Can't fill in Acrobat created PDF in Google Forms

[Pamela36459753liwy]

I created an Acrobat fill-in form for a group of people to use. They share a Google Drive, so that's where it's saved. But when it's opened there, it can't be filled in. Anyone know why not and how to enable it?

[radzmar]

Maybe those people don't use a suitable PDF viewer for your form like Acrobat or Reader?!

[Pamela36459753liwy]

Some don't, but that's the problem. I'm wondering if there's a simple way for them to complete it right there in the Google viewing window so they don't have to have another app or program. I did discover that at least on some systems (still determining if it's true of all), they're given an "open with" option and can choose Adobe and fill it in there in an Adobe Cloud browser window. But I'm going to create a new post about that, because there doesn't seem to be any way there to save it back to the Google Drive unless it's connected in the computer's File Explorer. Again, not everyone does that--they access the Drive only online.

[Pamela36459753liwy]

Correction--I'm ot going to post the save issue elsewhere, because I figured out a workaround as explained in my resply to divyasin below.

[divyasin]

Hi @Pamela36459753liwy  ,

Thank you for reporting the issue. Can you confirm if the issue is only faced in Google Forms , or the form is not editable by other users in Acrobat as well ? If it is specific to Google Forms , then it may be a limitation from Google Forms (reference https://support.google.com/drive/answer/9463834?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&oco=1) . Hence to be fillable in Google Form , form might need to be created in the formats supported by them.

Regards,

Divya Kumar Singh

[Pamela36459753liwy]

Thanks. I don't think it's opening Google Forms. It opens in a separate window that appears to be just a viewer provided by Google, and it can't be completed there. I did discover there's an "open with" option there that offers--at least for some people--to open it in Adobe Cloud, and it can be completed there. But I don't see any way to save the completed form from there directly back to the Google Drive unless it's connected to File Explorer on the computer--and not everyone may be willing to do that.

There is a workaround--save the file as a copy, then open it in the viewer, from there open it in Adobe Acrobat, and save. But they will have to remember to save it first, so if there's any way to make it fillable in the Google viewer itself, that would be preferable.

[Pamela36459753liwy]

Uh oh...I just realized that even my workaround won't work for what I need to do, because there's an additional requirement. Once we complete the fill-in form, we need to be able to save it as a non-editable PDF. (This is a certificate, so the recipient shouldn't be able to change anything on it.) And I don't see any way to print or save it directly back to Google Drive as a non-editable PDF from the Google Viewer/Open With/Adobe Acrobat window.

Let me summarize: I want to use only a browser to open a fillable Adobe PDF from Google Drive, fill it in, and save it back to the Google Drive as a non-non-editable PDF without using File Explorer (and without having Reader or Acrobat installed on the computer).

The obstacles I am facing are:

1) Google Drive opens it in a viewer that doesn't allow it to be filled in.

2) Google does offer Open With, and Adobe can be chosen, which opens it in a new browser window on Adobe Cloud.

3) It can be filled in there but can't be "saved as" back to the Google Drive so that the original, blank form is preserved without using File Explorer.

4) That can be partially worked around by saving a copy before opening and editing in the Adobe Cloud window, then saving it, but it still can't be printed or saved from there as a non-fillable PDF without using File Explorer.

I'd appreciate any insights you or anyone else can offer. Otherwise, I may just have to give up and say my users have to download the file, have an Adobe product to edit it, and upload it back to the cloud. Some of my low-tech users simply will not do that--or wouldn't do it right even if they could.

[S. S]

Hi @Pamela36459753liwy,

Hope you are doing well. Thanks for writing in!

After reviewing the thread, I have some suggestions. 

We can call and set up some scripts with Google Drive to save the file directly.

We will use Google Apps Script to handle the backend and JavaScript in the PDF to submit the form data.

First, let's start creating a project in Google Apps Script:

• Go to Google Apps Script.
• Click on New Project.

Next, add the below script (Script the already added command lines): 

function doPost(e) {
  // Get the form data sent from the PDF
  var formData = e.parameter.formData; // The form data is sent as a string (can be JSON or plain text)
  
  // Define the folder in Google Drive where the form data will be saved
  var folder = DriveApp.getFolderById('your-folder-id'); // Replace with your folder ID
  
  // Create a new file in Google Drive
  var file = folder.createFile('form_submission.pdf', formData, MimeType.PDF);
  
  // Return a success message
  return ContentService.createTextOutput("Form saved to Google Drive.");
}

Once this is done, we will set up the Script.

• Script on Deploy > Manage Deployments > New Deployment.
• Choose the Web app and set access to Anyone or Anyone with the link.
• Click Deploy and copy the URL generated (looks like https://script.google.com/macros/s/your-script-id/exec).

 Next would be to add a submit button to your PDF form.

• Then: Select the button tool from the toolbar and create a button on your form;

• Right-click to choose properties;

• In the Actions tab, click on Run A Javascript, and click Add.

• Now, copy the below code:

 // Replace with your Google Apps Script URL
var submitUrl = "https://script.google.com/macros/s/your-script-id/exec"; 

// Collect form data from a specific field (replace "FormDataField" with your actual field name)
var formData = this.getField("FormDataField").value;

// Set up the POST request to send the data
var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
xhr.open("POST", submitUrl, true);
xhr.setRequestHeader("Content-Type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded");

// Prepare data for submission
var params = "formData=" + encodeURIComponent(formData);

// Send the data to the Google Apps Script
xhr.send(params);

// Handle the server's response
xhr.onload = function() {
  if (xhr.status == 200) {
    app.alert("Your form has been successfully saved to Google Drive!");
  } else {
    app.alert("Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again.");
  }
};

P.S: 

• Make sure your Apps Script is set to allow access to anyone who submits the form (even if they’re not signed in to Google)

• The script assumes you're sending simple form field data.

• For security and compatibility reasons, Google PDF Viewer does not execute JavaScript embedded in PDF files. So, you might need to use the Acrobat Cloud viewer to fill in the form.

This worked for me on the Acrobat desktop app. Please try it in your working environment and let me know if it helps.

-Souvik

[Pamela36459753liwy]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. I'd be willing to try those things, but I won't always be the person creating forms--it's for a non-profit organization, and I'll eventually go off the board. I need to be able to provide simple instructions on how access the form in Google Drive, complete it, and save a copy (as an uneditable PDF) back to the Google Drive--preferably without having to download anything to the device and upload it back (though that would be an acceptable workaround if it's the only way).

It doesn't seem to me this should be all that complicated. I went a step further than I posted previously, saved a copy of my completed form, flattened it, and saved it to Google Drive. That seemed to work except that the flattening process removed two completed fields. (Beating head against wall.) Any ideas why that would happen? 

I'll fill in a clean copy and try those steps again. Any other thoughts in the meantime are appreciated.

[S. S]

@Pamela36459753liwy The framework Google uses to display PDF forms/files is very different from what Acrobat uses.

Also, flattening a PDF form removes any modification (different layers, form fields), so Google PDF Viewer uses its own level of comprehension to identify the fields.

Also, would you mind sharing a sample form with me to test this workflow and get back to you?

You can share the file over a private message. To do so, click on my profile name followed by the blue "Send Message" button.

-Souvik