Help with Methodology

[Gumma]

Need some function suggestions I think.

Forgive me if I am ignorant to some obvious, quick solution to my problem. This is my first real script I’ve ever written – I’m a noobie.

Anyway, I’m trying to write a script that will pull patient information / prescription data from our dental charts, put that into an array, and place that data then into an Adobe Acrobat file so that it can be just printed. I will later add more functions, but this is where I want to start.

I’m to the point in my script where I can pull the info, and place it into the chart (success), but I’ve having difficulty getting it to work on all the other doctors computers. I think this is because I’ve chosen a bad way to go this, and that’s where I need help/ideas.

My methods at present are to take the array data, place my specific bit of information into ClipPut, then paste the data into the acrobat file. To start this process I have to use the MouseMove command to reset the form and then place the cursor on the first field. I just tab through the rest of them, pasting as I go with new variable data stored in ClipPut. This also causes problems, as sometimes the tab function processes fastor than then next ClipPut, and it duplicates already pasted data or fails to paste completely. I fixed this with Sleep(500), but it makes the script feel a lot slower.

So my question is – is there a better way to enter data into an acrobat form locally saved on one’s computer? I feel like moving the mouse around and using cntrl+v is a really sucky way to do it, but I can’t figure out how else it should be done… or at least how to make it work on any computer I place it on.

If I’ve done a bad job of describing this problem, I’ll post the script tomorrow when I go into work. Thanks in advance for any tips or tricks.

Edited February 5, 2010 by Gumma

[omikron48]

If its always the same form, then you could try using ControlSend. You can use the AutoIt Window Information Tool to get the necessary identification data for the controls you want to send to.

[jchd]

Welcome to the AutoIt forum!

I can't answer for Acrobat interface but it looks like this is a dynamic form not using standard Windows controls. You're right to think that the pedestrian solution is likely to fail often, due to unexpected spurious popups or other source of mis-synch.

It's possible that Acobat offers a COM interface, which could probably be used to insert the right fields in the right place.

Another possibility, much simpler in my view, relies on Word. If you can use Word to make a template document, then pasting fields can be done easily and reliably from AutoIt using a standard UDF. From then on printing a PDF can be acheived by using one of the many free PDF "printers" drivers available.