Comments on: Restoring the State of your Form http://forms.stefcameron.com/2008/09/29/restoring-the-state-of-your-form/ Building intelligent forms using Adobe LiveCycle Designer Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:36:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Stefan Cameron http://forms.stefcameron.com/2008/09/29/restoring-the-state-of-your-form/comment-page-1/#comment-62573 Stefan Cameron Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:51:43 +0000 http://forms.stefcameron.com/?p=196#comment-62573 krishna, Connecting the form to a <a href="http://forms.stefcameron.com/2007/05/21/connecting-to-a-web-service/" rel="nofollow">web service</a> would be the ideal solution since it's more secure than exposing the database however you can connect the form to a <a href="http://forms.stefcameron.com/2006/09/29/selecting-specific-database-records/" rel="nofollow">database</a> as well. If you use a web service, then you could have a method that returns true/false if the account exists (you can check the response from a web service <a href="http://forms.stefcameron.com/2009/03/23/pre-process-web-service-responses/" rel="nofollow">like this</a>). If you use the database directly, you could have one of the data connections (you can have multiple ODBC data connections in a single form) that queries the database and sets the value of a hidden field to true/false depending on the result, indicating whether the account exists or not. (The link I provided above for databases shows how to change the SQL statement at runtime in order to execute a query based on user data). Note that, in either case, this will only work in Acrobat unless you enable <a href="http://forms.stefcameron.com/2006/08/12/importing-data-in-acrobat/" rel="nofollow">data import</a> rights on the PDF for use in the free Reader. krishna,

Connecting the form to a web service would be the ideal solution since it’s more secure than exposing the database however you can connect the form to a database as well.

If you use a web service, then you could have a method that returns true/false if the account exists (you can check the response from a web service like this).

If you use the database directly, you could have one of the data connections (you can have multiple ODBC data connections in a single form) that queries the database and sets the value of a hidden field to true/false depending on the result, indicating whether the account exists or not. (The link I provided above for databases shows how to change the SQL statement at runtime in order to execute a query based on user data).

Note that, in either case, this will only work in Acrobat unless you enable data import rights on the PDF for use in the free Reader.

]]> By: krishna http://forms.stefcameron.com/2008/09/29/restoring-the-state-of-your-form/comment-page-1/#comment-62462 krishna Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:31:00 +0000 http://forms.stefcameron.com/?p=196#comment-62462 Hi Stefan, I'm struggling to find the answer to a question on interactive forms. We have LiveCycle ES. Now from the organization's portal, the user invokes the adobe interactive form by clicking a link. ( I will call .Net APIs for this) He needs to fill the form and submit it online. Here while filling the form, user wants to enter the account number on the form. And he needs to check validity from the database whether this account number exists or not before submitting the whole form. How can I do that? One way should be calling a webservice from the form. Do we have any other ways so that the form checks from the database? It would be a great help if you can give some solution to this. Thanks, Krishna Hi Stefan,
I’m struggling to find the answer to a question on interactive forms.
We have LiveCycle ES. Now from the organization’s portal, the user invokes the adobe interactive form by clicking a link. ( I will call .Net APIs for this) He needs to fill the form and submit it online. Here while filling the form, user wants to enter the account number on the form. And he needs to check validity from the database whether this account number exists or not before submitting the whole form.
How can I do that? One way should be calling a webservice from the form. Do we have any other ways so that the form checks from the database?

It would be a great help if you can give some solution to this.

Thanks,
Krishna

]]> By: Josh http://forms.stefcameron.com/2008/09/29/restoring-the-state-of-your-form/comment-page-1/#comment-62418 Josh Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:31:17 +0000 http://forms.stefcameron.com/?p=196#comment-62418 Thanks for the link. Unfortunately I didn't realize I have been doing ALL my testing in Adobe Pro. I have been working to make everyone's lives easier by importing employee data into a form and auto-populating. It's been a long haul getting all this scripting, etc to work, and now I've realized that it won't even work in Adobe Reader. I have a rotten feeling in my gut lol. Thanks for the link. Unfortunately I didn’t realize I have been doing ALL my testing in Adobe Pro. I have been working to make everyone’s lives easier by importing employee data into a form and auto-populating. It’s been a long haul getting all this scripting, etc to work, and now I’ve realized that it won’t even work in Adobe Reader. I have a rotten feeling in my gut lol.

]]> By: Stefan Cameron http://forms.stefcameron.com/2008/09/29/restoring-the-state-of-your-form/comment-page-1/#comment-62403 Stefan Cameron Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:07:00 +0000 http://forms.stefcameron.com/?p=196#comment-62403 Josh, I'm glad to know my site had helped you out! Using Acrobat Pro to extend PDFs for use in Reader will not enable Reader to <a href="http://forms.stefcameron.com/2006/08/12/importing-data-in-acrobat/" rel="nofollow">import data</a>. Importing data is different from enabling local save (though the two are often confused)... Josh,

I’m glad to know my site had helped you out!

Using Acrobat Pro to extend PDFs for use in Reader will not enable Reader to import data. Importing data is different from enabling local save (though the two are often confused)…

]]> By: Josh http://forms.stefcameron.com/2008/09/29/restoring-the-state-of-your-form/comment-page-1/#comment-62201 Josh Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:35:28 +0000 http://forms.stefcameron.com/?p=196#comment-62201 Unfortunately I have the exact opposite as a problem. I have a data connection established with my form. When the user begins he enters either his/her name or company ID. The form takes this value and uses it in a select statement to populate the employee info. When the field is saved in reader after being filled out and opened again, it loses all data connection field values. Oddly enough the only one that comes back is an unbound field. It still works if saved/open in Adobe Pro. I tried saving my form with reader rights, and it still didn't correct my issue. Really wish I knew what to look for. PS your site has helped me along with many issues. Thx. Josh Unfortunately I have the exact opposite as a problem.

I have a data connection established with my form. When the user begins he enters either his/her name or company ID. The form takes this value and uses it in a select statement to populate the employee info.

When the field is saved in reader after being filled out and opened again, it loses all data connection field values. Oddly enough the only one that comes back is an unbound field. It still works if saved/open in Adobe Pro. I tried saving my form with reader rights, and it still didn’t correct my issue.

Really wish I knew what to look for.

PS your site has helped me along with many issues. Thx.

Josh

]]> By: Stefan Cameron http://forms.stefcameron.com/2008/09/29/restoring-the-state-of-your-form/comment-page-1/#comment-59536 Stefan Cameron Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:37:55 +0000 http://forms.stefcameron.com/?p=196#comment-59536 Niall O'Donovan, Great! Thanks for letting me know. Niall O’Donovan,

Great! Thanks for letting me know.

]]> By: Niall O'Donovan http://forms.stefcameron.com/2008/09/29/restoring-the-state-of-your-form/comment-page-1/#comment-59534 Niall O'Donovan Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:12:18 +0000 http://forms.stefcameron.com/?p=196#comment-59534 Hi Stefan, Sorted!! Thanks, N. Hi Stefan,

Sorted!!

Thanks,

N.

]]> By: Niall O'Donovan http://forms.stefcameron.com/2008/09/29/restoring-the-state-of-your-form/comment-page-1/#comment-58778 Niall O'Donovan Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:28:38 +0000 http://forms.stefcameron.com/?p=196#comment-58778 Hi Stefan, I am having trouble preserving script changes to the visibility of fields and changes in caption colour. I have tried auto and manual/delta; yet when I save and reopen some of the changes have been saved/restored, however most have not. All of the script changes are called from a script object in the root variables. Do you think this could be affecting the behaviour? Thanks, Niall Hi Stefan,

I am having trouble preserving script changes to the visibility of fields and changes in caption colour.

I have tried auto and manual/delta; yet when I save and reopen some of the changes have been saved/restored, however most have not.

All of the script changes are called from a script object in the root variables. Do you think this could be affecting the behaviour?

Thanks,

Niall

]]> By: A. Matveief http://forms.stefcameron.com/2008/09/29/restoring-the-state-of-your-form/comment-page-1/#comment-56848 A. Matveief Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:27:43 +0000 http://forms.stefcameron.com/?p=196#comment-56848 Les falke, unfortunately the Acrobat.com workflow collection method always submits the XML data for XFA Forms, unless the form is signed, in which case it will submit the XML. As such, the only way to maintain the form would be to push the extra information into the XML data. If you do the collecting via email that should maintain the formstate since that would submit the entire PDF. Les falke, unfortunately the Acrobat.com workflow collection method always submits the XML data for XFA Forms, unless the form is signed, in which case it will submit the XML. As such, the only way to maintain the form would be to push the extra information into the XML data. If you do the collecting via email that should maintain the formstate since that would submit the entire PDF.

]]> By: Stefan Cameron http://forms.stefcameron.com/2008/09/29/restoring-the-state-of-your-form/comment-page-1/#comment-55585 Stefan Cameron Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:52:36 +0000 http://forms.stefcameron.com/?p=196#comment-55585 Les falke, I believe this only works if you retain the PDF that was saved with the state information. If you get XML data submissions from a distributed PDF, the XML data will not contain the state information. Les falke,

I believe this only works if you retain the PDF that was saved with the state information. If you get XML data submissions from a distributed PDF, the XML data will not contain the state information.

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