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Do I need a consultant?

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Level 1

I have a project where I am probably willing to pay for assistance, assuming that what I want can be done relatively easily.  (I used to be a programmer and I still think like a programmer, but I make money being a lawyer, not a programmer).

Goal:  The ability for my clients to see a form, which is updated on a regular basis (by us and by them) to reflect the status of their cases, and then to have a simple database (even just an Excel spreadsheet) which summarizes the information for each of the matters.

Existing work product: A LiveCycle ES form (currently about 4 pages long) which I have very carefully prepared and customized to capture the selected data.  We have filled out those forms (same form, 70 different copies for 70 different cases) and they are posted on a secure site (using Interwoven) where they are each strored as a separate document.  We can access them and the client can access them.  They are changed and then they are saved.

Issues:  #1 - When I want to change the form, all of the data needs to be retyped, because there is no "back end" storage.

            #2 - When I want to see the status of the 70 matters, to find certain information, I need to open each of the 70 forms.

Goal:  Create a "backend", hopefully as simple as an Excel spreadsheet or an Access database, where the data is stored.  Each case has its own "number", so the forms should be populated based on that number.

If anyone has ideas and/or wants to discuss what this would take, I would appreciate posting here and/or contact.

sbrower@cox.net

3 Replies

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Level 4

Hi Steve

To dynamically populate fields of another database or save a filled out form, you will need additional licenses.

If you buy the license to connect to a database the saving function will also be there.

I did somehow tiptoe around the problem in:

1. Creating a form.

2. Creating a selectionbar on the form that will automatically populate all the entries via script.

3. Creating a mask form, that gives me out the script I need for the actual form to populate the fields

4. Making a database connection that reads out the xml output file

When you want to make a change you then:

1. check the database which changes you want to make

2. Copy the selectionbar from the form into the mask (in LCD)

3. select the choice you want to change

4. change the mask

5. copy out the script you created into your original form (in LCD)

6. chose your choice in the original form

7. upload the xml output into the database

Buying the license will save you an enormous amount of time! Though all the stepts can be done by really dump people like me.

(Except the upload connection to the database... this one was made by others in my enterprise)

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Level 1

I really appreciate the detail of the last message.  Let me see if I can suggest an alterantive that might work?  (I am still willing to hear from someone who thinks they can accomplish this for a reasonable price).

What if I change the forms so that instead of being "print" they are "email".  But they will still be saved when they are changed.  In other words, they will *not* be populated from the database.  They will be populated by typing.  And, as they are updated, they will be saved.  The "emailed" copy will go back to me and, using the license I already have for Designer ES(?), an Excel spreadsheet will be updated with the information?  Or does that still require a license to a product I don't have (I just have the Designer ES that came with Adobe Professional 9.0).

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Former Community Member

That woudl work but I just want to point out that it is Acrobat that is communicating with the DB and not Designer. Designer is merely the tool used to build the PDF.

Paul