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Hate PDF Forms? Check Out My No Code Solution

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Re: Hate PDF Forms? Check Out My No Code Solution

#21

Post by turtlebits »

pheasantquiff wrote: post #2

Hate PDF Forms? Check out my No Code solution! Create a form using text markup. Get an URL pointing to the form and mail it to your customers. I recently received a PDF form (created by M$ Word). I use Linux and managed to open it with Libreoffice (Draw!). The text entry boxes were misaligned or just missing. Digits each had a separate text field. Tiresome... By the time I had re-exported it to PDF with the fields fi…

I like PDF forms, they're just hard to create.

You don't need a specialized app like Libreoffice to open and fill out a PDF form, just use any modern browser.

Re: Hate PDF Forms? Check Out My No Code Solution

#23

Post by pheasantquiff »

turtlebits wrote: post #21
pheasantquiff wrote: post #2

Hate PDF Forms? Check out my No Code solution! Create a form using text markup. Get an URL pointing to the form and mail it to your customers. I recently received a PDF form (created by M$ Word). I use Linux and managed to open it with Libreoffice (Draw!). The text entry boxes were misaligned or just missing. Digits each had a separate text field. Tiresome... By the time I had re-exported it to PDF with the fields fi…

I like PDF forms, they're just hard to create. You don't need a specialized app like Libreoffice to open and fill out a PDF form, just use any modern browser.

Editing in PDF sounds like a good idea.

I just tried it in Firefox (latest/postmodern, Linux) and none (not a single one) of the form's fields are editable. It's an even worse experience than Libreoffice.

Re: Hate PDF Forms? Check Out My No Code Solution

#24

Post by pheasantquiff »

tdeck wrote: post #17

I like the concept a lot. A couple of suggestions you might consider: 1. Grab a lightweight CSS framework like Milligram (there are a bunch of them) and add it so the forms will be styled in a more modern way. 2. Test on mobile. For me the layout of the current forms shows up wrong, it doesn't take the full screen width and labels in the example form run over other elements.

Thanks for the Milligram suggestion. I will look into it. It may even fix your mobile experience.

Also thanks for for the mobile test feedback. Can I ask what mobile device you tested on? Such data points would be really useful to me.

I actually did test on my phone first, Android/Chrome and _in landscape_ it appeared usable. The PDF also produced OK. It was not an _amazing_ experience but compared the PDF form experience I had it was a delight. I don't consider a phone when I have to fill out a form but in an emergency it would have been possible.

Re: Hate PDF Forms? Check Out My No Code Solution

#25

Post by feet »

sh4rks wrote: post #22
kevmo314 wrote: post #8

Is no code a marketing term for code? Looks like code to me.

Can you really classify this as code? It's just a series of statements, no conditionals or variables. Though to be fair, when I saw no-code, I was expecting drag-and-drop form elements.

How do you define "code"?

Does code require logic or is it simply text encoding something else?

Re: Hate PDF Forms? Check Out My No Code Solution

#26

Post by feet »

pheasantquiff wrote: post #14
kevmo314 wrote: post #8

Is no code a marketing term for code? Looks like code to me.

> Is no code a marketing term for code Yes. I could have said "low-code" and probably have been able to look at myself in the mirror. Now I am thoroughly ashamed of myself.

How is it low code? It's literally all code

Re: Hate PDF Forms? Check Out My No Code Solution

#27

Post by pheasantquiff »

amin wrote: post #20

I think it’s perfect as it is. I hope you ignore the people who’ll try to pressure you into adding libraries to making it look like every other bloated webapp on the web.

(just between you and me, I was planning on ignoring the suggestions for extra libraries and "modernisation"; also it's a feature that it doesn't use a gui form designer. ssshh don't tell anyone...)

Re: Hate PDF Forms? Check Out My No Code Solution

#28

Post by pheasantquiff »

ab_testing wrote: post #19

How to add dates, times, drop-downs and multi-select ?

My first paying customer! Happy Day!

Srsly tho. at the moment I don't have those features, but neither did the PDF form experience I'm trying to beat. It's a low bar, but we are still expected to fill out PDF forms today, in the future year of 2022.

Re: Hate PDF Forms? Check Out My No Code Solution

#29

Post by mxuribe »

pheasantquiff wrote: post #27
amin wrote: post #20

I think it’s perfect as it is. I hope you ignore the people who’ll try to pressure you into adding libraries to making it look like every other bloated webapp on the web.

(just between you and me, I was planning on ignoring the suggestions for extra libraries and "modernisation"; also it's a feature that it doesn't use a gui form designer. ssshh don't tell anyone...)

I'm obliged to reference the classic: http://motherfuckingwebsite.com

Keep on truckin' with your minimal badass self! :-)

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