# Easy way to create 'automatic' letters (documents) - VB, PDF ??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-way-to-create-automatic-letters-documents-vb-pdf/196810 "2003-08-22T00:37:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-way-to-create-automatic-letters-documents-vb-pdf/196810/1 "2003-08-22T00:37:06Z")
Does anyone know what IT solutions exist that can easily generate ‘automatic’ letters? The documents generated will be based on information entered and various options selected (locally on win OS). So you input the persons details etc, select options and a few documents are spat out the other end, but this information does not need to be stored (except in the saved/printed documents themself). The options get fairly complex - with some options being created based on others options selected. The text that appears in the letters will depend on the options selected and fields entered. I know how to do this with VB (creating Word docs), and I have just had a look at Adobe Acrobat manual, which appears to be able to do the same stuff (with a bit of JavaScript thrown in). I am not sure which would be easiest or if there is an easier solution still. Anyone had experience with this stuff? If I am put on the right track I can work out the implementation myself. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-way-to-create-automatic-letters-documents-vb-pdf/196810/2 "2003-08-22T01:21:01Z")
Speaking as a programmer with 20 years experience: A lot depends on the versatility of the system that you’re using, but perhaps even more hangs on how well you know that system, and which you’re most comfortable with. So here’s my suggestion: Create a really simple bare-bones version of what you need, with perhaps only one or two very simple fields in it. Do that in Word, and do it in Adobe, and do it in whatever else, and you’ll probably get an good idea of which is best for you to do the big project in. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-way-to-create-automatic-letters-documents-vb-pdf/196810/3 "2003-08-22T02:58:29Z")
Thanks Keeve. I will get together simple prototyes using VB-Word and Abobe-JavaScript and see what they look like - run them by the users. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-way-to-create-automatic-letters-documents-vb-pdf/196810/4 "2003-08-22T03:31:18Z")
We did a project similar to this - if I’m reading you correctly - for a client last summer. We saved all the relevant info in a SQL database then ran it it through some PDF-making program (I can’t remember the name. It wasn’t by Adobe. I will get it from my partner tomorrow) that let us create a complete template. The program runs on the server SQL was able to trigger it every time a new document was created (ie every time the database was updated). The documents were made up of about 50 different fields with lots of selectable text. So the management of the documents was basically a large grid with lots of selectable fields. That was all done in HTML, ASP and the triggers were VB scripts. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-way-to-create-automatic-letters-documents-vb-pdf/196810/5 "2003-08-22T03:52:46Z")
Just talked to my partner. The program was [activePDF](http://www.activepdf.com) ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-way-to-create-automatic-letters-documents-vb-pdf/196810/6 "2003-08-22T07:43:59Z")
Thats great ZipperJJ. My solution will not need to run over a network, so it is nowhere near as complex as what you have done, but that link is very helpful. Cheers. ---
**Author:** ![Armilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19b73/32.png) [@Armilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Armilla)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-way-to-create-automatic-letters-documents-vb-pdf/196810/7 "2003-08-22T10:12:36Z")
When I worked for a law firm some people were looking into document automation systems. They were using [HotDocs](http://www.hotdocs.com/) to build MS Word templates. ---
**Author:** ![jbird3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/aeb1de/32.png) [@jbird3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbird3000)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-way-to-create-automatic-letters-documents-vb-pdf/196810/8 "2003-08-22T18:19:30Z")
Can you download the Acrobat PDF writer, set a reference to it in VB, make an object of its type, and see what functions you have available? It works for PDF _Reader_…