Forms

[Groucho]

I'm involved with a charity which needs to send out forms which can ideally be filled out 'on screen', having text and 'click' boxes, and emailed back. We have 'inherited' a series of MS Word-based forms.

Currently a significant number of 'customers' use only (not-so) smartphones or tablets and either don't know about or have not installed apps to handle MS Word docs. For these we send out fillable pdf forms. For those with 'proper' computers, Windows, Linux or Mac, we have no issues.

What is the best 'universal' medium? If pdf (preferred by us), can all smartphones and tablets handle these without upgrades?

[Avtrician]

Smart phones can handle PDF forms via Adobe reader for the phone.

You need to convert the Word form to a PDF, and then using a PDF editor ( there are free ones available) place fields in the appropriate places. The form can even have a button added to email the completed form. I have made a few over the years.

[Groucho]

Av - thanks - I'm 'ok' with pdf's

"For these we send out fillable pdf forms."

Do smartphones and tablets 'arrive' in the hand pdf capable or do owners need to install an app? We do deal with some pretty limited users!

[ChickenHouse]

Depends, Android users will have to install an app, iOS user can view PDF, but if you need special forms they have to install as well. the mobile world is quite fractured, no general approach to it.

[Groucho]

Thanks, Chicken - in that case what would you say is the best approach to avoid constant phone calls/re-sending/'free' training on smartphone+tablet useage?

[Avtrician]

I dont remember if my Android phone came with Adobe reader or not, but it is available from the Playstore.

How do you send the form out? If its by email, include a link to the play store and the Istore (the one ithings use) in the email, with a note to click the appropriate link to download the app.

Other than that, put some one else as the phone contact :E

[mixture]

What is the best 'universal' medium? If pdf (preferred by us), can all smartphones and tablets handle these without upgrades?

Simple, join the 21st century.

There are these things called websites that you might have heard of, the ability to place forms on websites has been around since the dark ages of the internet.

Forget about PDFs, Word Files or other mischief that may behave differently on different platforms or different software versions. HTML5 is the way to go.

If you can't be bothered to code the form yourself, there are services out there already. Such as SurveyMonkey, which, despite the name, is not restricted to yes/no surveys.

[Groucho]

Well, you live and learn.

I assume these 'forms' are different to the ones I have been using since the dark ages and that they can now be easily constructed so as to be down-loaded or completed off-line by folk of limited-intellect, printed off where necessary and/or saved partially completed to be returned to and completed later? I eagerly await the good news and shall forthwith re-visit the concept on this 'website' thing of which you talk - without delay.

If not, they are about as useful for my purposes as the proverbial on a nun.

Thanks anyway, Mixi, as ever.....

[mixture]

Groucho,

You stated

(a)
forms which can ideally be filled out 'on screen', having text and 'click' boxes, and emailed back.

and

(b)
Currently a significant number of 'customers' use only (not-so) smartphones or tablets and either don't know about or have not installed apps to handle MS Word docs.


Thus.

(a) Is perfectly within the skill-set of a bog standard web form.
(b) Do not require apps, plugins and work as expected cross-platform, cross-browser

Thus you would be well advised to heed my sage advice on this occasion. "Keep It Simple Stupid" as they say.

However, if you want to deal with the "Groucho, why isn't this working ?" "Well John, its because you didn't install X/Y/Z as we told you in the email that went out last century" type RTFM phone calls, then be my guest.... :ugh:

[Groucho]

In this case, however, "Keep It Simple Stupid" as they say is not best served by the effort involved in constructing yet another type of form which can be filled out 'on screen' (as can a pdf) and then having to use an emailed or posted pdf form for those who 'cannot' perform this miracle act with a webform.

I think Chicken and Avtrician have it, unless anyone else has a simple solution. It just needs 'advice' on putting the 'not-so-smart-phone' right.

Hopefully one day computing will come into the 21st Century.

[Groucho]

Having researched, there appear to be at least 3 free good pdf handlers for Android AND IOS, namely

Adobe Reader
Foxit
Xodo

all of which allow completion of user-accessible boxes. I will add these to the 'output'.