Autofilling a text field based on text from multiple other text fields

[Brian348812554i2b]

Hi, I am a simple forester, not a programmer, but I have some basic skills where I can possibly suss out what I need to add to a script to make things work. Every year we have to fill out applications for out clients. These applications are the same every year and consist of 4 pages that have common text fields among them. We have a script for most of these to auto-fill when the information is added to the first page, it will auto-fill on the subsequent pages. These applications are to get a tax break for landowners' property taxes. There is a line on the application for Block(s) and Lot(s), allowing for one to add multiple block and lots for one landowner as long as these lots are contiguous. This Block and Lot line is on the Application, supplemental form, and lastly, on the Woodland Data form. The conundrum comes into play when some Tax Assessors, in their ultimate wisdom, require a landowner to fill out a separate Application and Supplemental form for each individual lot, while only requiring on Woodland Data form for the whole property, thus making the Woodland Data form basically a summary for all the applications of the individual lots of the contiguous property. My question is, is it possible for us to autofill the block and lots on the woodland data form gathering that information from the multiple Block and Lot fields of the individual Applications.

example: John Doe's property consists of Block 1 Lot 1, Block 2, Lot 2, and Block 3, Lot 3. He must fill out a separate Application for each of those lots, but he only needs 1 Woodland Data form that gets turned in with the 3 applications, that lists all three lots onto one line. Is there a script that can be written that links the Block and Lot line from the 3 applications and autofills them as a list on the 1 Block and Lot line on the 1 Woodland Data form? 

[try67]

Are all of these fields located in a single file, or over multiple files? If the latter, it's quite difficult to do it.

If the former, it's easier. What are the field names, if that's the case?

[Brian348812554i2b]

Currently, one file will have 1 Application, 1 supplemental form, & 1 Woodland data form, and the fields are names are simply "Blocks Lots" across all three forms in the file.  But if they require individual Applications for each individual lot, we have the Applications and supplemental forms for each lot saved together in one file and the Woodland Data form saved as a separate file. I was contemplating adding the multiple applications as additional pages in the same file, which is when the other forester who is more experienced in java, said it would possibly break the scripts already created in the other fields like Name, addresses, etc. 

[try67]

You can't use the same field names if you want them to have unique values...

[Brian348812554i2b]

You can't use the same field names if you want them to have unique values...I understand that. We have it named that way now because these forms were drawn up to include multiple blocks and lots and they would be the same across all the forms. The Tax Assessors making the landowners fill separate individual applications for separate individual lots is forcing the landowners to fill out the forms incorrectly and gumming up the whole system, which is why I was hoping there would be a code or script that could link up or gather the block and lots on multiple applications and summarize them onto the Woodland Data form. But is it just a case of changing the field names..i.e. "block lots" to "block lots app 1", "block lots app 2", etc and then on the Woodland Data form, be able to create a catchall name that collects all variations of "block lots"? Also is there a way to run a script or logarithm that would automatically rename the block lots field to match the number page it is?

[Thom Parker]

Sounds like you have a somewhat complex situation. 

There are two things that could help you with this process.

1) Create a form that uses Page Templates for entering data on the different lots. A kind of separate master form. 

2) A script for copying data from individual forms into the form in step #1. 

These are both on the more advanced side of scripting for PDF form/data handling.

So you should also consider hiring a developer/consultant to help you on this. 

[try67]

If you only have a fixed number of these fields that's relatively easily done manually, and then a script can read those values and concatenate them to a single string, but if you want the user to be able to add more "blocks" you would need to use Templates, as Thom suggested, and then it's a much more complex task.