Re: [libreoffice-users] pdf forms (OT?)

On 08/02/2024 18:14, Fred James wrote:
> Mike Scott wrote:
> > Hi all. I've just been looking at making pdf forms with Writer. Easier 
> > than I'd thought.
> >
> > I've been able to create a sample form with text fields and open this 
> > with xreader, evince or firefox. Firefox is able to display, edit and 
> > save a form whatever the content.
> >
> > However, evince and xreader refuse to even show data for radio buttons 
> > or a checkbox control and will not alter the settings. Similarly, 
> > pdftotext does not print the setting of such a control.
......
> > Oh, and is there any known way (CLI) of extracting the data fields 
> > from a pdf form? pdftotext seems rather ham-fisted: surely there's 
> > something better!
> >
> >
> > Apologies if this is too far OT; but any advice would be helpful, thanks.
> Mike Scott

> Sorry ... not much experienece with LO pdf forms, or LO forms in 
> general, but should very much like to know how your forms might function 
> under Okular.  I am willing to try testing that for you, if you could 
> send one of your forms to me attached to an email, but if you have 
> access to Okular, your results would do as well.
....

Thanks for replying and for the offer. I've now installed Okular, and it 
does (once forms are enabled) allow editing and saving of the form. 
Presumably, evince and xreader are both buggy.

As well as my own efforts to see how things tick, I've also used the 
examples at the foot of this useful instructional page:
<https://www.linuxuprising.com/2019/02/how-to-create-fillable-pdf-forms-with.html>


It still leaves the question of how to extract the data from the 
completed form. Perhaps I've not hit the right keyword, but I've found 
/nothing/ on the net. Surely if there's a way of filling in a form, 
there's one of reading it!!

--
Mike Scott
Harlow, Essex, England


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