Participant

Question

How to reference PDF file in a FDF file? Hoping to be able to open files submitted as FDF.

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
October 2, 2020
3 replies
2206 views

I have created a PDF that's too large to submit as a whole, however, I am hoping to be able to get around this by submitting the file as an FDF and then being able to open it in PDF (since I will have the full PDF file on the server that receives the submitted FDF). To do this I have briefly read that the FDF file must reference the PDF file, I am just wondering how to go about doing this?

So far to submit the file as FDF I have just changed the settings on a Button -> Submit a Form action to FDF and ticket include field data and comments. However, I cannot see anywhere about referencing the PDF file. Will I be able to just take an exact copy of the PDF file and put it in the same folder that the FDFs are submitted to and it will be smart enough to know to open this PDF file up with the FDF data?

This topic has been closed for replies.

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

The problem is always the details, and there are some points where I don't yet know enough detail about your proposal to say if it can work. However, I am seeing some pretty big danger signs.

You write " on the PDF a script could be ran using the importAnFDF method which uses the FDF file directory passed in and then this PDF can be saved and passed into the PDF Viewer?" Where do you propose to do this (on the client, or on the server)? What software do you propose to use to do this (importAnFDF)?

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

By the way, how do you propose to "open the PDF on the server"? You may be making an assumption there that scuppers the whole project.

C

CorsairAwareAuthor

Participant

Currently there is a built in PDF Viewer that allows us to display the PDFs in the app. So this part of the functionality is already in place, just need to get the data into the form.

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

An FDF file contains an "F key" , optionally. It may be a local file name or a URL.

If you send an FDF to a browser that supports the Acrobat/Reader plug-in, it follows the F key to open the original file.

* If the FDF key was a local file, the file must be present on the computer

* If the FDF key was a URL it goes to the web.

When you submit an FDF from a web browser that supports the Acrobat/Reader plug-in, it fills in the URL.

When you submit an FDF file from Acrobat/Reasder it fills in the local file.

Consequences

1. If you use a browser that does not use the Acrobat/Reader plug-in all bets are off. So people will usually have to download, since only Internet Explorer fits the bill.

2. If you download the file and submit from Reader, then the F key will be a local file on on the submitting user's computer, different for every person.

3. So usually the F key won't be valid, except back on the original computer, and often not even then, as the PDF may have been stored in a temporary location and deleted.

Bottom line: this used to work nicely, but it's hard to advise it today. And don't even get me started on what happens to people with phones and tablets. I think you MUST solve the submit problem, rather than looking for loopholes; the loopholes will bring you too much pain.

3. If you DON

C

CorsairAwareAuthor

Participant

The files are quite big for a PDF (8mb) so was hoping to avoid transferring these about where possible.

What do you think about the method of having the original PDF file in a folder, and receiving the FDF file, then calling the PDF file from code and passing in the FDF file directory, then on the PDF a script could be ran using the importAnFDF method which uses the FDF file directory passed in and then this PDF can be saved and passed into the PDF Viewer?

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