Adobe Acrobat 7.0
PDF Forms: Working with Text Fields
Text fields allow users to input variable information on PDF files, for example, information that is not constant or that cannot be predetermined with just radio button choices, such as a name, department, or phone number. It also allows you to create text areas where users can write comments. This document explains how to create and delete text fields in a PDF form.
Considerations
If Your Form Will Be Completed Online
The name for a text field identifies the information you are prompting the user for or what question you are asking them to answer. For example, a text field requesting a user's city of residence, may have the name "city," which will correspond to the value of the text field: the user's city of residence.
About the Font Size Property in Text Fields
Determining if the font size should be fixed or varied visually affects the overall impression of your form, especially when there are a lot of text boxes within the PDF form. If the font size is left as Auto, the text size varies; that is, it is adjusted as the user completes the text field. For example, if the user has a long name and a short text box, the font will get smaller as he/she types, so it all fits inside the text box. However, if the user has a short name in a short text box, the characters might not need to adjust to fit within the text field boundaries. The repetition of these possibilities may result in text fields with varying font sizes. We recommend that you select a fixed font size and adjust the size of the text fields to accommodate the amount of information anticipated when you are creating text fields.
Creating a Text Field
Text fields are used for open-ended questions and short answers (e.g., name) where the user will type their response.
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Open the PDF file that you will use the form for
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From the Tools menu, select Advanced Editing » Show Forms Toolbar
The Forms toolbar appears.
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Click TEXT FIELD TOOL
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Position the cursor where you want the text field to begin
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Click and drag the mouse until the text field reaches desired size
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Release the mouse button
The Text Field Properties dialog box appears.
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Select the General tab
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In the Name text box, type a name that identifies the text box
NOTE: For text boxes, Name should describe the information requested -
OPTIONAL: In the Tooltip text box, type a tip for users explaining what they should enter in the text field
EXAMPLE: If you have a text field box named Department, your tip might be, "Enter the department you work for." -
Select the Appearance tab
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Under Borders and Colors, from the Border Color palette, select a color for the text field border
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From the Line Thickness pull-down list, select the line thickness for the border
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From the Fill Color palette, select the color to fill the text field
NOTE: If you select a color for your text field, you will not be able to see any graphics behind it. -
From the Line Style pull-down menu, select the style of the text field border
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Under Text, from the Font Size pull-down list, select a font size
For information about how font size affects your form, refer to About the Font Size Property in Text Fields. -
From the Text Color palette, select the desired color
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On the Options tab, from the Alignment pull-down list, select an alignment
NOTE: Alignment applies to the text typed within the text box.
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Select other options as desired
For a description of the options available, refer to Form Field Options. -
To prevent accidental changes to the text field, on the bottom left-hand side of the dialog box, select Locked
NOTE: It is selected when a check appears in the box. -
Click CLOSE
The text box is created. For information on changing the appearance, size, or alignment of form fields, refer to Modifying Form Fields.
Deleting a Text Field
If you create a text box and later decide it is not necessary, you can delete it.
NOTE: If the text box was locked, you have to unlock it to perform this procedure.
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From the Tools menu, select Advanced Editing » Show Forms Toolbar
The Forms toolbar appears.
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Click TEXT FIELD TOOL
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Select the text box by clicking it
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Press [Delete]
