First, thank you in advance for any help.
I'm trying to automate a report to pdf from Access 2003. Obviously, I have no trouble automating a simple "print to pdf" action, since adobe installs an acrobat toolbar for super-simple use, and selecting the adobe pdf printer in vba and doing it programmatically is relatively simple as well. However, what I really need is to add digital signature fields, encrytion, and automatic password settings. I know most of this is possible, because QuickBooks sends me my paycheck stubs this way, except for the signature fields. I recently discovered that Livecycle Designer(LD) is probably the tool I need. It just so happens we already own it, thanks to a generous donation from Adobe.
I'm completely stumped by the subforms, and the help, even with the included examples, doesn't make much sense to me. I can export the report to xml from Access, with all sorts of options. I don't know XML, so I have no idea how it deals with the subreport data. I've played around in LD, but I cannot seem to find whatever is synonymous with "Link Child Fields" in Access, and I can't seem to even figure out how this data is exported into XML. Again, I don't know XML. I think if I can get just a simple report with sub reports working, that will give me the basic knowedge I need to do the real job, a huge 20-page monster, with numerous sub-reports gathered from tens of tables that currently has to be hand-entered into a Word form.
If someone could please just tell me how I can I mimic the sub-reports in Access using LD with the equivalent of "can shrink" and "can grow" functionality for the subforms, I would be very appreciatative. Also, wha the heck is the master page thing all about?
JavaScript and/or VBA can be used to automate adding signature fields and security to a regular PDF. These are fairly easy automations compared to designing and auto-filling a LiveCycle form.
Take a look at these articles:
http://www.acrobatusers.com/tutorials/2007/10/apply_security_with_js
http://www.acrobatusers.com/tutorials/2007/06/js_add_buttons_to_pdf
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