Electronic Forms

Online Forms Versus Downloadable Electronically

There is a big difference between an online form and a form that is available online as a downloadable document — in WordPerfect, Word, or PDF.

Online Forms

A true online form is filled out directly (on a web page). After entering their information in the fields provided online, clients submit their completed form via the web. The information generally goes directly into a database or temporary data storage facility. If you determine that particular forms should be produced as online forms, you will need to work with your department’s web specialists. Communications Nova Scotia can also assist your department in developing online forms.

Downloadable Forms

Forms posted online as downloadable documents are still essentially paper forms. Many downloadable government forms need to be printed and filled out by hand.

It is preferable to make paper forms available online in PDF, so the layout remains stable and people cannot alter the form. It is easy to create fields in these PDF forms that allow clients to fill them in electronically, using any version of Adobe Acrobat (not the free Acrobat Reader). Such forms can be filled in electronically then printed to be mailed.

For clients to be able to save their work in progress on a form, and the completed form, you need to use Adobe Acrobat, version 8.0 or higher. If you do not have this version, you may order the software through your department’s IT specialists.

The online tutorial in Adobe Acrobat explains in detail how to create fields and which settings you need to activate so clients can save the document. Or you can contact Communications Nova Scotia who can coordinate the creation of fields in your form. Compared to purchasing and learning new software, this is a relatively inexpensive process.

The ability to save the form is convenient for clients. They can save work they have done on the form and come back to it later. They can store the form in their electronic files and print copies as needed. They can e-mail the completed form to government, if a handwritten signature is not needed.