interactive pdf

[kbmercer165]

I have an interactive pdf form created from Indesign.  When a user opens the form, I need to have the form require the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to have it submit correctly once they fill in the registration form.  Because the form opens in the users' web browser, the submit button (which emails the form to me) doesn't work.  Even if they download the form first and then open the form from the download shown at the bottom of the screen, it is still opening in the web browser and not adobe acrobat reader. 

Moved from Using the Community (which is about the forums) to the correct forum... Mod
To find a forum for your program please start at https://community.adobe.com/

[BobLevine]

AFAIK, that is not possible (you can't even be sure everyone has Reader installed) but the good folks in the Acrobat forum would be more knowledgeable.

That said, have you considered using an HTML form on the website? That eliminates all need for local PDF readers.

[Bill Silbert]

The biggest problem with Interactive pdfs has always been their incompatibility with any other pdf reader than Acrobat. Even then you need to have Acrobat 9.0 or above for any of the interactivity to work. Is it possible in your situation to have the user download the pdf first to their computer after having instructed them that they can download Acrobat Reader free from Adobe.com? Doing it this way would at least give you a fighting chance of making it work with an Interactive pdf.

[kbmercer165]

Thank you for your response.  I did have that in the instructions and people did follow the instructions, but when they downloaded and the file was shown at the bottom of the screen they'd click that in order to open the form. It still wouldn't work.  However, if  the user went directly to the downloaded location and opened it (after installing Acrobat Reader or automatically opening in A-Reader) it would open correctly and the submit button would work. But if a person didn't know to do that, they were unable to submit the form. The attached screenshot shows where users were trying to open the file after downloading and once filling out would not submit.  It just kept opening back up in the browser.  Interactive forms is new to me.  🙂

[Colin Flashman]

The PDF needs an additional javascript written into it that detects the reader and returns a result if a reader other than Acrobat is used. There is more information in this thread: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-sdk/detect-if-pdf-document-is-being-opened-in-reader-and-not-... but the guru to ask is @try67 

[kbmercer165]

Thank you Colin!

[John Mensinger]

The browser extensions have been an obstacle to effective broadcast of PDF forms forever it seems. You can provide a link to the free Reader download and emphatic instructions to ONLY and ALWAYS open your PDF by first launching Reader then and using File > Open, but that's about it; you can't force them to do it correctly.

[BobLevine]

Right. Which is why I suggest a web-based form. Way more flexible and powerful, too.

[kbmercer165]

Thank you Bob!

[kbmercer165]

Thank you John!