Bill,
You are right that complicated scripts can slow things down. In most
cases, there is little need for complicated calculations. I think
incrementing annual budgets by some percent/year or calculating indirect
costs is the most complicated thing I've had to put into an agency/sponsor
form. The Adobe Acrobat guide contains lots of scripts for those who don't
know Java scripting. Adobe encourages you to copy and customize those
scripts for your own use. There are also plenty of websites out there with
free java scripts.
Regarding Business Tools, I'm afraid you have to take that one off the
list. Adobe abandoned Business Tools with the release of Acrobat
5.0. They said it wasn't productive enough financially - the reason they
gave for abandoning Unix a couple of years ago. For universities this is a
real shame because it was a step between generating pdf documents and using
pdf forms...allowed one to complete and save the forms with the data which
was entered... at a lower cost than the full Acrobat package. If you want
it back, complain to Adobe at www.adobe.com. Maybe they will reconsider.
Rosemary
At 12:56 PM 7/12/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>The new PDF forms certainly make completing the forms easier. But, the
>underlying JavaScript needed to enable calculations, for example, really
>makes form filling slooooow when any real sophistication is added to the
>calculation capabilities. And in so programming, one has essentially
>programmed a mini-spreadsheet. I'm more intrigued with the promise of the
>HTML version of the forms since Word and Excel both read and write HTML.
>Hopefully, we can easily integrate the forms into the appropriate program,
>use the inherent capabilities of these programs to perform the formatting
>and calculations, then use Binder to put together a complete proposal in one
>package. Having to do calculations, etc. using one set of software, then
>re-entering the information into another not only wastes time but also
>introduces opportunities for errors.
>
>On another note, those adopting the PDF format might want to look at
>deploying a site license of Adobe Business Tools which allows users to fill,
>save, and print iPDF forms but not create (or change?) forms. Business Tools
>sells for slightly less than Acrobat. Of course, key individuals will need
>Acrobat to tweak the forms for specific needs...Bill
>
>Bill Caskey, PhD
>Director, Research & Grants Administration
>Children's Mercy Hospital
>2401 Gillham Road
>Kansas City, MO 64108
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>Voice:(816) 234-3879
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