Although the records are kept in a database, they also want an official company application form to go in the Human Resources files, along with the hand-written applications. As a courtesy and to avoid misunderstandings, the company wants to provide the applicant a copy of the official application. A PDF file can be emailed to the applicant and be printed out to look like a copy of the official application form. The Adobe PDF format is the standard for electronic documents that look just like the hardcopy version. As a starter, the company application form must be available as a PDF file.
Most companies have their documents created with desktop publishing software.
Adobe Acrobat Distiller can covert many electronic documents into the PDF format. Once the document is in the PDF format, the Form Tool in Adobe Acrobat can be used to define the various text fields, give each a name, and designate the font type and size. This will be your PDF template. Meanwhile, ColdFusion is used to create an online form for the applicant to fill in over the Internet. Information in each field is inserted into the company database's applications table.