Creating fillable PDF using Livecode

[j9v6]

Hi,

I have a small desktop Livecode app and one of the program functions is to generate a form in PDF format. This works just fine. However, I would now like to be able to add user fillable fields to the PDF generated by Livecode. Does anyone know if this is possible in either Indy or Community edition (or any others!).

Thanks,
Al.

[dunbarx]

Hi.

I am no expert, but once you have a PDF, you are no longer in LC's world. Are you using the full version of Adobe Acrobat? Does that allow editing in a typical PDF?

Craig

[j9v6]

Hi Craig,

I'm generating PDFs from Livecode then the user is viewing them in Adobe Reader, Adobe Reader Touch or Microsoft Edge. I can generate a PDF just fine using Livecode and send them to the users. What I want to do, if possible, is create PDFs in Livecode that have fillable fields. The Adobe Reader applications can open these and allow users to fill in the fields. Any ideas?

[dunbarx]

Hi.

I understand. I make PDF's from LC as well.

My point is that I do not think LC can make more than one kind of PDF, if indeed there are more than one kind at all. I do not know if there are editable PDFs, or whether it is just a matter of whether Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat is required. I know that Acrobat can edit most PDF's, regardless of their origin.

Can you test a LC-made PDF in Acrobat, to see if it is editable? It is the resident "revpdfLibrary" that does the heavy lifting.

Craig

[j9v6]

Hi Craig, yes, PDF files are editable - you can edit the whole thing in Adobe Acrobat, Photoshop, Affinity Designer etc. But that's not what I'm asking about.

A feature of PDFs is that they can contain editable fields, so you can create a PDF document with a fixed format layout and text (eg an application form), then drop in some editable fields for the user to fill in. The document is saved as a PDF, but when you open it, the editable regions are highlighted and the user can enter values, check boxes etc. It's been in PDF for quite some time. Here's a sample form from adobe's website (sorry, I couldn't post the URL so I've had to textify it):

wwwimages2 dot adobe dot com/content/dam/acom/en/feature-details/acrobat/axi/pdfs/create-forms-sample dot pdf

I'm trying to find out if it's possible to create PDF's from within Livecode that include editable regions within them.

[[-hh]]

It is not possible using LC alone.

But you can (among a lot of other features) add AcroForms by using javaScript (via a browser widget) and the library pdfkit https://github.com/foliojs/pdfkit.

[sphere]

Cheapest solution to create fill-able PDF's (where a client or whomever can fill in a text) is Libre Office or Open Office and it works great.
But it would be nice if it was possible to add a parameter to a field where it becomes fill-able ones generated as pdf.

[j9v6]

Thanks for the feedback. Maybe LC will add it in future releases.