Adobe Forms Resources

Creating a Form - The Basics

Adobe Forms on LinkedInLearning - This is an excellent resource.

Recommended: Upload PDF of your designed document into Adobe. This can come from any program that can export or save as PDF, such as:

1. Word, Excel, Powerpoint

2. Docs, Sheets, Slides

3. InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop

Not recommended to create from scratch (blank page) in Adobe.

There is a Scan option, but it is easiest to scan your document and upload it into Adobe manually.

Creating a Form

1. Auto-detect form fields - Adobe will look at your document and put fields where it thinks they belong. It usually does a very good job, but you must audit and test each field.

2. Create and format text fields

3. Tool Tips - What appears when a cursor hovers over a field.

4. Types of Fields:

   1. Text - Accepts user input - alphanumerical

   2. Checkbox - Selecting one or multiple options from a group

   3. Radio Buttons - Selecting a single response from a group

   4. Drop-down and list box - Choose item(s) from a list

   5. Buttons - Style a button with an action. ie: Click to Print, Click to Save, Click to redirect

   6. Image - allows user to upload an image or other file with their form

   7. Date & Time - allows for preferred formatting

5. Set field as required

   1. Open the properties of a field, select Required to set the field as mandatory.

Restricting input (Zip code example)

1. Right-click on the field

2. Properties

3. Format

4. Format Category: Special

5. Forms that require specific information

6. Select Zip Code

7. Set “more than 5” and “less than 5”

Add multiline text fields

Allows for scrolling if user types more than what fits in the box

1. Make your text box

   1. Properties

   2. Options

   3. Check multi line

   4. Scroll long text (vertical)

   5. Character limit

Add radio buttons

(Single selection)

1. Each field for each option must be spelled the exact same way, so pick something that encompasses all responses

2. If your page already has a box or button shape on it, set your field as transparent.

3. Naming is incredibly important, especially if you have multiple sets of radio buttons on one form.

Add a drop-down list (State example)

1. Add a drop-down field from your toolbar

2. All properties

3. Options - Item - Add

   1. Options must be entered manually. *Fields can be transferred to other documents, so setting up a list with a larger selection would only need to happen once*

   2. Check ‘Sort items - ABC’

   3. Add another item to be your display text - “Select State”

   4. Highlight Select State in the list and use the UP button to move it to the top of the list

   5. Give option to type your own custom text

   6. Add a border for better visibility on your form

   7. Allows for single selection only

List Boxes

1. User can select from predetermined choices

   1. Allows for multiple selections

   2. The process is the same as the drop-down process, only you will use a “list box” field instead of a drop-down field.

   3. Great choice for many options

   4. Will not work if somebody prints out the form

Add a Print Button

1. Button tool

2. Give it a field name - Print

3. Properties

4. Select Visible but doesn’t print (button appears on screen but not when printed)

5. Format your button with colors, etc

6. Behaviors

7. Assign an action

   1. Select a trigger (when does the action occur - mouse UP! is the most useful)

      1. If you want the action to occur when the user clicks the button, you must choose MOUSE UP.

   2. Execute a menu item

   3. File>Print

Tab Order

When filling out a form, using the tab button on the keyboard should move you through the fields in the correct order. This order is determined in the Fields section in the bottom right of your Adobe window. Drag and drop these names in the list to rearrange the tab order. It will not move any of your actual fields.