Currently, the forms already exist in .pdf format but without fillable fields. We use Acrobat 6 to add the fields to the forms. Once that is done we:

1) Enter dummy data onto a form in Acrobat 6 and export the data to .xfdf format. The .xfdf file is an xml file. When you open Adobe Reader and point to an .xfdf file and there are both a .pdf file (form image) and an .xfdf file (data) Adobe Reader launches the .pdf form and populates the fields with the data in the .xfdf file. Use the .xfdf file created when you exported the dummy data to determine the xml values required to populate the fields on the fly.
2) Stuff the .pdf into a memo field in a table of all forms using FILETOSTR().
3) When the user prints a form, we create both the .pdf and the appropriate .xfdf file on the fly. We use STRTOFILE() to create the .pdf form.
4) If the user has Adobe Reader on their hard drive (we search for it programmatically by checking registry associations and locations on the hard drive if necessary) then we launch Adobe Reader programmatically from within our VFP app pointing to the .xfdf file we created and Adobe Reader loads with the pdf and the fields populated with the data from our VFP app. We use CreateProcess and GetExitCodeProcess to launch Adobe Reader and wait for it to exit.
5) When Adobe Reader closes (we suspend processing in our app until it is exited) we delete both the .xfdf and the .pdf file

The newest format at Adobe is the new xdp format and the Form Designer is called Adobe Form Designer and costs 449.00 It allows you to create the pdf from scratch and add the controls to the form. I would download their evaluation version of it and create a form and see if it does what you need.

We are currently researching with Adobe how to implement what we are already doing with the newer format and tools. In September, ACORD will provide us the forms in the newer .xdp format (the form and the data are in one file instead of two) and we will need to use the new FORM DESIGNER to modify them. They can still be read and printed using the latest version of Adobe Reader though.

If you have to create the forms yourself from scratch (not just add the fields to the form) then you will need to either use the newer Form Designer ( a single package that allows you to create a pdf form from scratch AND add fields to it) or a separate form designer WITH Acrobat 6. The newer Form Designer costs 449.00. You only need a server product if you plan on mapping the form fields from within Adobe to a backend directly which it provides odbc connections for.

HTH,

Tracy

>Hi Tracy,
>
>It sounds like you are using Acrobat Professional to (currently) add the fillable fields to the form, correct? Have you any idea which product is used by ACORD to produce the pdf's that you are using? I am trying to figure out if buying Acrobat Pro 6.0 will allow me to create the forms from scratch (ca. $500) or do I have to buy the new "Acrobat Output Designer" at $1600 to do this. Would you have a contact at ACORD that I could email to ask what they use?
>
>When you say you launch Acrobat, is that through instantiating Acrobat on a form via an ActiveX control (like what I see covered in the Kilofox book Chapter 8) or is this just using RUN to launch the reader and passing a file name as part of the string. If you had a short snippet of code you could paste, that would be great. Oh, and what version of Acrobat are you using?
>
>Thanks bunch,
>Albert
>
>
>
>>That is what we are already doing. We use insurance forms for all 50 states such as applications, loss notices, endorsements, binders, etc. Adobe handles it all. We store the data in our VFP app and pass it to Adobe Reader by creating an xfdf file which is associated with pdf files. The xfdf file is actually an xml file that matches the fields on the pdf form (fillable pdf forms). We launch Adobe Reader from our VfP app by sending the xfdf file name and the form is launched with all of the fields on the pdf form filled in.
>>
>>Tracy
>>