Create Form with Data Transferable When Modified

[claytonl2552683]

Hi Adobe Users!

I have a catchall form that I use at work and every time I modify it, I have to go to the old form for each client and copy paste... one by one every form field to the new version. I have googled as far as I can and cant figure it out please help me!

I create and modify the form in Microsoft word.

I then save as a pdf.

I next choose "Create New Form" in Adobe 8.

Now it auto detects fields and takes me to Live Cycle Designer where I add in any fields it missed.

I then save the file and open it in Adobe 8.

Next I enable Usage Rights and Save a copy so that my document is savable after filled out.

This process works fine but I have yet to find a solve on how to get data from the clients old form into the new version. From what I've researched, Live Cycle Designer creates XML forms and that prevents you from being able to get the data out of the old form.

I am so worn on copy and paste and think I might be getting carpal tunnel from all this clicking., please help me.

Thank You!

[Thom_Parker · Accepted solution]

If the old form is a regular AcroForm, then you should not have created the new form as a LiveCycle form. LiveCycle has a very different way of handling data, so the data files are not directly compatible.

I would highly recommend that you re-create the form again, but this time as a regular AcroForm.

If you do not want to do this, then you'll need to adjust the Form's Data Model in LiveCycle to use the field names from the previous form. Its been a long time since I've done this in LC, so I don't know the exact methodology off hand, but the idea is to create the forms data model based on an XML data file that has been exported from the old form.