FormCalc .vs. JavaScript

[Former Community Member]

what's the main reason for using FormCalc as opposed to JavaScript?

is it because that the users won't need to enable JavaScript in the Reader?  that a FormCalc form will always work regardless of the Reader's preference settings?

[radzmar]

FormCalc allows a more comfortable way to work with SOM expressions and dates/times and has a set of functions (date and time, financial, arithmetic, logical etc.) that javascript doesn't have. The syntax is similar to Javascript but does not need all those braces {}. If possible, I use it anywhere in my forms, especially to controll the layout in a dynamic form.

FormCalc doesn't work if JavaScript is deactivated in the PDF viewer.

[Debadas · Accepted solution]

Hello

Actually this isn't  the main reason for using FormCalc as opposed to JavaScript,

FormCalc is not as powerful or as ubiquitous as JavaScript. However, it  is ideal for nonprogrammers

who need to add calculations to their forms.  If you come from a Microsoft Excel background and

you don't have any  JavaScript experience, you should consider using FormCalc. FormCalc has  many

built-in functions that cover a range of areas including finance,  logic, dates/times, and mathematics.

FormCalc is supported in Designer,  Acrobat, Reader, and in the LiveCycle Servers.

However, it will not work  with the HTML forms created by LiveCycle Forms.

Although FormCalc is the default scripting language in Designer,  JavaScript is more

ideal for creating sophisticated interactive and  dynamic forms.

Thanks,

Debadas.

[kingphysh]

Hi,

I have read that FormCalc has higher performance that JavaScript in Reader. I find that reference syntax is much more forgiving and the error messages much more valuable. And as mentioned, there are some great functions in FormCalc. So, for a number of good reasons, FormCalc can be the best choice in many situations, regradless of programming experience.

FormCalc is limited in that you can't make your own functions and store them in a script object like JavaScript. And now with the latest version ADEP Designer 3.0, there is a new feature that allows referencing JavaScripts in external files. I haven't played with that, but it opens the door to some interesting JavaScript possibilities.

Cheers!

Stephen