Information Technology Reference
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11
Using Acrobat Forms and Databases - Lyn Price
Everyone uses a form at some time or another, and many companies are using electronic forms to collect
data in a more timely fashion. Adobe has provided the ability to add form fields to static forms since
Acrobat 3. In Acrobat 7 Professional, Adobe has finally made it easy to design smart forms and has even
gone one step further and made it easy to compile the data in a spreadsheet or Access database.
Adobe LiveCycle Designer, previously a program purchased separately for approximately $1700 (US),
is now packaged with Acrobat 7 Professional and makes creating forms a breeze. We are not going to teach
the old Forms tools found on the Advanced Editing Toolbar: The Forms tools will be easy to use if you
understand how to work with Adobe LiveCycle Designer.
In this Chapter
Follow along as we design the form - the chapter is designed as a single project. Therefore, there are no
separate exercises or projects at the conclusion of the chapter. In this chapter you will use Adobe Designer
to design a Personal Survey form. We will:
x Use New Form Assistant to get started
x Learn about the different form fields
x Learn how to construct the form
x Learn how to organize and name form fields
x Learn how to manipulate incoming data.
Note: In the chapter the program is referred to as Adobe Designer or Designer for simplicity.
Getting Started
The best way to learn is by doing, not just reading. Before you start, take a look at the finished form for
reference. You can open Adobe Designer either from the Start menu or from within Acrobat.
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