RE: FN-FORUM: Problem: Create a form suitable for filling in offline?

date posted 7th November 2003 21:41

I'm not sure if it would cover all the aspects you're looking at, but =
you
can actually create some quite comprehensive forms using Word 2003 -
pull-down lists, etc. Using Macros you may be able to achieve some of =
the
other options. Alternatively, is it possible to actually create an HTML
document that can run the javascripts off line?

I may be talking rubbish but maybe this is of some use?!



-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL REMOVED] [EMAIL REMOVED] On Behalf Of =
Jonathan
Porter - ne-web
Sent: 07 November 2003 21:38
To: FN-FORUM / [EMAIL REMOVED]
Subject: FN-FORUM: Problem: Create a form suitable for filling in =
offline?



Hello

I'm looking for a solution to the problem of offline form filling.

I'm developing an addition to a web-based extranet system used in =
teacher
training. The client, a university, wishes to have an electronic means =
of
recording feedback from lesson observations during a lesson. The =
observer
will record, in a feedback form, info about different aspects of the =
quality
of the student-techer's teaching. The observations and data capture are =
to
be done on a laptop which does not have Internet access.

The idea behind the form is simple. It is a series of questions each of
which may or may not have an associated comment. For example one of the
items on the existing paper form is:

Pupils' attention gained and maintained?

On an electronic form we can have, quite simply, a Y/N option button, =
with a
text field shown only if a 'Comment?' tickbox is checked. This could be
achieved using javascript on an HTML form, were this a web based system. =
I
think even Adobe PDF eForms can use javascript in this way although I've
never tried it.

The main problem is that I need a way of presenting the form offline,
storing the input data offline, and providing a means for the =
information to
be uploaded to the website/extranet later. The info will be made =
available
to other interested parties and, for storage on the server, the solution
could perhaps utilise PHP and MySQL, which has been used to create the =
rest
of the site.

Adobe Acrobat reader may offer the solution, XML might help here alhough =
I
have no experience of it, or even microsoft Word forms.

I have seen 'Adobe Acrobat Approval' that may offer this functionality =
at
USD 39.00 per laptop, which is cheap enough, but I don't really want the
users to have to have anything unusual or expensive on their machines. I
have very limited skills in VB so can't write my own program to do it, =
my
skills are all PHP/MySQL.

Does anyone have any suggestions for other possible solutions?

Many thanks in advance
Jonathan Porter
----
ne-web ltd. - making the web work harder for your business
w: www.ne-web.com
e: [EMAIL REMOVED]
t: 0191 4821709
m: 07940 537219


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