An FDF file is supposed to contain the filename and location of the PDF form from which the form data in that particular FDF file was exported. Adobe Acrobat uses that filename and location in order to retrieve and open the appropriate PDF form when opening an FDF file. The user downloads the PDF file from my website, fills in all the fillable forms, then clicks the "Submit by email" button at the bottom (to either 1. create an email with the FDF file as an attachment if the user's email is desktop-based, or 2. prompt the user to save the file and then email it as an attachment later if his or her email client is web-based). Unfortunately, in either case, the FDF file that gets created does not contain the original location of the PDF file. So now I'm getting all these emails from clients and I double-click on the FDF file and it says Adobe cannot find the location (blank). How do I fix this?
It surprises me a little bit that it does not get inserted into the FDF, because Acrobat/Reader does normally include it in an FDF it exports. But it could be in context with the dreaded "submit by email" function.
Now, what can you do about it? Double-clicking on the FDF won't work (in fact, it would not work most of the time even if the path to the base document were included, because your user has it at another location anyway).
One workaround could be to include an invisible, read-only field in your form where you specify your path; you then can parse the FDF for retrieving your path, and use that. You may even set up a little batch script would process the FDFs and add the appropriate link to your base file.
Hope this can help.
Max Wyss.