| Product Version: | 6.0 |
| Release Date: | 11/20/2009 |
| User Guide Version: | 6.0 |
| Publication Date: | 11/20/2009 |
Introduction
FDFMerge is a server based, command-line driven application that merges FDF (Forms Data Format) file information into a PDF (Portable Document Format) Form file.
These release notes contain last-minute product information and updates. Please refer to the FDFMerge documentation for additional information.
Installation
For All Unix Platforms, Setting Environmental Variables
In this release, there are 2 additional environmental variables that need to be set for FDFMerge on all UNIX platforms. If you run FDFMerge from the fdfmerge script created during installation, these environmental variables will be set by the script. If you run fdfmergeapp directly, you will need to set these environmental variables to run FDFMerge. Once FDFMerge is installed, you can view the variables needed by looking at the fdfmergeapp script created by the installer.
For All Unix Platforms, Setting the Appligent Home Directory
The environmental variable that stores the location of the Appligent home directory is APPLIGENT_HOME. The default location for the Appligent home directory is /usr/local/appligent. The Appligent home directory contains the library files and resources needed to run FDFMerge.
It also contains license information for FDFMerge.
Example:
export APPLIGENT_HOME=/usr/local/appligent
For Unix Platforms Only (not including AIX, see below), Setting the APDFL Library Path
The APDFL library path must be added to the LD_LIBRARY_PATH variable. The APDFL library path is located in a subdirectory of the APPLIGENT_HOME directory.
The path should be set to ${APPLIGENT_HOME}/APDFL9.0.1/Libs
Example:
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}:${APPLIGENT_HOME}/APDFL9.0.1/Libs
For AIX Only, Setting the APDFL Library Path
The APDFL library path for AIX must be added to the LIBPATH variable. The APDFL library path is located in a subdirectory of the APPLIGENT_HOME directory.
The path should be set to ${APPLIGENT_HOME}/APDFL9.0.1/Libs.
Example:
export LIBPATH=${LIBPATH}:${APPLIGENT_HOME}/APDFL9.0.1/Libs
Registration numbers for FDFMerge 6.0
In previous versions of FDFMerge, the FDFMerge registration number was required as a command line option with the -r flag each time fdfmergeapp was run. An FDFMerge script was provided that automatically added -r and the registration number to the fdfmergeapp command line when the script was run.
In the current release, in addition to getting the registration number from the command line, FDFMerge can get the registration number from a license file in the appligent home directory. On unix systems, license files are created by the installation script and stored in the ${APPLIGENT_HOME}/license directory. For windows, the license file is created by the installer and stored in the
All Users\Application Data\Appligent\License directory. With a valid license file, the -r is no longer required on the command line. The -r option can still be used as in previous versions, and will override the value in the license file.
To upgrade a Demo Version of FDFMerge 6.0
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, registration numbers are now stored in the license directory. The license file for FDFMerge 6.0 is called FDFM_60.arn. To upgrade a demo version of FDFMerge, change the demo number stored in the license file to your new registration number. If you call the fdfmergeapp executable with the -r option directly from a script or program that you wrote, update the number in that file.
Type fdfmerge -v on the command line and press Enter. The new registration number, and a message that it is valid, should be displayed.
Supported Platforms
Windows: NT, 2000, XP, Vista & above
AIX: 5.2 & above
Linux: Kernel 2.6, 32 bit , Kernel 2.4, 32 bit
Solaris: 10 & above
New Features
Document Optimization (-optimize)
For document optimization, use -optimize. This flag will do the following:
1) encode any non-encoded streams using Flate compression
2) remove ASCII85 filters from all streams
3) replace LZW encoded streams with Flate encoding,
4) merge identical XObjects and images,
5) optimize common sequences in page content
6) merge identical font descriptors and encodings.
This option will usually result in a smaller file size.
ISO 32000 compliance (-iso32000)
To create a document that is ISO 32000 compliant, use -iso32000. This flag will do the following: Set file for ISO 32000 compliance, resulting in a document that is PDF version 1.7.
CommandCollections (-cmds)
To process multiple commands quickly and efficiently, use the -cmds <filename> option. The file specified by -cmds, the commands file, should contain one or more single line commands. Each command is just like an ordinary FDF Merge command-line without the executable name. The commands file does not support wildcards in filenames.
When you use the -cmds option, many of the FDFMerge options should be set in the -cmds file instead of on the command line. The following options are supported on the command line when using the -cmds option:
1) -r
2) -l
3) -n
4) -p
If the same option is set on the command line and in the a record of the -cmds file, the option value from the -cmds file record will be used.
Known Limitations and Issues
Unicode issues
Higher order ASCII characters not supported in xFDF file. If you use higher order ASCII characters, you must use an FDF file, not an xFDF file.
Adobe® Acrobat® problem with newline characters. Due to a problem with the way Acrobat handles newline characters in form fields, use either -s option or -norebuild option when merging double-byte characters.
First character in a CJK form field must be a CJK character.
/octal values no longer supported in xFDF. Use hexadecimal codes for CJK characters or FDF files for higher order ASCII characters.
Unicode on rotated pages. Unicode characters do not appear correctly on rotated pages.
Do not mix UTF-16 hexadecimal codes with UTF-8 characters or ASCII. If you use UTF-16 hexadecimal codes in a value field, use all UTF-16 characters for that value. Do not mix with UTF-8 characters or ASCII text. Make sure the font for the Field in question is set to one of the supported CJK fonts.
Display problems in Acrobat
Acrobat sometimes displays crosses in check boxes in a plain font. This is an issue with Acrobat and not FDFMerge. They should display correctly if you do not use the -norebuild option.
No support for Signatures
Although the Adobe Acrobat forms tool may be used to add a Signature field, it will be ignored by FDFMerge. If you flatten the file, the signature field will be removed as well.
No support for FDF Templates
The Form Data Format (FDF) supports a construct known as "Templates" where, within the Acrobat environment, the FDF file will cause additional pages to be added to the PDF file as they are needed. FDFMerge does not support FDF Templates and will not add additional pages to a PDF file. Templates also allow use of non-exact names for form fields. FDFMerge will not work unless the field name in the FDF file exactly matches the name of the form field in the PDF file.
Encrypted files may not be used
FDFMerge cannot open encrypted files. Users must have Edit permission for any files used by FDFMerge.
Autosize is not supported
When using text fields in PDF forms, be sure to specify a point size for the text as the Autosize feature is not supported by FDFMerge.
The sort and multiple select options for list boxes are not supported
If your form has one item selected, FDFMerge's stamped output will show the selection in red (i.e., the list is displayed in full with the selected choice printed in red). If more than one selected list item is entered into the FDF file, FDFMerge will fail. If multiple selection or sort is checked in the form field properties for the list box, it will not display properly (the entire list will not be displayed, and the selected entry will print in black). If your list box is set to be sorted, FDFMerge will not sort the data in the PDF form - any list will be printed as it is listed in the PDF form. This behavior is true for both stamped and merged documents.
Button stamping and merging behavior with regard to formatting
In Acrobat, when you put in a button field, you can specify the button to be Text, Icon, or Icon and Text. Buttons containing text (Text or Icon and Text) will be maintained after a merge, but will not be stamped on the form. When stamping a mixed button of Icon and Text, only the icon will stamp.
When you set a border around a PDF icon, specify the PDF from within the Acrobat form (so the PDF form displays the button and the border when you view it in Acrobat), and use FDFMerge on the form with the -s option, with no reference to the button in the FormInfo file or the FDF file (i.e., not changing the button in any way using FDFMerge), the button will display with the border. If you use FDFMerge to put the PDF icon into the button, there will not be a border. In other words, if only Acrobat touches the field, the border will come through. If FDFMerge touches the field, the border will not appear.
FDF files must be in PDDocEncoding
Files exported directly from Acrobat will work correctly. Files created by hand must use the PDDocEncoding scheme for high ASCII characters. See PDF Reference Appendix D.1.
Stamping landscaped pages into a button
This issue concerns using a page of a PDF document to stamp into a button. When using a page for a button that has been rotated to be in a landscape format and it is stamped or merged into a PDF the image in the output document will be rotated. The current workaround is to set the rotation of the button in the form field to be 90 or 270 degrees. To change the rotation of a form field go to the Field Properties, Common Properties tab, Orientation.
To get help
Start with the documentation for FDFMerge, or with the FAQs at the Appligent website. You can also contact technical support by emailing support@appligent.com or calling 610-284-4006.
When you contact us for support, pleas be prepared to provide the following:
- Product name and version number
- Registration number
- Operating system
- Your name, company name, email address, and phone number
- Description of your question or problem
© 2009 Appligent, Inc.
