Tutorial: Converting XFA-based PDF Forms to PDF with AcroForm

Learning Objectives

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to:

  • Convert XFA-based PDF forms to standard AcroForms using Aspose.PDF Cloud API
  • Understand the differences between XFA forms and AcroForms
  • Implement form conversion using REST API calls
  • Process form conversions in multiple programming languages
  • Preserve form field data during conversion

Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, make sure you have:

  • An Aspose Cloud account with an active subscription or free trial
  • Your Client ID and Client Secret credentials
  • Basic understanding of PDF forms and their types
  • Familiarity with your programming language of choice
  • An XFA-based PDF form to test the conversion

Why Convert XFA Forms to AcroForms?

XFA (XML Forms Architecture) and AcroForm are two different technologies for creating interactive PDF forms:

XFA Forms:

  • Based on XML technology
  • More powerful but less compatible
  • Requires Adobe Acrobat or Reader 7.0 or higher
  • Not supported in many PDF viewers
  • Limited support in web browsers

AcroForms:

  • The original and more widely supported PDF form technology
  • Compatible with virtually all PDF readers
  • Better cross-platform support
  • More universally accessible

Converting XFA forms to AcroForms allows you to:

  • Increase form compatibility across different PDF readers
  • Improve form usability in web browsers
  • Ensure forms work in older PDF viewers
  • Make forms more accessible to users with various PDF software

Understanding XFA to AcroForm Conversion

During conversion, Aspose.PDF Cloud:

  1. Extracts form fields and their properties from the XFA form
  2. Creates equivalent standard AcroForm fields
  3. Preserves visual appearance and layout
  4. Maintains field names and validation where possible
  5. Converts complex XFA features to their closest AcroForm equivalents

Now, let’s implement the conversion process step by step.

Step 1: Obtaining API Access Credentials

Before making any API requests, you need to obtain your authentication credentials:

  1. Log in to the Aspose Cloud Dashboard
  2. Navigate to “Applications” and note your Client ID and Client Secret
  3. If you don’t have an application, create one to generate these credentials

Step 2: Authentication with Aspose Cloud API

The first step in using the API is to obtain an access token:

Using cURL

curl -v "https://api.aspose.cloud/connect/token" \
     -X POST \
     -d "grant_type=client_credentials&client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
     -H "Accept: application/json"

Take note of the access_token in the response, as you’ll need it for subsequent API calls.

Step 3: Converting XFA Form to AcroForm

Aspose.PDF Cloud offers multiple approaches for XFA to AcroForm conversion:

  1. Convert an XFA form already stored in cloud storage
  2. Upload and convert an XFA form in a single request
  3. Convert and receive the AcroForm directly in the response

Let’s explore each of these methods:

Method 1: Convert XFA Form Already in Cloud Storage

Using cURL

curl -v "https://api.aspose.cloud/v3.0/pdf/PdfWithXfaForm.pdf/convert/xfatoacroform?outPath=result.pdf" \
     -X PUT \
     -H "Accept: application/json" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"

Method 2: Upload and Convert XFA Form in One Request

Using cURL

curl -v "https://api.aspose.cloud/v3.0/pdf/convert/xfatoacroform?outPath=result.pdf" \
     -X PUT \
     -T PdfWithXfaForm.pdf \
     -H "Content-Type: multipart/form-data" \
     -H "Accept: application/json" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"

Method 3: Convert and Download AcroForm Directly

Using cURL

curl -v "https://api.aspose.cloud/v3.0/pdf/convert/xfatoacroform" \
     -X PUT \
     -T PdfWithXfaForm.pdf \
     -H "Content-Type: multipart/form-data" \
     -H "Accept: multipart/form-data" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
     -o converted_form.pdf

Programming with SDK Examples

Let’s implement the conversion using different SDK languages:

Using C# SDK

// Tutorial Code Example: XFA to AcroForm Conversion using C# SDK
using System;
using System.IO;
using Aspose.Pdf.Cloud.Sdk.Api;
using Aspose.Pdf.Cloud.Sdk.Client;
using Aspose.Pdf.Cloud.Sdk.Model;

namespace AsposeFormConversionTutorial
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            // Configure API credentials
            string clientId = "YOUR_CLIENT_ID";
            string clientSecret = "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET";
            
            // Initialize PDF API client
            var config = new Configuration
            {
                AppSid = clientId,
                AppKey = clientSecret
            };
            var pdfApi = new PdfApi(config);
            
            try
            {
                // 1. Local XFA Form PDF file to convert
                string inputFile = "PdfWithXfaForm.pdf";
                
                // 2. Name of the output AcroForm PDF file
                string outputFile = "result.pdf";
                
                Console.WriteLine("Starting XFA to AcroForm conversion process...");
                
                // 3. Upload the PDF to cloud storage
                Console.WriteLine($"Uploading {inputFile} to cloud storage...");
                using (var fileStream = File.OpenRead(inputFile))
                {
                    var uploadResult = pdfApi.UploadFile(inputFile, fileStream);
                    Console.WriteLine($"File uploaded successfully to: {uploadResult.Uploaded[0]}");
                }
                
                // 4. Convert the uploaded XFA form to AcroForm
                Console.WriteLine("Converting XFA form to AcroForm...");
                var result = pdfApi.PutXfaPdfInStorageToAcroForm(inputFile, outputFile);
                Console.WriteLine($"Conversion completed with status: {result.Code} - {result.Status}");
                
                // 5. Download the converted AcroForm PDF
                Console.WriteLine($"Downloading converted AcroForm PDF: {outputFile}");
                var pdfContent = pdfApi.DownloadFile(outputFile);
                File.WriteAllBytes($"local_{outputFile}", pdfContent);
                Console.WriteLine($"Downloaded AcroForm PDF to: local_{outputFile}");
                
                // 6. Verify the file exists
                if (File.Exists($"local_{outputFile}"))
                {
                    var fileInfo = new FileInfo($"local_{outputFile}");
                    Console.WriteLine($"Success! File size: {fileInfo.Length} bytes");
                    Console.WriteLine("Your XFA form has been successfully converted to an AcroForm PDF.");
                }
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                Console.WriteLine($"Exception during conversion: {ex.Message}");
            }
        }
    }
}

Using Python SDK

# Tutorial Code Example: XFA to AcroForm Conversion using Python SDK
import os
import asposepdfcloud
from asposepdfcloud.apis.pdf_api import PdfApi
from asposepdfcloud.rest import ApiException

def convert_xfa_to_acroform():
    # Configure API credentials
    client_id = "YOUR_CLIENT_ID"
    client_secret = "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET"
    
    # Initialize PDF API client
    pdf_api = PdfApi(asposepdfcloud.Configuration(
        client_id=client_id,
        client_secret=client_secret
    ))
    
    try:
        # 1. Local XFA Form PDF file to convert
        input_file = "PdfWithXfaForm.pdf"
        
        # 2. Name of the output AcroForm PDF file
        output_file = "result.pdf"
        
        print("Starting XFA to AcroForm conversion process...")
        
        # 3. Upload the PDF to cloud storage
        print(f"Uploading {input_file} to cloud storage...")
        uploaded_file = pdf_api.upload_file(
            path=input_file,
            file=open(input_file, 'rb')
        )
        print(f"File uploaded successfully to: {uploaded_file.uploaded}")
        
        # 4. Convert the uploaded XFA form to AcroForm
        print("Converting XFA form to AcroForm...")
        result = pdf_api.put_xfa_pdf_in_storage_to_acro_form(
            name=input_file,
            out_path=output_file
        )
        print(f"Conversion completed with status: {result.code} - {result.status}")
        
        # 5. Download the converted AcroForm PDF
        print(f"Downloading converted AcroForm PDF: {output_file}")
        pdf_content = pdf_api.download_file(output_file)
        with open("local_" + output_file, "wb") as f:
            f.write(pdf_content)
        print(f"Downloaded AcroForm PDF to: local_{output_file}")
        
        # 6. Verify the file exists
        if os.path.exists("local_" + output_file):
            print(f"Success! File size: {os.path.getsize('local_' + output_file)} bytes")
            print("Your XFA form has been successfully converted to an AcroForm PDF.")
        
    except ApiException as e:
        print(f"Exception when calling PdfApi: {e}")
        
# Execute the conversion
convert_xfa_to_acroform()

Using Java SDK

// Tutorial Code Example: XFA to AcroForm Conversion using Java SDK
import com.aspose.pdf.cloud.sdk.api.PdfApi;
import com.aspose.pdf.cloud.sdk.client.ApiException;
import com.aspose.pdf.cloud.sdk.model.AsposeResponse;

import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class XfaToAcroFormConverter {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Configure API credentials
        String clientId = "YOUR_CLIENT_ID";
        String clientSecret = "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET";
        
        // Initialize PDF API client
        PdfApi pdfApi = new PdfApi(clientId, clientSecret);
        
        try {
            // 1. Local XFA Form PDF file to convert
            String inputFile = "PdfWithXfaForm.pdf";
            
            // 2. Name of the output AcroForm PDF file
            String outputFile = "result.pdf";
            
            System.out.println("Starting XFA to AcroForm conversion process...");
            
            // 3. Upload the PDF to cloud storage
            System.out.println("Uploading " + inputFile + " to cloud storage...");
            File file = new File(inputFile);
            pdfApi.uploadFile(inputFile, file);
            System.out.println("File uploaded successfully to cloud storage");
            
            // 4. Convert the uploaded XFA form to AcroForm
            System.out.println("Converting XFA form to AcroForm...");
            AsposeResponse response = pdfApi.putXfaPdfInStorageToAcroForm(
                inputFile,  // Source XFA PDF name
                outputFile  // Output AcroForm PDF name
            );
            System.out.println("Conversion completed with status: " + response.getStatus());
            
            // 5. Download the converted AcroForm PDF
            System.out.println("Downloading converted AcroForm PDF: " + outputFile);
            byte[] pdfContent = pdfApi.downloadFile(outputFile);
            Files.write(Paths.get("local_" + outputFile), pdfContent);
            System.out.println("Downloaded AcroForm PDF to: local_" + outputFile);
            
            // 6. Verify the file exists
            File downloadedFile = new File("local_" + outputFile);
            if (downloadedFile.exists()) {
                System.out.println("Success! File size: " + downloadedFile.length() + " bytes");
                System.out.println("Your XFA form has been successfully converted to an AcroForm PDF.");
            }
            
        } catch (ApiException | IOException e) {
            System.err.println("Exception during conversion: " + e.getMessage());
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

Step 4: Verifying the Conversion

After converting your XFA form to an AcroForm, it’s important to verify that:

  1. All form fields have been properly converted
  2. Form field properties (like required fields, calculations) are preserved
  3. The visual layout matches the original XFA form
  4. The form functions correctly in standard PDF viewers

To verify your conversion:

  1. Open the converted PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader or another PDF viewer
  2. Check that all form fields are present and properly positioned
  3. Test field interactions (calculations, validations, etc.)
  4. Try filling out the form and saving the data

Considerations and Limitations

What Gets Converted Well

Most XFA forms convert successfully to AcroForms, especially:

  • Basic form fields (text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons)
  • Field labels and descriptions
  • Required field validations
  • Simple calculations
  • Basic formatting

Potential Limitations

Be aware of these potential limitations in the conversion process:

  • Complex scripting in XFA may not have direct AcroForm equivalents
  • Some advanced validation rules might not convert fully
  • Dynamic forms with subforms may lose some functionality
  • Custom appearances might change slightly
  • Digital signature fields may need reconfiguration

Try It Yourself

Now it’s your turn to practice! Follow these steps:

  1. Prepare an XFA-based PDF form (or use our sample form)
  2. Obtain your Client ID and Client Secret from Aspose Cloud
  3. Use one of the code examples above to convert your XFA form to an AcroForm
  4. Examine the resulting AcroForm PDF
  5. Test the form functionality in different PDF viewers

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Form Field Recognition Problems

If form fields aren’t converted correctly:

  • Check if the XFA form is compatible with the conversion process
  • Ensure the form doesn’t have security restrictions
  • Consider simplifying complex forms before conversion

Layout Issues

If the layout changes after conversion:

  • Check if the original XFA form uses dynamic layout features
  • Verify complex positioning rules that might not convert well
  • Consider adjusting the form design for better compatibility

API Response Errors

If you receive error responses:

  • Verify your authentication token is valid
  • Ensure the XFA form is a valid PDF document
  • Check that the form contains actual XFA content

What You’ve Learned

Congratulations! In this tutorial, you’ve learned:

  • How to authenticate with the Aspose.PDF Cloud API
  • Different methods for converting XFA forms to AcroForms
  • Implementing form conversion in multiple programming languages
  • The capabilities and limitations of the conversion process
  • How to verify and troubleshoot the conversion results

Further Practice

To reinforce your learning:

  1. Try converting different types of XFA forms with varying complexity
  2. Experiment with forms containing different field types and validations
  3. Build a simple web application that allows users to convert their XFA forms
  4. Compare the behavior of converted forms across different PDF viewers

Next Steps

Ready to explore more PDF conversion options? Check out these related tutorials:

Helpful Resources

Feedback

Have questions about this tutorial or need additional help with form conversion? Feel free to reach out on our support forum or leave a comment below. We’re here to help!