Input to form - print to report

There is a Report object that is available for use in Acrobat. You can find information about using it in the Javascript for Acrobat API Reference. (Do a search for it if you do not have it already.)

You can see an example at the AcrobatUsers Form Gallery. I have posted an Expense Report form that creates a report. You can download it and see if that will work for you. One caviat--the report does not work in Adobe Reader, only Acrobat.

Thanks, but I am a Javascript novice -- and know nothing about it whatsoever. Are you saying that the only way you know to create a report from data collected from Acrobat forms are by using Javasript?

Thanks!

Yes if by report you mean something in text. If you download the form from the Form Gallery, you can put some data in the fields and hit the Create Report button. Then you will see what kind of report it generates. And it will only generate a report when it is opened in Acrobat, not Adobe Reader.

If you want something else, maybe you could describe what you want your report to look like, or something.

I think I am asking a much more basic question than you think.

Let's say I create a form with LifeCyle Designer that collects 100 "fields" of data.
Let's say I need all 100 fields of data, but for varying purposes.
Let's say I want a user #1 to "see" only 5 fields of this data.
And user #2 to see a different 5 fields of data.
How can I create another "form" that taps into only the fields I desire?

Maybe I shouldn't be using the word "report." I'm really would like to know how I can design forms to "tap into" existing data.

See what I mean?

Sounds to me like you are asking if you can create a form using the data in specific fields on an existing form. Is that it? I don't think I would be able to do that unless the filled in form was sent to me and then I created another document with the information that was in the form.

Maybe someone else has some ideas.

Yes, you are right. This is what I'm trying to do.
Can the data collected by the form be exported into an Excel file, and then imported into a different form?

You export the data from the form by going to FORMS > MANAGE FORM DATA > EXPORT DATA. You can import the same file into another form by going to FORMS > MANAGE FORM DATA > IMPORT DATA.The form fields must be named the same as on the original form. There may be other requirements also, but since I haven't done this on a regular basis, I don't really know.

To do this dynamically, you will need to obtain from the 'identity' object the Login Name or the optional Name or the optional Email address. To obtain any of this infromation you will have to install a special application folder level script on each user's computer to accumulate this data upon strating the Acrobat/Reader application.

The collected data can be 'sumbitted' to an SQL database for storage, and retrieval.

Users with a full verson of Acrobat can use Acrobat's ADBC or LiveCycle Designer's Data Connection to retrieve data from an SQL database.

It seems as if the only thing I can export is XML files - whatever they are. I had no idea this was going to be so difficult!

PS: you are being very helpful.