Filling in PDF Forms

[rjolda]

Hi
I have a 7 page PDF form that my users need to fill out.
Is there a way to display it and allow them to type onto the form?
What tricks do we have available to us?
THanks
Ron JOlda

[Bruce]

This is completely outside my expertise Ron, so maybe someone else can step in here. I'd also recommend you chat to Craig Ransom at Tracker - if anyone can tell you about PDF's he can.

cheers
Bruce

[Wolfgang Orth]

Hello Ron,

several questions come in mind:

- on which side should the PDF-form be processed? Client- or Server-side?

You can create a PDF-Form, then have it on the server and once the user clicks onit, that form opens. But it is now on the client machine. You need to expedite it back if you need it on the server.

- does it have to be based certain form or can you generate such a PDF on your own, filled with the data from the netwebform the user just typed in and remain on the server?

Then its just a single-record-7-page-report with Clarion youi can create within Nettalk.

I hope I have not completely misunderstood your request...
Wolfgang

[Stu]

Ron,

One way would be to have a normal form with the values you want and then use OVERLAY (which PDFTools supports) to "stick" the needed values onto the PDF.

[bshields]

Hi Ron,

I have some magic code i wrote a few year back that would read the attributes of PDF fields from a master PDF document and generate a dynamic nettalk form. It would then store the data they entered into XML. They could of course edit the forms etc etc.

So i would read the PDF fields (with a PDF tools, ActivePDF i think from memory), then create a NT form and save data into XML (since the PDF forms weren't bound to a database and the customer could change the PDFs and therefore the forms changed without me doing anything).

But frankly, this is pretty hardcore and suitable if the PDF changes outside your control. If the PDF is controlled by you or there is a small number then Stu's response of  "mate" a NT Form to a PDF document is the way to go.

But if you want to print and display a resultant PDF file you'll need some PDF tools that work with fields and attributes.

Regards
Bill

[rjolda]

Stu,
Been on vacation for a few days so trying to catch up.....
Yes, That is what I want to do - display the form and stick the fields onto a pre-defined form - e.g. - they have to put "X" in certain boxes and then they have limited space to write free text.   
How would something like this get implemented in a Net Talk server?    I have Tracker PDF Tools.  - In a Windoze app, I just give them the form with the Typewriter function and they just go to it!
How would I do that in net Talk through the Browser interface?
Thanks,
Ron

[Gordon Holfelder]

Hi Ron-

Unless I'm way off base as far as web PDF's are concerned, if you are trying to get a windows like experience where you display the form as part of your app and capture the data the user filled in, it's not going to happen. Once you push the PDF out to the user, the only way to get the form back is to have the user save the PDF and then upload back to the server. Probably too many steps and way to hard for the typical user.

You might look at capturing the input in a web form (that's what NetTalk is all about) and then pushing the filled in form back to the user. In this case, it would be only for the user to verify.

HTH,
Gordon

[Bruce]

I suspect it's a bit of the "blind leading the blind" here - I'm certainly no PDF expert. Getting Tracker's ideas is definitely recommended.

As I understand it though, yo can put a button in a PDF which does a POST to the web server. ie this would function pretty much like a normal "Save" button - well at least in the sense that you'd get a POST with data, on the server. If you can get that far then after that it's a case of handling the incoming POST on the server side. (And that's something I _can_ help you with.)

cheers
Bruce

[rjolda]

Here is Reply from Craig Ransom at Tracker:


To build the form you will need to use the Forms methods and templates from PDF-Tools 4.1.

To fill out the form, yuo may do that in any PDF Viewer that supports form filling. Our PDF Viewer can do that.

After that you can transmit it using Net Talk or whatever.

Now - off to figure it out!

Ron