Populating fields on a PDF Form

[Guest]

I am developing an HR application using MS Access frontend and SQL Server
backend. I am looking for help to accomplish the following. The internal
revenue service (IRS) has a PDF form for the W4 that employees must fill out
and submit to tell HR how many exemptions they are claiming. I want to
automate this process a bit. I want to be able to open the W4 PDF form from
an Access form and then fill the PDF form fields on the W4 with the employee
information from the database. Information like name, address etc. that the
employee would normally write on the form. I want to display the PDF with
the form fields already populated from the database record and then the
employee can print the form, sign it and submit it to HR.

Can anyone point me in the right direction. I am sure this is being done
but I cannot make any sense of the Adobe SDK documentation.

Thanks in advance

 

[Stephen Lebans]

There are many PDF libraries on the Net that allow you to interact with PDF
forms. But where you want/need to interact with an Access MDB you might
consider an alternative approach.

Create a form in Access that mimics the look/functionality of the W4 form.
User fills out the form to Store/Calculate the necessary fields to fill out
the W4 form.
Using a PDF Forms Library, open and manipulate a blank W4 PDF form with the
data form your Access form.


I use the DynaForms PDF library that fully supports the PDF Form spec. There
would be a learning curve for you though. It's not rocket science but the
initial learning curve is quite steep as it is with any new subject.
Dynaforms does expose a VB interface.

--

HTH
Stephen Lebans
http://www.lebans.com
Access Code, Tips and Tricks
Please respond only to the newsgroups so everyone can benefit.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply. I will take a look at the library you mentioned.

 

[Guest]

Could you be a little more specific about "Using a PDF Forms Library, open
and manipulate a blank W4 PDF form with the data form your Access form."?

I have a Access2000 application that has 20+ reports that look like froms
from a gvmt agency. With all the lines, boxes, and such they make the
application HUGE. If i could 'pull in' these forms/reports from another
source and populate the necessary fields from access it would be great.

At one time we printed the reports on pre-printed forms but that was a
hassel because the user could never seem to get the right form in th eprinter
for each report. By storing the forms as part of the app this problem goes
away. being able to retreive an electronic copy of a form and merge it with
my access report would be the best solution - kind of like a word mail
merger.

 

[Stephen Lebans]

You'll need to do some research on the Web to at least understand that a PDF
forms library is an interface between the programmer and a PDF document
containing embedded fields. You can think of it as PDF document similiar to
an Access form with all of the controls and UI.

Your orginal post stated that you have a PDF form that is the electronic
version of a W4 form.

Open the blank PDF W4 form via a PDF library that supports the PDF Form's
spec.
Using the data from your Access MDB, fill in the fields of the PDF W4 Form.
Save the modified PDF W4 form.

Your requirements seem to be changing with each post. If you need to stay
with a PDF document then you have no choice but to use a PDF library that
supports the PDF Form spec. I pointed you to DyanForms in my last post.
www.Dynaforms.com
If you prefer to keep everything in Access, then you must design a form and
matching report that are designed to exactly match your W4 form.

--

HTH
Stephen Lebans
http://www.lebans.com
Access Code, Tips and Tricks
Please respond only to the newsgroups so everyone can benefit.

 

[Guest]

Different guy - different but similar issue. I just an idea when reading
your reply to HangNail.

Steve