Is this possible?

[GrahamCarr]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me if the following solution is possible using LiveCycle designer?

End User

A PDF form which has functionality that will populate set tables and charts based on the users selections from dropdowns, buttons, etc. The data needs to be embedded within the PDF but the form has to be dynamic so that the charts can change when the user selects different buttons/dropdown items.

Publisher

A publisher will open a form in LiveCycle that is associated with XML/Excel files. If these files had been updated prior to the form being opened in LiveCycle designer then when it is opened in Designer the new data will be imported into the form and then when published the data would be embedded in the form. The editor would then send the PDF to end-users and when they next open in Adobe Reader they would see the tables and charts based on the updated data.

Any ideas or possible non-expensive solutions would be much apprectiated.

[_Bruce_Robertson]

Hi,

You can do charts using Flash http://blogs.adobe.com/formfeed/2010/12/flash-in-xfa-sample-column-chart.html or just lines and rectangles http://blogs.adobe.com/formfeed/2009/05/diy_column_chart.html.

Radzmar also has a series of chart samples, http://thelivecycle.blogspot.com.au/2010/04/formcalc-charts-bar-chart.html including a pie chart.

There's a sample of storing XML data in a form here, http://blogs.adobe.com/formfeed/2009/01/transpromo_the_sequel.html

Hope they give you some ideas.

Regards

Bruce

[GrahamCarr]

Thanks for the information. In terms of the charts I have seen the examples so feel quite confident in that respect, the issue I am not confident about is reading the XML data and storing it in the PDF and then being able to alter charts, tables based on buttons/dropdowns using the data that has been stored. The sample of storing data seems to highlight the fact that it cannot be used in interactive forms, so I was wondering if there is a solution to be able to store data within an interactive form which you can then use to alter tables/graphs based on user interaction.

Is another (seemingly messy) solution to import the data into hidden tables/subforms within the PDF??

[_Bruce_Robertson]

Hi,

The technique used to store XML can be used in dynamic forms, you will just have to use the XML Source view to update it. 

You could also store the XML in a JavaScript string and create the dataset in an initialise event.

Alternatively you could use the E4X extension to JavaScript and store the XML as an E4X XML object, but that would be another XML query language to learn.

Regards

Bruce