How can I save a form so that the data is visible. Currently, I can only see what has been typed on the form by clicking on the cell, then it vanishes when I move to the next cell.

[Guest]

How can I save a form so that the data entered is visible.  When I click on the cell, I can see what has been entered, but when I move to the next cell, the data is hidden again.  I'd like to print the file with the information visible that has already been entered.

[Test Screen Name]

Sounds like a form made in Apple Preview. Such forms are broken.

[George_Johnson · Accepted solution]

To clarify what TSN mentioned, PDF forms that are used and saved by the Preview application on a Mac are corrupted in a number of ways. When a form that has been corrupted by Preview is opened in Acrobat/Reader, one of the symptoms is exactly what you describe. If you have access to Acrobat and the original, blank, non-corrupted form, you can export the form data to a data file (e.g., FDF) and import the form data from the FDF into the blank form.

[Guest]

Thank you everyone for the helpful answers.

I looked under File>Properties and it looks as though the files sent to me with Producer: Adobe PDF Library 15.0 are okay.  However, files with PDF Producer:  Mac OS X 10.6.8 have the problem I described.

I have access to the original file so will follow the recommendation of importing the data.

Again, I really appreciate the help and thank you for taking time to respond.

[jane-e]

If you go to File > Properties, you can confirm that it was created in Preview or another application.

What does it say for the Application and for the Producer?

[maxwyss]

This says that the form has been created in InDesign, and most likely been exported/saved as Interactive PDF.

The corruption does not happen when the form is created, but when it is filled (in Preview.app). Try filling it using Acrobat or Reader, and see if it still causes the effect to happen. If so, we have to know a bit more about how the form is created, and maybe even have to have a look at the resulting PDF.

[Guest]

Hello,

The corruption didn't happen when I personally filled in the data using Acrobat and sent the form to myself.  The problem so far has only occurred when I received files that apparently were filled in using a Mac?  The "Producer" on the files with a problem was Mac OSX 10.6.8 Quartz PDF.  I didn't have the problem on the filled in/completed forms I received with Adobe PDF Library as the producer

Appreciate all of the help!

[jane-e]

Max Wyss,

That is my screen shot to show Judy where to find the Application and Producer information. It is just a sample and does not reflect her problem documents! After seeing the image, she was able to find out that all documents created one way were a problem, and all documents created another way were not.

When I Exported the sample InDesign document, I did not select Interactive, by the way. I just opened the first InDesign file in my recent list. Also note that the time in the screenshot is minutes before the time in my post. I am mentioning this only because someone might read your comments and get confused.

Hope this helps!

[maxwyss]

Thanks for rectifying, jane-e. It seems as if the fingers were faster than the eye…

(I wish this forum had the comment functionality, as it was in the shot-down answers.acrobatusers.com forum(s)…)

And by rereading the thread, and Judy's answer, it looks as if it is the same crappy PDF creation/saving engine Preview.app uses causing the issues…

[George_Johnson]

maxwyss wrote:

(I wish this forum had the comment functionality, as it was in the shot-down answers.acrobatusers.com forum(s)…)

For what it's worth, you can set up your forum preferences to display a discussion in threaded style, as opposed to flat, but responses can get messed up when people respond via email or respond to a reply that's different than the one they intended to. So I always display as flat.

[maxwyss]

George_Johnson: For that reason, I also prefer flat.

But this does not replace the lack of comment functionality (… as also found in the whole StackExchange universe, where it is even possible to comment on the question, and not just the answers…)

[jane-e]

Agreed, Max!