When I export an interactive form to HTML the format is wrong... help!

Report · Jan 14, 2016

Hi. I'm on Creative Cloud and I'm using Acrobat to make an interactive form; I made a PDF into a form and now I want it to be on the web. I'm saving it as an HTML file. Whenever I do that it looks screwed up. This is the HTML file on Google Chrome; it also looks screwed up on Safari.

Can somebody please help? It looks like this as a PDF and I want it to look just like that and keep its interactivity.

Thanks!

Report · Jan 14, 2016

If you could convert PDF files to HTML with no loss of layout, there would be no need to invent PDF. HTML is a flexible, simple, self-adjusting layout. May need some manual editing now, but frankly it's pointless to design in PDF if you want HTML, it won't let you create better layouts or work more quickly. Design in HTML.

Report · Jan 14, 2016

Should I just plug it into DreamWeaver for that?

Report · Jan 14, 2016

I would definitely start again if it were me but it might be possible to recover it in DreamWeaver. I hand edit HTML if needed.

Report · Jan 14, 2016

I don't really know how to do this.... could you please guide me through it?

Should I start from scratch or is there a way in DreamWeaver that I could edit and recreate if need be?

Report · Jan 14, 2016

Personally I would start from scratch in a suitable tool. Does DreamWeaver do that? Sorry I really don't know.

Alternatively: how did you end up with a PDF form at all, and why are you now trying to convert it? I'm curious, and maybe we can suggest alternative routes.

Report · Jan 14, 2016

I made it in Illustrator. My boss wanted a printable form for clients but now she wants it as a webpage.

I've used DreamWeaver before and I don't personally like it... Do you think I should find a Web/IT person to help me?

Report · Jan 14, 2016

Well, web forms are like an iceberg. A designer creates the form fields for the page - 10% of the work. A professional web programmer creates a web script to process the results - 90%. Do you have a web script or programmer? If not your HTML form is not going to do much.

Report · Jan 14, 2016

I'm not able to get any of the form fields to come across, even if they're tagged as form fields in the structure. You might try a 3rd party PDF to HTML converter.