XFA
Encyclopedia
XFA stands for XML Forms Architecture, a family of proprietary XML
specifications that was suggested and developed by JetForm
to enhance the processing of web forms
. It can be also used in PDF
files starting with PDF 1.5 specification. XML Forms Architecture was not standardized as an ISO standard.
According to JetForm's submission to the World Wide Web Consortium
, "XFA addresses the needs of organizations to securely capture, present, move, process, output and print information associated with electronic forms." The XFA proposal was submitted to the W3C in May 1999.
In 2002, the JetForm Corporation was acquired by Adobe Systems
, and the latter introduced XFA forms with PDF 1.5 and the subsequent Acrobat
releases (6 and 7) in 2003.
XFA forms are saved internally in PDF files or as XDP (XML Data Package
) files which can be opened in Adobe's LiveCycle Designer software.
An XDP packages a PDF file, along with XML form and template data. XDP provides a mechanism for packaging form components within a surrounding XML container.
XFA forms are synonymous with SmartForm
s in the Australian government.
Adobe XFA Forms are not compatible with AcroForms. Creating XFA Forms for use in Adobe Reader requires Adobe LiveCycle Forms Designer. Adobe Reader contains "disabled features" for use of XFA Forms, that will activate only when opening a PDF document that was created using enabling technology available only from Adobe. The XFA Forms are not compatible with Adobe Reader prior to version 6.
XFA forms can be created and used as PDF files or as XDP (XML Data Package
). The format of an XFA resource in PDF is described by the XML Data Package Specification. PDF may contain XFA in XDP format, but also XFA may contain PDF.
When the PDF and XFA are combined, the result is a form in which each page of the XFA form overlays a PDF background. This architecture is sometimes referred to as XFAF (XFA Foreground). The alternative is to express all of the form, including boilerplate, directly in XFA (without PDF). It is sometimes called full XFA.
When the XFA (XML Forms Architecture) grammars used for an XFA form are moved from one application to another, they must be packaged as an XML Data Package. The XDP may be a standalone document or it may in turn be carried inside a PDF document.
Starting with PDF 1.5, the text contents of variable text form fields, as well as markup annotations may include formatting information (style information). These rich text strings are XML documents that conform to the rich text conventions specified for the XML Forms Architecture specification, which is itself a subset of the XHTML 1.0 specification, augmented with a restricted set of CSS2 style attributes.
In PDF 1.6, PDF supports the rich text elements and attributes specified in the XML Forms Architecture (XFA) Specification, 2.2. In PDF 1.7, PDF supports the rich text elements and attributes specified in the XML Forms Architecture (XFA) Specification, 2.4.
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
specifications that was suggested and developed by JetForm
JetForm
JetForm was the name of a Canadian software manufacturer created by four consultants that was based out of Ottawa, Ontario, and an electronic form software product of the same name....
to enhance the processing of web forms
Form (web)
A webform on a web page allows a user to enter data that is sent to a server for processing. Webforms resemble paper or database forms because internet users fill out the forms using checkboxes, radio buttons, or text fields...
. It can be also used in PDF
Portable Document Format
Portable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
files starting with PDF 1.5 specification. XML Forms Architecture was not standardized as an ISO standard.
Overview
XFA's main extension to XML are computationally active tags. In addition, all instances created from a given XFA form template keep the specification of data capture, rendering, and manipulation rules from the original. Another major advantage of XFA is that its data format allows compatibility with other systems, and with changes to other technology, applications and technology standards.According to JetForm's submission to the World Wide Web Consortium
World Wide Web Consortium
The World Wide Web Consortium is the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web .Founded and headed by Tim Berners-Lee, the consortium is made up of member organizations which maintain full-time staff for the purpose of working together in the development of standards for the...
, "XFA addresses the needs of organizations to securely capture, present, move, process, output and print information associated with electronic forms." The XFA proposal was submitted to the W3C in May 1999.
In 2002, the JetForm Corporation was acquired by Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
, and the latter introduced XFA forms with PDF 1.5 and the subsequent Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat is a family of application software developed by Adobe Systems to view, create, manipulate, print and manage files in Portable Document Format . All members of the family, except Adobe Reader , are commercial software, while the latter is available as freeware and can be downloaded...
releases (6 and 7) in 2003.
XFA forms are saved internally in PDF files or as XDP (XML Data Package
XML Data Package
XML Data Package is an XML file format created by Adobe Systems in 2003. It is intended to be an XML-based companion to PDF. It allows PDF content and/or Adobe XML Forms Architecture resources to be packaged within an XML container....
) files which can be opened in Adobe's LiveCycle Designer software.
An XDP packages a PDF file, along with XML form and template data. XDP provides a mechanism for packaging form components within a surrounding XML container.
XFA forms are synonymous with SmartForm
SmartForm
SmartForm is a term used to describe an electronic form with capabilities beyond a traditional paper form, such as electronic completion, dynamic sections, database calls and electronic submission....
s in the Australian government.
Usage with Portable Document Format
PDF currently supports two different methods for integrating data and PDF forms. Both formats today coexist in PDF specification:- AcroForms (also known as Acrobat forms), introduced and included in the PDF 1.2 format specification.
- Adobe XML Forms Architecture (XFA) forms, introduced in the PDF 1.5 format specification as an optional feature (The XFA specification is not included in the PDF specification, it is only referenced.)
Adobe XFA Forms are not compatible with AcroForms. Creating XFA Forms for use in Adobe Reader requires Adobe LiveCycle Forms Designer. Adobe Reader contains "disabled features" for use of XFA Forms, that will activate only when opening a PDF document that was created using enabling technology available only from Adobe. The XFA Forms are not compatible with Adobe Reader prior to version 6.
XFA forms can be created and used as PDF files or as XDP (XML Data Package
XML Data Package
XML Data Package is an XML file format created by Adobe Systems in 2003. It is intended to be an XML-based companion to PDF. It allows PDF content and/or Adobe XML Forms Architecture resources to be packaged within an XML container....
). The format of an XFA resource in PDF is described by the XML Data Package Specification. PDF may contain XFA in XDP format, but also XFA may contain PDF.
When the PDF and XFA are combined, the result is a form in which each page of the XFA form overlays a PDF background. This architecture is sometimes referred to as XFAF (XFA Foreground). The alternative is to express all of the form, including boilerplate, directly in XFA (without PDF). It is sometimes called full XFA.
When the XFA (XML Forms Architecture) grammars used for an XFA form are moved from one application to another, they must be packaged as an XML Data Package. The XDP may be a standalone document or it may in turn be carried inside a PDF document.
Starting with PDF 1.5, the text contents of variable text form fields, as well as markup annotations may include formatting information (style information). These rich text strings are XML documents that conform to the rich text conventions specified for the XML Forms Architecture specification, which is itself a subset of the XHTML 1.0 specification, augmented with a restricted set of CSS2 style attributes.
In PDF 1.6, PDF supports the rich text elements and attributes specified in the XML Forms Architecture (XFA) Specification, 2.2. In PDF 1.7, PDF supports the rich text elements and attributes specified in the XML Forms Architecture (XFA) Specification, 2.4.