Display PDF and get possibly modified data back

[Former Member]

Hello

we want to display a PDF in the SAP-GUI, either inline or external via the registered application (Adobe Reader, Adobe Acrobat or whatever).

If the user has an application that is capable of editing a PDF-Document, we need to get the document's new data to store it in a document server under a new version.

So is there any possibility to display a PDF and register some sort of callback that is triggered and gets passed the document's data (in any format)?

The only solution I found so far, is to display a PDF Form with Adobe Reader extensions and send the entered form-data via a service-call, initiated by embedded Java-Script in the PDF, back to the server. We need however the document's full data and we are going to display normal PDF documents that have no form-fields.

Thanks alot

[Former Member]

Hi,

one solution would be to download the PDF on user's desktop, execute it synchronously, then user will save and close, which gives return to ABAP which then reads it back.

To execute synchronously, call CL_GUI_FRONTEND_SERVICES=>EXECUTE with parameter SYNCHRONOUS='X'

Sandra

[Sandra_Rossi]

Hi,

one solution would be to download the PDF on user's desktop, execute it synchronously, then user will save and close, which gives return to ABAP which then reads it back.

To execute synchronously, call CL_GUI_FRONTEND_SERVICES=>EXECUTE with parameter SYNCHRONOUS='X'

Sandra

[Former Member]

Are there any other ideas if this solution has to be tightly integrated into Business Document Services?

Thanks alot so far

[Sandra_Rossi]

Hi,

Are there any other ideas if this solution has to be tightly integrated into Business Document Services?

If you want to read or store data using BDS, there is CL_BDS_DOCUMENT_SET class to do it.

Sandra

[Former Member]

Thank you Sandra,

apart from this API, I believe there is no mechanism in BDS to display a PDF for editing out-of-the-box, is there?

[Sandra_Rossi]

I don't see another solution that would fit your requirement. The issue with all versions of PDF viewers from within SAP is that we can't read back the input data, except with Adobe forms with web dynpro integration .

Sandra

[Former Member]

Thank you very much for that clarification, Sandra.

[former_member222709]

Hi Kai,

There are such provisions using Adobe Forms. But, you need a license for Adobe Forms in SAP. You can try searching this with reference to Adobe Forms.

Regards,

Pranav.

[Former Member]

Could you please be more specific.

As already stated I do not want to process PDF Forms, instead I want users to modify a PDF using software like Adobe Acrobat (in contrast to Adobe Reader) and get the modified document's data (in contrast to the PDF's form-data).

Does Adobe Forms help me with such a task?

[former_member222709]

Hi Kai,

To be generic, SAP Adobe Forms are similar to Smartforms when it comes to form designing and printing.

The added advantages include, you can have online as well as offline forms where users can edit pdf's i.e. Enter Data in editable fields and can be uploaded or used as per the requirement.

So your requirement can be surely met using SAP Adobe Forms.