Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional
PDF Forms: Working with Radio Buttons
Radio buttons are used when only one response or option is supposed to be selected.
Understanding Names and Export Values
When radio buttons are used in online forms, they allow you to create questions with multiple, predetermined answers. Each question has a group of radio buttons to represent the preset answers. To limit the user to select only one answer, all radio buttons in the group must have the same name.
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 group of radio buttons that are all choices to the same question about planets may have the name "planets."
The export value of a radio button is not visible to the user (as with text boxes). The export value is the data that will be submitted, representing the option the user selected in response to the question. For example, if the user selects "Saturn," the radio button might have the export value "saturn."
When a user submits the form, the export value of the radio button will be matched with the name of the radio button. The information the form developer receives will look like this: name: export value
EXAMPLE: planets: saturn
The name, "planets," identifies what question was being asked and the export value, "saturn," indicates what the user answered for that particular question.
Creating a Radio Button
By using radio buttons in your form, you can present users with specific options from which they can select only one. Each form field has options that are unique to it. For a complete description of the options, refer to Form Field Options.
-
Open the PDF file that you will use for the form
-
From the View menu, select Toolbars » Forms
The Forms toolbar appears.
-
Click RADIO BUTTON 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
Double click on the page to create a form field of the default size
The Radio Button Properties dialog box appears.
-
Select the General tab
-
In the Name text box, type a name that identifies the radio button
NOTE: For related radio buttons, Name reflects the question a user is answering. -
OPTIONAL: In the Tooltip text box, type a comment about the radio button
NOTE: The Tooltip will appear when the hand tool is placed over the radio button. -
Select the Appearance tab
-
In the Borders and Colors section, from the Border Color box, select a color for the border of the radio button
-
From the Line Thickness pull-down list, select the line thickness for the radio button
-
From the Fill Color box, select the color to fill the radio button
-
From the Line Style pull-down menu, select the style for the radio button
-
In the Text section, from the Font Size pull-down list, select the desired size
The font size affects the size of the mark that appears in the radio button. -
From the Text Color box, select the desired color
-
From the Font pull-down list, select the desired font
-
Select the Options tab
-
From the Button Style pull-down list, select the shape for the radio button
-
If this form will be used on the Web, in the Export Value text box, type a value
NOTE: For radio buttons, Export Value indicates whether this option was selected by the user in response to the question. Related radio buttons have the same name, but different export values. -
OPTIONAL: To show a radio button as selected when the form is viewed, select Button is checked by default
NOTE: Use pre-selected options with caution. If you pre-select a response for users, they may not look at alternative choices. -
Click CLOSE
The radio button is created. For information on changing the appearance, size, or alignment of form fields, refer to Modifying Form Fields.
Deleting a Radio Button
If you create a radio button and later decide it is not necessary, you can delete it.
-
From the View menu, select Toolbars » Forms
The Forms toolbar appears. -
Click RADIO BUTTON TOOL
-
Select the radio button you want to delete
The radio button appears with red highlights when selected. -
Press [Delete]
OR
From the Edit menu, select Delete
