Creating XFA Form and Embedding it to a regular PDF

Question

I have a PDF which doesn't contain XFA data. What I want to do is, create a XFA Form template programmatically (not by using Adobe LiveCycle or similar program) and then embed it to the PDF, then fill the XFA Form.

Is this possible? Or do I have to use Adobe LiveCycle?

EDIT

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XFA#Profiles in this wiki link it says following:

XFAF (XFA Foreground) subset - (introduced in XFA 2.5) - a form in which each page of the XFA form overlays a PDF background. It can be used only for static XFA forms. This architecture uses only a subset of XFA. It can be packaged inside a regular PDF document or as a standalone XDP file with embedded PDF. In XFAF each XFA field corresponds to a PDF interactive field (AcroForm field).

So I believe, what I ask is possible, but currently I don't know how...

Confidence

I don't know of any software product that can do this. I'm also very interested to hear if somebody would have any pointers towards such a product. – Mimamsa

Is there a reason why you want to work with XFA instead of a smart PDF? – Blacken

No, I'm just looking for a proper API that fulfill my needs. Smart PDF doesn't seem to be an API, but a software. Am I wrong? – Confidence

@BrunoLowagie I've edited the question, can you please have a look? – Confidence

I would like to know what @MaxWyss means when he talks about a "smart PDF". Is it a PDF/A-3 document with an attachment? Which PDF standard are you talking about when you talk about a "smart PDF"? – Mimamsa

I've seen the EDIT to your question. Where does it say that it's possible to do it programmatically? I don't know of any software, other than Adobe software to create XFAF forms. – Mimamsa

@BrunoLowagie It doesn't say it is possible programmatically, but it seems it is. I mean if Adobe can do it, anyone else can also do it. However, after your comments, I started to lose my faith about finding an API that does what I want. – Confidence

Er... "if Adobe can do it, anyone else can also do it" is kind of demeaning. It's as if you have no idea how many man hours have gone into developing tools such as iText, XFA Worker,... – Mimamsa

@BrunoLowagie You got me wrong, I used that phrase as an idiom. Of course there is a huge effort and I'm not undervaluing it, or your work about iText, XFA Worker,... However, the guys who developed Acrobat are not demi-gods and what I asked is doable. It might took several months, years, or whatever. But it is doable. – Confidence

It's doable, but it indeed would take a lot of work... – Mimamsa

@BrunoLowagie: To me, a Smart PDF is a PDF with intelligence, provided by active elements, and (Acrobat) JavaScript. A Smart PDF can follow any PDF substandard, as long as it allows active elements and logic. Attachments may be part of the document. – Blacken

@guneykayim: I am talking conceptionally here; why bother with XFA, making the resulting PDF document harder to use and artificially bigger. Instead, use the PDF forms elements and their logic. So, it is neither software, nor API, but makes your find of software/API easier. – Blacken

@MaxWyss the main reason I think for most of us is that we have no choice. For instance, we submit pdfs to courts which require the data be in XFA because they are typically using older technology and slower to change. – Godevil

Answer 1

XFA was marked as deprecated inside the PDF specification also with Support of Adobe in upcoming ISO PDF 2.0 standard. You shouldn't rely on technology, which is outdated. So please use normal PDF forms, but not XFA form.

Rapid

Except, most administrations uses xfa and do not support latest version. – Eupatrid