44
Collecting form data by email
After you've created a PDF form that contains form fields and an email-based submit
button, you can use the Initiate Form Data Collection Workflow command to quickly
distribute the form to others via email. Once a form recipient has filled in the PDF form,
they're automatically guided step-by-step to ensure that their form data is returned to the
email address specified by the email-based submit button. (To create an email-based
submit button, see
Creating Acrobat submit buttons.)
After you've received multiple sets of form data for a particular PDF form that
you've distributed, you can organize the form data into a spreadsheet file. (See
Creating a
spreadsheet from form data.)
To collect form data by email:
1. Open a PDF file that contains form fields and an email-based submit button.
2. Do one of the following to display the Initiate Data File Collection Workflow dialog box:
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Choose Initiate Form Data Collection Workflow from the Form Tasks menu
in the
Tasks toolbar.
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Choose Advanced > Forms > Initiate Form Data Collection Workflow.
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Choose File > Form Data > Initiate Form Data Collection Workflow.
3. Do one of the following, according to the dialog box that appears:
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Click Next if the Initiate Form Data Collection Workflow dialog box appears.
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Click Close if the Form Fields And Email Submit Button Required dialog box appears.
You must add form fields and an email-based submit button to your PDF file before you
can use the form data collection workflow. (See
Creating forms from scratch.)
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Click Close if the Email Submit Button Required dialog box appears. You must add an
email-based submit button that was created in Designer or Acrobat Professional to your
PDF form file before you can use the form data collection workflow. (See
Creating
Acrobat submit buttons.)
4. Type the email address of each person you want to receive the PDF form in the Invite
Recipients box, and type a comma between email addresses.
5. If you want to edit the message that the form recipients receive, edit the text in the
Preview Invitation box.
6. Click Send Invitation.
Related Subtopics:
Creating a spreadsheet from form data
20
Creating a spreadsheet from form data
Once you've collected PDF form data in FDF or XML format from multiple users, you
can organize the form data into a comma-delimited spreadsheet file (CSV). After
exporting the form data to a CSV file, you can work with the data in a spreadsheet
application, such as Microsoft Excel.
Create a folder on your computer to contain the form data that you receive via
email; then, when you organize that data into a spreadsheet or need to review individual
responses, you can quickly locate all of the files.
To organize form data into a spreadsheet:
1. Choose File > Form Data > Create Spreadsheet From Data Files.
2. If you want to automatically include all forms and form data that you've previously added
to the Data Files list, select Include Most Recent List Of Files To Export Data From.
3. Click Add Files, select one or more files that have an .xml, .fdf, .pdf, or .xfdf file name
extension, and then click Select. Repeat this step if you want to add more files to the list.
4. If you want to remove a file from the list, select the file, and click Remove Files.
5. Click Create Spreadsheet.
6. Select a location on your computer to save the spreadsheet, and then click Save. The
Create Spreadsheet dialog box displays "Done" when Acrobat has created the spreadsheet.
7. If you want to open the spreadsheet file in your default spreadsheet application, click
View File Now; otherwise, click Close The Dialog.
6
REVIEW AND MARKUP
Types of review workflows
Reviewing documents with additional usage rights
Tool operation basics
Using email in a review
Managing reviews using the Tracker
29
Types of review workflows
You can conduct reviews for many types of content by sending out a PDF version of the
source document for review. Adobe Acrobat 7.0 can set up your review, invite
participants, and track the responses from reviewers. To initiate a review, all you need is a
PDF document to review, an email application, and a mail server connection. If you create
documents in Microsoft Word for Windows or Autodesk AutoCAD, you can import
comments directly into the source document to revise the content. Before you initiate a
PDF document review workflow, determine which type of review best suits your project:
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Start a tracked email-based review. Acrobat allows you to track reviewers' comments,
send reminders, and keep a record of reviewed documents. You can even initiate reviews
in other applications. (See
Setting up an email-based review.)
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Start a tracked browser-based review. The main advantage to using a browser-based
review is that the participants can view each others' comments during the review process,
but participants must have access to a shared server. (See
Setting up a browser-based
review.)
You can also send a PDF document as an email attachment and then ask reviewers to add
comments and send the document or the exported comments back to you. However, the
primary disadvantage to an ad hoc approach is that you must manage the review and
comments manually. (See
Using email in a review.)
By contrast, tracked reviews provide helpful tools for each phase of the review. Setup
wizards help you initiate reviews, enable commenting for Adobe Reader users, and
present toolbars automatically in PDF documents; instructions in the How To window and
Document Message Bar assist reviewers through the process; and the Tracker monitors
responses and the review status, letting you send reminders and invite additional reviewers.
16
Reviewing documents with additional usage rights
By including additional usage rights in a PDF document, you can invite Adobe Reader 7.0
users--in addition to Acrobat users--to participate in document reviews. (Adobe Reader
7.0 is a free download, available from the Adobe website.) Additional usage rights, such
as commenting rights, are document-specific. Acrobat 7.0 Professional adds commenting
rights to the review PDF document when you use the wizard to initiate an email-based
review. You can also add commenting rights to a PDF document by choosing Comment >
Enable For Commenting In Adobe Reader. To enable commenting for browser-based
reviews, you must use an Adobe server product in addition, such as Adobe Document
Server or Adobe Reader Extensions Server. (For more information about Adobe server
products, visit the Adobe website.) When a PDF document with commenting rights opens
in Adobe Reader, it includes a Document Message Bar that provides instructions, and the
appropriate toolbar opens. (See
Additional usage rights.)
Note: Participants must have email capabilities to review PDF documents that include
additional usage rights.
27
Tool operation basics
Adobe Acrobat provides all the tools you need to complete a PDF document review.
Acrobat includes wizards to help initiators set up email-based and browser-based reviews,
invite participants, and send the PDF document as an attachment or URL with instructions
for completing the review. The setup wizard for browser-based reviews locates and
configures shared servers as the comments repository, the online location that houses the
setup FDF file, reviewers' comments, and quite often, the PDF document. (See
Setting up
a browser-based review.) PDF documents that you send and receive, including the email
addresses and comments of participants, may be accessed from the Tracker window,
where initiators can monitor the review progress, invite more reviewers, and send
reminders. (See
Managing reviews using the Tracker.)
In Acrobat 7.0 Professional, the wizard can enable additional usage rights in PDF
documents so that Adobe Reader 7.0 users can participate in the review. (See
Reviewing
documents with additional usage rights.)
Participants have a wide range of commenting and markup tools to choose from to review
a PDF document. (See
About adding comments.) When participants open a PDF
attachment in a review invitation, it includes a Document Message Bar that provides
instructions for adding and sending comments. If the PDF document includes additional
usage rights, Adobe Reader 7.0 presents commenting tools and saving options when the
participant opens the document. In Adobe Reader and Acrobat, the How To window
opens instructions to help the participant add comments and return feedback to the
initiator. (See
Displaying the How To window during reviews.)
33
Using email in a review
To send a PDF document for review, you need an email application and a mail server
connection. Acrobat works with most email applications.
If more than one email application is installed on your system, Acrobat may try to start the
application you don't normally use when sending a PDF document as an attachment. If
this occurs, do one of the following:
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(Windows) Double-click Internet Options in the Windows Control Panel. In the Internet
Properties dialog box, select the Programs tab, and then select your email application of
choice.
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(Windows) Change the MAPI settings in your email application. In Windows, Adobe
Reader uses the Messaging Application Program Interface (MAPI) to communicate with
your email application. Most email applications come with MAPI settings to handle this
communication. For more information on configuring your email applications, see the
email application's Help.
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(Mac OS) In Mail (the email application that's included with Mac OS), choose File >
Preferences, select General, and then choose the email application you want to use from
the Default Email Reader pop-up menu. Restart Acrobat for the changes to take effect. If
your application is not listed, choose Select from the menu and browse to the location. (Be
aware that if you select an application that is not listed in the Default Email Reader menu,
Acrobat may not support your application.)
Once you've verified that Acrobat works with your email application, you can initiate a
review. (See
Starting an email-based review or
Starting a browser-based review.)
You can email a PDF document from your email application or directly from
applications such as Microsoft Word. To email from Microsoft Word, choose Adobe PDF
> Convert To Adobe PDF And Email. (See
Converting Microsoft Office files (Windows)
or
Converting Microsoft Office files (Mac OS).)
26
Managing reviews using the Tracker
The Tracker adds a distinct advantage to managed email-based, browser-based, and
offline reviews: It monitors all Adobe PDF documents that you send and receive for
reviews. PDF documents and related information are stored automatically in three
permanent folders and can be moved to folders that you create. (See
Tracking review
comments.)
If you initiated a review, you can use the Tracker to check the review status of your PDF
document, send reminder messages, and invite more reviewers. (See
Inviting additional
reviewers and
Tracking review comments.) If you are participating in a review, you can
view PDF documents you received. You can also use the Tracker as a news reader. Search
for and subscribe to broadcast services on your network, such as news feeds or music
channels. The Tracker subscribes to web content that uses the Really Simple Syndication
(RSS) format, which is compatible with XML and RDF formats.
The Tracker window
To open the Tracker window:
Choose View > Tracker.
To subscribe to broadcast services using the Tracker:
In the Tracker window, do one of the following:
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Choose Services > Search For Additional Services, select a service in the Search For
Acrobat Services dialog box, and then click OK.
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Choose Services > Subscribe, enter a web address in the URL box, and then click OK.
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