PDF Forms Filler for WPForms

Description

This plugin allows WPForms users to add PDF attachments filled with form submission data to notifications and confirmations of WPForms.

If the PDF attachment has a PDF form, the plugin allows users to add fields to the WPForms form and/or link them to fields in the PDF. The plugin also allows the attached PDF files to be embedded with images supplied by the WPForms fields. The filled PDF files can be saved on the web server.

When your website visitor submits your WPForms form, the form in the PDF file is filled with the form information, images are embedded and the resulting PDF file is attached to the WPForms notification. The resulting PDF file can also be downloaded by your website visitors if this option is enabled in your form’s options.

What makes this plugin special is its approach to preparing PDF files. It is not generating PDF documents from scratch. It modifies the original PDF document that was prepared using third party software and supplied to the plugin. This allows users the freedom to design exactly what they need and use their pre-existing documents.

An external web API (https://pdf.ninja) is used for filling PDF forms (free usage has limitations).

Requirements:
* PHP 5.5 or newer
* WordPress 5.4 or newer
* WPForms 1.6.9 or newer
* Chrome 63, Firefox 58 (or equivalent) or newer

Known incompatible plugins:
* Imagify (strips forms from PDF files)
* ShortPixel Image Optimizer (strips forms from PDF files)

Special thanks to the following sponsors of this plugin:
* BrowserStack

Screenshots

Installation

1. Install the WPForms plugin.
2. Upload this plugin’s folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly.
3. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ screen in WordPress.
4. Start using the ‘PDF Forms’ section in the WPForms editor under settings.

FAQ

Does this plugin allow my website users to edit PDF files?

No. This plugin adds features to the WPForms interface in the WordPress Admin Panel only.

Does this plugin require special software installation on the web server?

No. The plugin uses core WordPress and WPForms features only. No special software or PHP extensions are needed. Working with PDF files is done through Pdf.Ninja API. It is recommended to have a working SSL/TLS certificate validation with cURL.

How are WPForms form fields mapped to PDF form fields?

The field mapper tool allows you to map fields individually and, when needed, generate new WPForms fields on the fly. WPForms fields can be mapped to multiple PDF fields. Mappings can be associated with a specific PDF attachment or all PDF attachments. Field value mappings can also be created, allowing filled PDF fields to be filled with data that differs from the originally filled values.

My fields are not getting filled, what is wrong?

Make sure the mapping exists in the list of mappings and the field names match.

If you attached an updated PDF file and your mappings were associated with the old attachment ID then those mappings will be deleted and you will need to recreate them.

Sometimes PDF form fields have validation scripts which prevent value with an incorrect format to be filled in. Date PDF fields must be formatted with a smart tag.

How do I update the attached PDF file without attaching a new version and losing attachment ID associated mappings and embeds?

Try using the Enable Media Replace plugin to replace the PDF file in-place in the Media Library.

My checkboxes and/or radio buttons are not getting filled, what is wrong?

Make sure your PDF checkbox/radio field’s exported value matches the value of the WPForms form’s checkbox value. Usually, it is “On” or “Yes”. If you need to display a different value in the WPForms form, you will need to create a value mapping.

WPForms allows you to have multiselect checkboxes, however, PDFs can’t have multiple values with checkbox fields. You either need to switch to using a listbox in your PDF or rename your checkboxes such that each has a unique name and then map them appropriately.

Some PDF viewers don’t render checkboxes correctly in some PDF files. You may be able to solve this issue by recreating the PDF in a different PDF editor. If you are still using Pdf.Ninja API v1, switching to v2 may resolve your issue.

How do I remove the watermark in the filled PDF files?

Please see the Pdf.Ninja API website.

Reviews

Checkmarks

farazi482 June 23, 2024 1 reply

I gave it a full day of testing, checkmarks and radio buttons are problematic specially when you have multiple out there it do not render it correctly. Then there is a watermark so its useless.

the water mark is so funny

neversaynever504 April 20, 2024 1 reply

the water mark is so funny

Definitely Gets the Job Done!

madmoneymike5 November 13, 2023

It’s not the simplest UI to figure out, but once you do, it gets the job done. Step 1: Create a document (Word, or otherwise) that you need to place form data into.Step 2: Use a PDF application to convert it to PDF and ideally automatically add PDF form fields to it; these are what the plugin will read for mapping purposes. (Recommend using FoxIt PDF Creator for this.)Step 3: Upload the freshly minted PDF to your library.Step 4: In your WPForms form “Settings” tab, select “Step 1: Create a document (Word, or otherwise) that you need to place form data into.Step 2: Use a PDF application to convert it to PDF and ideally automatically add PDF form fields to it; these are what the plugin will read for mapping purposes. (Recommend using FoxIt PDF Creator for this.) Pro-Tip: Make sure to change the font and font size of these auto-generated form fields so that they are more legible than if you leave the font size set to “auto”. I typically choose the font and font size that matches that used in creating the form for best results.Step 3: In your WPForms form “Settings” tab, select “PDF Forms” and click “Attach PDF file.” Upload your PDF.Step 4: Map existing WPForms form fields (left side) to “PDF field” (right side). If you’re doing multiple forms, I recommend selecting the PDF field (on the right) that has the bracketed [] numbers next to them. These numbers match the bracketed number above where you attached the PDF. This helps to keep straight which documents you’re mapping what fields to.Step 5: If you have any images or signatures to map, you’ll do this using the “Image Embedding Tool” section below the field mapping. Pick your field to map to which document, click “Embed Image,” and then draw where you want the image to be embedded (ie a signature line).You’re done except to test it’s all working. For $92 for the Pro version of PDF.Ninja to get rid of the watermark, it’s worth it. Or if you don’t mind the added watermark, use the free version! Emailed back and forth with Alex, the developer, several times. Excellent guy. Very helpful. Thank you so much for an awesome solution. Only feedback I have is I wish it handled certain WPForm fields better, like Address fields and Name fields that are segmented instead of all in one, and radio buttons. Also, handling dates is a bit clunky and could be made more user-friendly. I also wish there was the ability to embed uploaded PDFs into the PDF created, such as in the case of electronically “stapling” a voided check the user scanned in as a PDF to the form you’re having them fill out. (Just got an email from Alex: This is coming!) Disclaimer: Did not test paragraph text, dropdowns, number sliders, website/URL, password, rich text, ratings, Likert scale, Net Promoter Score, or any of the Payment-type fields. Your mileage may vary.

Contributors & Developers

Changelog

1.1.9

• Release date: October 3, 2024

• Bug fixes

1.1.8

• Release date: May 30, 2024

• Added multiple choice option concatenation when mapped to a text field

• Fixed a bug with value mapping’s WPForms field drop-down when custom value wasn’t loading in correctly
• Added support for WPForms multiple choice field’s choices’ ‘value’ setting
• Fixed an issue with automatic value mapping generation that occurred when options list elements are strings
• Fixed an issue: extra lines and spaces in smart-tag field mappings are causing value mapping mismatches
• Other minor changes

1.1.7

• Release date: January 16, 2024

• Removed needless file name prefix in confirmation downloads

• Fixed possible issues with API communication caused by non-alphanumeric characters in request boundary
• Other minor fixes and improvements

1.1.6

• Release date: November 9, 2023

• Fixed issues in page snapshot code

• Improved remote attachment support
• Fixed icon file
• Auto-resize smart-tags textarea
• Fixed an issue with text attachment options not being saved in certain cases
• Other minor fixes and improvements

1.1.5

• Release date: August 9, 2023

• Fixed a notification attachment failure due to asynchronous notifications

• Fixed an issue that was causing too many page snapshots to be generated
• Minor bug fixes and improvements

1.1.4

• Release date: June 22, 2023

• Fixed a bug: form settings sometimes are not saved

1.1.3

• Release date: May 17, 2023

• Added a workaround for GLOB_BRACE flag not being available on some non GNU systems

1.1.2

• Release date: May 6, 2023

• Bug fixes and improvements

1.1.1

• Release date: December 2, 2022

• Ensure support for WPForms 1.8.0

• Minor warning message clarification

1.1.0

• Release date: December 2, 2022

• Some fixes were applied that affect the filling process logic. Please check your forms after the update to make sure everything is working as expected if you think they might be affected!

• Fixed an issue with PDF fields not being cleared with empty CF7 field values (affects prefilled fields in the original PDF file)

• Fixed an issue: value mappings get applied recursively (affects field value mappings that have matching CF7/PDF values)
• Bug fix: value mapping fail to work with null values
• Improved labeling of empty value mapping options
• Improved PDF attachment affecting action detection
• Fixed German translation
• Updated language files
• Other fixes and improvements

1.0.0

• Release date: September 9, 2022

• Initial release