Post PDF URL Encoded Data from a Form to a database via the web.

[ekwstats]

I have a form with fields that a user will fill out. When the person hits submit, I want the data that the person filled in to be written to a database via the web...databaseinput.asp.

I have tried everything I can find to get this to work. I can not get any data from the form to populate either a database or to even be written to an HTML page. I have a standard databaseinput.html page that posts the data to the databaseinput.asp page just fine, but I get nothing when I try to get data out of the PDF.

I see countless others who have asked this same question with very few responses. I know I need to create the interactive PDF, have a submit button that goes to a *.asp page where the "data" is then validated and put into the database. Either my form is setup wrong, or my asp code is not right to receive the PDF field data.
I am using Request.Form("txtAddress") in databaseinput.asp with txtAddress being the PDF fields binding name.

Thanks!!

 

[tgreer]

I've written articles specifically on this topic on my site. I'd like to suggest you read them, then if you still have questions, discuss them here.

http://www.tgreer.com/pdfSubmit.html

http://www.tgreer.com/fdfServe.html

What I typically do is set the PDF form to submit plain HTML, rather than FDF data. This way you can use standard web-coding techniques to parse the HTTP Request headers to get your data.

If your PDF is set to submit data as FDF, then you cannot use the Request object.

Since you're posting in the Adobe Acrobat forum, I assume that's where the problem is.

If you need help with ASP or with SQL, there are separate fora for those topics.



Thomas D. Greer

http://www.tgreer.com

Providing PostScript & PDF
Training, Development & Consulting

 

[ekwstats]

I had already looked at those articles. The problem seems to be somethign within Adobe Designer vs Adobe Acrobat. Anything I work on in Designer doesn't work. If I create a simple document in Acrobat and add a button or two, I can get the fields to update to a database.

I also noticed that if I create anything in Designer all of the Advanced Tool options in Acrobat Pro are greyed out since the security settings out of Designer sets changing the document to Not Allowed. I talked to Adobe a few times about this and they were not much help. This is the first time I have really worked with Acrobat so I am sure it's just something I am missing, but it's really frustrating.

 

[tgreer]

What is "Designer"? Do you mean InDesign? That's a Page Layout application. I wasn't aware that you could create interactive form widgets with it.

Acrobat Pro is the tool to use to create PDF Forms. There are some third party apps, as well.

Also, is there a compelling reason to use PDF forms? If you're in a web environment, why not just use standard HTML forms to collect the data?

If you're working with very specific (legal, perhaps) documents, and you need to give the user a PDF that they can print, you can still collect the data in HTML, and serve them back a PDF/FDF. Just a thought!

Thomas D. Greer

http://www.tgreer.com

Providing PostScript & PDF
Training, Development & Consulting

 

[ekwstats]

Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Pro comes with another program now called Adobe Designer 7.0. It's what they suggest using to create forms.

There are examples of what I am talking about on this site.

http://www.horseover.com/pdf/blanktest.pdf

is the form created in Designer that won't return any data.

http://www.horseover.com/pdf/feedback.html

is the Acrobat Pro created form that does return results.

Designer seems much more flexible during the form creation process than Pro, but if it doesn't work, then I guess it's not that great.

 

[tgreer]

Oh great. Yet another spun-off, half-baked, buggy fragmentation of Acrobat. Did they turn off features and move them to metered server products this time around, too?

I follow your first link:

"This file appears to use a new format that this version of Acrobat doesn't support..."

That's horrid. Dump it. Go back to Acrobat 6.0 Pro. Get your money back, if you can.



Thomas D. Greer

http://www.tgreer.com

Providing PostScript & PDF
Training, Development & Consulting

 

[ekwstats]

LOL...I wasn't really impressed with it. After talking to my client, I have created everything as an HTML page and dumped the PDF path.
The worst part of it all was that there support was completely useless. It was like they had no idea how their products worked.
Thanks for the attempted help.

 

[tgreer]

I admit I've posted a lot of negative comments about Adobe. I stand by them, they deserve it. The heartbreak of it all is that they are an extremely innovative company. They invented PostScript, the language that created the entire desktop publishing industry. That's brilliant. PDF is a concept beautiful in its simplicity. PhotoShop? Unrivaled.

But all of these things are absolutely RUINED by marketing and product direction. They must have a Vice President of HowCanIScrewThisUp who's sole job it is to think of ways to ruin a good thing. And if he can't think of one, then they stop development altogether (PostScript, PageMaker).



Thomas D. Greer

http://www.tgreer.com

Providing PostScript & PDF
Training, Development & Consulting