How do I work with livecycle forms in acrobat DC

[jackl69835594]

I have been making forms for clincal data collection for a couple of years, and have gradually figured out how to distribute forms and collect data.  To do this, I have been using Acrobat 9 or 10 Pro and working with Live Cycle.  Today, I upgraded to Acrobat Pro DC, and I learned that my Live Cycle program is gone.  I read in another forum post that Livecycle and Acrobat pro have be "debundled".  I tried to take my form and modify it in Acrobat Pro DC, and got an error message that says that I cannot modify the form in DC.  So, I tried to figure out what the replacement program is.

So:

A:  Can LiveCycle and Acrobat Pro DC co exist

B:  Is Live Cycle still the right program for making and workign with these forms

C:  Is there a way to take the previous forms I was working with in Live Cycle and convert them into forms that can be modified in Acrobat Pro DC?

[try67]

A. Should do, yes. The program is still LiveCycle Designer but you now need to purchase it separately.

B. If they are LCD forms it's the only tool you can use to edit them.

C. Yes, but you would basically need to re-do the entire form as the two formats are not interchangeable.

[jackl69835594]

Thanks very much.

Very disappointing that the new program has this issue.

Cheers

jml

[try67]

It's not a new development. Acrobat forms and LCD forms have always been completely different creatures.

[George_Johnson · Accepted solution]

If the form is a dynamic XFA form with autoexpanding fields, tables, or new pages, you won't be able to convert to an AcroForm, which is Acrobat native form type.

If they are static XFA forms, then you can create a near functional duplicate in Acrobat. If you used FormCalc, you will have to reprogram in JavaScript, and any JavaScript will have to be reprogrammed to the mostly different Acrobat model. If you still have access to Acrobat 9, you can take advantage of a bug in it that will let you convert the XFA to an Acroform, but it will lose any programming and certain field properties. I'm not really recommending this, but it's an option if you're desperate.

It may be easier to just get the latest version of LiveCycle Designer.

[jackl69835594]

I want to say thank you to both, Try67 and George Johnson

I ended up getting a LiveCycle Designer updated trial.

Will consider buying the program depending on how it goes.

Best

JML

[jeffwku]

Having the same issue.  What a shame that DC conveniently uninstalled LiveCycle from my Adobe Acrobat 9.  I am debating downgrading back to 9 or purchasing LC, which is $299!  Yikes.

[Test Screen Name]

Just a note that this is not a new issue. Acrobat XI (11) did not include Designer either.

[rickdavis7]

Just a note. This is a new issue for all of us who worked tirelessly on forms in LiveCycle Designer and were NOT TOLD that we would lose it when we upgraded (?) to Adobe CC. I think CC is a great idea, and I understand marketing is changing, but how is it ethical to remove a purchased program and install another minus a vital part of it's functionality and then hold the customer hostage for a $299 fee to restore what was taken away? Come on Adobe! Include LiveCycle in the CC and keep your monthly subscription users happy.

[Test Screen Name]

It really isn't a new issue though. The last release to include LiveCycle Designer was Acrobat X. Version XI, released 3 years ago, didn't include LiveCycle Designer. However, for a limited period, Adobe did offer free Designer licenses to upgraders.

[barrye53551575]

I pay the bastards monthly, and now have to do a whole new form for one change. Awful.

[ThankYouSoMuchAdobe]

Can confirm. Was held hostage.

[satisfied_Hero154A]

I just opened what appears to be a regular PDF form (a W-9 from the IRS, 2014 revision) in Acrobat Pro DC, and now I can't edit it. This is the first time I've had a problem editing any form, let alone an IRS one.

What's the point of Acrobat now?

This attempted rip-off is a double failure, because if you go to the LiveCycler page at Adobe, there's no way to buy it (not that I ever would). It appears to be a defunct or unreleased product.

[colinac]

I am having the same issue. I used to just adjust the date on my W-9 before sending a new one to a new client. Now I can't edit it like I have done for years. I am stuck with having to work around it by saving the W9 as an image and then editing the date on or just printing it, hand writing the date and scanning it back in...It used to be so much easier.

[George_Johnson]

Here's a link to a fillable W-9 form from the IRS: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf

[colinac]

Thanks for trying to help and supplying the link George! Unfortunately that form also needs to be edited in Adobe LiveCycle and can not be edited in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.

What I'd be looking for is a form that has an editable Date section.

[George_Johnson]

What I've always done for the date is use the Typewriter tool to add the text. It's called that in Acrobat 9. In DC, it's called "add a text comment": How do I get the typewriter tool on Acrobat Reader DC? (Acrobat Reader)

Although the form is an XFA form created in LiveCycle Designer, it is static, so it allows commenting. Another way to add the date would be to use a dynamic stamp.

[colinac]

Awesome!! That worked! Thank you so much for the info George!

[Test Screen Name]

I agree taking it out was a Very Bad Thing. But I have some corrections.

1. That page is for the whole LiveCycle suite, which is something costing many tens of thousands of dollars, run by big companies on servers. The name has changed since ES4 but it still exists. YOU DON'T WANT THAT!

2. LiveCycle Designer is a part of that but all you want. Leaving the "Designer" off the name is a catastrophe. I found a BUY link on Designer ES4 comprehensive design tool | Adobe LiveCycle Enterprise Suite 4 .

3. The IRS do NOT want you to edit their forms at all. I've heard it may be illegal too. They want you to FILL the forms only. You can fill them with the free Acrobat Reader, or with Acrobat, without any extra software. On no account click an EDIT button, just start typing. If you need to sign it, many IRS forms require to be printed and have an ink signature; you cannot in any case add a scanned signature by editing a LiveCycle Designer form.

[satisfied_Hero154A]

I'm filling out the form, not changing the form's boilerplate. The "edit" is to put a PNG signature on it, which I've done many, many times over the years and there's never been a problem. Nor can there be, logically: I'm E-mailing the form anyway, so it will always be an electronic representation.

Here's the solution: Open the PDF in another application (like Preview) and simply save it as a PDF or print it to PDF. Open in Acrobat and edit as you please.

Rip-off foiled.

[try67]

That's even worse. By doing that you're potentially removing all kinds of calculations and validations that were in the original form.

Proceed at your own risk.

[Test Screen Name]

Electronic forms aren't usually just done online so you can email them. They are done so that the receiving agent (e.g. IRS) can AUTOMATICALLY get out what you filled. If you do tricks like this they won't be able to get your data out and will reject the form. How important is this? Depends on the form.

[satisfied_Hero154A]

There are no formulas in the form. Beyond that, I don't care, since I get paid anyway.

If Adobe is going to pull this rip-off, it's time to abandon Acrobat as a file format. Most governments prohibit this kind of proprietary BS in public standards.

[Magendanz]

Alternatively, you can just export the pages in Acrobat Pro DC.  It should allow you to open those exported pages in the Prepare Form tool and add/edit fields.  All of the existing form fields seem to come over just fine.

[Bernd Alheit]

Adobe Acrobat can't extract pages from XFA forms.