People have been using Adobe Acrobat to convert paper forms to electronic ones for many years now, but developments from Adobe have created confusion about the best way to create and use PDF forms. Here we will explain the different methodologies Adobe uses with forms; from the backend database to form design interface; and, how […]
View PostForm Flattening is a technique developed by Appligent in 2001; whereby, the data contained within a PDF form field is drawn directly to the page as page content; and, the original form field is removed from the document. PDF form fields; sometimes referred to as AcroForms, are a type of PDF annotation similar to hyperlinks […]
View PostA PDF form field is a type of “Widget” annotation whose purpose is to allow an end user to interactively enter data in a manner similar to filling in a paper based form. Following is the list of available field types: Text Button Check Box Radio Button Choice Signature Form fields within PDF are extensible; […]
View PostA Forms Data Format (FDF) file is a formatted ASCII file which contains key:value pairs defining the field names and associated values that are used to populate a form. Forms Data Format (FDF) is defined in the international stand for Portable Document Format; ISO-32000. See ISO-32000-1:2008 Section 12.7.7. Following is an example of a simple FDF file: […]
View PostTime for a fresh look Last March we reviewed a crop of free PDF readers available for Windows. This time, we add a new contender to the list (Nitro’s PDF Reader) and check for updates to the software reviewed in our previous survey. Bloatware? Really? It’s a sad fact that the quality of PDF files […]
View PostIf you’re reading this, chances are that you already know that PDF documents can include fillable form-fields. In a PDF form, users may type text, toggle checkboxes and radio-buttons, select from combo-boxes, click buttons, run JavaScript, and so on. Organizations around the world have used PDF forms to great effect for everything from product specifications […]
View PostI was discussing a PDF forms development project the other day. I had one of those moments when the clouds part and you see straight through to the other side. I guess for some, that might be heaven. For me, at the moment, it was the realization that annotations can also be a form. Indeed […]
View PostIn the December issue of “Ask the PDF Expert”, we answered a question posed by Owen W., of Oak Ridge, TN. Owen asked simply: “Is there an easy way to choose between Designer/XFA and regular PDF forms?” Choosing between XFA and Acroforms technologies has to start with a sorrowful glance at the need to choose […]
View PostHealthcare costs in the US have significantly outpaced inflation for several decades. Alongside the question of universal coverage, the healthcare reform debate in Washington, DC, therefore, rightly centers on controlling costs. Policy-makers have recognized that current long-term trends are unsustainable – what to do about it is the subject du jour. To get my blood […]
View PostPDF and Adobe Acrobat still lead the public sector’s electronic document revolution Documents in the form of laws, memos, reports, publications, contracts, policies, regulations, forms and so on are the infrastructure of government. The process of authoring, editing, reviewing, signing, managing, collecting, disseminating or destroying these documents is itself the work of the government, all […]
View PostThe single most important feature of Acrobat Professional 8 is a dramatic expansion in the Reader Extensions that Acrobat Professional may apply to PDF files, bestowing new “Extended Rights”. Of these, the most important such “Right” is commonly known as “Reader Save”. Within the new End User License Agreement (EULA) and certain other technical limitations, […]
View Post