Can I create a PDF "template" akin to Word's template (.dotx) function?

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
June 13, 2019
5 replies
20968 views

I have a PDF form I have to fill out every day for work. I'm trying to streamline my workflow as much as possible and I want to avoid having to ensure I don't save over a master file every day.

As such, I want to have a PDF that, when I open it, spawns a copy, like what happens with .dotx extensions in Word.

I've tried password protecting the document to try and make it Read Only with the hope that, upon trying to save it after editing, the system would prompt me to "save a copy." That didn't work. I've searched high and low, but most of what I've found just shows how to convert Word templates into PDFs. Not what I'm looking for. The closest I've gotten to an answer is this: How do I create PDF form like a word template file (PDF Forms)

The answer clearly articulates that Acrobat isn't designed to do this, but hints at workarounds. The second suggestion caught my eye: somehow creating a script that creates a copy of the master file and provides that to the user.

TL;DR: Can anyone here tell me how I could create or modify a PDF form such that, when trying to save the document, it prompts me to save a new file instead of overwriting the original?

Correct answer try67

Go to the file's Properties (in Windows Explorer) and set it as read-only.

A

Amily32762256m1au

Participant

Creating a PDF "template" similar to Word's .dotx function is possible. You can design your template in Google Docs, including a recipe template. Once it's ready, go to "File" > "Download" > "PDF Document." This will generate a PDF version of your template that you can use as a base for future recipes. It's a neat way to keep things organized and consistent in your culinary adventures!

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cjbarth

Participating Frequently

I was just asking myself this question. How hard could it be for Acrobat Reader to register another extension that requires a "Save As..." and disallows "Save"? I suggest ".pdft". Then, to protect files, I just rename them to that extension; nothing else has to change. I imagine if Adobe did this, a week later, eveyone would support it.

Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com

Legend

"Templates" are used by software that create content, such as create a new document based on the features in the template (layout, visual design, fonts, content, etc.). None of the products in the Acrobat family create content, other than minor type and graphics changes.

Instead, PDFs are made from other programs that make content, such as Word, InDesign, and PowerPoint.

The idea of being able to lock a PDF from being edited or overwritten is good; make the suggestion at www.Acrobat.UserVoice.com. But don't call it a template because that's incorrect for the PDF file format.

FYI, any new file format or capabilities for PDFs must be developed by the ISO committee for PDF and not Adobe. Since 2008, the PDF file format is now an open-source format and no longer owned by Adobe. Here's the current edition of the PDF standard, https://www.iso.org/standard/75839.html. Enjoy reading 1000+ pages of techno-babble!

I imagine if Adobe did this, a week later, eveyone would support it.
By @cjbarth

I'm on the ISO PDF committee and will bring up the suggestion, but it will be years before this idea could see daylight. It has to go through a series of working groups to develop the mechanics of how this feature will be programmed. Then, it will be written into the standard, approved by the ISO, and finally published. And THEN, the PDF companies — not just Adobe, but also FoxIt, Nitro, Kofax, ABBYY and hundreds more — can build the feature into their PDF software.

Maybe we could see this in 5 years, but I'd bet more on 7-10. Definitely longer than a week! <grin>

|    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |

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cjbarth

Participating Frequently

I appreciate your feedback on this. I think my perspective is only related to PDF forms. I understand that the PDF standard is more of a publishing standard to which form fields have been added (unless I understand wrong). I'm imagining that it wouldn't be too hard to allow a mode by which a PDF reading program that allows filling of PDF forms could detect when a PDF is a "template", perhaps by extension as that seems easiest, but I suppose metadata in the document would work too, and then change the default "Save" function into a "Save As..." function. I am imagining a purely UX change here which would prevent the newly filled-in form from replacing a previously blank form.

phobrla

Participant

"Save As" the file and append " - TEMPLATE" to the end (but before the extension)
Make a copy of the file in Windows Explorer and append ".bak" to the extension (e.g. "Workflow.pdf.bak"