From LibreOffice, is it possible to create a PDF form which performs mathematical calculations?
If so, how?
It seems PDF has JavaScript scripting support. Just google for
pdf scripting
Thanks rautamiekka. A quick search turned up this sample document: http://www.pdfscripting.com/public/FreeStuff/PDFSamples/SimpleFormCalculations.pdf
Is it possible to accomplish this in LO?
I still do not know if this is possible with LO. However, my research lead me to an open-source tool call Scribus (http://www.scribus.net) which allowed me to build my PDF Form with calculated fields.
Thank you all for your input.
Statler Waldorf.
A pdf-file is merely a printed document in a universal format. I cannot imagine that a pdf-file can make mathematical calculations.
It can, I have seen it. Based on theory which I have also studied you can even animate content in a PDF by use of JavaScript. As I recall, a PDF contains something like PostScript code which in itself is a programming language for graphical documents. Or so I recall.
A pdf document is written in postscript. Postscript is a very powerful and full computer language. It is not only quite possible to do calculations in Postscript, but the print job itself is produced from this language. For example, many years ago I adjusted a postscript print job to tile out a small page onto many pages to make 18’ wide signs, but based on an 8.5 x 11" page just by encapsulating the postscript with more postscript.
Answering what I expected from the title - in case someone else reads the question expecting the same :
To calculate expressions in the input fields of the from itself (which is different from what the question body asks for):
It could be done using an utility software that helps evaluating expressions inside the input fields:
An example would be Typinator (Mac OS)
which advertises the feature “Inline Calculation”.
Another approach would be a calculator utility that mirrors its output to a form field (or manual copy and paste to a calculator, of course) (I do not know whether that exists; Should be possible to do it with something like AutoKey)