Password protecting a PDF Form using a button

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
July 7, 2023
2 replies
1571 views

I have a fillable form. It’s an inventory form sent to random users. I’d like to give them the option to password protect the document using a button. I began with going his route, Create a button and assign Execute a Menu item and selecting File>Properties

Well, this is not useful! For one, this form is protected for unauthorized changes such as deleting or adding pages. So when File > Properties brings up the security page, the user needs to know my password to go the next step so they can set their password! What do you suggest I do? It’s somewhat flabbergasting to be asking this question in this day and age of cybersecurity!

This topic has been closed for replies.

try67

Community Expert

Do all of these people have Acrobat? Because it's not possible to do it with the free Reader.

A better option is to have them digitally sign the file. That will allow you to validate it once they send it back to you.

If the purpose of this whole operation is to protect the file from other people viewing it, PDFs are not the way to go. Use a secured and encrypted web-service, instead.

Luxurynightmares

Known Participant

Send your PDF without a password and have the users secure the PDF with their password.

Even if you could create a button that easily changes your password, what would be the purpose of even putting your password on it?

paulmohAuthor

Participant

resectfully, I dont think you understand the concept of forms vs simply a document. Here the user will input perosnal infromation and should be able to assign a passorwd from within the app. You can think of a completed form as a database, not a run of the mill PDF document.

Thom Parker

Community Expert

As stated by try67, Adobe Reader does not have the ability to protect files, and neither do any of the other common PDF viewers, such as those used in browsers. So unless the user has Acrobat Pro, or another full featured PDF editor, there is no way for them to apply a password.

So you have two options.

1. You protect the file and send them a password to open it. They fill out the form and send it back to you.

2. Use a different mechanism for protecting the data. For example, submit the data to a server script protected with HTTPS. Or use an Adobe Sign form to collect data.

Thom Parker - Software Developer at PDFScriptingUse the Acrobat JavaScript Reference early and often

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