renderPDFForm operation(deprecated)

Hinweis: This operation is deprecated. Use the renderPDFForm operation operation instead. It is recommended that when you upgrade a process, you change it to use the renderPDFForm operation. Only use the renderPDFform(deprecated) operation when you cannot reference a form design or form data using a document object. (See About deprecated operations.)

Retrieves the specified form, merges form data, and transforms it to a PDF form for a client application, such as a Adobe Reader. Use this operation when you want to use form designs or form data from a network, local file system, or HTTP location as literal values.

For example, your application must render a PDF form to a user for them to digitally sign in Acrobat. A PDF form has embedded security features and the ability for users to digitally sign the form. When the form design to render is on the network, use the renderPDFForm (deprecated) operation to render an interactive PDF form.

For information about the General and Route Evaluation property groups, see Common operation properties.

Input properties

The properties that specify the form design, form data, and options when rendering a PDF form.

Form To Render

A string value that specifies the name of the form design. This value is combined with the value of the Content Root URI property in this operation to construct an absolute path to the form.

If you provide a literal value, the name of the form must be typed in the box below the Form To Render property.

For example, a folder in the repository named form designs contains the form design named form.xdp. To access the form design, type /form.xdp in the Form To Render property and repository:///formdesigns in the Content Root URI property. The absolute path created is repository:///formdesigns/form.xdp, which is required to access the form design.

Form Data

A document value that represents the data to merge with the form during rendering. Form data that is provided as XML must be deserialized by using the deserialize function. (See deserialize.)

If you provide a literal value, clicking the ellipsis button  opens the Select Asset dialog box. (See About Select Asset.)

PDF Form Render Options

A PDFFormRenderSpec value that represents run-time options for rendering a PDF form.

If you provide a literal value, set the following options:

Character Set:

Sets the character set used to encode in the rendered PDF form. Select the character set to use or select one of these values:

Use Server Default:

(Default) Use the Character Set setting that is configured on the LiveCycle Server. The Character Set setting is configured using Administration Console. (See Forms Administration Help.)

Use Custom Value:

Use a character set that is not available in the list. After selecting this value, in the text box beside the list, and type the canonical name (Java.nio API) of the encoding set to use. For a list of character sets, see http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/guide/intl/encoding.doc.html.

Locale:

Sets the language used to send validation messages to client devices, such as web browsers, when an HTML form is rendered. Select select a language from the list or select one of these values:

Use Server Default:

*(Default) Use the Locale setting that is configured on the LiveCycle Server. The Locale setting is configured using Administration Console. (See Forms Administration Help.)

Use Custom Value:
Use a locale that is not available in the list. After selecting this value, in the text box beside the list, type the Locale ID of the locale code to use. For a list of supported locale codes, see http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/guide/intl/locale.doc.html.

Cache Form On Server:

Sets whether the form design is cached on the server. Caching forms on the server improves performance for forms that are rendered on the server. No default value is provided. When no value is selected, the Form Cache Control settings are used. The Form Cache Control Settings are configured using Administration Console. (See Forms Administration Help.) Select one of these values:

False:

The form design is not cached on the server.

True:

The form design is cached on the server.

Acrobat Version:

Sets the minimum Acrobat and Adobe Reader version required to open and modify the rendered PDF form. Select one of these values:

Use Form Template Default:

(Default) The Target Version setting in the form design determines the minimum version of Acrobat or Adobe Reader. In addition, the form design determines the PDF Version.

Acrobat and Adobe Reader 6 or later:

Acrobat or Adobe Reader 6 and later can open the PDF form. PDF Version 1.5 is used.

Acrobat and Adobe Reader 7.0 or later:

Acrobat or Adobe Reader 7 and later can open the PDF form. PDF Version 1.6 is used.

Acrobat and Adobe Reader 7.0.5 or later:

Acrobat or Adobe Reader 7.0.5 and later can open the PDF form. PDF Version 1.65 is used.

Acrobat and Adobe Reader 8 or later:

Acrobat or Adobe Reader 8 and later can open the PDF form. PDF Version 1.7 is used.

Acrobat and Adobe Reader 8.1 or later:

or Adobe Reader 8.1 and later can open the PDF form. PDF Version 1.7-ADBE-1 is used.

Acrobat and Adobe Reader 9 or later:

Acrobat or Adobe Reader 9 and later can open the PDF form. PDF Version 1.7-ADBE-3 is used.

Populate XML Data:

Sets whether the XML data is produced from the form design based on its current processing state. Select one of these values:

False:

(Default) Do not produce the XML data.

True:

Produce the XML data.

Tagged PDF:

Sets whether to create a tagged Adobe PDF form. A tagged PDF form defines a set of standard structure types and attributes that support the extraction of page content and reuse for other purposes. It is intended for use by client applications that perform the following types of operations:

  • Simple extraction of text and graphics for pasting into other applications.

  • Automatic reflow of text and associated graphics to fit a page of a different size than was assumed for the original layout.

  • Processing text for such purposes as searching, indexing, and spell-checking.

  • Conversion to other common file formats (such as HTML, XML, and RTF) with document structure and basic styling information preserved.

  • Making content accessible by screen reader software.

    Select one of these values:

    False:

    Do not render a tagged PDF form.

    True:

    (Default) Render a tagged PDF form.

    Linearized PDF:

    Sets whether to render a linearized PDF form. A linearized PDF form is organized so that it supports incremental access in a network environment. For example, a linearized PDF can be displayed in a web browser before the entire PDF document is downloaded. Select one of these values:

    False:

    (Default) Do not render a linearized PDF form. It is best to use this option for non-web applications.

    True:

    Render a linearized PDF form. It is best to use this option for optimized web applications.

    Seed PDF:

    Sets an initial PDF form that is used in a PDF transformation to optimize delivery. The seed PDF form specifies a customized PDF form containing only fonts that is appended with a form design and data. This property is used when the form is opened using Acrobat 7.0 or later. No default value is provided.

    Render At Client:

    Sets whether to enable the delivery of PDF content by using the client-side rendering capability of Acrobat 7.0 or Adobe Reader 7.0 and later. Client-side rendering improves the performance of the Forms service. This property applies only to PDF, PDFForm, or PDFMerge transformations. Select one of these values:

    Use Server Default:

    (Default) Use the Render At setting version on the server to open PDF forms rendered by the Forms service. The Render At setting is configured in Administration Console. (See Forms Administration Help.)

    Use Form Template Default:

    The Forms service determines the form rendition based on the setting in the form design.

    Yes:

    A dynamic PDF form is generated and rendering occurs in Acrobat. Rendering of a dynamic form occurs only on Acrobat 7.0 or later. No rendering occurs for earlier version of Acrobat.

    No:

    A static PDF form is generated. Rendering does not occur on the client.

    Stand Alone Rendition:

    Sets whether the form can be rendered without state information. State information is used for rendering interactive forms that require user interaction with the server for submissions. Select one of these values:

    False:

    (Default) The form is rendered without state information and without embedded JavaScript that runs on the client web browser. The Forms service renders the form after server-side calculations are performed and the results are displayed in the rendered form. The results of the calculation are displayed in the rendered form. Because of the required interaction with the Forms service, the form cannot be used offline.

    True:

    The form is rendered with state information and embedded JavaScript. The JavaScript code runs on the client with no interaction with the server. In addition, the form can be used offline.

    Form Model:

    Sets the location where scripts that are embedded into the form are executed. Select one of these values:

    Use Form Template Default:

    (Default) The Forms service checks the form design to determine whether to render the form on the client or on the server.

    Client Side:

    The form is rendered on the client. Server-side scripts should not be used. Scripts in a form that are run on the server when this option is selected generate a warning on the LiveCycle Server.

    Server Side:

    The form is rendered on the server.

    Both Server and Client side:

    The form is rendered on both the server and the client.

    XCI URI:

    Sets the URI location of the XCI file to use for rendering. If the root is not specified, the file is assumed to reside in the location where the LiveCycle EAR files are deployed.

    Client Cache:

    Sets whether the rendered PDF form is cached on the client web browser. Only forms that are rendered as interactive PDF forms can be stored in the client web browser cache.

    When client caching is used, the timestamps of the cached PDF form is compared with the timestamp of the PDF form generated on the server. If the timestamps are the same, the PDF form is retrieved from the client cache. When the compared timestamps are different, the server redelivers the PDF form. Using the cache on the client results in reduced bandwidth usage and improves performance. Performance improves because the Forms service does not have to redeliver the PDF form to the client application. Select one of these values:

    False:

    (Default) Do not cache the form on the client.

    True:

    Cache the form on the client.

    Generate Server Appearance:

    Sets whether the appearance for the PDF form is generated on the server. Appearances include the layout of fields and graphical elements in the PDF form. When you generate the appearance on the server, the form is rendered on the server and merged with data. Generate the appearance when you want to use the rendered PDF form in a subsequent operation. For example, if you need to apply a digital signature to the rendered PDF form on the server, generate the appearance on the server before applying the digital signature. If the appearance is not generated on the server, it is generated in Acrobat or Adobe Reader when the PDF form is rendered on the client, which invalidates the digital signature that was applied.

    False:

    (Default) Do not generate the appearance on the server.

    True:

    Generate the appearance of the rendered PDF form on the server.

URL Options

A URLSpec value that specifies the URI run-time information required to render a PDF form.

If you provide a literal value, you can specify the following options:

Application Web Root:

Sets the URL representing the root location that is used to access application-specific web content. This value is combined with the value of the Target URL option to construct an absolute submit URL. No default value is provided.

Target URL:

Sets the URL to access a web service or Java servlet that receives data from the client application when a user submits the form. Setting a value in this option sets the target URL in the form design to the value specified by this property. If this option is not an absolute URL, it is combined with the value from the Application Web Root option to construct an absolute URL. No default value is provided.

For Workspace, the value is in the format http://[server name]:[port]/workspace-server/submit, where [server name] is the name of the server where LiveCycle is deployed and [port] is the port that the application server uses to provide HTTP access for client software. These are the default ports for the supported application servers.

JBoss:

8080

WebLogic:

7001

WebSphere:

9080

Content Root URI:

Sets the URI or an absolute reference, which specifies the location in the repository to retrieve a form design. This value is combined with the value of the Form To Render property in this operation to construct an absolute path to the form. No default value is provided.

You can use the following sources for a URI or absolute reference:

  • Repository: The repository contains assets that you upload to the LiveCycle Server. The value repository:/// references the root of the repository. The first two forward slashes are part of the protocol (repository://) and the third forward slash represents the root of the repository. For example, the documents folder is created below the root of the repository.

  • Directory in the file system of the LiveCycle Server: You can specify a location on the LiveCycle Server, such as C:\[foldername]. Using a location on the server is not recommended if you want to ensure portability of your application.

  • Network directory: You can specify a location on the network, such as \\[folder name].

  • Web location that is accessible by using HTTP: After you upload a file to a location on a web server, you can specify the location by using a URL, such as http://[server name]:[port number]/[foldername].

    For example, a folder in the repository named form designs contains the form design named form.xdp. To access the form design, type /form.xdp in the Form To Render property and repository:///formdesigns in the Content Root URI property. The absolute path created is repository:///formdesigns/form.xdp, which is required to access the form design.

    Base URL:

    Sets the URL, which is the HTTP-equivalent of the Content Root URI. This value is required only when you render HTML forms (renderHTMLForm operation (deprecated) and renderHTMLForm operation operations) that include HREF references to external dependencies, such as images or scripts. When a dependency path is absolute, this value is ignored. No default value is provided.

Attachments

A map value of document values that specifies the attachments that are rendered with the PDF form.

Output properties

Properties to store the rendered PDF form and the results of rendering the form.

Rendered Form

The location in the process data model to store the rendered PDF form. The data type is document.

Page Count

The location in the process data model to store the number of pages in the PDF form. The data type is long.

Locale

The location in the process data model to store the locale code of the rendered PDF form. The data type is string.

Forms Result

The location in the process data model to store the result of rendering the PDF form. The data type is FormsResult.

Exceptions

This operation throws a RenderFormException exception when an error occurs rendering a PDF form.