Email PDF Form as a PDF Document

[s_weprin]

It seems as though this has been answered over on the "ES" side, but I can't find it for anyone (like me) using 7.0:

I am using Adobe LiveCycle Designer 7.0 and I've created a PDF form and it contains a "Submit" button to send the form. The form sends only XML information, but once all the fields are  filled out I need this document to save as a regular, unalterable, PDF.  This will be distributed via email to a small group who have Reader, and they need to save this electronically as a permanent copy of the file.

I tried altering the XML in designer so that is sends "PDF" rather than XML, but the fields just don't retain the field data...that is, the form is blank.

The  form needs to be rendered and submitted as a PDF doc not a PDF form.

[CDesign2]

If you add a "Button" rather than a "Submit button" you can choose which

type of file is submitted.

Add the button and then go to the Field page of the Object palette, and

choose "Submit" for the Control Type. When you do that a "Submit" page

appears in the Object palette. Add the email address for returning the

PDF in the "Submit to URL" field. And choose PDF from the "Submit As" drop

down.

Hopefully this will get you heading in the right direction

[s_weprin]

THANK YOU!! My boss will be impressed. BUT...........

While this seems to be getting me closer, two hurdles that concern me: 1) When the form opens in Reader it adds the alert "Please fill out the following form. You cannot save data typed into this form. Please print out your completed form if you would like a copy for your records." Well, this is no good. I need the person who fill in the data to be able to retain a completed version. 2) Clicking the new "Send" button (changed from "Submit") gives the prompt "The document is trying to connect to: file:///c/Documents_and_Settings/my name/Desktop...etc etc." Obviously, it should be connecting to my email application instead. So what is the proper URL to enter in designer?

THANK YOU SO MUCH

[CDesign2]

OK, I think I understand the issues and hopefully this can help.

1) You need to "Reader Extend" your form. Once completed in Livecycle,

take it into Acrobat (full version, not reader ) and choose "Enable User

Rights in Acrobat Reader" (or similar). Where this is and exactly what it

is called depends on your version of Acrobat. In Version * professional

it is under the Advanced menu. I know it is in a completely different spot

in Acrobat X but it is still there. This should allow your Reader users

to fill out the form and save it and send it back filled in. I do this all

the time and so am confident you can do it

2) you may be just missing a tiny bit of code. In the "Submit As" field

type mailto:name@address.com (obviously adding the appropriate address) I

think this should solve your issue

Good luck

[s_weprin]

CDesign2:

Good news/bad news: I was able to make the slight revision to the email address, so that I can send a PDF rather than XML.  BUT the bad news is that I can't Reader Extend the form.  I am using Acrobat Pro 7.0 and there is no item "Enable User Rights..." under the Advanced Menu. Is it perhaps in a different spot for my version of Acrobat Pro?

[CDesign2]

It seems like "enabling user rights" lives under the Comments tool in

Acrobat 7.0

[Charles_Myers_4]

However, Acrobat 7 reader-extends only for commenting.  Acrobat 8, followed by 9 and X, are the only releases of Acrobat that allow form fillin and save.  In fact, Acrobat 8 and beyond enable form fillin/save and digital signatures.

I'd suggest that you only look at Acrobat 8 and above.

[Former Community Member]

Check out http://www.pdfemail.net/

With PDFEmail.net, you can submit XML, FDF, XFDF, XDP data formats or PDF format.

PDFEmail.net can merge the Data (XML) submission with a blank form using ASP.net, and attaches it to an e-mail message and sends it through SMTP, without client side e-mail software such as OUTLOOK.

PDFEmail.net is installed on a workstation, and generates scripts and libraries you "UPLOAD" to your ASP.net webserver. There is no server-side installation, and zero programming knowledge is required. PDFEmail.net creates the scripts for you, and you just point your submit button action to the URL of the script.

PDFEmail.net uses iTextSharp technologies, and includes 1 year of free technical support.

For more information visit http://www.pdfemail.net/

[s_weprin]

CDesign:
In fact, "Enabling....." does exist on the Comments tab BUT for some reason, it is grayed out and unavailable to me on this form. Perhaps because I used Live Cycle to create it...???

[s_weprin]

...and I'm not interested in a third party approach.

[s_weprin]

Chuck,

You're right: the challenge in this scenario is that the form, created in LiveCycle 7, needs to be fillable by all, emailable by all, and (what I'm hearing) unless you have Acrobat 8 or higher, it won't happen.

Do you know why, in Acrobat Pro 7, when I open the form, the item "Enable For Commenting...." is grayed out?

[s_weprin]

By the way: If anyone would like to see the form and test it out, I can send it upon request.

Steve

[Charles_Myers_4]

Commenting on forms is a whole other kettle of fish.  Simply stated, commenting cannnot be done on a dynamic PDF form.  My guess is that you

• have a dynamic XFA form
• Acrobat detected that
• and therefore will not let you put comments on it.

This is a designed-in limitation of Acrobat comments and XFA forms. You can comment on an acroform (one designed in Acrobat, not designer)

I don't have a copy of Acrobat 8 to play with, but what I can tell you is that what really matters is the version of the PDF, not the version of Acrobat that was used.  In other words, the version of designer you have will create a PDF 1.6, and the Reader-extensions process, at least on the server, will take in a 1.6 and emit a reader-extender 1.6.  You should try this in Acrobat 8 to see.

The other question that I need to check with other people on is whether you need to reader-extend the form and send the whole form in as email.  I'll try to bring someone else into this tomorrow to assist me.

[s_weprin]

Chuck,

Just following up, and recapping:
I need a form, that I can "give" to another party in my company...that first party will fill out the form using some of the provided fields...then I need the form emailed to me, so that I can fill out a few fields...and THEN I email the form to a final party within our company.

All along the way, each party needs the ability to keep a completed copy for their files.

I can't tell you how stunned I am that this isn't much simpler. It seems like the type of thing anybody would need.

I created the form using LiveCycle Designer 7.0. I also use full Acrobat Pro 7.0, and I have Reader X.

I'm happy to go back to the beginning to start over, but the issues I've encountered:

The form is fillable by the first party, but not "save-able".

I solved the problem (I think) of mailing a PDF, rather than form data.

For whatever reason, when I open this form in Acrobat Pro 7.0, the line that reads "Enable for Commenting..." is grayed out.

There has to be some very simple solution to this...I can't believe that I'm the only person that needed this type of form.

HELP!

Steve

[s_weprin]

I forgot to mention: all of the other users have ONLY Reader...I am the only one with Acrobat Pro....

[Charles_Myers_4]

Sorry it took so long to get to this point, but your post from today specifies the problem in enough detail that I can answer it.  I was answering more technical questions than you were having, which caused some confusion.  The solution really is simple, but you need to be on the proper software to enable this. We listened to the needs of our customers, similar to the complaints that you are expressing, and added this feature in Acrobat 8.

You will need to upgrade your version of Acrobat to Acrobat 8 at least. We added the ability to locally save filled in forms in Acrobat 8. In Acrobat X, at least from information on the website, you can reader-extend forms in either the Standard or Pro version, although you'll probably want Pro so that you get a new Designer as well.  You can see a brief demo that is linked from the "Collect data with fillable PDF forms" on the Acrobat Standard page.

Note that you still will not be able to comment if this is a dynamic form.

Just so long as the form that you create is a PDF 1.6 (a save as selection in designer), these forms should still work with the older Reader versions.

[s_weprin]

Chuck,

Many thanks for the reply.

Yes I suspected that there had been enough back and forth that my basic question had gotten lost.

The challenge, as I still see it, and I might be reading you wrong, is that the "first" user...the department I'm going to deliver the form to...only has Reader, but they need to be able to use the form fields I created.

So I need to get them a fillable form which they can save, forward to me so I can fill it out a bit more, which I also save, and then forward to another party.

I downloaded a trial of Acrobat Pro 9 and STILL can't make it work.

Steve

[Charles_Myers_4]

Are you trying this with Acrobat 9 and Reader 7?  What happens when you say "and still can't make it work?"

Is it error messages from reader about the form being altered or something else?

I think that we should take this offline the forum and directly communicate by phone and email.  I'll send you a private message with my contact information and next steps.

[Charles_Myers_4]

The suspicion is that you were using the wrong part of the UI for the reader-extending.  So, just to be clear:

1) You must have Acrobat 8 or above

2) The UI for reader-extending a form for fillin is under "Advanced/ Extend Features in Adobe Reader" in Acrobat 9 (I do not ahve an Acrobat 8 at my disposal)

3) The same UI is under "Save as/ Reader extended PDF/ Enable additional features"

With that, it should work.

[igor_hb]

Problems is how to  send data from pdf form like .pdf file  ?

Try this :

1. On the form create Submit by Email button
2. in Object palete create input mail addrese
3. open XML Source tab i press : Crtl+F to find UTF-8
4. when find some like this : .....

                    <event activity="click">

                    <submit format="xml" textEncoding="UTF-8" target="mailto: .....

change to :

                    <event activity="click">

                    <submit format="pdf" textEncoding="UTF-8" target="mailto: .....

Back to Design view tab and save the form (ex. XY.pdf)

In adobe acrobat (if you have it) open the form XY.pdf

Open in menu Advanced/Enable Usage Rights in Adobe Reader ... option , go to the end of wizard  ...  and

.... just take it ....

good luck !!!