These forums are now Read Only. If you have an Acrobat question, ask questions and get help from one of our experts.

Protecting the form design.?

Forum Index > Security > Protecting the form design.?
2009-04-27 09:12:56
ShopToy
Registered: Apr 21 2009
Posts: 6
Answered

Acrobat 9 Standard is what I used to create my first form which is now ready for use within our company. It is a form with lots of fields for users to complete. They need to be able to fill in fields, then save, email to office, and print the completed form daily. I just don't want anyone being able to undo many hours of a first time designers efforts. There will also be a signature field I am not sure how to design yet. We don't need a lot of security.

My Product Information:
Acrobat Standard 9.1, Windows
Top
2009-05-27 10:06:07
#1
plevy
Expert
Registered: Jul 8 2008
Posts: 80
Just using PDF gives you some protection because PDF can't be easily edited. If users are using Reader, they definitely can't edit it. If they have Acrobat, it is possible to edit the form but this requires a lot of desire on the part of users. If you want more protection, you can set permissions on the document using File > Properties > Security Tab and select Password security. Then, in the giant dialog, don't choose require a password to open, but do choose Restrict Editing and Printing.Another approach is to certify the document which adds an "author" signature which restricts editing and breaks the signature if anyone actually makes a change.
Top
2009-05-28 05:35:22
#2
ShopToy
Registered: Apr 21 2009
Posts: 6
Plevy,
Thank you for your response. You are of course right. Just using Acrobats built in document security created by default. The only remaining aspect I need to do is protect against saving data into the blank original. After filling in the blank & at the point of applying their digital signature, users are prompted to save the document with a new name to their own systems just before selecting the submit button. If they mistakenly save without changing the file name they have a filled in original. Not a big deal since I can send the a another blank original, but would be a help. Gives me something to tinker with.
Top