This detailed and comprehensive guide shows you how to create and design forms with SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe. SAP and Adobe experts explain how to use Interactive Forms and integrate it into your SAP business processes and workflows. Extensive examples illustrate how you can fully benefit from modern SAP form technology. This book has all the information you need to answer your questions, increase your knowledge, and improve your efficiency.1. Getting StartedLearn how to install software components, create form templates, and output forms. The first several chapters of the book are devoted to getting started with SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe.2. Beginners and ExpertsConsult step-by-step instructions about how to develop and implement your own form designsolutions. Both beginners and experts can benefit from the increasing degree of complexity of the examples.3. All-in-One SolutionDiscover how to create interactive, digital, or printed forms with detailed and extensive instructions (for example, via Adobe Document Services, Adobe LiveCycle Designer, or interface calls).4. Updated and Expanded EditionExplore new topics such as the parallelization of print jobs, ABAP Offline Infrastructure, and jobprofile management. This edition is updated for SAP NetWeaver 7.0 EhP 2.Highlights:
- Adobe Document Services
- Adobe LiveCycle Designer
- Web Dynpro
- Script programs
- Form Builder
- SAP NetWeaver Portal
- ABAP Offline Infrastructure
- XDC Editor
- JobProfiles Editor
- Parallelization of print jobs
1 ... Introduction ... 17
2 ... Use of SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe ... 23
... 2.1 ... PDF, PDF-Based Print Forms, and Interactive PDF Forms ... 23
... 2.2 ... Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat Family ... 29
... 2.3 ... Examples of PDF-Based Print Forms and Interactive PDF Forms ... 34
... 2.4 ... Using Interactive Forms in Business Processes ... 40
... 2.5 ... Software Components and Architecture ... 46
... 2.6 ... Summary ... 60
3 ... Installation and Configuration ... 63
... 3.1 ... Prerequisites ... 63
... 3.2 ... Basic Configuration ... 64
... 3.3 ... Scenario-Dependent Configuration ... 72
... 3.4 ... Configuration for Parallelization ... 89
... 3.5 ... Optional Configuration ... 96
... 3.6 ... Error Analysis ... 105
... 3.7 ... Using ADS ... 107
... 3.8 ... Installation of Adobe LiveCycle Designer ... 110
... 3.9 ... Automatic Configuration via CTC ... 110
... 3.10 ... ADS Hub ... 111
... 3.11 ... Summary ... 114
4 ... Interface and Form Context ... 115
... 4.1 ... Structure of a Form ... 115
... 4.2 ... Interface of a Form ... 116
... 4.3 ... Context of a Form ... 134
... 4.4 ... Documentation of a Form ... 172
... 4.5 ... Summary ... 173
5 ... Creating Form Templates ... 175
... 5.1 ... Adobe LiveCycle Designer ... 175
... 5.2 ... The Basic Principles of the Form Template Design ... 182
... 5.3 ... Data Binding for Form Fields ... 195
... 5.4 ... Structuring Form Templates with Subforms ... 199
... 5.5 ... Using Master Pages and Rich Text Fields ... 209
... 5.6 ... Reusing Form Objects ... 213
... 5.7 ... Implicit Data Binding ... 217
... 5.8 ... Useful Functions in Adobe LiveCycle Designer ... 222
... 5.9 ... Summary ... 228
6 ... Form Output ... 229
... 6.1 ... Print Program ... 230
... 6.2 ... Spool System ... 244
... 6.3 ... Device Types for the Output ... 246
... 6.4 ... Special Output Scenarios ... 249
... 6.5 ... Error Analysis ... 254
... 6.6 ... Performance Optimization Through Bundling ... 263
... 6.7 ... Parallelization of Print Jobs ... 270
... 6.8 ... Translating Forms ... 281
... 6.9 ... XFP Output ... 285
... 6.10 ... Summary ... 287
7 ... Advanced Form Template Design ... 289
... 7.1 ... Advanced Techniques for Print Forms ... 289
... 7.2 ... Interactive PDF Forms ... 312
... 7.3 ... Using Script Programs ... 341
... 7.4 ... Using Barcodes ... 361
... 7.5 ... Tips for Increasing Performance ... 363
... 7.6 ... Introduction to Accessible PDF Forms ... 366
... 7.7 ... Additional Information ... 369
... 7.8 ... Summary ... 371
8 ... Integration with Web Dynpro ABAP ... 373
... 8.1 ... Web Dynpro ABAP ... 374
... 8.2 ... Scenarios for the Integration of Interactive Forms ... 385
... 8.3 ... The InteractiveForm UI Element ... 389
... 8.4 ... Interaction with Form Builder ... 391
... 8.5 ... Implementing Scenarios Using Web Dynpro ABAP ... 404
... 8.6 ... Summary ... 500
9 ... Internal Service Request ... 501
... 9.1 ... Introduction ... 502
... 9.2 ... SAP NetWeaver Portal Scenarios ... 506
... 9.3 ... Getting Started--Creating a Plain Scenario ... 518
... 9.4 ... Customizing and Programming a Scenario ... 529
... 9.5 ... Request Forms as Adobe Forms ... 551
... 9.6 ... Form Flow Logic ... 564
... 9.7 ... ISR Architecture ... 575
... 9.8 ... ISR in the Application Basis (ABA) ... 592
... 9.9 ... Summary ... 603
10 ... ABAP Offline Infrastructure ... 605
... 10.1 ... Offline Scenarios Using Email Messages ... 605
... 10.2 ... Address Updating in the Flight-Booking Model as a Sample Scenario ... 606
... 10.3 ... Configuring the Email Inbound ... 608
... 10.4 ... Using ABAP Offline Infrastructure ... 609
... 10.5 ... Testing the Offline Scenario ... 628
... 10.6 ... Summary ... 633
11 ... ABAP PDF Object ... 635
... 11.1 ... Overview ... 635
... 11.2 ... Instantiating the PDF Object ... 636
... 11.3 ... Creating a PDF Document ... 639
... 11.4 ... Processing an Interactive PDF Document ... 647
... 11.5 ... Certifying PDF Documents ... 653
... 11.6 ... Job Profiles ... 657
... 11.7 ... Additional Methods of the PDF Object ... 657
... 11.8 ... Summary ... 658
12 ... Offline Scenarios via Web Services ... 659
... 12.1 ... Overview ... 659
... 12.2 ... Using WSDL Data Connections ... 660
... 12.3 ... Using the SOAP Object in JavaScript ... 678
... 12.4 ... Tips for Using Web Services ... 692
... 12.5 ... Summary ... 693
13 ... Advanced Installation and Configuration ... 695
... 13.1 ... Configuring a Secure Connection to ADS ... 695
... 13.2 ... Managing and Creating Job Profiles ... 730
... 13.3 ... Installing and Using the XDC Editor ... 734
... 13.4 ... Summary ... 735
... The Authors ... 737
... Index ... 739
Dr. Jürgen Hauser has worked for Adobe Systems since 2005. His responsibilities include representing Adobe at SAP AG in Walldorf, Germany; product management for SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe, and additional duties, such as local contact for Adobe Flex and Adobe AIR. He has presented SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe at numerous conferences worldwide. He previously worked as a project manager and system architect for a large German consulting firm. After finishing his studies in computer science, with a minor in mathematics, he participated in the Distributed Systems research group. He earned his doctorate in multimedia systems from the University of Stuttgart, Germany.
Andreas Deutesfeld studied physics and computer science at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. After finishing his studies, he joined SAP AG in Walldorf, Germany, in 1996. His work focused on form technologies in the development of SAP NetWeaver. He has conducted numerous workshops and classes and consulted for many projects on this topic. Since 2003, he has been heavily involved as a development architect in the design and implementation process of the new form solution, SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe. He lives in a small town on the Rhine with his wife and son.
Thomas Szücs was senior software developer at SAP AG for the Web Dynpro ABAP division where he was in charge of Adobe integration, among other things. After almost nine years at SAP working on SD, CRM, and SAP NetWeaver, he now works as a senior solution architect at Corporate Business Solutions GmbH in Heidelberg, Germany. He is married and lives near Bruchsal, Germany, with his wife.
Dr. Stephan Rehmann holds a PhD in low-temperature physics from the University of Bayreuth, Germany. He joined SAP AG in 1998 and worked in the development division of the overhead cost-controlling product team. At present, he is responsible for the ISR framework for SAP ERP, among other things.
