Data lost when using Fill & Sign

[DawsBBC]

We have a document we distribute to users for them to complete and send back using Fill & Sign.

We have had a number of instances where a user has completed the form, saved-as a new document but when they go back in to further edit it, their previously entered data has gone. Some people have lost hours of work with this problem.

It is not repeatable but is happening on a regular basis.

https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1960688 lists the exact same problem with no solution.

Is there a fix for this?

[Adorobat]

Hi,

Would it be possible to share the document with us to replicate the issue at our end? I have send you a private message for the same, please check the inbox.

Also, let us know the operating system installed on the user's machine?

Acrobat version installed on the machine? You may refer to the steps given in this link on how to check the version: Identify the product and its version for Acrobat and Reader DC

Which option users are using to fill the form -  Add text or Add Signature/ Initials?

Below is the screenshot:

Thanks,

Shivam

[nateatdel]

I might be having the same problem. Let me describe in some detail:

Using Acrobat Pro DC 2018.009.20050 (on Windows 7 Pro), I open any PDF that already has fill & sign text elements. If I immediately go Back to Document (or X) without making any changes, all is ok. But if I add, change, or delete 1 or more characters in any of the elements, or if I add a new element, and then go Back to Document (or X), all text elements are completely gone.

When I perform exactly the same test in Acrobat Reader DC 2018.009.20050, I get the desired results: text elements updated, and no elements deleted.

Nate

[Adorobat]

Hi Nate,

Please try following troubleshooting steps:

1- Reboot the machine if you haven't already and try again.

2- If that doesn't work, check if an update is available for Acrobat using "check for updates" option under Help menu.

3- If step 2 doesn't work, repair Acrobat using "repair installation" under Help menu, reboot the machine and try again.

Also, could you please try with another pdf file to check if its not a file specific issue?

Thanks,

Shivam

[nateatdel]

Shivam,

Thank you for your response. I followed your suggestions (mostly), but somewhat out of order, and I think you'll see why. I did this:

1. Shut down (pwr off) & restart Windows.

2. Update Acrobat Pro DC to 2018.011.20035.

3. Rerun test on same file--still same problem with elements disappearing.

4. Re-ran test on 5 other files created by different methods, and could not reproduce the problem.

The problem file is a PDF generated from Microsoft Word (Version 1708, from Office 365 ProPlus) using Print and the Adobe PDF printer driver. Other PDFs generated using the same method do not reproduce the problem. Do you guys want to look at the offending file? Should I still do the repair installation step?

I figure this is no longer a huge issue for me, as long as I test all PDFs before releasing them to my general corporate populace.

Nate

[Adorobat]

Hi Nate,

Yes, you may share the file with us using Document Cloud: How to share a file using Adobe Document Cloud . Also, it seems the issue is specific to this single file only, repair installation won't be necessary.

Thanks,

Shivam

[nateatdel]

Shivam,

I've zipped and shared the relevant files here: Shared Files - Acrobat.com .

I was able to isolate the problem down to a single MS Word table cell. I found that if a Word doc has a table containing this cell, the PDF from it exhibits the problem. The cell is totally unremarkable with regard to text or formatting, so it's a bit of a mystery.

Thanks,

Nate

[nateatdel · Accepted solution]

I've discovered something very obvious, yet not...

It is the word "signature" when used in a table cell with a bottom-only border that is crippling the file. (In my case, it appears above a column of boxes where a team of managers each supply their signature.) If I change the word to "approval" or "sign here" the problem goes away. If I use the word "signature" in a standard paragraph, no problem.

I would consider this a bug, but at least I think I know how to work around the problem in the future. Hopefully this will help some other people who I know have encountered problems with disappearing fill-n-sign data.

Nate

[Adorobat]

Hi Nate,

Thanks for sharing the files with us. I tried to replicate the issue with Acrobat DC's latest version but the issue was not reproducible. I would have triage the issue for further analysis but it seems the issue is specific to this single file only, glad that you found the resolution for the issue.

Let us know if you need any help.

Shivam

[Sabine1898]

This happens regularly with me, every time I need someone to sign a listing agreement or a purchase offer. I have wasted WAY too much time on this!

[Beajay367877056tou]

This exact thing just lost me 60hrs work and about 2500 AUD 

Pretty bad form for such and expensive platform 

[Amal.]

Hi there

Hope you are doing well and sorry to hear that.

Would you mind sharing more details about the issue you are experiencing. What is the workflow/steps you are doing to fill and sign the PDF? A small video recording would be very helpful.

Is this an issue with a particular PDF file or with all the PDFs? Please try with a different PDF file and check. If the file is stored on a shared network/drive please download it to your computer locally and then try again.
 
What is the version of the OS and Acrobat DC you are using? To check the version go to Help > About Acrobat and make sure you have the recent version 24.02.20687 installed. Go to Help > Check for updates and reboot the computer once.
 
Also try to repair the installation from the help menu (Win Only) and see if that works.
 
Please try to reset the Acrobat preferences as described here https://adobe.ly/3w34dfi and see if that works.

~Amal