Entry

PDF Stock Manager

Stock management with JavaScript embedded in a PDF form - for a locked-down Windows XP machine on the factory floor where no software could be installed. The only application available was Adobe Reader.

Received materials table in the PDF form — fig. 01 - Received materials - interactive PDF form

Context

A Windows XP machine on the factory floor tracked material quantities - locked down: no software installs, no browser updates, no network. The only application available was Adobe Reader XI. Records were kept on paper, with errors.

Outcome

A single PDF file with embedded JavaScript (the Acrobat API) became the tool: three tables - received, used, totals - with stock recalculated automatically on every entry. Zero installation, portable on a USB stick, state saved in the file itself.

One paper process fewer; and proof that engineering is mostly about solving within the constraints you have, not the ones you wish you had.

Material totals table calculated automatically — fig. 02 - Totals - received minus used, computed inside the PDF itself

Known limitations

Only 4 materials - designed for one specific section, not as a generic inventory tool.
No history or audit trail: only the running total; no undo.
Embedded JavaScript only works in Adobe readers - not in browser viewers or macOS Preview.