Any pdf experts on here?

[Brigadier]

Morning all,

Need to create a pdf, into which the staff can type.
Some like brevity, some like War and Peace, so the typing-in fields need to be able to "grow", if there is a lot of text to accommodate.


The ability to electronically sign the finished document would also be dandy.

I have Acrobat 9 Pro, the staff mainly have DC Reader.


Asking this, as I need this pretty sharpish, and the I.T. dept has gone off sick!


TIA

 

[Himaginn]

Morning all,

Need to create a pdf, into which the staff can type.
Some like brevity, some like War and Peace, so the typing-in fields need to be able to "grow", if there is a lot of text to accommodate.


The ability to electronically sign the finished document would also be dandy.

I have Acrobat 9 Pro, the staff mainly have DC Reader.


Asking this, as I need this pretty sharpish, and the I.T. dept has gone off sick!


TIA

Does it have to be .pdf, What about Word? Or Access? Or Excel even?

 

[Brigadier]

It needs to be a "controlled" format, so that specified fields are completed, and the user cannot alter the basic format.
Also, it would ideally need to be signed by two parties, as a verifiable record for retention.

Finally, some of our number are Luddites, and like to put pen to paper, while others avoid it like the plague, and live on the keyboard. I'd like a "document" that will satisfy both, without having to run separate systems.

Thanks for replying

 

[Biker1959]

If staff only have a PDF reader the only quick way is to use a Word or Excel form then convert to PDF before it is sent out (use file print in old versions of word or convert it to PDF in new versions) Otherwise you require a bespoke form.

 

[Brigadier]

If staff only have a PDF reader the only quick way is to use a Word or Excel form then convert to PDF before it is sent out (use file print in old versions of word or convert it to PDF in new versions) Otherwise you require a bespoke form.

Do I have to do anything special to the Word or Excel doc, like putting in text boxes and the like?

 

[Gerrydelasel]

You can create forms in Acrobat that can be filled in by someone useing Reader. I don't think you can have form fields that 'grow' with text, though.
http://blogs.adobe.com/dmcmahon/201...r-type-text-on-a-pdf-file-using-adobe-reader/

Open the PDF in Acrobat Professional.

1. Choose Advanced > Enable Usage Rights in Adobe Reader (Acrobat 8/9), or File > Save As >Reader Extended PDF > Enable Additional Features (Acrobat X).
2. Save the PDF.
3. When you now open the PDF in Adobe Reader you will be able to fill the form and save the data.

 

[Biker1959]

In Excel you would need to wrap text in Word you can insert text boxes- try it, it may not be good enough for your requirements but it is cost free.

 

[peterchichester]

I have used acrobat forms in the past but we found them extremely clunky. It was like a feature that had been added without too much thought but never developed, it was hard just to get the box test to line up with the protected text so it was rapidly dropped.
You can protect bits of a word document. I'm not sure how convenient this is, word documents can get themselves in a tangle if you start using complicated features.
I have actually done this but using code. I wrote the Lafarge Select programme for specifying plasterboard. It was written in VB and presented a template. Bits were added in with drop downs, list selections, free text etc. It was complicated and took ages to write but worked very nicely, maybe too complicated for your application.
I wonder if Google Docs would have something like that so long as you don't mind Google reading it all