Is it possible to do these things with a submit button on a form?

[smithalanw]

I'm using Acrobat 2017 on a Windows 10 machine and trying to automate some functions on a PDF form.  I have been reading the forums and I'm not even sure it is possible now.  Could someone on this forum please save me some time and tell me if this even possible so I can drop it if I can't even do it?

1. Save the data from the PDF form to an Excel spreadsheet to a specified location on a SharePoint server.

2. Flatten the file and save the whole PDF to a specified location on a SharePoint server.

3. Save the file again to a dynamically set folder on a SharePoint server.

4. Delete the original file from the SharePoint location it was opened from.

I'm finding precious little in the forums to help me out, so if there is another way to get the same results with different actions, I'd be happy for that advice too.

Thank you all for the time you put into these forums to help people like me! 

[Bernd Alheit]

4. Adobe Acrobat Javascript can't delete files.

[smithalanw]

Thank you for your rapid response, sir!

So can everything else can be done from a submit button?  Specifically a submit button created with JS that performs these functions?

I'm thinking of one Mouse Up trigger with three "Run a JavaScript" actions:

1. Submit data to an Excel file in a static SharePoint location specified in the JS.

2. Flatten the file, then Submit the completed PDF form to a static SharePoint location specified in JS.

3. Submit completed PDF form to second, dynamic, SharePoint location specified in JS using data from one of the form fields to set the last folder.  (The folder structure would be created in SharePoint in advance, since Acrobat can't do that.)

I can easily delete the files in one quick operation later.

[try67]

1-3. Possible, but requires installing a script on the local machine of each user who is going to use it. See: https://acrobatusers.com/tutorials/how-save-pdf-acrobat-javascript

#3 requires them having Acrobat, not just the free Reader.

4. Not possible.

[try67]

1. Actually, that is not possible if you mean that you want to export the values to an existing file. You can create a new file, though.

[smithalanw]

Can I append the form data to an existing file and save it with a new name?  If not, I'll have to skip flattening the file and export the data from the completed forms in the folder to an Excel file as an action.  Does that sound like it would be the proper way to do it?

[smithalanw]

Thank you both for your quick answers.  I'm glad I didn't head too far down the path before I found out what is even possible.  I have in mind some other ways to semi-automate with actions in Acrobat 2017 Pro on my own machine.

If I distribute the forms to a SharePoint URL, would I still need the trusted function script on each machine if they open the PDF from where it was distributed and submit it to the same location?

[try67]

Only if it's a text file. You will need to read it in to a string, add the new data to it and then export it back out again.

This is not a simple task, though.

[smithalanw]

Thanks, try67. In the short term I'll just export the data then.  Long term I may give it a go; I'll probably learn a ton in the process.