Problems with cfpdfform

[stephenlIU]

I created a fillable form with Adobe. I am using cfpdfform to populate it. I have made no programming changes or changes to the form.

Suddenly, it has started filling the form (or the form has started displaying) in landscape mode. You can just see the beginning of the field contents before it disappears upwards.

What happened? How do I fix it?

[Charlie Arehart]

Such changes don't happen without SOMETHING causing them. I realize you think nothing has changed in your code or the PDF. Assuming that's really so, there could be changes in the cf config, the web server config, and more (even on the client end) which could be impacting things. 

As a sanity check, try creating a simple new cf page, with just the least needed to show the PDF. Does it render in portrait? If so, then something in your failing page would seem to be causing the landscape, though "nothing changed". Add things to model what is in the failing page (regarding the pdf handling only), until it renders in landscape. 

If nothing you do gets it in portrait mode, then you know it's not the code. You may then want to open the PDF in a browser on the server (directly, as a file) to make sure it IS portrait. Don't do it from off the server, or via a url while on the server, to ensure nothing but the PDF is impacting its display (no cf, no webr server).

Let us know how it goes. Or maybe someone else will offer a better answer. 

[stephenlIU]

I first loaded the form by finding it on the drive, double-clicking it to load. I then started filling in the first field. Looks like it's supposed to (portrait). It has a save date of 6/25/2020 which is the original date.

I created a new page and filled only 2 fields.

<cfpdfform source='#application.storage#\HICF\BlankClaimForm.pdf' action='populate'>
<cfpdfformparam name='FILENUM' value='B21-876 REF'>
<cfpdfformparam name='PLAYER' value='CLOONEY, GEORGE'>
</cfpdfform>

When it opens it is in landscape instead of portrait.

[stephenlIU]

Could the problem be (although this did work; don't know why it suddenly stopped) that this was created in Adobe Acrobat Pro? From some things I've read it needs to be created in Live Cycle now call Experience Manager.

[BKBK]

That is indeed a possibility.

[BKBK]

@stephenlIU : I created a fillable form with Adobe. 

How? 

[stephenlIU]

With Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

[stephenlIU]

And, to be clear, it has been working. I changed no code, I did not change the form. It's wrong now even with a bare-bones form as illustrated above. That is the sum total of the code (i.e., no CSS included, etc.).

[BKBK]

Ah, OK.

That's odd indeed.

[BKBK]

What happens when you create the PDF form, move it or copy it to a different location, then populate the form-fields of that copy instead.

When I did precisely that, the format stayed 'portrait'. 

<cfpdfform source='C:\Users\BKBK\Desktop\testPDFForm.pdf' action='populate'>
<cfpdfformparam name='uname' value='CLOONEY, GEORGE'>
</cfpdfform>

[stephenlIU]

On our network the only place I can access forms is in a location on the server serving up the database. I copied the original form from local files up to a different subdirectory there with the same results.

[stephenlIU · Accepted solution]

From what I am seeing today this is not an issue with Adobe. It appears to be a problem with FireFox. I am pursuing that angle. Thanks.

[BKBK]

Thanks for sharing that. 

Curious finding.