XML Forms Architecture
| Filename extension | .pdf, .xdp |
|---|---|
| Internet media type | application/pdf, application/vnd.adobe.xdp+xml |
| Developed by | JetForm (acquired by Adobe Systems in 2002) |
| Initial release | 1999 |
| Latest release |
3.3
(9 January 2012) |
| Container for | PDF, XML |
| Contained by | PDF, XDP, FCDT |
| Extended from | XML, XHTML, CSS, XSL-FO, PDF |
| Standard | No |
| Open format? | No |
| Website | Adobe XML Forms Architecture |
XFA (also known as XFA forms) stands for XML Forms Architecture, a family of proprietary XML specifications that was suggested and developed by JetForm to enhance the processing of web forms. It can be also used in PDF files starting with PDF 1.5 specification. XFA specification is referenced as an external specification indispensable for the application of ISO 32000-1 specification (PDF 1.7). XML Forms Architecture was not standardized as an ISO standard.
XFA's main extension to XML are computationally active tags. In addition, all instances created from a given XFA form template keep the specification of data capture, rendering, and manipulation rules from the original. Another major advantage of XFA is that its data format allows compatibility with other systems, and with changes to other technology, applications and technology standards.
According to JetForm's submission to the World Wide Web Consortium, "XFA addresses the needs of organizations to securely capture, present, move, process, output and print information associated with electronic forms." The XFA proposal was submitted to the W3C in May 1999.
In 2002, the JetForm Corporation was acquired by Adobe Systems, and the latter introduced XFA forms with PDF 1.5 and the subsequent Acrobat releases (6 and 7) in 2003.
XFA forms are saved internally in PDF files or as XDP (XML Data Package) files which can be opened in Adobe's LiveCycle Designer software. An XDP can package a PDF file, along with XML form and template data. XDP provides a mechanism for packaging form components within a surrounding XML container.
Although XFA can make use of PDF, XFA is not tied to a particular page description language.
XFA specification includes an appendix that discusses details of the Adobe-specific XFA implementation and also behaviors of Adobe products that deviate from the XFA specification.
Data filled in an XFA form may be submitted to a host using HTTP POST operation in XDP format, PDF format, XFDF format, XML 1.0 format or as an URL-encoded format.
XFA supports the use of XSLT to transform the XML data before it is loaded to XFA Data DOM or after it is unloaded from XFA Data DOM.
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