Forms

to create a form field in a pdf pdf pro offers several tools to help you create forms the tools include a text field , drop down , list , check box , radio button , and a regular button let’s take a closer look at some of these options first, we have the default settings that apply to all forms form default settings 1\) open forms tab 2\) to change or view the default form settings, select the form settings menu choice form default settings here you can change the attributes for the following settings border style, thickness and color, fill color, background fill, font size and color or reset default settings example of the options available for the border style example of the options available for the border thickness example of the options available for the border and text color border and text color options the text field open forms tab to create a new form element, click on the form function you want to use for this example we will use the text field select the text field as shown click and drag to place the text field where you want it in the pdf document create the text field double click the text field to access the text field's settings the general settings text field general settings the options settings text field option settings once you have applied all the required settings, save the file to confirm the changes, close the document and then reopen it for viewing the opened file will now alert the user that the file has fillable form fields select highlight form fields highlight form fields select highlight form fields to make the form fields visible in the document select highlight form fields field font size to test the contents of the field ( font size for example), enter text into the field in this example the original settings for the text box is too small text is too small to edit the font size, first select the text field to be edited and then under forms select the menu choice edit form select the field to be edited double click the text box to open the text field's settings select the font size pulldown options and select the size required close the settings box and save the file to confirm the changes, close the document and then reopen it for viewing multi line option (wrap feature) if you need more lines in a text box because the text entered is too long (wrap feature) text entered is too long for field with edit form menu choice selected, double click the text field to open the text field's settings select the options menu choice and check the box next to multi line this will enable the wrap feature multi line selection close the settings box if the text is too tight in the text field box, you can expand the box size by dragging the corners as shown below adjust box size save the file to confirm the changes, close the document and then reopen it for viewing multi line with text form field text instructions you can add text instructions in the field so the user can see what is required when they open the file select the text field to be edited and then under forms select the menu choice edit form double click the text box to open the textbox's settings select the options menu choice and locate the area next to the words default text as shown below write the wording you require to be displayed you can also select the alignment of the text within the text box field default text instruction save the file to confirm the changes, close the document and then reopen it for viewing confirm changes when you enter text in that field it will look like this entered text same field names = same data across fields to duplicate data in different fields, the fields must have the same name all fields with the same name will automatically update to display the same value duplicate the field name to have the same data the check box open forms tab to create a new form element, click on the form function you want to use for this example we will use the check box select the check box as shown click and drag to place the check box where you want it in the pdf document visual demonstration of the steps double clicking on the field will allow you to see additional modifiable parameters/properties for that field for the check box under the general tab these include hover text, border style, thickness and color, font size and color, fill color, field visibility, and field printability general tab settings under the second tab, options , the following parameters are available check box style, export value (editable) and whether the check box is checked by default options tab settings edit existing form fields clicking the edit form button will instantly highlight all form fields on the pdf, making it easy to move and organize them to edit a field name, simply select it the field will change color, indicating that it is now editable (as shown below) editable field shown in red the checkbox settings can now be configured as needed available options include border style, border color, border thickness, and fill color you can also adjust the text font size and color javascript settings pdf pro now allows javascript to run in interactive pdf forms, enabling advanced form functionality such as calculations, validation, and dynamic fields the software does not create javascript functionality itself; it only allows existing scripts in forms to run this option is enabled by default, but you can disable it by going to preferences > security and unchecking the javascript setting allow or disallow javascript