PDF Forms Comparison

[thibault_griez]

Dear LiveCycle Users,

I desperatly need your help on that one... We are using PDF Forms (created using Adobe LiveCycle), these forms are injected with XML Date using LiveCycle servers.

We need to compare to these forms between each other, but the built-in compare tool in Acrobat X does not seem to handle PDF forms comparison.

Do you know how we could proceed to compare the data entered in these forms ?

We even tried using some software to do a Diff comparison on the XML data, but the problem with this scenario is that we cannot find a way to highlight the changes in the PDF form, once reinjected with the XML data (no way to control the formating from the data itsel for all fields e.g. using HTML code...)

Thanks for your help...

Thibault

[Former Community Member]

If it is differences in the data then you will have to use an external tool to do the comparison of the data files. You coudl put some sort of marker in the data node then have code in the form that woudl look in the field for that marker and if present change the background color to indicate that something has changed.

Are you concerned about someone changing the form after it was rendered before the user sees it? Can you elaborate on your use case a bit - specifically what scenario are you trying to guard against?

Paul

[thibault_griez]

Thanks for your reply...

The marker idea is an interresting one, but we would the rely on javascript to process and remove them...

Actually, we are using PDF forms as application forms for a R&D funding program. The idea of this comparison tool is that we would use it to highlight differences between resubmitted applications.

Thibault

[Former Community Member]

If you have the full LiveCycle suite of products we could flatten the forms (take all the form nature out of them) then allow you to do the comparison on the flattened forms. Not the best solution but then you coudl use the comparison in Acrobat.

Paul

[thibault_griez]

@Paul: Thanks for the input, but I tried and Acrobat refuses to flatten this form "This PDF document contains an Adobe XML form. Such files cannot be optimized."...

[Former Community Member]

No you would flatten on the server side ..Assembler can do that.

Paul

[thibault_griez]

@Paul: Thanks a lot, I didn't know that, it's not the perfect solution but worth a try I will push my manager to upgrade our Livecycle server

[Former Community Member]

Depending on what you own you may already have access to that service. Check with your Adobe reps to see if you have it.

Paul

[radzmar]

As you have Acrobat you also have the PDF Printer.

You can use it to flatten your XFA forms too.