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A
Amikoder
Participant
February 10, 2020
Question

PDF Document to Form Data Collection: Field Operations

  • February 10, 2020
  • 2 replies
  • 891 views

Hello,

 

Totally out of my realm of expertise here, so please forgive if the title doesn't contain any of the proper keywords or if this question is better placed somewhere else.

 

We have field operations that require constant reference to a large PDF document created by our organization in FrameMaker (1594 pages) that gets updated at least twice a year, sometimes as often as six times.  It's referenced by multiple teams simultaneously on a shared network from iPads and desktops.

 

What we're wondering is if we can have users click a string of text (that would obviously be a button or a link of some kind) and have that string sent to a central data collection point on the network.  This is where we'd like to start.  Our tentative possible end goal is collecting the string, a user ID, and being able to remove the string from the data if there was an error.

 

In case it's helpful, the PDF is an aircraft parts catalog with diagrams and part numbers and chapters and links in the diagrams to take a user to a specific entry inside a list of all the parts used in a specific system.  We'd be using the data collection to track which parts the mechanics are using.  

 

Thanks in advance if anyone has any helpful insight.  

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

Thom Parker
Community Expert
Thom ParkerCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 10, 2020

You'll need a server script to collect the data and do something with it. What you are describing is a solution that will take quite a bit of effort to build out. There aren't any off the shelf solutions for this sort of thing, and most comercial solutions have a high cost.  However, relatively speaking, it's often much more affordable to build out such solutions yourself. Do you have server scripting expertise at your organization? 

Thom Parker - Software Developer at PDFScriptingUse the Acrobat JavaScript Reference early and often
A
AmikoderAuthor
Participant
February 11, 2020

We might have some server scripting skills back at the home office, I've emailed a few folks to find out.  

 

In the mean time, are you suggesting that we'll need to host a single instance of our "inventory consumption" version of the official company parts catalog on the server and have a specific program along side it that handles both our end-user's submissions/corrections as well as compiling all of the input in a fashion that we can then manipulate?

 

Again, I apologize for my lack of technical expertise here.  I know just enough to get into trouble, as they say, but not enough to get out again.  

Thom Parker
Community Expert
Thom ParkerCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 11, 2020

If everyone shares a mapped network drive, then you could simply save a data file to a shared network location. But this runs in to problems with file naming. It's much better to have a central managment system. A lot of how you do this depends on how the the data is supposed to be used. 

 

Except for pointing you in a few directions, what you are asking about here is beyond the scope of the forums. You need to hire a consultant. PM me thorugh this forum or contact me at www.windjack.com if you are interested. 

Thom Parker - Software Developer at PDFScriptingUse the Acrobat JavaScript Reference early and often
Bernd Alheit
Community Expert
Bernd AlheitCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 10, 2020

You can submit form data to a server.

A
AmikoderAuthor
Participant
February 10, 2020

Thank you!

 

You wouldn't happen to have any ideas about how to get from what we currently have to what we're looking for as outlined above, would you?

Bernd Alheit
Community Expert
Bernd AlheitCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 10, 2020

You want sent data to a server or not?

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