Re: Form 2 PDF 2 Form

hi, seems u have complicated task on hand mate. cant u simply consider span the user input over multiple pages? i mean using 2 or more form on different pages instead of a single form on one single page. if this cant be done, we'll think of other measures. but this is by far the most simple method -shiva "Petre Agenbag" <internet@vsa.co.za> wrote in message news:1057058859.4632.16.camel@petre... > Hi List > > OK, firstly, sorry if this has been on the list before... > > What I'd like to do is something like this: > > I currently have an app that takes user input via a normal html form, > and then pops the content into mysql. > > The problem is that lots of user complain that the submit times out due > to slow/bad connections, and hence the data gets lost. > > What I was hoping to do now, was to somehow create a PDF form from the > current html form ( should generate itself on the fly ) , the PDF form > will obviously need to be downloaded to the user's PC, and will be > unique for each time they use the system, ie, I don't want to just give > them a blank template PDF, some of the values need to be > "auto-completed" and inserted into the form as "read-only", as well as a > couple of "hidden" fields with identifying values so I can know where to > pop it into the db. > > The idea is that the user will now come to the point where he would > usually have filled in the html form, but instead, the app must > autogenerate a PDF with some values auto-completed and/or hidden, and > the user then downloads the pdf to his/her PC, where they continue to > fill out the pdf form. > > Then, on completetion, I'd like to investigate several delivery > mechanisms, arguably, the easiest way for the users ( who are mostly > techno-peasants), is to simply e-mail the pdf as an attachment to me), > but then I will either have to create an auto-parser for the email > (prolly difficult and prone to problems with making sure the attachment > is correct etc), or I will have to then manually process the > attachments. > > Either way, I would need to "feed" the pdf to my app, where the > form/hidden variables would need to be harvested from the form, and noly > then (after validation), be entered into the db. > > So, simple concept, but I'm sure many pitfalls, the least being probably > that I have never done this, and don't know where to start, or even if > it's possible/advisable to follow this route. > > Hence my post here... > >