In the Design printout menu for each form definition on the Manage forms page, there is now an option to use an imported PDF as the export for forms. This will allow users to bring their own company PDF forms and export data from SYNCHRO directly to those for archiving and sharing with external parties.

Q: What form components are supported in PDF export?
A:  The export of SYNCHRO forms to fillable PDF forms is supported for all form components except:

• Grid
• Weather
• Signature

Q: Are all PDF form types supported?
A: Currently, SYNCHRO only supports Acrobat Forms (AcroForm). XMF Forms Architecture (XFA) or LiveCycle forms are not supported.

Q: Are scanned or flattened PDF files supported?
A: No, for SYNCHRO to read the fields they need to be added to the PDF itself.

Note: PDFs created from Word or Excel are generally flattened unless fields are specifically added to them after they are converted to PDF.

Q: How do I know if my PDF is supported?
A: The quickest way to know if it is supported is to upload it to SYNCHRO and see if the fields are detected. If the file is not supported, an error message will appear.

If you want to determine whether your PDF is supported, you first must determine if it is fillable at all.

To check whether the PDF is fillable, open the PDF in a viewer and look for fields that allow data entry. See example of a fillable PDF below:

Compared to a PDF that is flattened (not fillable):

If the PDF file does not have fillable fields, it will not be supported for upload by SYNCHRO.

Note:  Scanned forms, as well as PDFs created from Word or Excel are generally flattened unless fields are specifically added to them after they are converted to PDF.

If you have determined that your PDF does have fields and you want to further check if it is supported, the quickest way to check if it is an AcroForm (supported) or XFA (not supported) is to right click the file and choose to open it in a web browser.

If the file is a fillable AcroForm, the contents of the form will be displayed:

If the file is a fillable XFA/LiveCycle form, a warning will be displayed:

If the error message shows up in the web browser, the PDF will not be supported by SYNCHRO.

Q: If my PDF is not supported, what can I do?
A: If the PDF is flattened or scanned, fields can easily be created in the file using either desktop software (Adobe Acrobat Pro, Foxit, etc.) or using online tools (PDFescape, Sejda, etc.). These fields include text fields, dropdowns, dates and other commonly used field types.

If the PDF is an XFA, the easiest way is open it in Acrobat Reader, print it as an image to PDF and then use the methods above to re-create the fields using the AcroForm structure.

Another method is to use converters found online such as Aspose. Please note that formatting may not be perfectly maintained and that some fields might be misinterpreted. If using this method, please review the output before uploading it to SYNCHRO to ensure it is the design you want to use for exporting.

Q: How many PDF files can be mapped to each form definition?
A: One.

Q: Can I change the PDF mapped to each form definition?
A: Yes, the PDF can be updated and re-mapped at any time.

Q: Who can export to the PDF after it has been mapped?
A:  Any user with the permission to view a form instance can export it to PDF.

Q: What bindings are available for the form?
A:  The following default bindings are available for the form itself:

• Id Number – The id of the form instance
• Assigned To – The assignee of the form instance (user or role)
• Assigned Users – Secondary assignee or distribution list (user or role)
• Due Date – Due date for action for the assignee (user or role)
• Status – Workflow status as defined on the Set workflow page
• State – Workflow state (draft, open, closed). Each status belongs to one state.

     While the default automated system bindings are only available on exports to fillable PDF files:

• Context.Name – Project name.
• Context.Number – Project number.
• Forms.AssignedToOrg – Organization of user to which the form instance is assigned.
• Forms.AttachmentList – List of files attached to the form instance.
• Forms.CreatedBy – Name user who created the form instance.
• Forms.CreatedDate – Date when the form instance was created
• Forms.CreatedTimestamp – Date and time when the form instance was created.
• Forms.CreatedOrg – Organization of user who created the form instance .
• Forms.ClosedBy – User who closed the form instance.
• Forms.ExportDate – Date when the form instance was exported.
• Forms.ExportTimestamp – Date and time when the form instance was exported.
• Forms.ExportUser – User who exported the form instance.
• Forms.ExportOrg – Organization of user who exported the form instance.
• Forms.IdWithoutPrefix – ID number of the form instance without the prefix, e.g. ISS-0001 shows as 00001. To show the ID with the prefix, please use the default binding Id Number