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Extended Features Not Working - Bounty for Solution!

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2009-07-29 12:47:55
SWAT
Registered: Jul 29 2009
Posts: 4

I recently designed a sales proposal generation tool using Acrobat 9 Pro. The PDF is 180 pages. Most of the pages in the PDF were originally Microsoft Word documents or PowerPoint slides. The built-in forms designer in Acrobat 9 was used to make the pages “fillable.” There is also sample data in all of the form fields. I used the “Extend features in Adobe Reader” function and saved the PDF with a different file name to allow users to save the data that they enter using Adobe READER.

The Proposal Tool PDF is NOT posted on the web. Each user has their own copy on their personal computer that is used primarily for fill/save/print purposes. So, collection of form data is not relevant. Some users get the following error when opening, changing some of the editable data fields, and then doing a save or save as with the PDF document:

“This document enabled extended features in Adobe Reader. The document has been changed since it was created and use of extended features is no longer available. Please contact the author for the original version of this document.”

Again, ONLY SOME users encounter the above error, which completely prevents them from using the PDF as intended. I have verified that the users who experience this problem DO have the most up-to-date version of Acrobat Reader 9 installed on their PC. While the error has occurred with users running both Windows Vista and XP, it seems to be much more common with XP. Also noteworthy, a few users were able to open, fill, and save once or twice but then encounter the same “extended features no longer available” error. I've tried by process of elminiation to identify the cause, but have gotten nowhere.

I have searched high and low on this forum and others for a definitive answer to this problem. It appears that many people have experienced same or similar issues, but I haven't been able to locate a reply post anywhere with a solution that works for me. In fact, I am at the point where I would be more than willing to send my PDF to anyone up for the challenge and pay a bounty to the person who can help me get this resolved! I'm up against a deadline and am totally stuck.

If I should work with a 3rd party company to get this resolved, could someone make a recommendation for me?

Many Thanks.

My Product Information:
Acrobat Pro 9.1.1, Windows
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2009-07-30 00:38:11
#1
thomp
Expert
Registered: Feb 15 2006
Posts: 4411
To start off, Acrobat 9 is full of bugs. You'd be better off using Acrobat 7 or 8. Acrobat isn't supposed to allow changes that will damage the PDF, but it does in 9.

Now, Reader Enabling a PDF is pretty much the same as adding a digital signature to the PDF. There are certain types of changes that will invalidate the signature, i.e. the enabling. What it is, is hard to tell because Acrobat isn't supposed to allow those types of changes in the first place.

Is there anything in the document that makes changes to anthing besides the form field data, and I mean anything?

Is everyone using Acrobat 9 Reader? Could any of the people that are seeing the error have used Acrobat Pro or earlier veriosn of Reader to make changes to the PDF?

Can you make a cut down verison of the form, only a few pages, and see if the same people are having the same problem with the smaller form?

Thom Parker
The source for PDF Scripting Info
[url=http://www.pdfScripting.com]pdfscripting.com[/url]

The Acrobat JavaScript Reference, Use it Early and Often
[url=http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/javascript.php]http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/javascript.php[/url]

Then most important JavaScript Development tool in Acrobat
[url=http://www.pdfscripting.com/public/34.cfm#JSIntro][b]The Console Window (Video tutorial)[/b][/url]
[url=http://www.acrobatusers.com/tutorials/2006/javascript_console][b]The Console Window(article)[/b][/url]

Thom Parker
The source for PDF Scripting Info
www.pdfscripting.com
Very Important - How to Debug Your Script

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2009-07-30 10:11:20
#2
SWAT
Registered: Jul 29 2009
Posts: 4
thomp-

So is it safe for me to assume that both Acrobat Pro 9 and Acrobat Reader 9 are buggy when it comes to the extended features function (it sure seems that way to me)? In other words, do you think the problem lies in the Pro software, the Reader software, or both?

I do have Acrobat 8 Professional. Unfortunately, I did everthing in 9.0 Pro and it took an enormous amount of time. Would it make any difference to open the PDF I created in 9 Pro in 8 Pro, maybe optimize it, and then extend features to Reader? Do you think that this might yield a "cleaner" or "higher integrity" file?

To answer your other questions:

Basically, all I did was convert about 180-pages-worth of mostly PowerPoint Slides and a few Word Docs to PDF, combined all the indifidual PDFs into one big one, added bookmarks for easy navigation, and created a very large quantity of form fields across all the pages. Many of the form fields were duplicated to multiple pages. Some of the form fields are multi-line with text formatting enabled. So, I don't think that there is anything in the PDF that makes changes to anything besides the form field data - but I am a novice so I can't tell you that I am 100% certain.

Just about everyone is using Reader 9. I know for sure that none of the users who had problems were using any version of Acrobat Pro. Interestingly, I did have one user with Reader 8 who had the problem at first but then it suddenly started working after doing an update to his Reader 8 Software earlier this week.

I sent a cut down version of the PDF to Adbobe for analysis, but have heard nothing back from them. I also had a couple people test this same cut down version and got the same results. One user had no problems while another user got the error (after a couple saves).

I am losing my hair fast!
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2009-07-30 11:50:22
#3
thomp
Expert
Registered: Feb 15 2006
Posts: 4411
There have been a few posts about odd enabling problems. In one forum thread the poster nailed the problem down to a specific sequence. I don't remember exactly but it was something like they enabled in 9 Pro, then opened it in Reader 8. Were able to fill and save once, then after that point they got the same error message you're seeing. They created and renabled another form and didn't have any problems.

This type of intermittent issue usually points to a configuration or environmental factor that causes a dreaded memory leak. A memory leak is a portion of memory needed by a particular process that gets overwritten by a completly different process. So it seems like your problem is happening randomly, but it's really happening whenever the mouse passes over the upper left hand corner of the screen, but only if you have a certain print driver installed, or something dumb like that. It comes down to bad design and testing.

In the case of the poster that had the same problem you're seeing it seemed the issue was related to document structure. That's why I suggested creating the cut down version, to see if it was a problem the size of your form or the number of fields.

So, it doesn't look good for Acrobat 9. Definately try just opening the form in Acrobat 8, optimizing (maybe to 7), and then reenabling.

Thom Parker
The source for PDF Scripting Info
[url=http://www.pdfScripting.com]pdfscripting.com[/url]

The Acrobat JavaScript Reference, Use it Early and Often
[url=http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/javascript.php]http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/javascript.php[/url]

Then most important JavaScript Development tool in Acrobat
[url=http://www.pdfscripting.com/public/34.cfm#JSIntro][b]The Console Window (Video tutorial)[/b][/url]
[url=http://www.acrobatusers.com/tutorials/2006/javascript_console][b]The Console Window(article)[/b][/url]

Thom Parker
The source for PDF Scripting Info
www.pdfscripting.com
Very Important - How to Debug Your Script

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2009-08-04 10:34:38
#4
SWAT
Registered: Jul 29 2009
Posts: 4
I have tried opening the form in Acrobat 8, optimizing to 7, and then reenabling. Unfortunately, this didn't do the trick either.

Is there a general consensus out there that the root of this issue is Acrobat Pro and/or Reader 9 flaws/bugs? If so, maybe I have no choice but to wait for the software updates that resolve the problem.

I seem to be out of options that are within my control and am soon to be out of time.

Any further advice?
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2009-08-19 19:16:27
#5
nettyxu
Registered: Aug 19 2009
Posts: 1
I only have Adobe Reader. I am not the author of the .pdf I am trying to fill in. I do not know the author. It's a form for the National Eagle Scout Association. I am getting a similar error on the form and do not know what to do. The error is: "This document has enabled extended features in Adobe Reader. The use of extended features has expired. Please ask the document author for the latest version of the document."

Funny thing. This IS a new document. My son completed his Eagle Scout application a couple months ago, then when he went for "review of his project," he was told there was a more current form that he is required to use. I downloaded the form from the NESA.org website and it's in this lovely .pdf format. Hate to say it, but the old form was in Word and more user friendly. This one just seems to get on my last nerve.

My son completed the form with his information and, unfortunately, he has to make many changes. Eagle Scout projects are not the easiest thing to do. We are unable to make any changes to the document due to this error. I have emailed the NESA.org folks, but have gotten no response.

Is my son going to be out of luck?! I can't believe this error could cost him his Eagle Scout project that he has, literally, been working on for the past year (planning, quotes, documentation, etc.). I am NOT a happy camper!!! Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
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2009-09-07 13:22:37
#6
thomp
Expert
Registered: Feb 15 2006
Posts: 4411
This is an issue with the agency from which the form was acquired. You'll need to go back to them and tell'em to fix the problem. In the short term fill and print the form without saving.

Thom Parker
The source for PDF Scripting Info
[url=http://www.pdfScripting.com]pdfscripting.com[/url]

The Acrobat JavaScript Reference, Use it Early and Often
[url=http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/javascript.php]http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/javascript.php[/url]

Then most important JavaScript Development tool in Acrobat
[url=http://www.pdfscripting.com/public/34.cfm#JSIntro][b]The Console Window (Video tutorial)[/b][/url]
[url=http://www.acrobatusers.com/tutorials/2006/javascript_console][b]The Console Window(article)[/b][/url]

Thom Parker
The source for PDF Scripting Info
www.pdfscripting.com
Very Important - How to Debug Your Script

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2009-09-17 09:10:13
#7
adewlow
Registered: Jun 28 2007
Posts: 3
Hello SWAT,

I share your pain. After reading this post, I uninstalled Reader 9 and switched back to Reader 8.

I had the same "extended features is no longer availalbe" message after creating my PDF in LiveCyle 8. This is the "fix" for me. I hope it will work for you too:

After creating your fillable PDF in LiveCycle, save the form in XML format (i.e. just click the 'Save' icon; do not use 'Save As' or it will give you static PDF formats which is what screwed things up for me). Open the XML form in Acrobat 8, got to Advanced>Enable Usage Rights In Adobe Reader, save PDF.This should eliminate error message "this document has been changed... extended features is no longer available".

I now have a PDF form available for download online and, so far, one can fill-in, and save entries on their computer and forward as they wish.

Good luck!
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2009-12-07 11:31:08
#8
pshreeve
Registered: Dec 7 2009
Posts: 1
I ran in to the same problem - Burned a lot of hours trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. Turned out that the machine I was testing on had the date and time set wrong. Adobe reader saw the file was newer than "now" so it invalidated it.

Once I set the date and time correctly everything worked fine.

When I set the file security mode to "No Security" I thought I was saying "This is my file and I don't care what anybody does to it". I guess I was making an assumption of myself.
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2011-05-19 22:04:40
#9
gomser
Registered: Aug 4 2010
Posts: 1
Thom Parker,

Thanks for posting your comments about Acrobat 9 Pro. I own that version and let me tell you: it is driving me crazy. I want to upgrade instead of downgrade, would you say that Acrobat X is better than downgrading to 8 or 7?

Sergio

Sergio

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