Define Actions for Document Output - Activate / link std. Interactive Forms

[Former Member]

Hello,

The transactions 'Actions for Document Output' help tells me the following:

If the processing type External Communication is used for document output using SAP Interactive Forms, the following configuration needs to be done:
SRM Document (Action Profile) 	Form Name  		Format
Purchase Order (BBP_PD_PO) 	BBP_PO_ADB  	BBP_PO_ADB_PRN 

The interactive forms are available in our SRM system. Still up on searching the forms for f.e. the Purchase Order definition it can not be found. Only smartforms are listed. How come?

Has the setting in transaction 'PDF-based Forms for SAP ERP' -> 'Activate PDF-Based Forms' got anything to do with this?

Kind regards,

Tim

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Still up on searching the forms for f.e. the Purchase Order definition it can not be found. Only smartforms are listed.

Where did you try to search for it?

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Jay,

I tried searching for it where you should link the form with the BUS object.

Following path (PO): Cross-Application Basic Settings -> Set Output Actions and Output Format -> Define Actions for Document Output -> Action Profile: BBP_PD_PO -> Tab: Processing Types -> Smart Forms Print -> Search for Form doesn't include the Interactive forms.

I just realised: I need to add a new entry 'External Communication', would this entry be applicable for all communication methods? Thus fax + print + e-mail? And how did you go about setting it up, i suppose adding an 'external communication' entry next to the smartform entries in the std. SAP BBP_PO would be double (system wouldn't know which 1 to choose).

Kind regards,

Tim

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

i suppose adding an 'external communication' entry next to the smartform entries in the std. SAP BBP_PO would be double (system wouldn't know which 1 to choose).

What did you mean by "double"? What I did was that I created a new "External Communication" entry for BBP_PO processing type, mark it as default. In the content area, I have

Form name: some Z form I created

Form type: PDF-based forms

Format: BBP_PO_ADB_PRN

Personlization type: Recipient specific...

The system was able to point to the Z form when trying to output the PO document.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

That way the 'old' smartform entities are not taken into account any more? By choosing output method 'fax' 'print' or 'e-mail' the PDF-based form is used?

Thanks for your inputs,

Tim

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Now I am starting to guess (meaning there is no proof) -

When you define "External Communication", you have to choose a "Format". If you look at the F4 help for this field, you see (more or less) 3 entries for each objec type: _FAX, _MAI, _PRN. You would choose one of them. If you choose _PRN, it would be set for the print medium only, for example. And for FAX and MAI, the other entries in process type takes effect, such as Smart Forms Fax, Smart Forms Mail, or another "External Communication" with _FAX, or _MAI if they are defined.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hello Jay,

One last question, how do we know the PDF-Based forms are used.

The standard smartform: BBP_PO and PDF-Based form BBP_PO_ADB are in look exactly the same. Is there any way to know which one has been used? I could make a copy and assign that one for testing purposes but fmpov this isn't really a 'clean way of working'.

Thanks again,

Tim

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Is there any way to know which one has been used?

As far as I know, there is no log stating which form (with name) is used in the output process. All we get is the rendered form already. However, in our case (and I guess similarly in many customers' cases), we have our Z-forms, either smart form or Adobe form for business documents. And we implement BADI BBP_OUTPUT_CHANGE_SF so that we tell the system to use our own Z forms. In that sense, we know, programmatically, what the forms are being used to output.