Is it possible for users to enter data on PDF forms?

[Former Member]

I would like to use Crystal Reports to generate a PDF form with data from database; I am experienced with that.

Here's the question -- Many of the fields will be populated from my database, but I would like to leave some fields blank for the user to edit manually. (I do not expect these edits to update the database.) Is there a field or object I can insert to allow for these manual edits?

I have seen this feature at my own benefits website. I can click on the PDF and enter some values in blank fields. It gives me a warning that the changes will only be shown when I print, not when I save.

I have been unable to create this feature using Visual Studio 2005. Do I have to upgrade to 2008? Or do I have to upgrade my Crystal Report package in Visual Studio? Or is this feature not possible in Visual Studio?

Any thoughts are most welcome.

Edited by: John Miedema on Sep 3, 2008 9:07 PM

[former_member184995 · Accepted solution]

Hi John,

That would not have anything to do with our SDK.

Once the report has been exported to PDF we are finished with it.

That is something you would have to do using the Adobe API's I would guess.

Jason

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thanks Jason, I am beginning to think I must look at Adobe LiveCycle Forms:

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/livecycle/articles/smartdoc_dotnet.html

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/livecycle/articles/asp_net/ASP-NET.pdf

[Former Member]

See links in my followup comment.

[ido_millet]

There are 3rd-party tools (see comprehensive list at http://www.kenhamady.com/bookmarks.html) that provide extra pdf functionality on top of the pdf export from Crystal.

In the case of my Visual CUT software, you can use hidden formulas inside your Crystal report to generate form fields (pre-populated as well as empty) as part of the pdf export process.

hth,

ido