Interactive online form in PDF Solved

Question

Hello,

I am looking to create an online PDF form similar to what exists on some websites, with interactive fields. In the fields, users can directly enter their input on the page which is in PDF format. Can you enlighten me on how this works? Thank you in advance.

gg · Accepted Answer

Hello,

It is possible to create a PDF form with fields that can be filled in.

Generally, the option offered in this case is then to save or print the form.

Moreover, PDF files can embed JavaScript and thus allow a PDF form to be equipped with a send button. The JavaScript code will collect the name and content of the form fields and create a link to a predefined webpage to which the form data is added:
for example: http://mysite.com/getformpdf.php?field1=name&field2=firstname
On the other side, a script is needed to retrieve and process the data passed in the URL.

To create this PDF form, you need a program (usually paid) capable of doing so and knowledge of how to use it.

For those who are not daunted by PHP, there are free scripting solutions that allow generating PDFs online, and they need to integrate JavaScript.

Here is an example of a personal test on a sample page of 'TCPDF' that includes a form, to which JavaScript is added (end of the code almost), the page that receives the form is test.php in the same directory (see the reduced code of the test script below).

[code]
<?php
//============================================================+
// File name : example_014.php
// Begin : 2008-03-04
// Last Update : 2008-05-28
//
// Description : Example 014 for TCPDF class
// Javascript Form and user rights
//
// Author: Nicola Asuni
//
// (c) Copyright:
// Nicola Asuni
// Tecnick.com s.r.l.
// Via Della Pace, 11
// 09044 Quartucciu (CA)
// ITALY
// www.tecnick.com
// info@tecnick.com
//============================================================+

/**
* Creates an example PDF TEST document using TCPDF
* @package com.tecnick.tcpdf
* @abstract TCPDF - Example: Javascript Form and user rights
* @author Nicola Asuni
* @copyright 2004-2008 Nicola Asuni - Tecnick.com S.r.l (www.tecnick.com) Via Della Pace, 11 - 09044 - Quartucciu (CA) - ITALY - www.tecnick.com - info@tecnick.com
* @link https://tcpdf.org/
* @license http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl-3.0.html LGPL
* @since 2008-03-04
*/

require_once('../config/lang/eng.php');
require_once('../tcpdf.php');

// create new PDF document
$pdf = new TCPDF(PDF_PAGE_ORIENTATION, PDF_UNIT, PDF_PAGE_FORMAT, true);

// set document information
$pdf->SetCreator(PDF_CREATOR);
$pdf->SetAuthor("Nicola Asuni");
$pdf->SetTitle("TCPDF Example 014");
$pdf->SetSubject("TCPDF Tutorial");
$pdf->SetKeywords("TCPDF, PDF, example, test, guide");

// set default header data
$pdf->SetHeaderData(PDF_HEADER_LOGO, PDF_HEADER_LOGO_WIDTH, PDF_HEADER_TITLE, PDF_HEADER_STRING);

// set header and footer fonts
$pdf->setHeaderFont(Array(PDF_FONT_NAME_MAIN, '', PDF_FONT_SIZE_MAIN));
$pdf->setFooterFont(Array(PDF_FONT_NAME_DATA, '', PDF_FONT_SIZE_DATA));

//set margins
$pdf->SetMargins(PDF_MARGIN_LEFT, PDF_MARGIN_TOP, PDF_MARGIN_RIGHT);
$pdf->SetHeaderMargin(PDF_MARGIN_HEADER);
$pdf->SetFooterMargin(PDF_MARGIN_FOOTER);

//set auto page breaks
$pdf->SetAutoPageBreak(TRUE, PDF_MARGIN_BOTTOM);

//set image scale factor
$pdf->setImageScale(PDF_IMAGE_SCALE_RATIO);

//set some language-dependent strings
$pdf->setLanguageArray($l);

//initialize document
$pdf->AliasNbPages();

// add a page
$pdf->AddPage();

// ---------------------------------------------------------

// set font
$pdf->SetFont("dejavusans", "BI", 20);

// Release User's Rights For PDF reader.
// This is required to display and fill form fields on PDF Readers.
$pdf->setUserRights();

/*
Caution: the generated PDF works only with Acrobat Reader 5.1.
It is possible to create text fields, combo boxes, check boxes and buttons. Fields are created at the current position and are given a name. This name allows for manipulating them via JavaScript to perform some validation for instance.
Upon field creation, an associative array can be passed to set a number of properties, among which:
rect: Position and size of field on page.
borderStyle: Rectangle border appearance.
strokeColor: Color of bounding rectangle.
lineWidth: Width of the edge of the surrounding rectangle.
rotation: Rotation of field in 90-degree increments.
fillColor: Background color of field (gray, transparent, RGB, or CMYK).
userName: Short description of field that appears on mouse-over.
readonly: Whether the user may change the field contents.
doNotScroll: Whether text fields may scroll.
display: Whether visible or hidden on screen or in print.
textFont: Text font.
textColor: Text color.
textSize: Text size.
richText: Rich text.
richValue: Text.
comb: Text comb format.
multiline: Text multiline.
charLimit: Text limit to the number of characters.
fileSelect: Text file selection format.
password: Text password format.
alignment: Text layout in text fields.
buttonAlignX: X alignment of icon on button face.
buttonAlignY: Y alignment of icon on button face.
buttonFitBounds: Relative scaling of an icon to fit inside a button face.
buttonScaleHow: Relative scaling of an icon to fit inside a button face.
buttonScaleWhen: Relative scaling of an icon to fit inside a button face.
highlight: Appearance of a button when pushed.
style: Glyph style for checkbox and radio buttons.
numItems: Number of items in a combo box or list box.
editable: Whether the user can type in a combo box.
multipleSelection: Whether multiple list box items may be selected.
Colors can be chosen in the following list (case sensitive): black white red green blue cyan magenta yellow dkGray gray ltGray or be in the form #RRGGBB.
*/

$pdf->Cell(0,5,'Subscription form',0,1,'C');
$pdf->Ln(10);
$pdf->SetFont('','',12);

//First name
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'First name:');
$pdf->TextField('firstname',50,5,array('strokeColor'=>'ltGray'));
$pdf->Ln(6);

//Last name
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'Last name:');
$pdf->TextField('lastname',50,5,array('strokeColor'=>'ltGray'));
$pdf->Ln(6);

//Gender
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'Gender:');
$pdf->ComboBox('gender',10,5,array('','M','F'),array('strokeColor'=>'ltGray'));
$pdf->Ln(6);

//Drink
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'Drink:');
$pdf->RadioButton('drink',5,false);
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'Water');
$pdf->Ln(6);
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'');
$pdf->RadioButton('drink',5,false);
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'Beer');
$pdf->Ln(6);
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'');
$pdf->RadioButton('drink',5,false);
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'Wine');
// set export values
$pdf->IncludeJS("fdrink.exportValues=[\"Water\", \"Beer\", \"Wine\"];\n");
// check the second radiobutton
$pdf->IncludeJS("fdrink.checkThisBox(1,true);\n");
$pdf->Ln(10);

//Gender
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'List:');
$pdf->ListBox('listbox',60,15,array('','item1','item2','item3','item4','item5','item6','item7'), array('multipleSelection'=>'true'));
$pdf->Ln(20);

//Adress
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'Address:');
$pdf->TextField('address',60,18,array('multiline'=>true,'strokeColor'=>'ltGray'));
$pdf->Ln(19);

//E-mail
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'E-mail:');
$pdf->TextField('email',50,5,array('strokeColor'=>'ltGray'));
$pdf->Ln(6);

//Newsletter
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'Receive our',0,1);
$pdf->Cell(35,5,'newsletter:');
$pdf->CheckBox('newsletter',5,true);
$pdf->Ln(10);

//Date of the day (determined and formatted by JS)
$pdf->Write(5,'Date: ');
$pdf->TextField('date',30,5);
$pdf->IncludeJS("getField('date').value=util.printd('dd/mm/yyyy',new Date());\n");
$pdf->Ln();
$pdf->Write(5,'Signature:');
$pdf->Ln(3);

//Button to validate and print
$pdf->SetX(95);
$pdf->Button('Submit',25,15,'Submit','EnvFormfdf()',array('textColor'=>'yellow','fillColor'=>'#FF5050'));

//Form validation functions
$pdf->IncludeJS("
function CheckField(name,message) {
var f = getField(name);
if(f.value == '') {
app.alert(message);
f.setFocus();
return false;
}

return true;

}

function envoifield(d) {
var f = getField(d);
if(f.value == '') {

return false;
}
return f.value;
}

function EnvFormfdf() {
this.submitForm.method='POST';
this.submitForm({cURL:'test.php?firstname='+envoifield('firstname')+'' , cSubmitAs:'fdf',bAnnotations:true});

//this.submitForm('test.php',TRUE, 'name');
//app.alert(firstname);

}

//this.EnvFormfdf()

function Print() {
//Validation
if(!CheckField('firstname','First name is mandatory'))
return;
if(!CheckField('lastname','Last name is mandatory'))
return;
if(!CheckField('gender','Gender is mandatory'))
return;
if(!CheckField('address','Address is mandatory'))
return;
//Print
EnvFormfdf();
//print();
}
");

// ---------------------------------------------------------

//Close and output PDF document
$pdf->Output("example_014.pdf", "I");

//============================================================+
// END OF FILE
//============================================================+
?>
/code
The page called upon submission of the PDF form just checks that the data is indeed sent by the 'get' method (through the URL). :
[code]
<?php
echo 'test on firstname : <br>';
echo $_GET['firstname'] ;
?>
/code

Gouril · Answer

Hello,

Are you sure it's a PDF and not rather a PHP?

See you soon

--
Help others as I have been helped... / Google = 95% of solutions, but you already knew that!
˜¨¨¨¨˜''°º^v^^v^-= Make love and not war! =-^v^^v^º°''˜¨¨¨¨˜

Gouril · Answer

Hello,

ok, this form is not a form that you can fill out online like where you write to respond to me.

To create a form like the one you showed me, you create a Word document or whatever you want, and save it as a PDF.

From Word, use a virtual printer for PDF, and otherwise from Open Office, the option is there in the save formats.

See you soon

--
Help my neighbor as I have been helped... / google = 95% of solutions, but you already knew that!
˜¨¨¨¨˜''°º^v^^v^-= Make love and not war! =-^v^^v^º°''˜¨¨¨¨˜

QUILLIVIC · Answer

Bonjour,

Pour remplir des formulaires PDF avec Acrobat Reader 7.0, vous pouvez suivre ces étapes :

- Ouvrez le fichier PDF avec Acrobat Reader.
- Si le formulaire est interactif, vous pourrez cliquer sur les champs pour les remplir.
- Pour les formulaires non interactifs, vous ne pourrez pas remplir les champs directement. Dans ce cas, vous pouvez imprimer le formulaire, le remplir à la main, puis le scanner.

Si vous avez besoin de remplir régulièrement des formulaires, envisagez de mettre à jour vers une version plus récente d'Adobe Acrobat qui offre plus de fonctionnalités de remplissage.

Merci.

Nefta · Answer

Hello,

I believe that the answers provided to your question are incorrect.
To create interactive forms in PDF, you simply need a pro version of Acrobat.
If possible, but it is not certain to have Acrobat Reader 9 for optimal reading.
I have built a quality survey of this kind that works very well online on my site. That said, I believe that not all users are equipped in the same way. So, caution is advised.
Best regards

kanelle · Answer

Hello,

I use Acrobat Pro software to create interactive forms. To create them, it is necessary to have software like Acrobat Pro, however, if the document is already an interactive form online, it can be filled out. If it is not interactive, it is simpler to print it, fill it out, and then scan it...

That's my opinion.

Download Adobe Acrobat to create PDFs

Rapace15 · Answer

Hello everyone,

To be a bit more precise, there are several ways to create a PDF form.

You can either have a license for a PRO version, and in that case, there are no issues...

Or you can use PDF printers (PDF creator or others), but in that case, it is not possible to save a filled form.

I'm not sure about the latest versions of MS Word, but OpenOffice allows you to export to PDF format with a button to send data by email or to a URL (all of which can be defined in the PDF export function, as explained very well in the following link: https://linuxfr.org/forums/astucesdivers/posts/editeur-formulaire-pdf

gg · Answer

Oops, small details:

This sample file already contains field verification and printing.

What I tested:

function EnvFormfdf() {
this.submitForm.method='POST'; // this line is ineffective, the POST method is not applicable to a PDF!
this.submitForm({cURL:'test.php?firstname='+envoifield('firstname')+'' , cSubmitAs:'fdf',bAnnotations:true}); // HERE a link with the field parameters in the URL allows retrieving the data with $_GET['fieldname'] in PHP.

The print() function of the form has been modified:

I removed the call to print(); in favor of the function: EnvFormfdf();

EnvFormfdf();
//print();

The original file is example 14. (example_014.php) found in the TCPDF archive.

Test successfully performed on free and locally with WAMP.

linuxite81 · Answer

Hello,

I have the same wish but it's impossible despite numerous attempts from the following link
https://linuxfr.org/forums/astucesdivers/posts/editeur-formulaire-pdf

I read my PDFs with xpdf or kpdf

Can someone send a working example directly?

Thank you

peace · Answer

Hello, to create PDF forms, you need either the Standard or Pro version of Adobe Acrobat. It's simple.

nikos · Answer

Otherwise, you can use Scribus, but it's less convenient for retrieving data.

zyyne · Answer

Indeed, to my knowledge, without the Pro version of Acrobat, there is no interactive PDF...  Non-compliant signature ==> Removed Moderation CCM

Jules · Answer

I recommend Calaméo instead, it's free, super easy to use and very enjoyable to read!

lf37230 · Answer

In Open Office, you create a form and add input fields. Once the document is finished, you export it in .pdf format
According to my tests, this is the only type of form field that is properly transmitted upon export.

mayev · Answer

Hello,

So, I use Adobe Acrobat Pro 9 to create dynamic forms, send them by email, and collect the responses for later processing.
Usually it works well, but since yesterday I've encountered a problem:

It's a basic form with a send button that I create using the form editing function (button), which I configure with mailto:xxxxx@gmail.com

And when my recipient receives the form by email, fills it out, and clicks send, the following message appears:

"Microsoft Office Outlook does not recognize '1. Double-click the attachment.'"

"Select the address to use"

"No suggestions"

So if anyone has any idea?

Thanks in advance

Maeva

bozaneaux · Answer

Hello,

We can create PDF forms or interactive PDFs in several ways, even with Excel macros.

I created the website http://www.pdfdynamiques.com which showcases different examples.

The possibilities offered by this format are significant; it is even possible to access external files to populate fields in a PDF, and I'm not just talking about FDF files but simple TXT format files.

Example: object 202 refers to the file "O:\Base\Articles.txt and the field "Z_ART" described in object 203 will receive its content. Using JavaScript programs, we can populate the label and unit price of an item.

202 0 obj
<</F<</F(file:///O:/Base/articles.txt)/FS/URL>>/Length 0>>stream
endstream
endobj

Example content of the Articles.txt file
|REF |DES |PU1 |PU5 |T|
| | | | | |
|G1111148 |Woven Dressings | 30.95| 27.90|1|
|G1111152 |Plastic Dressings | 27.90| 25.10|1|
|G1112235A |SST Kit | 30.95| 24.80|1|
|G11130438 |Team 10 | 35.80| 28.60|1|
|G11130578 |Team 5 | 20.60| 16.50|1|
|G1113304A |Team 30 | 65.20| 61.90|1|
|G1114081A |Care 40 | 81.70| 81.70|1|
|G1118563 |Universal Security Pouch | 65.00| 58.50|1|

203 0 obj
<</Ff 1/MaxLen 0/MK<<>>/F 4/Subtype/Widget/FT/Tx/Rect[0 0 0 0]/DV 202 0 R/DA(/Normal 10 Tf 0 g)/T(Z_ART)/V 202 0 R>>
endobj

cricri51 · Answer

Hello, I would like to contribute my part to the building
to fill out a PDF document, I print it and then scan it to turn it into a JPG, then I integrate it into the CAHIECRAN documents and it's done, you just have to write in the designated areas then print and scan again and convert it back to PDF.

chteu · Answer

Good evening,
I will try to contribute my part to the project.
First, create the document in Word, with the fields etc., then open it in LibreOffice or create it directly in LibreOffice and place the fields as needed.
Second, go to the file menu, find the export submenu, choose the PDF form format, and that's it.
It also works with OpenOffice by exporting to PDF and checking the form option.

Interactive online form in PDF

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