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Submit button and pdf or xml to be returned (Warning long post)

Forum Index > Forms: Acrobat > Submit button and pdf or xml to be returned (Warning long post)
2008-04-03 05:12:37
comp_dad
Registered: Oct 18 2007
Posts: 18

Excuse the length, but I am sure it will mean something to other new users.

Background:

1: I have Adobe Acrobat Pro 8.1.2 (LC Designer 8.1 and Reader 8.1.2)
2: Users have Reader 5.x to 8.1.2
3: No WEB pages for use of collection of data
4: GroupWise 7.02

We have a number of Surveys, data collection, and Order Forms etc. Most done in a variety of formats and not very well at that. In addition, response rates etc is low.

I developed a Survey in LC Designer 8.1 that was 3 pages and was very detailed (but simple as I did most of the work with drop downs etc etc ). Submitted by e-mail (200) and the 126 xml responses were collated manually and Adobe Pro used to merge. Great response and great outcomes.

Went and watched any number of online demo's about forms and felt good.

1: Turned original docs into PDf's and then ran the form tool.
2: Some I had to tweak and make extra edits in LC Designer.

While some forms were required to be digitally signed and returned for printing and audit records, other were better suited to sending back xml (survey etc). In addition the users that required the returned forms, do not have Adobe pro. Xml can be managed via Excel and returned forms had to be printed any way.

At this point in time, I started to go grey and then bald over night.

It appears that while the system supports a GUI user like myself, some things were forgotten about... Or assumed that every one would be fully trained and 110% Adobe experienced... I am not... However, I trying hard to bring myself up to speed and demonstrate how some minor changes can have a significant impact on work flow... I digress...

At this stage every thing goes out of whack and off kilter. The form that needs a pdf returned only gives xml. The form that should give xml attaches a pdf.

How to select for pdf or xml and in which app (Adobe Pro or LC Designer), submit button or an mailto: or static / dynamic or attach pdf and or enable user rights or distribute etc etc etc. There is a compound of options and the order is important.. Get it out of order and it is a lost cause.... so it seems to me.

GUI to me is - Select > Submit button > Address> CC> Subject >> attachment type (pdf/xml/etc) However not all these options are available or work as expected, and I am not a coder.

Currently, I have two forms, one need xml and the other pdf type returns. After trying a number of options... 101 versions of the forms and still not the right attachments ( Also confused as can not remember what was done to what). In some cases, I have had the right attachment working and after a slight edit and save, all is lost. Back to the wrong attachment format...

WHY ???? FRUSTRATED and LOST.

I am happy to work off line and with some raw / rough files to get to the bottom of this. From there I can publish a response call the "Idiots guide to the Submit button"

I will sit back and can only trust, that some where on this forum, there is a person who is a GURU or had the same issue and while they may have a laugh at my efforts... They have the solution to my lack of understanding and inability with getting a simple Submit button to work the way I want/need.

My Product Information:
LiveCycle Designer, Windows
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2008-04-03 08:09:07
#1
hiddengraphics
Registered: Mar 19 2008
Posts: 39
Hello:
You sound frustrated, but first..
Let us take one thing at a time.
I am not quite sure where you want your responses sent.
Are you doing an email link or want it to go to your website?

Secondly: The code you talk about is relatively primitive. It is almost understandable immediately.
You need to name your fields(where the answers are placed)
provide a place to enter the data
tell the program what to do insofar as calculations
then a submit button (you need to tell it where you want it submitted
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2008-04-03 15:51:42
#2
comp_dad
Registered: Oct 18 2007
Posts: 18
hiddengraphics wrote:
Hello:
You sound frustrated, but first..
Let us take one thing at a time.
I am not quite sure where you want your responses sent.
Are you doing an email link or want it to go to your website?

Secondly: The code you talk about is relatively primitive. It is almost understandable immediately.
You need to name your fields(where the answers are placed)
provide a place to enter the data
tell the program what to do insofar as calculations
then a submit button (you need to tell it where you want it submitted
1: Have no problem creating the form and having any number of check boxes, drop downs, comments etc etc


Quote:
1: I have Adobe Acrobat Pro 8.1.2 (LC Designer 8.1 and Reader 8.1.2)
2: Users have Reader 5.x to 8.1.2
3: No WEB pages for use of collection of data
4: GroupWise 7.02
2: As stated up front we have NO website. forms are e-mailed out and we expect to get them back by e-mail

Quote:
While some forms were required to be digitally signed and returned for printing and audit records, other were better suited to sending back xml (survey etc). In addition the users that required the returned forms, do not have Adobe pro. Xml can be managed via Excel and returned forms had to be printed any way.
Problem is as stated..

It appears to be Hit or Miss as to getting xml data or a pdf returned. For some reason, I do not appear to be able to understand or manage the settings, that define the attachment type.
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2008-04-04 04:31:16
#3
hiddengraphics
Registered: Mar 19 2008
Posts: 39
Sorry, I did not correctly read your original post. I only have one more immediate thought on the matter. It may be all tied up with the recipients email. I use a web mail client. For the most part it is excellent, but then sometimes I cannot get mail from those who are on my address list. I wonder if you test your output to yourself, perhaps through a test sort of web mail and then return it. There is also a remote possibility that you have some kickback from your MRU's. I have that on occasion as PDF files get involved a lot with those. If I am suspect of that I use a program called MRU blaster. I also use Auslogics registry type cleaner. That frequently clears up some of the undercurrent of problems. Beyond that I need to think further on the subject.
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2008-04-07 09:45:22
#4
snapier
Registered: Mar 31 2008
Posts: 7
I had a similar problem. What I ended up doing was changing the email button to a regular button, and selecting "submit" as the control type. This gave me a "submit" tab in the "object" window. Go to the Submit tab and under the "submit to URL" field type "mailto:" then the email address you want it returned to (ex. mailto:abc [at] email [dot] com). From there, select what type of document you want it returned as from the "Submit As" drop-down menu.Hope this helps!
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2008-04-11 02:34:42
#5
comp_dad
Registered: Oct 18 2007
Posts: 18
snapier wrote:
I had a similar problem. What I ended up doing was changing the email button to a regular button, and selecting "submit" as the control type. This gave me a "submit" tab in the "object" window. Go to the Submit tab and under the "submit to URL" field type "mailto:" then the email address you want it returned to (ex. mailto:abc [at] email [dot] com). From there, select what type of document you want it returned as from the "Submit As" drop-down menu.Hope this helps!
That was part of it and then there was the issue of Static Vs Dynamic and which version 6,7 or 8.

Have also found a neat command (macro) that will allow a submit button that will attach the Word form (Filled in) as an attachment, to our GroupWise e-mail. Can not get the TO: field to populate yet.... but this is a minor issue.

Thus a quick and dirty job gets Word and the bigger jobs that I have to manage get Adobe. This way, a user without Adobe Pro can do their work and I can work with either response - xml or pdf.
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2008-05-12 09:13:30
#6
lkassuba
ExpertTeam
Registered: Jun 28 2007
Posts: 3636
You also might want to check that you're not running into the known issues of using the "mailto" command (on the submit button) in a Groupwise environment. If you do a search on the command mailto for the Groupwise product at the following URL several issues will be listed:
http://www.novell.com/support/php/searchEntry.do

Lori Kassuba is an AUC Expert and Community Manager for AcrobatUsers.com.

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