Re: PDF viewers for editable PDF files

dont know if this is on the same track...

you may want to look at the oreilly book on the matter: pdf hacks

last place i worked i built a webapp that displayed an html form,
stored the resulting data in mysql, later would pull the data from the
database mungle the result in w/ a pdf and give to the customer.

all for free. but it was complex. involved some java that was broken
from the author of the book, maybe he's fixed it by now

you could offer your students an online webapp to fill out

On 10/31/06, John Jason Jordan <[email protected]> wrote:
> When Adobe came out with Adobe Reader 7.0 they included the ability to
> fill in PDF forms. The user can type into blanks in the form and then
> print it out. However, the user cannot save a copy of the edited form.
> At the same time that this feature was added to Reader, Acrobat was
> enhanced to add the ability to create editable PDF files.
>
> I can create editable PDF files with OpenOffice.org Writer. I have
> opened them in Adobe Reader 7.08 on my Ubuntu amd-64 Dapper laptop and
> I can edit the forms. I can also print them, but I cannot save them.
> However, I have a workaround for the latter problem =96- CUPS-PDF
> printer. I have installed it and now I can create a PDF file from any
> application that can print, including Adobe Reader.
>
> There is an equivalent to CUPS-PDF printer on Windows, called
> PDF-Creator. I haven't checked it out, but it is free from sourceforge.
> As for Macs, all modern Macs come with the ability to print to file as
> a PDF. It's built into the OS.
>
> My goal is to create homework files as editable PDFs. The student can
> fill them out, print to CUPS-PDF printer or to PDF Creator, and e-mail
> the results back to the professor. Fast, simple, no paper, and the
> professor can actually read the student's work because there is no
> handwriting. This is ideal for distance education. This could be really
> cool because in OOo you can make the editable field a blank to type
> into, a radio button, a drop-down list, or any of several other types
> of controls. What a cool tool for creating exams, quizzes and homework
> assignments!
>
> However, there are some gaps and questions:
>
> 1) Macintosh users. Adobe Reader 7.0 for Mac can fill out editable PDF
> forms the same as the Linux and Windows versions. But I don't have a
> Mac so I can't test the built in print-to-PDF utility. I bet the reason
> Adobe Reader can't save a copy of the edited file is a DRM issue, in
> which case I bet the built in print-to-PDF utility won't work if the
> file is an edited PDF. Being the owner of an iPod it would not surprise
> me if Apple included that restriction. Are there any Mac owners here
> who might know?
>
> 2) I can do it on Linux with Adobe Reader 7.08, but doing so is a pain.
> Adobe Reader does not have a drop-down printer selection box in it
> print dialog box in the Linux version. You have to type in an lpr
> command. Thus, every time I want to print to a new PDF file I have to
> change the command that says it is to print to my laserjet. And then
> when I want to print to the laserjet, I have to retype the command
> again. To get around this I tried Kpdf, evince, and Xpdf. All of them
> have a proper printer selection drop-down window, but none of them can
> edit the editable PDF file. Are there other PDF viewers that might be
> better than these three?
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