creating a pdf version of a complicated form, populated with data from a database

[Uwe Ziegenhagen]

I would not try to recreate the form as such: it is possible, but not
required and does not add benefit to the solution as such.

What you can do is to use the PDF as a background and just put the text on
the right places. I have done this a couple of times, see e.g.
https://www.uweziegenhagen.de/?p=2162 or
https://www.uweziegenhagen.de/?p=2081(both in German)

Uwe




Am Mi., 3. Apr. 2024 um 18:24 Uhr schrieb Christopher W. Ryan via texhax <
texhax at tug.org>:

> I dream of using R, Rmarkdown, knittr, and pdflatex to pull individual
> records from a database and generate a form like page 1 here:
>
> https://www.cigna.com/static/www-cigna-com/docs/form-cms1500.pdf
>
> one pdf form per database record, with the form fields populated. Then I
> could print them, and mail the bills to patients' insurers.
>
> The contents of many of the fields will be static: all records in the
> database pertain to the same lab test, all are ordered by the same
> physician (me), and all tests are conducted in the same place.
>
> The R coding seems straightforward, but using pdflatex to reproduce this
> complex layout strikes me as daunting--even before trying! Opinions: is
> this a fool's errand? Should I not even try?
>
> Thanks.
>
> --Chris Ryan
>


-- 
Dr. Uwe Ziegenhagen
0179-7476050
<http://www.uweziegenhagen.de>
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