered products.
BUT
I do want the original filled PDF in my mailbox instead of an HTML e-mail.
So, for 'Export Format' I checked 'PDF The Complete Document'.
But then my PHP mailer script doesn't work anymore.
It gives errors like 'no valid e-mail adres' , etcetera etcetera.
Who has a solution?
Who has a working standard PHP script for me what just sends the kitchen an empty mail with the original PDF as attachment?!
There is no need to use any database or other more complex functionality. Just mail the filled PDF.

You can submit whole PDF format as long as you enable usage rights on the PDF.
Normally Adobe Reader users can only submit the data, XFDF, FDF, XDP, XML.
To enable usage rights on the PDF you will need to use Adobe Acrobat Std/Pro.
As for the PHP Script; it depends on your PHP web server capabilities.
The script will be slightly different, if the server uses PHP Mail or PHP PEAR.
Just attach the submission to an email and send.
If the client is submitting the form from a standalone pdf reader app, you can also respond with a success or failure FDF \status message; otherwise, you can redirect to a success / failure URL.
For more information and online examples:
http://www.pdfemail.net/examples/

My submit button on my PDF form is greyed out (will not work) after posting link to PDF on my WordPress website. It works in Acrobat Reader just fine.

This is where you can see the form as clicked through to from the WordPress website page:
http://pinetreeplayers.com/ptp_new/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/submit-a-play.pdf
The PDF file was created in Acrobat 11, with a submit button. The submit button is actioned to send the form via email. It works perfectly by itself if the form is opened in Acrobat Reader, but once I upload the PDF to my WordPress site the submit button is greyed out, and will not complete the action to send on-click.
How can I fix this please - can anyone offer advice?

Yes. They need to download Reader and then disable Google Chrome's internal PDF viewer and enable Adobe Reader.
FireFox should also be configured to use Adobe Reader and not the internal PDF viewer.
The internal viewers are created to process PDF documents by not including the features and code to process PDF forms.

Prefill / personalize a PDF Form

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