Add editable pdf box to a frame (in second screen) to send feedbacks - TeX

JeT replying to samcarter

interesting prospective !! then each element of this single form could be named as \slidepage or any prefix/suffix that would make him unique  (to grab metadata).

samcarter replying to JeT

You can wrap `\begin{Form}....\end{Form}` around the whole document and then use the other stuff on as many pages you want

JeT replying to samcarter

I created in march 2 exams based on this idea.  It was in exam class. A list of question on the pdf with editable box where students could write their answers. They validated the document and it went well. I could retrieve the metadata (their answers).

JeT replying to samcarter

I would not question...  if...

JeT replying to samcarter

Merci SamCarter ! If I understand well, Ulrike advise not to use multiple forms in a document ?

samcarter

![](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f64bbd09-7933-4bc9-9fc7-8b61fe0434c3/d5tx4d1-1cbecba2-3f2a-4b60-b8cc-661c9142c781.png/v1/fill/w_1024,h_1352,strp/postman_donald_by_hidde99_d5tx4d1-fullview.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD0xMzUyIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvZjY0YmJkMDktNzkzMy00YmM5LTlmYzctOGI2MWZlMDQzNGMzXC9kNXR4NGQxLTFjYmVjYmEyLTNmMmEtNGI2MC1iOGNjLTY2MWM5MTQyYzc4MS5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTAyNCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.Ke-7xx5dGJiuA-Yu6mH4aj4a-fZOzSKQXqei5_dYsbI)  
message delivery for you (and me) https://chat.stackoverflow.com/transcript/message/50777827#50777827 @JeT

user 3.14159 replying to JeT

This code gives an error on my machine when compiled with pdflatex. How am I supposed to compile it? (I wanted to try something stupid.)

JeT replying to user 3.14159

Ah ! Lucky me then. Our Blackboard allows a full display of pdfs files. So far my students use Adobe basic tools to annotate. IT's ok to cope with 4/5 files manually to look for comments. I thought it'd be more convenient to let them type what they want and get only metadata, I could easily gather (imagine with 80 students as I have in some class...).

user 3.14159

I once came across a talk (by Will Robertson, I think) which discussed how to "hack" canvas and to steer it with LaTeX and scripts. So some people have thought about this already. However, it turns out that at different universities different policies are in place, for instance I am forced to go through their web interface. There are also tools like perusall available that let students annotate your pdf lectures.

samcarter

(without `show notes on second screen`  might also be safer if you don't know if the students have access to big screens)

samcarter replying to JeT

Ah, so the other way round. Sorry!

JeT replying to samcarter

Actually, I need the web front end to input the parameters (pgfkeys) that LaTeX backend would gobble (running your great latexmk) to generate taylor made documents.

samcarter replying to JeT

This will be a question of how much latex you need, For small things have a look at katex

samcarter replying to JeT

Another workaround: leave out the `show notes on second screen` in the student version and they'll have the notes as normal pages

JeT replying to samcarter

My ultimate dream is to coordinate a web based front end, with a LaTeX back end. If you have anything I can read about that, i'll learn.

JeT replying to samcarter

I see what you mean   with the problem of positionning !
```  
\documentclass{beamer}
\usepackage{lipsum}

\setbeameroption{show notes}
\usepackage{pgfpages}
\setbeameroption{show notes on second screen=right}

\begin{document}

\begin{frame}
\lipsum[1]
\end{frame}

\note{
\TextField[name=1%for the metadata, I need to name the field uniquely.
,width=0.98\textwidth,height=0.3\textheight]{} % this is the red box of my example
}

\note{% submit the editable box
\begin{Form}[action=mailto:xxxxx?subject={Séance 22},method=post]
    \Reset{Reset} \quad \Submit{Submit} \quad  \Acrobatmenu{Print}{Print}
\end{Form}
}

\end{document}   
```

JeT replying to samcarter

Oh totally agreed. I had a new type of exam during the (1st) lockdown. Acrobat was fine, but other viewers are indeed random and flattened the editable boxes. My goal is really to "save" the shy and discrete students from disappearing in nature.. With remote teaching, I cannot reach them or ask them questions directly. So If they agree  to it, while they follow the course, i'd like them to amend or ask questions in the editable form. I adapt my slides for the following course or make a reference to their interrogations in the first 20 minutes of summary of the previous course.

samcarter

Unrelated to the actual problem, but I would rather use some online survey because many pdf viewers are not able to handle such forms

samcarter

Or if it must be on a note page, move the notes either to the left or to the top  
```  
\documentclass{beamer}
\usepackage{lipsum}


\setbeameroption{show notes}
\usepackage{pgfpages}
\setbeameroption{show notes on second screen=left}

\begin{document}

\begin{frame}
\note{
\begin{Form}[action=mailto:xxxxx?subject={Séance 22},method=post]
    \noindent\TextField[name=name]{Name:}\\[1mm]
    \ChoiceMenu[radio,name=gender]{Gender:}{male=male,female=fem}\\[1mm]
    \TextField[name=email,width=5cm]{E-mail:}\\[5mm]
    \Reset{Reset} \quad \Submit{Submit} \quad  \Acrobatmenu{Print}{Print}
\end{Form}}
\end{frame}
\end{document}   
```

samcarter

```  
\documentclass{beamer}
\usepackage{lipsum}


\setbeameroption{show notes}
\usepackage{pgfpages}
\setbeameroption{show notes on second screen}

\begin{document}

\begin{frame}
\begin{Form}[action=mailto:xxxxx?subject={Séance 22},method=post]
    \noindent\TextField[name=name]{Name:}\\[1mm]
    \ChoiceMenu[radio,name=gender]{Gender:}{male=male,female=fem}\\[1mm]
    \TextField[name=email,width=5cm]{E-mail:}\\[5mm]
    \Reset{Reset} \quad \Submit{Submit} \quad  \Acrobatmenu{Print}{Print}
\end{Form}
\end{frame}
\end{document}   
```

samcarter

It should work if you move the form to the left hand side, e.g. on a normal slide

samcarter replying to JeT

Thanks!

JeT

It sends to samcarter@supersympa.fr the metadata inputed in the pdfform.

JeT replying to samcarter

here we go :  
```  
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\begin{document}
\begin{Form}[action=mailto:samcarter@supersympa.fr?subject={Séance 22},method=post]
    \noindent\TextField[name=name]{Name:}\\[1mm]
    \ChoiceMenu[radio,name=gender]{Gender:}{male=male,female=fem}\\[1mm]
    \TextField[name=email,width=5cm]{E-mail:}\\[5mm]
    \Reset{Reset} \quad \Submit{Submit} \quad  \Acrobatmenu{Print}{Print}
\end{Form}
\end{document}  
```

JeT replying to samcarter

Yes ! I send it to you when I am back home.

samcarter

@JeT, re: [your question](#question), Can you show a working example without beamer?

topnush replying to JeT

can you add the link here too please

JeT

right, https://tex.stackexchange.com/users/1053/alexg I'll post on TeX.SE. Merci.

user 3.14159 replying to JeT

I really do not know what is best. Some suggest that shy students are comfortable talking to other students but not to the instructor. Yet I fully agree that there might be shy students who feel comfortable talking to the instructor as long as fellow students are not listening. For those such forms would certainly be very useful. (I am also not sure to which extent the hyperlink location problem is unsolvable. Some statements in the pgf manual have to be taken with a grain of salt. Perhaps Alex Grahn would know.)

JeT replying to user 3.14159

I completely agree. but I was actually thinking about the shy students. Those who never raise their hand but keep writing. Their notes (I thought) would help me help them by creating content to read between courses.

user 3.14159 replying to JeT

I do not know about this. The pgfmanual has a clear message concerning hyperlinks. As for the other parts of the question, I cannot say much. There is also a more philosophical comment if you want the students to give the feedback in this way. One could argue that they might be better off if they discussed the lecture in private chat rooms to which the instructor has no access. Some of them are shy, and do not want to directly ask the instructor, let alone in a form. Yet this is only a private opinion.

JeT

we cannot add editable button there with 2 screens.

JeT replying to user 3.14159

Merci Marmot. So the answer to my main question is no :)

user 3.14159 replying to JeT

Yes, it does. See the beginning of section 90 of pgfmanual 3.1.6a.  
![Screen Shot 2020-10-24 at 3.09.26 PM.png](/image?hash=f91c3f5cf24a53709f3a9e6c2c0c0a948f3a358dcf0528e9f28f7642d8f9b361)

JeT

Does the use of pgfpages prevent any hyperref usage ?

JeT

No luck on this one :/

1 Answer