Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional
PDF Forms: Working with Combo Boxes
Combo boxes present a list of items in a drop-down menu for users to choose from or allow the user to enter their own values. Combo boxes also use less space in a form than list boxes. This document shows you how to create and delete combo boxes in your PDF form.
Considerations
Combo Box Characteristics
- Only one choice is displayed at a time in the combo box. Additional choices are revealed by clicking the pull-down arrow
- Users can make only one selection from a combo box
NOTE: Below is an example of a combo box.
Understanding Names and Export Values
When combo boxes are used in online forms, they allow the user to select an answer from a drop-down menu or type in their own answer.
The name for the form field indicates what type of information you are prompting the user for or identifies what question you are asking the user. For example, a combo box that has choices to the same question about planets may have the name "planets."
The item label for the choices is the text the user sees when selecting an item from your list.
The export value of the form field identifies what option the user selected from the list. If you do not complete this text box, the export value will be the same as the item label. For example, the option "saturn" allows a user to answer "saturn" in response to a question regarding planets. By default, the export value would be "saturn."
When a user submits the form, the value of the combo box field will be matched with the name of the combo box field. The information the form developer receives will look like this: name: value
EXAMPLE: planet: saturn
Creating Combo Boxes
Combo boxes are used to give users a choice from a list or to enter their own value.
Inserting a Combo Box
-
Open the PDF file that you will use for the form
-
From the Views menu, select Toolbars » Forms
The Forms toolbar appears.
-
Click COMBO BOX TOOL
-
Position the cursor where you want the form field to begin
-
Click and drag the mouse until the form field is of the desired size
OR
To create a form field of the default size, double click on the page
The Combo Box Properties dialog box appears. -
Select the General tab
-
In the Name text box, type a name that identifies the combo box
-
OPTIONAL: In the Tooltip text box, type a comment about the combo box
NOTE: The Tooltip will appear when the hand tool is placed over the combo box. -
Select the Appearance tab
-
In the Borders and Colors section, from the Border Color box, select a color for the border of the combo box
-
From the Fill Color box, select the color to fill the combo box
-
In the Text section, from the Font Size pull-down list, select a font size
-
From the Text Color box, select the desired color
-
From the Font pull-down list, select a font for the text in the combo box
-
Select the Options tab
-
In the Item text box, type the name of an item to appear in the combo box
-
In the Export Value text box, type an export value for the item
NOTES:
For combo boxes, Export Value indicates the option selected by the user in response to the question.
If this text box is left blank, the export value is the same as the Item. -
Click ADD
-
To add additional items to the combo box, repeat steps 16 through 18 until all of the items are entered
-
For additional options, select the checkboxes corresponding to the desired options
Option Features Sort Items Sorts the items automatically numerically and alphabetically Allow User to Enter Custom Text Allows the user to enter their own text Check Spelling Spell-checks the information entered by the user, not the items you enter into the list Commit Selected Value Immediately Saves the value as soon as the user enters it. Without this option, the values are saved when the user moves to another form field or submits the form Locked If this box is checked, changes can't be made to your page. This can prevent accidental changes.
-
Click CLOSE
The combo box is created. For information on changing the appearance, size, or alignment of form fields, refer to Modifying Form Fields.
Deleting Combo Boxes
If you create a combo box and later decide it is not necessary, the following steps can be taken to remove it:
-
From the View menu, select Toolbars » Forms
The Forms toolbar appears.
-
Click COMBO BOX TOOL
-
Select the combo box you wish to delete
The combo box appears with red highlights when selected. -
Press [Delete]
OR
From the Edit menu, select Delete
