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Discussing features and drawbacks of Adobe LiveCycle Designer; basic features and examples.
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Getting started with Adobe LiveCycle Designer
How to create interactive forms and track response data
Presented by: Jeremy HarderMichigan Association of School AdministratorsTechnology & Design Coordinator [email protected]
Adobe LiveCycle Designer Homepage
http://www.adobe.com/products/livecycle/designer/
60 Day Trial Download
What is Adobe LiveCycle ES?An overview of the LiveCycle Enterprise Suite
What Does It Do?
Livecycle Enterprise Suite (ES) is a platform for developing custom workflows
Databases and forms are used to complete tasks
Example of how ES might be used:http://www.adobe.com/products/livecycle/
What Doesn’t It Do (Easily)?
Gathering form data via the Web is not intuitive
Development/Web-coding knowledge required for intermediate to advanced functionality
The Paperless OfficeLiveCycle can replace paper forms without much hassle
What about LiveCycle Designer?
Designer is a spin-off that is packaged with Adobe Acrobat Professional
Designer can be used to build static and dynamic PDF forms
Adobe LiveCycle ES Hierarchy Adobe LiveCycle Enterprise Suite
ES ModulesInstalled on Web accessible server to process data
▪ Forms▪ Digital Signatures▪ Mosaic▪ Etc
LiveCycle DesignerInstalled on your workstation. Modules not required to distribute forms.
▪ PDF creation tools▪ PDF distribution
Alternatives to Designer
Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro now includes form field tools, and distribution functions
The difference is that Designer allows for scripting
Alternatives to Designer
What is Adobe LiveCycle Forms?
Screen capture from http://www.adobe.com/products/livecycle/forms/
Forms is a module for LiveCycle ES Forms handles user-submitted data
and routes it to… Databases Processes Users
What is Adobe LiveCycle Forms?
Screen capture from http://www.adobe.com/products/livecycle/forms/
Building Forms in LiveCycle Designer
Types of Forms
Static User input fields Can be printed
Interactive Fields can be validated (required, pattern
match) Subforms can be hidden/revealed based
on inputExample
The LiveCycle Designer Interface
Using Different Views
Design View XML Source Master Page View PDF Preview
Working with Objects
Examples of form objects: Text field Image Field Email Field Numeric Field Buttons
Using Fragments
Frequently used combinations can be saved as form fragments and easily reused Shift-click to select all objects to include.
Right click -> Fragments -> Create New
Buidling Forms from Templates
LiveCycle Designer comes packaged with some great pre-built forms:
Building Forms from Word Docs
Word and Excel documents can be imported and converted to PDF forms in the wizard.
Building Forms from Scratch
Start with a blank page
Working with Formulas
FormCalc equations are similar to spreadsheet formulas
Field value calculations ensure correct data submissions and save time for your users
Field validation
Make required (and provide error messages)
Pattern match
Distributing Forms in LiveCycle Designer
Distribution Options
Save as a PDF and store/send as needed
Distribute via email using LiveCycle Designer
Distribute via acrobat.com using LiveCycle Designer Stores the form to your account Accessible to others via URL Drawback: No data submission handling
built-in
Distribution Options
Submitting Forms
Three Options
Print and fax Email
Via form button (may not work for some users)
User initiated HTTP submit
Requires handling script on Web server
Email Submit
The Problem with Email Submit
Email Submit Workaround Open the PDF in Acrobat Pro Go to Advanced -> Extend Features in
Adobe Reader Distributed PDF will now allow users
to Save As… PDF Still not perfect though…
Email Submit button will continue to save as XML instead of PDF
Use with caution. Include specific how-to instructions in form document
Receiving Data
Example of Acrobat generated results file
Getting Started with Adobe LiveCycle DesignerHow to create interactive forms and track response data
Presented by: Jeremy HarderMichigan Association of School AdministratorsTechnology & Design Coordinator
