When will Acrobat Reader stop supporting XFA forms?

[SQNAdministrator]

Hi

Given LiveCycle has been discontinued, when will Acrobat Reader stop supporting the XFA forms LiveCycle was used to create?

I can't find a roadmap or documentation so am very concerned that a new Acrobat Release will mean my XFA forms are redundant.   Upgrading to AEM forms is not an option.

Many thanks.

[Test Screen Name]

I don't know exactky why you say "Upgrading to AEM forms is not an option". But AEM Designer, the successor to LiveCycle Designer, continues to make XFA forms. Adobe rarely share their future plans, and they have not accounced any plans to phase out XFA.

That said, I woudl not advise anyone starting with forms to make XFA forms, even if they have Designer. My reasons

1. The spread of non-Adobe readers means end users face more challenges to use them.

2. The refusal of Adobe to implement XFA on mobile devices means a huge proportion are just locked out anyway.

3. Adobe's plans can be seen to be focussed on the AEM Forms server product, which converts XFA forms on the fly into HTML5 forms.

4. There are so many obstacles to PDF forms of every kind I advise HTML forms for all online use. 

[try67]

I don't work for Adobe and don't speak on their behalf, but considering some very large clients of theirs use this type of form extensively (IRS, banks, governments around the world, etc.), I doubt that's going to happen any time soon. Why kill a goose that's laying golden eggs? What makes you think this is a possibility, anyway?

[SQNAdministrator]

Thanks for your reply.    I don't think it's a possibility, and as such my thinking has and still is much aligned with your thoughts above, however, I'd still like to know for sure what their plans are, even if they don't have any.