ADOBE© interactive form – v1.0
ADOBE© interactive form
Introduction
1
System Requirement
2
5
3
Technical Overview
4
Demo
Appendix
ADOBE© interactive form
Introduction
1
System Requirement
2
5
3
Technical Overview
4
Demo
Appendix
Disadvantage of paper-based business process
• Paper based forms are expensive because of labor
cost resulting from redundant manual intervention or
fixing human error and cost of storage.
• Paper-based processes are inefficient, create
bottlenecks, and make it difficult to take advantage of
automation built into enterprise applications.
• Paper-based forms make it difficult for remote, mobile,
and casual users to access up-to-date forms and
complete them in a timely fashion.
The integration of Adobe PDF capabilities with the SAP
NetWeaver open integration and application platform has
placed SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe at the heart of
projects around the world to automate form-based
processes, eliminate paper throughout an organization,
and keep compliant with industry standard. SAP Interactive
Forms by Adobe enable end-to-end workflows with rich and
intelligent common user experiences for online and offline
use to
• Increase user productivity
• Extend SAP business processes to every computer with
Adobe Reader® software
• Increase trust in documents and data anywhere in the
process
Features of ADOBE interactive forms
• Create form templates for the dynamic layout that
include logos or pictures
• Generate documents by merging form templates and
current system data
• Edit forms online or offline
• Forms can be filled in advance automatically with
specific data from SAP applications and then sent to
the correct recipients using secure methods
• Automatic consistency checks for forms
• Activate enhanced functions such as comments
• Digital signatures and form certification
• Send completed forms to the SAP application with
automatic updates of the business data
Use Cases of Interactive Forms
Use case
Enviroment
Available with
General interactive use of forms
for data capture
Web Dynpro for Java
SAP NetWeaver 04
Web Dynpro for ABAP
SAP NetWeaver 04s
Interactive use in offline processes Guided Procedures
as part of a workflow framework
SAP NetWeaver 04s
Interactive use in online processes Internet Service
as part of a workflow framework
Request
mySAP ERP 2004
High-volume printing, for example
invoice or payroll runs
ABAP Workbench
SAP NetWeaver 04
Enterprise reporting, that is
printing of dynamic BI tables
(function for end user)
SAP NetWeaver 04s
ADOBE© interactive form
Introduction
1
System Requirement
2
5
3
Technical Overview
4
Demo
Appendix
Complete architecture of ADOBE interactive form
integration with SAP
ADOBE document service (ADS)
• Adobe Document Services provided by SAP runs as a
module on J2EE Application Server to provide Adobe
PDF Based Form Outputs and also Adobe Interactive
Forms for Input/Output.
• Web services are used to generate the PDF forms at
runtime; in interactive scenarios, they extract the XML
data from the form and send it to the system.
• For complete documentation about the configuration of
Adobe document services, see the following link:
Adobe Document Service Configuration Guide
Adobe LiveCycle Designer™
• LiveCycle Designer is installed locally on the developer’s
PC and tightly integrated into the following development
environments:
- ABAP Workbench
- SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio (transaction SFP)
Features
•
•
•
•
•
Convert XForms
Import static document formats
Work with a point-and-click XML template design tool
Add digital signatures to templates
Support XML data and schema bindings
• Create rich and engaging form guides for data capture
Additional Installations on the Client PC
• Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat (Version 7.0.9 or
higher)
• SAP Web Dynpro Active Component Framework (ACF)
-Not required when form build in ZCI layout
• Interactive form needs Reader Rights Credential for
accessing advance capabilities.
- Reader Rights are configured as part of the installation
and configuration process of Adobe Document Services
ZCI layout
• System Prerequisites
- SAP NetWeaver NW7.0 SPS10 or higher
- SAPGUI Release 6.40 Support Package Level 20 or
higher (see SAP Note 940637).
- Adobe LiveCycle Designer 7.1, support package level 1
• Prerequisites for ZCI Forms
- Adobe Reader Version 7.x with x >= 08
- ZCI and HTTPS require Adobe Reader 8.1
- Adobe Designer, version 7.1 SP 1 only
- GUI patch level 20 must be installed.
ADOBE© interactive form
Introduction
1
System Requirement
2
5
3
Technical Overview
4
Demo
Appendix
How can we design a form with ADOBE
Livecycle Designer?
Process Flow
To create a form, you use the Form Builder tool that is integrated
with ABAP Workbench.
1. You create a form object in transaction SFP or in repository
browser
2. In the interface, you define where the data comes from that
you want to display in the form. To do this, you call the
interface function in Form Builder.
3. You activate the interface.
4. In the context in Form Builder, you drag and drop the
required parameters from the interface you have defined.
You can also insert texts, graphics, and addresses.
5. In the layout function in Form Builder, you create the layout.
You use this graphical tool to design the printed appearance
of the form, and drag and drop data from the form context
you have defined.
6. You activate the form.
Interface in Form Builder
You can choose from the following three
interface types:
●
ABAP Dictionary-based interface
●
Smart Forms-compatible interface
●
XML-based interface
Use:
●
Data selected from the database
tables of your application. You use the
form interface to specify this data.
●
Data provided by the SAP system
or by the PDF-based print forms
solution, such as dates
●
Data that you have calculated or
implemented in a form yourself, such as
totals for tables
Context in Form Builder
In the form context you specify which
data is copied from the interface to the
form. You include this data as a node in
a hierarchy structure. In this hierarchy,
you also decide the form logic by
specifying conditions for processing the
nodes.
●
Whether the content of the node
(text, addresses, graphics) are included
in the output
●
Whether the data of a node is
Active or Inactive
●
Whether a specified node or an
alternative node is processed
Layout in the Form Builder
You use the layout type to define the
runtime environment where the form is
used.
Layout types
Standard layout
for PDF-based print
forms, or offline
interactive form
xACF layout
The Active Components
Framework technology is
used to integrate the
form at runtime in Web
Dynpro applications
ZCI layout
Zero Client Installation
(ZCI) technology is used
to integrate the form at
runtime in Web Dynpro
applications.
Overview of form painter
Script editor
Palette
Window
Layout
Editor
Demo
Palette
Window
Scripting in Layout of Form Builder
LiveCycle Designer supports scripting with both FormCalc and JavaScript.
- FormCalc is a calculation language that includes a wide range of built-in
functions to simplify the most common form functionality.
- JavaScript is a more powerful and diverse scripting language intended to
give you more flexibility and leverage your existing scripting knowledge.
Calling Forms in an Application Program
(1)
Data retrieval and processing
SELECT ... FROM ......*
(2) Find out name of generated function module
CALL FUNCTION 'FP_FUNCTION_MODULE_NAME'...*
(3) Start form processing
CALL FUNCTION 'FP_JOB_OPEN'...
LOOP AT ...*
(4) Call function module dynamically
CALL FUNCTION <generated function module>...
ENDLOOP.*
(5) End form processing
CALL FUNCTION 'FP_JOB_CLOSE'...
PDF-Based Print Forms
A PDF-based print form is a form designed for mass printing in SAP
systems. It is used for order confirmation, invoices, account statement,
checks, salary statement, delivery notes etc.
Adobe Designer includes two different
types of pages that you can use to
structure your form layout:
- Master pages
- Body pages
You can position various elements on
these pages. These elements are available
in a library in Adobe Designer.
Standard objects
• Static objects such as texts, graphics,
rectangles, circles, and lines
• Dynamic objects, such as option and list
fields, date and time fields, text fields,
numeric fields, and password fields
• Special date objects
• Your own user-defined objects Bar codes
Interactive Forms
There are several ways of creating an interactive form. You use one of the following
development environments, depending on your application scenario:
• WebDynpro for ABAP in SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP
• WebDynpro for Java in SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP
• Forms in SAP Business Workflow for
various mySAP ERP business
packages (in particular, Manager SelfServices)
• ABAP workbench, Transaction SFP for
offline interactive PDF form or online
interactive form through Web Service.
Integrating interactive forms in WebDynpro ABAP
• For Web Dynpro user interfaces, forms can be created and used in the context of SAP
Interactive Forms by Adobe. For efficient and straightforward development of the user
interface, you can integrate the Adobe Live Cycle Designer tool with editor and the Adobe
UI elements into the development workbench.
• Forms that are stored in systems as MIME objects in the MIME repository with MIME
type application/pdf can be integrated and displayed in a Web Dynpro application.
• As of NetWeaver 7.0 (NW 7.0) SPS10 forms can be integrated using Zero Client
Installation (ZCI).
Procedure for integrating Adobe interactive with
WebDynpro ABAP. Please click on the
document.
Integrating Adobe Forms for the Web Dynpro JAVA
Fully integrated into the SAP NetWeaver® 2004 platform.
SAP Interactive Forms enables developers to:
• Design templates and create interactive forms in the SAP NetWeaver Developer
Studio tool or the ABAP™ programming language workbench using Adobe LiveCycle
Designer software
• Integrate SAP Interactive Forms with any SAP application
• Distribute interactive forms from within SAP applications to users for a multitude of
business processes, including ERP, CRM, and SCM
Procedure for integrating Adobe interactive
with WebDynpro UI. Please click on the
document.
Interactive Form in Guided Procedure
Interactive forms in GP enable you to send and receive data as a part of the
workflow managed by the GP framework. In addition, you can also create
standalone forms, which you can publish to URL, or download locally.
Integrating Web Services with ADOVE LiveCycle
Designer to make Interactive Form
• In Designer, you not only have the ability to create data connections to schemas
(directly or based on sample XML data) and databases, you can also connect to web
services. Web services are online applications that return information in response to
specific requests. These requests and responses are sent and received via the SOAP
protocol in various formats, as specified by the web service in an XML-based language
called WSDL.
• After binding the request/response
parameters to form fields, a button to call
the web service has to be added to the
form. The data connection in the "Data
View" already provides a button that is
configured to call a web service. So you
can simple drag&drop this button onto the
form and you are done.
ADOBE© interactive form
Introduction
1
System Requirement
2
5
3
Technical Overview
4
Demo
Appendix
First Demo – ADOBE Print Form
Key business requirements
A form is required for the generating Inspection Report as per the sample attached in
section 4.0. This form need to be generated for all goods receipts for Food and Non
Food Items. This Form has to be issued at the time of Goods receipt for Non food
items purchase orders. The document is a direct output from the Good Receipt
documents posted under the Purchase order or the Returns Purchase Order. User
can digitally sign the document.
Technical details for generating the
output. Please click on the document.
Second Demo – ADOBE Interactive form using
WebDynpro ABAP
Key business requirements
A demo form is created in a simple web
dynpro application for displaying
interactive scenario.
Technical details for generating the output.
Please click on the document.
Third Demo – ADOBE Interactive form using WebDynpro
JAVA
Key business requirements
A demo form is created in a simple web
dynpro application for displaying
interactive scenario.
Technical details for generating the output.
Please click on the document.
ADOBE© interactive form
Introduction
1
System Requirement
2
5
3
Technical Overview
4
Demo
Appendix
Additional Resources
Important SAP Notes for configuration:
• 894009 Adobe document services: Configuration Guide (NW 7.0)
• 736902 Adobe Credentials
• 750784 SAP Interactive Forms: Licenses
• 752153 Adobe: PDF Manipulation Module High Encryption
• 766191 Active Component Framework Installation
• 766410 Interactive forms: XDC Scenarios for the Printer Control
• 685571 Printing PDF-Based Forms
• 834573 SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe: Acrobat/Adobe Reader Version
• 854621 Third Party Software Delivered with Adobe Document Services and Adobe
LiveCycle Designer
• 944221 Problem Analysis / Troubleshooting in Forms Processing
• 886572 ADS: Central Patch Note for SAP NetWeaver 7.0