What Happens to Each Kind of PDF Form (AcroForm, XFA, Flat, Scanned)

· Not all PDF forms are built the same. How Formtly recognises AcroForm, static and dynamic XFA, flat and scanned PDFs, and which fillable result each one becomes.

Four Kinds of PDF Form, One Converter

A "PDF form" can be four quite different things inside the file. Formtly inspects every upload and routes it to the method that gives a working result, so you never have to know which one you have. Here is what it looks for and what you get.

1. AcroForm PDFs

The common fillable PDF: fields are stored inside the file as a dictionary of text boxes, checkboxes, radio groups, dropdowns and signature areas.

What you get: a web form (HTML) with every field in place, converted pixel-accurately from the embedded field data. Validation, radio grouping and tab order carry over. Details on the AcroForm converter.

2. XFA Forms

Adobe LiveCycle forms. There are two sorts:

  • Static XFA keeps an AcroForm fallback inside the file. It converts like an AcroForm.
  • Dynamic XFA keeps the whole form in an XML template and ships no real fields. Most converters emit a single placeholder field and a "please wait" page. Formtly renders the template itself and detects the fields from the rendered page, so you get a fillable PDF with every field.

More on XFA conversion.

3. Flat PDFs

A Word export, a designed template, a form someone saved without adding fields. It looks like a form, but there is nothing inside it to fill. This is the most common upload we see.

What you get: the page is rendered and sent through field detection, and you download a fillable PDF built on your original page: real text fields, checkboxes and radio groups where the blanks and boxes are. A web-form version is one click away.

4. Scanned PDFs and Photos

Image-only PDFs, scans, faxes, phone photos. Same as a flat PDF, with one extra step: the text has to be read first.

What you get: the same fillable PDF. Sideways photos are straightened; multi-page scans become one multi-page PDF. How the scan path works.

How the Check Works

Formtly looks inside the file before anything is converted:

  • real embedded fields, at least a few of them: AcroForm route
  • a dynamic-XFA marker: render and detect
  • no fields, or only one or two on a long form: detect from the layout
  • a file that cannot be parsed: render and detect

If a conversion comes back with no fields at all, the credit is refunded and the other route is offered.

What Field Detection Finds

  • Labels paired with blanks: "Name:" and the line next to it become one text field
  • Checkboxes and radio choices: a row of boxes becomes a radio group; standalone boxes become checkboxes
  • Tables: every empty cell becomes a field, named by its row and column headers
  • Signature lines
  • Pre-filled answers: handwritten values are kept; printed text stays as print

Try It

Upload any PDF at formtly.com/convert-pdf-to-form. The check runs in your browser before anything is uploaded.

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