TechNote

Target version and originalXFAVersion

With the introduction of target version warnings in LiveCycle Designer ES 8.1, the version of a form is increased or decreased by changing the target version or by adding or removing unsupported features to a form. The forms version is always the highest of the following:

The target version you select
The feature or object you use in the form

In a new form, the originalXFAVersion processing instruction (PI) is generated when any of the following conditions are met.

When you set a legacy version in Form Properties > Compatibility tab
When you target Acrobat 9.0 and turn strict scoping OFF. In the latter case, the version of the originalXFAVersion will match the target version.

When either condition is no longer met, Designer ES removes the PI.

If the originalXFAVersion PI exists and you change the target version, Designer ES updates the version of the originalXFAVersion PI to match the selected target version. The legacy versions you choose remain unchanged.

When targeting Acrobat and Adobe Reader 6.0.2, Designer ES disables the Update Compatibility to version 7 buttons in the Form Properties > Compatibility tab. The legacy behaviors will always be Acrobat and Adobe Reader version 6. That is, toggling to and from 6.0.2 resets the legacy settings to their default values.

Toggling to and from Acrobat and Adobe Reader 6.0.2

When targeting Acrobat and Adobe Reader 6.0.2, Designer ES disables the Update Text Formatting and Update Event Model buttons on the Form Properties < Compatibility tab, and enables both the Text Formatting: Legacy (Version 6.0) setting and the Event Model: Legacy (Version 6.0) setting. If you change the target version to Acrobat and Adobe Reader 7.0.5, Designer ES re-enables the Update Text Formatting and Update Event Model buttons.

Consequently, if you set a form to target Acrobat and Adobe Reader 7.0.5 as well as Text Formatting: Legacy (Version 6.0) and you lower the target version to 6.0.2, Designer ES enables both the Text Formatting: Legacy (Version 6.0) setting and Event Model: Legacy (Version 6.0) setting. If you set the target version back to Acrobat and Adobe Reader 7.0.5, Designer ES enables the default behaviors of Acrobat and Adobe Reader 7.0.5.

To resolve this situation, re-enable Text Formatting: Legacy (Version 6.0) setting.

Adding unsupported features

If you set the target version to Acrobat and Adobe Reader 8.0 in a new form and then add an unsupported feature, the originalXFAVersion PI is not generated. However, the form version will be bumped up and a target version warning is generated for the unsupported feature. This means that the form inherits the behaviors of the bumped-up form version instead of the target version. Designer ES does not indicate that the form version has been bumped up. To fix this problem, you need to resolve the target version warning.

It may be difficult for you to tell that the version has been bumped up when you are creating a static PDF form. Designer ES does generate a target version warning when the feature is supported in Static PDF. However, adding the feature bumps up the form version and causes the form to inherit the behavior of the bumped-up version.

To resolve this situation, add the originalXFAVersion PI in the XML source.

Fragments and host forms

When using fragments in a form, they inherit the behaviors of the host document. Consequently, fragments may behave differently from one host document to another. Designer does not verify and compare the behaviors of the fragment and the host form; therefore, no warnings are generated when they differ. These behavior differences may be difficult to debug, especially where scripts are affected.