Adobe Acrobat Reader PDF/FDF Merge and View
My goal is to prepopulate PDF forms with information that resides in a database via a web (ASP) platform.
In order to do this, I am merging a PDF template with a FDF file. This part works.
The problem I am having is that I would prefer to launch the document in the Acrobat Reader stand alone program and instead the generated document is being launched in the reader plug-in for IE/Netscape. If I can't get the document to launch in the stand-alone reader I'd like to not have the stand-alone reader launch at all and simply have the document loaded in the web browser plug-in.
'*************************
'--This sample launches the an empty instance of adobe acrobat reader and then opens the merged
'--document in a browser window with the form prepopulated
Set FdfAcX = Server.CreateObject("FdfAp
' Create a blank FDF file
Set objFdf = FdfAcX.FDFCreate
objFdf.FDFSetValue "strLastName", strLastName, False
objFdf.FDFSetValue "strFirstName", strFirstName, False
objFdf.FDFSetFile "http://www.myweb.com/Content/DynamicForms/myfile.pdf"
' Save the file
Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.fdf"
Response.BinaryWrite objFdf.FDFSaveToBuf
' Close the file
objFdf.FDFClose
' Cleanup
Set objFdf = Nothing
Set FdfAcX = Nothing
**************************
'*************************
'--This sample only works in the server because of the physical file location of the PDF but launches in
'--Adobe Acrobat reader as desired. I just wanted to show this example as a contrast to above
'--but that it offers the desired result
Set FdfAcX = Server.CreateObject("FdfAp
' Create a blank FDF file
Set objFdf = FdfAcX.FDFCreate
objFdf.FDFSetValue "strLastName", strLastName, False
objFdf.FDFSetValue "strFirstName", strFirstName, False
objFdf.FDFSetFile "c:/DynamicPDFs/Content/Dy
' Save the file
Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.fdf"
Response.BinaryWrite objFdf.FDFSaveToBuf
' Close the file
objFdf.FDFClose
' Cleanup
Set objFdf = Nothing
Set FdfAcX = Nothing
**************************
In order to do this, I am merging a PDF template with a FDF file. This part works.
The problem I am having is that I would prefer to launch the document in the Acrobat Reader stand alone program and instead the generated document is being launched in the reader plug-in for IE/Netscape. If I can't get the document to launch in the stand-alone reader I'd like to not have the stand-alone reader launch at all and simply have the document loaded in the web browser plug-in.
'*************************
'--This sample launches the an empty instance of adobe acrobat reader and then opens the merged
'--document in a browser window with the form prepopulated
Set FdfAcX = Server.CreateObject("FdfAp
' Create a blank FDF file
Set objFdf = FdfAcX.FDFCreate
objFdf.FDFSetValue "strLastName", strLastName, False
objFdf.FDFSetValue "strFirstName", strFirstName, False
objFdf.FDFSetFile "http://www.myweb.com/Content/DynamicForms/myfile.pdf"
' Save the file
Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.fdf"
Response.BinaryWrite objFdf.FDFSaveToBuf
' Close the file
objFdf.FDFClose
' Cleanup
Set objFdf = Nothing
Set FdfAcX = Nothing
**************************
'*************************
'--This sample only works in the server because of the physical file location of the PDF but launches in
'--Adobe Acrobat reader as desired. I just wanted to show this example as a contrast to above
'--but that it offers the desired result
Set FdfAcX = Server.CreateObject("FdfAp
' Create a blank FDF file
Set objFdf = FdfAcX.FDFCreate
objFdf.FDFSetValue "strLastName", strLastName, False
objFdf.FDFSetValue "strFirstName", strFirstName, False
objFdf.FDFSetFile "c:/DynamicPDFs/Content/Dy
' Save the file
Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.fdf"
Response.BinaryWrite objFdf.FDFSaveToBuf
' Close the file
objFdf.FDFClose
' Cleanup
Set objFdf = Nothing
Set FdfAcX = Nothing
**************************
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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Hi
using Response.ContentType ="application/pdf" will only give you a error because of no proper PDF file structure ...
using Response.ContentType ="application/pdf" will only give you a error because of no proper PDF file structure ...
Ok, here's how I do it .. the file will get displayed in the stand alone program :
the trick is to first write the pdf to a physical file, then call Response.WriteFile on that file
....
string rrnaam = GetFaktNaam(Session["klant
string theFile = FdfAcX_Doc.FDFSaveToStr();
FileStream fs = new FileStream( ExportFolder + rrnaam + ".pdf" , FileMode.OpenOrCreate, FileAccess.Write);
StreamWriter m_streamWriter = new StreamWriter(fs);
// Write to the file using StreamWriter class
m_streamWriter.BaseStream.
m_streamWriter.WriteLine(t
m_streamWriter.Flush();
fs.Close();
//-------------------
FdfAcX_Doc.FDFClose();
Response.ContentType="Appl
Response.WriteFile(ExportF
Response.End();
the trick is to first write the pdf to a physical file, then call Response.WriteFile on that file
....
string rrnaam = GetFaktNaam(Session["klant
string theFile = FdfAcX_Doc.FDFSaveToStr();
FileStream fs = new FileStream( ExportFolder + rrnaam + ".pdf" , FileMode.OpenOrCreate, FileAccess.Write);
StreamWriter m_streamWriter = new StreamWriter(fs);
// Write to the file using StreamWriter class
m_streamWriter.BaseStream.
m_streamWriter.WriteLine(t
m_streamWriter.Flush();
fs.Close();
//-------------------
FdfAcX_Doc.FDFClose();
Response.ContentType="Appl
Response.WriteFile(ExportF
Response.End();
ASKER
Natasja_,
I do not have access to the methods and classes you mention. I'm not using .Net just straight up ASP on an IIS 5.0 server. I should have mentioned that to begin with.
I don't necessarily *need* to have the PDF launch in the stand-alone reader, that is preferred. However, if the PDF must launch in a browser window I'd rather not have adobe reader launch at all. It doesn't appear to be providing any purpose.
Any other ideas?
I do not have access to the methods and classes you mention. I'm not using .Net just straight up ASP on an IIS 5.0 server. I should have mentioned that to begin with.
I don't necessarily *need* to have the PDF launch in the stand-alone reader, that is preferred. However, if the PDF must launch in a browser window I'd rather not have adobe reader launch at all. It doesn't appear to be providing any purpose.
Any other ideas?
ASKER
My wish list is this
1. Open the PDF in the stand-alone reader
else
2. Open the PDF in the browser and do not open the reader stand-alone
else
what I have now is
3. Open the PDF in the browser and launch an empty instance of Acrobat reader.
1. Open the PDF in the stand-alone reader
else
2. Open the PDF in the browser and do not open the reader stand-alone
else
what I have now is
3. Open the PDF in the browser and launch an empty instance of Acrobat reader.
I don't think it will open the empty instance of Acrobat reader? Are you sure? Bcoz i'm using IE 6 but i have never seen such thing before ...
do you mean that adobe acrobat (CREATOR, not the Free reader) is opened when you look at the FDF ? So you got 1 open window with your data, and an open empty Acrobat ?
Because that's normal, it doesn't happen on PC's where only the free reader is installed.
Because that's normal, it doesn't happen on PC's where only the free reader is installed.
ASKER
I don't know why you haven't seen this behavior but I've tested this code..
**************************
'--This sample launches the an empty instance of adobe acrobat reader and then opens the merged
'--document in a browser window with the form prepopulated
Set FdfAcX = Server.CreateObject("FdfAp
' Create a blank FDF file
Set objFdf = FdfAcX.FDFCreate
objFdf.FDFSetValue "strLastName", strLastName, False
objFdf.FDFSetValue "strFirstName", strFirstName, False
objFdf.FDFSetFile "http://www.myweb.com/Content/DynamicForms/myfile.pdf"
' Save the file
Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.fdf"
Response.BinaryWrite objFdf.FDFSaveToBuf
' Close the file
objFdf.FDFClose
' Cleanup
Set objFdf = Nothing
Set FdfAcX = Nothing
**************************
on several different machines and get the same result. The back end is Windows 2000, IIS 5.0 and I've tested on a Windows 2000 Professional computer running IE 6, 2 windows XP machines running IE 6, and a Windows 98 machine running IE 6 and all have displayed the same behavior of launching an empty acrobat reader and then loading the PDF in a browser window.
**************************
'--This sample launches the an empty instance of adobe acrobat reader and then opens the merged
'--document in a browser window with the form prepopulated
Set FdfAcX = Server.CreateObject("FdfAp
' Create a blank FDF file
Set objFdf = FdfAcX.FDFCreate
objFdf.FDFSetValue "strLastName", strLastName, False
objFdf.FDFSetValue "strFirstName", strFirstName, False
objFdf.FDFSetFile "http://www.myweb.com/Content/DynamicForms/myfile.pdf"
' Save the file
Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.fdf"
Response.BinaryWrite objFdf.FDFSaveToBuf
' Close the file
objFdf.FDFClose
' Cleanup
Set objFdf = Nothing
Set FdfAcX = Nothing
**************************
on several different machines and get the same result. The back end is Windows 2000, IIS 5.0 and I've tested on a Windows 2000 Professional computer running IE 6, 2 windows XP machines running IE 6, and a Windows 98 machine running IE 6 and all have displayed the same behavior of launching an empty acrobat reader and then loading the PDF in a browser window.
ASKER
I really appreciate all the comments thus far.
I have double checked that only the free reader is installed on my test machine just to verify that what I've said thus far is accurate. It does happen on a machine where only the free reader is installed. Again, what I end up with is an IE window with the pdf and an instance of Acrobat Reader with no document.
I have double checked that only the free reader is installed on my test machine just to verify that what I've said thus far is accurate. It does happen on a machine where only the free reader is installed. Again, what I end up with is an IE window with the pdf and an instance of Acrobat Reader with no document.
Response.ContentType ="application/pdf"