CODEWITHSUNDEEP
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Linus
Linus

Reputation: 1256

Hiding the "You cannot save data typed into this form" message in Acrobat

I am embeding a PDF form on my web application. The application allows you to fill in the fields in the form, and when you are done, click on a "Submit" button, which saves whatever you've entered into the form. This functionality is working fine.

Unfortunately, Adobe Reader displays a message on top of their embeded control that says: "Please fill out the following form. You cannot save data typed into this form. Please print your completed form if you would like a copy for your records."

Now, I know what Adobe Reader is trying to tell the user. Basically, Adobe Reader will not allow you to save the contents of what you've entered into your local hard drive as a new PDF.

However, since we've added a Submit button which effectively will save what they typed within our application, and it is working. Therefore, we think this message is misleading, and would like to remove it.

I use iTextSharp in .Net for our form automation server side. I have not found a way to remove this message from the embeded forms.

Any help?

Upvotes: 4

Views: 12042

Answers (4)

d1val
d1val

Reputation: 401

It has been a long time, but adobe has added option to hide this annoying message.

On OSX 11.0.3, Preferences>Forms>Always hide document message bar

Upvotes: 5

Kurt Pfeifle
Kurt Pfeifle

Reputation: 90253

Adobe Acrobat (Standard and Pro) can change PDF forms to enable Adobe Acrobat Reader users to 'fill+save' form data (instead of the standard 'fill+print').

It is a special option available when saving the PDF saying "Save PDF with extended Reader functions" (or similar... I'm translating this back from German into English).

This cannot be achieved with any non-Adobe PDF creating software (unless this has licensed that function from Adobe). The technical reason for this is that Adobe uses a digital signature to protect this function, and that you'll have to agree to not reverse engineer the key when you accept the Adobe EULA. Acrobat Reader has that key compiled into its binary, and if it verified the key, it will change the message displayed to the user indicating that the form data of this document can be saved (it will also change its behaviour and indeed save the data).

Maybe this info helps you?

Upvotes: 4

Bohemian
Bohemian

Reputation: 425033

Switch to View > Full Screen Mode (short cut is on a mac is ⌘L).

Although this mode hides all menus and scroll bars too, I prefer it. IMHO the reader uses far too much screen real estate on junk)

Upvotes: 0

Stewbob
Stewbob

Reputation: 16899

I'm pretty sure that there is no way around this if you want to continue to use Acrobat Reader to display the PDF. This message is built into Acrobat Reader, and I am not aware of any way to override it from the outside.

Sorry, this is more in the way of a negative answer than a positive one.

There are some third-party, free, projects that are basically PDF viewers for .NET. This would allow you to get rid of the message by avoiding Acrobat Reader entirely, although this is a large amount of work just to get rid of a message.

This one is pretty comprehensive.

Another option that I'm sure you already thought of is to just build the form on the web page, instead of using the PDF. Again, a lot of extra work just to remove a message.

Upvotes: 4

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