Can I Save the Data on the Forms?
Our interactive forms can be filled out online and printed. Word forms do not have Macros embedded in them, contrary to what the application thinks when you open the form. You should not enable Macros if prompted by Word on your computer. A Macro enabled file, saved to your computer, then returned to us by email will be blocked by anti-virus email filters. In Adobe Acrobat (PDF) forms, the ability to save the filled-in forms and submit them electronically is currently not available in Adobe Reader, due to its limitations, but there may be other solutions.
You may have discovered that some PDF forms on other sites can be saved with data intact, such as IRS forms. Adobe Reader does have a "hidden" ability to save data on forms, and this feature can be activated when the form is created. However, there is a licensing fee that must be paid by the creator of the form in order to activate this feature, and that fee must be paid for each individual form, and paid again each time the form is changed. For that reason, the City of Ankeny is unable to support this feature at this time. PDF forms may be filled out on the screen and printed, but cannot be saved or emailed from the open Adobe Acrobat Reader application. You may be able to do more and get around these limitations if you own a license of Adobe Acrobat Professional, but that is not a free solution.
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Saving the Data Using Foxit Reader or CutePDF Form Filler |
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It is possible to save your forms with the data you fill in by using a different software program than Adobe Acrobat Reader - either Foxit Reader or CutePDF Form Filler will work. There are many others, also, you may find in your own online search. Discussion of these two here does not constitute endorsement of these two as the best for your individual purpose, merely possibilities.
CutePDF Form Filler is available here. Foxit Reader is available here. CutePDF software costs $29.95, but you will notice on the website that there is a trial version available for free. If after using it a few times you find you like the software and want to keep using it you can pay then. Foxit Reader is free for the basic version which should fill out the forms satisfactorily. You can set either Foxit or CutePDF as you default PDF software so that forms from the web will open in that program. If this is a problem you can download the form by "right clicking", open Form Filler or Foxit Reader and then open the downloaded file in the program.
- If you are using the evaluation version of CutePDF, you may see a message that says you cannot save data you have typed into the form. Save it anyhow. It should work anyway but check your saved file.