Tool recommendation to add form fields to existing PDF-Document?

[Oliver Schoenwald]

Good morning,

I'm currently using the free DTP-Tool Scribus on my Linux-Workstation to
create PDF-Documents with form fields out of a document template
(sometimes a Word file, sometimes a PDF-Document without form fields).
With that tool, Scribus, I have to make a "Postscript-Printout as File"
to get a PS file which I can import into the tool. Then I can add PDF
form fields whereever I want. After that, I export the result as PDF and
have what I need. Itext can insert the necessary values into the form
fields as necessary.

This works well, however the workflow seems a bit...awkward...for me.

I first tried to use our licensed Acrobat to add edit form fields into a
PDF document, but these form field seemed not to be fillable by Itext,
as I was told in this Mailinglist several months ago. So I tried out
Scribus and it worked.

I would like to ask the community what tool(s) do you use to do what I
do. Or maybe someone uses the same tool like me but knows a better way
to accomplish it.

Thank you in advance,

Oliver Schönwald


--
Oliver Schönwald, Diplom-Informatiker

FernUniversität Hagen
Zentrum für IT und Medien (ZMI) - Competence Center Anwendungsentwicklung
Universitätsstr.21/AVZ - 58084 Hagen - Deutschland
fon: [phone] - email: oliver.schoenwald@...


[Oliver.Schoenwald.vcf]

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[Paulo Soares]

I use Acrobat to add fields and it works, I couldn't find anything better to create the templates.

Paulo

> -----Original Message-----
> From: itext-questions-bounces@...
> [mailto:itext-questions-bounces@...] On
> Behalf Of Oliver Schoenwald
> Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 10:52 AM
> To: iText-questions@...
> Subject: [iText-questions] Tool recommendation to add form
> fields toexisting PDF-Document?
>
> Good morning,
>
> I'm currently using the free DTP-Tool Scribus on my
> Linux-Workstation to
> create PDF-Documents with form fields out of a document template
> (sometimes a Word file, sometimes a PDF-Document without form
> fields).
> With that tool, Scribus, I have to make a
> "Postscript-Printout as File"
> to get a PS file which I can import into the tool. Then I can add PDF
> form fields whereever I want. After that, I export the result
> as PDF and
> have what I need. Itext can insert the necessary values into the form
> fields as necessary.
>
> This works well, however the workflow seems a bit...awkward...for me.
>
> I first tried to use our licensed Acrobat to add edit form
> fields into a
> PDF document, but these form field seemed not to be fillable
> by Itext,
> as I was told in this Mailinglist several months ago. So I tried out
> Scribus and it worked.
>
> I would like to ask the community what tool(s) do you use to
> do what I
> do. Or maybe someone uses the same tool like me but knows a
> better way
> to accomplish it.
>
> Thank you in advance,
>
> Oliver Schönwald
>
>
> --
> Oliver Schönwald, Diplom-Informatiker
>
> FernUniversität Hagen
> Zentrum für IT und Medien (ZMI) - Competence Center
> Anwendungsentwicklung
> Universitätsstr.21/AVZ - 58084 Hagen - Deutschland
> fon: [phone] - email: oliver.schoenwald@...
>
>

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[Bruno Lowagie (iText)]

Oliver Schoenwald wrote:
> I first tried to use our licensed Acrobat to add edit form fields into a
> PDF document, but these form field seemed not to be fillable by Itext,

It depends. If you add widget annotations such as a TextField,
a button,... using Acrobat (and Acrobat ONLY), then you'll be
able to use those fields.

If you create a form using Designer (the separate application
that is started when you tell Acrobat you want to create a form),
you can run into problems (but recent iText version can fill out
static XFA forms, so your specific problem may have disappeared
by now).

> I would like to ask the community what tool(s) do you use to do what I
> do. Or maybe someone uses the same tool like me but knows a better way
> to accomplish it.

Word file: open it in Open Office, add fields, export to PDF form.
PDF: I believe JPedal has an example where you can view the PDF
and add fields in a GUI (and iText is used under the hood), but
I do this the old-fashioned way, with a ruler, measuring millimeters,
converting them to pts and PdfStamper.addAnnotation() to add the fields.

br,
Bruno

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[wasegraves]

I'm partial to iText itself.

With iText, I can add the form fields I want in the exact positions on the AcroForm where the fields need to be placed. This is far more precise than anything that can be done with a GUI-based tool.

Best regards,
Bill Segraves
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Oliver Schoenwald <Oliver.Schoenwald@...>
>
> Good morning,
<snip.
> I would like to ask the community what tool(s) do you use to do what I
> do. Or maybe someone uses the same tool like me but knows a better way
> to accomplish it.
<snip>

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[Oliver Schoenwald]

Hello from Germany,

thank you all for your fast answers. I changed my workflow to using
Acrobat directly to add form fields and it worked properly at once.


Best regards,

Oliver Schönwald

--
Oliver Schönwald, Diplom-Informatiker

FernUniversität Hagen
Zentrum für IT und Medien (ZMI) - Competence Center Anwendungsentwicklung
Universitätsstr.21/AVZ - 58084 Hagen - Deutschland
fon: [phone] - email: oliver.schoenwald@...


[Oliver.Schoenwald.vcf]

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url:http://www.fernuni-hagen.de
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---

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