What is a .FDF file?
The .FDF file extension stands for Acrobat Forms Data Format. This is a special kind of text file that is used to store information that has been filled out in forms within a PDF document. Imagine you have a form in a PDF file, like a job application or a survey, and you fill out all the boxes with your information. If you want to save just the answers you gave, without keeping the whole form, you can save it as an .FDF file. This makes the .FDF file much smaller than the original PDF because it only has your answers, not the entire form.
You can create an .FDF file using a program called Adobe Acrobat DC. In Adobe Acrobat DC, there's a way to save just the data you entered into a form by going to the menu and selecting Advanced, then Forms, and then Export Forms Data. This is how you make an .FDF file.
Besides Adobe Acrobat DC, there's another interesting use for .FDF files in a program called Origin, which is used for data analysis and graphing. In Origin, .FDF files are used for something quite different. They are used to define custom functions for data fitting. Origin has a special tool called the Fitting Function Builder, which you can find under the Tools menu. With this tool, you can create a new function and save it as an .FDF file, or you can edit an existing one. Origin also has a Fitting Function Organizer to help you manage your .FDF files.
If you're curious and want to see what's inside an .FDF file, you can actually open it with a simple text editor, like Notepad on Windows, because the information inside is saved in plain text. This means you can read the data with any program that can open text files.
For those who use Origin, it's good to know that .FDF files you make yourself are usually saved in a specific folder within the Origin program folder called "User Files," inside a subfolder named "FitFunc." Origin also comes with some pre-made .FDF files, and these are located in the "FitFunc" subfolder of the main Origin program folder.
In summary, .FDF files are a handy way to save just the data from filled-out PDF forms, making the file size much smaller. They are primarily opened with Adobe Acrobat DC but have a unique and different use in the Origin program for defining custom data fitting functions.
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