Passing Documents to the Forms Service

Last update: June 24, 2024

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Developer

Samples and examples in this document are only for AEM Forms on JEE environment.

The AEM Forms service renders interactive PDF forms to client devices, typically web browsers, to collect information from users. An interactive PDF form is based on a form design that is typically saved as an XDP file and created in Designer. As of AEM Forms, you can pass a com.adobe.idp.Document object that contains the form design to the Forms service. The Forms service then renders the form design in the com.adobe.idp.Document object.

An advantage of passing a com.adobe.idp.Document object to the Forms service is that other service operations return a com.adobe.idp.Document instance. That is, you can get a com.adobe.idp.Document instance from another service operation and render it. For example, assume that an XDP file is stored in a Content Services (deprecated) node named /Company Home/Form Designs, as shown in the following illustration.

You can programmatically retrieve Loan.xdp from Content Services (deprecated) (deprecated) and pass the XDP file to the Forms service within a com.adobe.idp.Document object.

NOTE

For more information about the Forms service, see Services Reference for AEM Forms.

Summary of steps

To pass a document obtained from Content Services (deprecated) (deprecated) to the Forms service, perform the following tasks:

Include project files.
Create a Forms and a Document Management Client API object.
Retrieve the form design from Content Services (deprecated).
Render the interactive PDF form.
Perform an action with the form data stream.

Include project files

Include the necessary files in your development project. If you are creating a client application by using Java, include the necessary JAR files. If you are using web services, include the proxy files.

Create a Forms and a Document Management Client API object

Before you can programmatically perform a Forms service API operation, create a Forms Client API object. Also, because this workflow retrieves an XDP file from Content Services (deprecated), create a Document Management API object.

Retrieve the form design from Content Services (deprecated)

Retrieve the XDP file from Content Services (deprecated) by using the Java or web service API. The XDP file is returned within a com.adobe.idp.Document instance (or a BLOB instance if you are using web services). You can then pass the com.adobe.idp.Document instance to the Forms service.

Render an interactive PDF form

To render an interactive form, pass the com.adobe.idp.Document instance that was returned from Content Services (deprecated) to the Forms service.

NOTE

You can pass a com.adobe.idp.Document that contains the form design to the Forms service. Two new methods named renderPDFForm2 and renderHTMLForm2 accept a com.adobe.idp.Document object that contains a form design.

Perform an action with the form data stream

Depending on the type of client application, you can write the form to a client web browser or save the form as a PDF file. A web-based application typically writes the form to web browser. However, a desktop application typically saves the form as a PDF file.

See also

Including AEM Forms Java library files

Setting connection properties

Forms Service API Quick Starts

Pass documents to the Forms Service using the Java API

Pass a document obtained from Content Services (deprecated) by using the Forms service and Content Services (deprecated) API (Java):

Include project files

Include client JAR files, such as adobe-forms-client.jar and adobe-contentservices-client.jar, in your Java project’s class path.
Create a Forms and a Document Management Client API object
- Create a ServiceClientFactory object that contains connection properties. (See Setting connection properties.)
- Create an FormsServiceClient object by using its constructor and passing the ServiceClientFactory object.
- Create a DocumentManagementServiceClientImpl object by using its constructor and passing the ServiceClientFactory object.
Retrieve the form design from Content Services (deprecated)

Invoke the DocumentManagementServiceClientImpl object’s retrieveContent method and pass the following values:
- A string value that specifies the store where the content is added. The default store is SpacesStore. This value is a mandatory parameter.
- A string value that specifies the fully qualified path of the content to retrieve (for example, /Company Home/Form Designs/Loan.xdp). This value is a mandatory parameter.
- A string value that specifies the version. This value is an optional parameter, and you can pass an empty string. In this situation, the latest version is retrieved.
The retrieveContent method returns a CRCResult object that contains the XDP file. Obtain a com.adobe.idp.Document instance by invoking the CRCResult object’s getDocument method.
Render an interactive PDF form

Invoke the FormsServiceClient object’s renderPDFForm2 method and pass the following values:
- A com.adobe.idp.Document object that contains the form design retrieved from Content Services (deprecated).
- A com.adobe.idp.Document object that contains data to merge with the form. If you do not want to merge data, pass an empty com.adobe.idp.Document object.
- A PDFFormRenderSpec object that stores run-time options. This value is an optional parameter, and you can specify null if you do not want to specify run-time options.
- A URLSpec object that contains URI values. This value is an optional parameter, and you can specify null.
- A java.util.HashMap object that stores file attachments. This value is an optional parameter, and you can specify null if you do not want to attach files to the form.
The renderPDFForm method returns a FormsResult object that contains a form data stream that must be written to the client web browser.
Perform an action with the form data stream
- Create a com.adobe.idp.Document object by invoking the FormsResult object ‘s getOutputContent method.
- Get the content type of the com.adobe.idp.Document object by invoking its getContentType method.
- Set the javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse object’s content type by invoking its setContentType method and passing the content type of the com.adobe.idp.Document object.
- Create a javax.servlet.ServletOutputStream object used to write the form data stream to the client web browser by invoking the javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse object’s getOutputStream method.
- Create a java.io.InputStream object by invoking the com.adobe.idp.Document object’s getInputStream method.
- Create a byte array and populate it with the form data stream by invoking the InputStream object’s read method. Pass the byte array as an argument.
- Invoke the javax.servlet.ServletOutputStream object’s write method to send the form data stream to the client web browser. Pass the byte array to the write method.

Including AEM Forms Java library files

Setting connection properties

Pass documents to the Forms Service using the web service API

Pass a document obtained from Content Services (deprecated) by using the Forms service and Content Services (deprecated) API (web service):

Include project files

Create a Microsoft .NET project that uses MTOM. Because this client application invokes two AEM Forms services, create two service references. Use the following WSDL definition for the service reference associated with the Forms service: http://localhost:8080/soap/services/FormsService?WSDL&lc_version=9.0.1.

Use the following WSDL definition for the service reference associated with the Document Management service: http://localhost:8080/soap/services/DocumentManagementService?WSDL&lc_version=9.0.1.

Because the BLOB data type is common to both service references, fully qualify the BLOB data type when using it. In the corresponding web service quick start, all BLOB instances are fully qualified.

NOTE
Replace localhostwith the IP address of the server hosting AEM Forms.
Create a Forms and a Document Management Client API object
- Create a FormsServiceClient object by using its default constructor.
- Create a FormsServiceClient.Endpoint.Address object by using the System.ServiceModel.EndpointAddress constructor. Pass a string value that specifies the WSDL to the AEM Forms service (for example, http://localhost:8080/soap/services/FormsService?WSDL). You do not need to use the lc_version attribute. This attribute is used when you create a service reference.)
- Create a System.ServiceModel.BasicHttpBinding object by getting the value of the FormsServiceClient.Endpoint.Binding field. Cast the return value to BasicHttpBinding.
- Set the System.ServiceModel.BasicHttpBinding object’s MessageEncoding field to WSMessageEncoding.Mtom. This value ensures that MTOM is used.
- Enable basic HTTP authentication by performing the following tasks:
  - Assign the AEM forms user name to the field FormsServiceClient.ClientCredentials.UserName.UserName.
  - Assign the corresponding password value to the field FormsServiceClient.ClientCredentials.UserName.Password.
  - Assign the constant value HttpClientCredentialType.Basic to the field BasicHttpBindingSecurity.Transport.ClientCredentialType.
- Assign the constant value BasicHttpSecurityMode.TransportCredentialOnly to the field BasicHttpBindingSecurity.Security.Mode.
NOTE
Repeat these steps for the DocumentManagementServiceClientservice client.
Retrieve the form design from Content Services (deprecated)

Retrieve content by invoking the DocumentManagementServiceClient object’s retrieveContent method and passing the following values:
- A string value that specifies the store where the content is added. The default store is SpacesStore. This value is a mandatory parameter.
- A string value that specifies the fully qualified path of the content to retrieve (for example, /Company Home/Form Designs/Loan.xdp). This value is a mandatory parameter.
- A string value that specifies the version. This value is an optional parameter, and you can pass an empty string. In this situation, the latest version is retrieved.
- A string output parameter that stores the browse link value.
- A BLOB output parameter that stores the content. You can use this output parameter to retrieve the content.
- A ServiceReference1.MyMapOf_xsd_string_To_xsd_anyType output parameter that stores content attributes.
- A CRCResult output parameter. Instead of using this object, you can use the BLOB output parameter to obtain the content.
Render an interactive PDF form

Invoke the FormsServiceClient object’s renderPDFForm2 method and pass the following values:
- A BLOB object that contains the form design retrieved from Content Services (deprecated).
- A BLOB object that contains data to merge with the form. If you do not want to merge data, pass an empty BLOB object.
- A PDFFormRenderSpec object that stores run-time options. This value is an optional parameter, and you can specify null if you do not want to specify run-time options.
- A URLSpec object that contains URI values. This value is an optional parameter, and you can specify null.
- A Map object that stores file attachments. This value is an optional parameter, and you can specify null if you do not want to attach files to the form.
- A long output parameter that is used to store the page count.
- A string output parameter that is used to store the locale value.
- A FormsResult output parameter that is used to store the interactrive PDF form .
The renderPDFForm2 method returns a FormsResult object that contains the interactive PDF form.
Perform an action with the form data stream
- Create a BLOB object that contains form data by getting the value of the FormsResult object’s outputContent field.
- Create a System.IO.FileStream object by invoking its constructor. Pass a string value that represents the file location of the interactive PDF document and the mode in which to open the file.
- Create a byte array that stores the content of the BLOB object retrieved from the FormsResult object. Populate the byte array by getting the value of the BLOB object’s MTOM data member.
- Create a System.IO.BinaryWriter object by invoking its constructor and passing the System.IO.FileStream object.
- Write the contents of the byte array to a PDF file by invoking the System.IO.BinaryWriter object’s Write method and passing the byte array.

See also

Invoking AEM Forms using MTOM

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