pre-populate PDF from XML data

[FormsMattLL10]

I am looking into the feasibility of pre-populating a PDF form using an XML data file. The basic workflow I am investigating is this:

1. both the PDF form (built in LiveCycle Designer) and XML file would be stored together on a web server.

2. User would navigate to a web page containing a link to the PDF form, and click to open. The PDF form would open in their browser (using their installed PDF viewer plug in)

3. the PDF form would be (partially) populated by the data in the XML file automatically

4. User would fill out the unpopulated portion of the form, and save the resulting PDF to their computer.

Is this workflow feasible? What are the problem areas? I realize that the the PDF would have to be Reader Extended to allow the user to save it.

Many thanks for any and all help and direction.

Matt LL.

[TheRealAgentK]

Hi Matt,

yes, this workflow is perfectly feasible, not really with solely a standard HTTP server though.

There are a variety of options. The issue is that the process of populating the form can usually not be done without any server-side application of logic.

- You could use LiveCycle Forms to achieve that. That'd also allow you to use other LC components later on easily , such as Reader Extensions, Process Management or DRM for your documents.

- You could use Adobe ColdFusion for pre-populating the form from XML, it's super easy (much more straightforward than LC imho). The downside is that CF doesn't have an option to Reader Extend the form for you. That being said, you could get Reader Extensions as a stand-alone module and use it's SOA APIs to hook into your CF code (ColdFusion is basically just an abstraction layer on top of Java).

Hope that helps to get an idea.

Cheers

Kai

[FormsMattLL10]

Thanks so much for the info Kai, most appreciated. I was hoping to be able to accomplish what I need using a standard HTTP server, but that doesn't sounds feasible, so I will have to re-look at things. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

Matt