Changing error message displayed when opening dynamic forms in a unsupported reader

[broncoisl]

I have made several dynamic forms where the user can fx add or remove rows as needed, see example:

http://www.tollur.is/upload/files/yfirlysing_vegna_innflutnings_buslodar_web%281%29.pdf

For this to work the file must be saved as a dynamic pdf form. As you probably know the only reader capable of opening these forms is Adobe Reader.

So users for example using: chrome, safari, ios and android get a error mesage:

Please wait...

If this message is not eventually replaced by the proper contents of the document, your PDF viewer may not be able to display this type of document.

You can upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Reader for Windows, Mac, or Linux by visiting get.adobe.com/reader.

For more assistance with Adobe Reader visit helpx.adobe.com/support.html

Questions:

1. Can I change this text so the user gets a more informative answer?
2. If so how do I change it?

I want to be able to provide the user with more helpful information on why this is not working and a link to a simpler static version of the form.

Hopefully there is a solution

[radzmar]

That error message is the shell PDF of a XFA form.

It's the only thing a PDF viewer sees when it doesn't know about XFA technology.

It's indeed possible to replace the massage with a customized one, but this requires a complicated hack of the PDF file.

Here's a sample that demonstrates that's it's possible.

https://files.acrobat.com/preview/62ba90f1-c6df-4e8b-89b3-263d61f6aa88

But, there is still an unsolved problem.

The hack gets's always replaced again with the default message when the form is Reader-enabled, so it's only useful when all users use Acrobat.

[broncoisl]

Do you think it's possible to grab the error in a script (if reader is not XFA capable). The script would then for example open a dialog box with helpful information for the user.

[radzmar]

I don't know.

The messages is hard coded into the shell PDF, so a script won't recognize it.

You propably can add a script to the shell PDF, but it will be replaced as soon you Reader-enable the form.

A manipulation afterwards also doesn't work, as this will make the Reader Extension invalid.

[broncoisl]

Because popular browsers are using their own pdf readers that do not support XFA we probably will have to look at other solutions than pdf.

It's too complicated for the average end user to have to do something other than just clicking a link in order to open a form. The forms also need to be platform independent.