April 17, 2017 Jamie Dening, Research Support

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Adobe Acrobat 9.5 Pro

Three ways to create a fillable pdf form using

Adobe 9 Pro:

0 Scan in document (not covered in this tutorial)

0 Import existing pdf or form created in another

program (i.e. MS Word, Excel, Access, etc.)

0 Create form from scratch or from a template using

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Adobe Acrobat 9.5 Pro:

Importing Existing Form

Advantages:

0 Use forms that already exist in Word, Excel, Access, Pdf, JPEG,

etc., formats

0 Comfortable with creating forms in a different program (i.e.

expert at using MS Word): Do not have to take the time to learn a new program

Disadvantage:

0 Cannot edit form content in Adobe (i.e. cannot change existing

text, remove images, get rid of bad spacing, etc.) You Tube Tutorial:

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Importing Existing Form: DEMO

0 Two ways to open

documents:

Method one

1. Open Adobe Pro

2. File: Open

pre-existing form

3. Select ‘Forms’

4. Choose ‘Add or

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0 Two ways to open

documents: Method two

1. Open Adobe Pro

2. Select ‘Forms’

3. Choose ‘Start From Wizard’

4. Select ‘Use an existing form’ + ‘Next’

5. ‘Import a file from file system’ + ‘Next’

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Importing Existing Form: DEMO

0 Let Adobe ID fields: Adobe will automatically detect

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0 Form touch-ups:

Ensure proper field appears: after you let Adobe find the fields, you want to

make sure a field appears for all questions, and that the type of field is correct. For example, do you want the answer to be entered into a text box, or do you want the user to select the answer from a drop box (there are other options available). To edit the type of field, right click your mouse over the field and select ‘Add New Field’ (see image on next slide)

Key Fields to choose from:

Text fields: Let the user type text, such as name, address, or phone number.

List boxes: Display a list of options the user can select. If the list is longer than space allows, the user can scroll

through the list.

Check boxes: Present yes or no choices for individual items. If the form contains multiple check boxes, the user can typically select as many or few of these as wanted

Radio buttons: Present a group of choices from which the user can select only one item. All radio buttons with the same name work together as a group.

Combo boxes: Let the user either choose an item from a pop-up menu or type a value.

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0 Form touch-ups continued..

Add a field if Adobe does not detect one for you: Select ‘Add New Field’ (see image below), select field type you would like to use, and drag cursor to where you would like field to appear (edit fields as you do for fields Adobe does detect):

Check field names: make sure the field name is a simple

description of the information you are asking for. You can do this by right clicking your mouse and selecting ‘Properties’. Under the tab ‘General’ you can edit the field name. This step is important if you plan to export or import data from an external source using an additional plug-in (this must be purchased separate from Adobe Pro, and is beyond the scope of this tutorial).

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0 Save your form to send out manually or post on a

website

Tip: You can also purchase a mailmerge plug-in which

allows you to distribute the form from adobe (this is really

handy if you have a lot of people to send the form to. It also

enables you to import existing data into a form and export

data collected into a spreadsheet; this is beyond the scope

of this tutorial)

0 Close Adobe, and re-open your newly created fillable form

in Adobe Pro to test and set ‘Extended Features’. Setting

‘Extended Features’ enables users to save their form

electronically to return to complete later, or send to the

form administrator via email (see instructions on next

page)

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0 Set ‘Extended Features’

1. Select ‘Advanced’

2. Choose ‘Extend Features in Adobe Reader’

3. When window

pops up, select

‘Save Now’

4. Resave the

form over

your newly

created form

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Creating A Form From Scratch:

Adobe LiveCycle Designer ES (8.2)

*Included with Adobe Pro 9

Advantages:

0 Create complex forms with ability to edit on the fly

0 Switch from form creation to preview view as you build the form

Disadvantages:

0 Finding time to create a form - Solutions: use a template (see video

link below); Conceptualize your form before starting; Keep your form short and simple

You Tube Tutorial (Overview):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mcTJZB-7pk

Adobe TV Video (Templates):

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Creating A Form From Scratch: DEMO

Conceptualize and Plan (i.e. Branding? Consistent with other

documents? Type of form? Who is my Audience? Draw out sketch

of your form first; Consider outcome; etc.)

0 Create your own OR Manipulate a template to fit your needs

0 Start from Scratch:

1. Open Adobe

2. Select ‘Forms’

3. Choose ‘Start Form from Wizard’

4. Choose ‘Create a PDF form from scratch’ option + select ‘Next’

5. Adobe Livecycle Designer will automatically open

6. Select ‘Use a Blank Form’ (or ‘Based on a Template’) + ‘Next’

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Start building your form by dragging fields from the ‘Object

Library’ (fields are the same as the fields when you import

an existing form). Use ‘Text’ in the library to add instructions,

a description, due date, etc. Use ‘Text Field’ to add a question

that requires a text answer.

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0 Field

- Caption: Your Question

- Appearance / Restrictions: ‘Allow Multiple Lines’: user can type beyond displayed area, but only

displayed area will print; ‘Allow Multiple Lines’ & ‘Limit Length to Visible Area’: can only type in

designated area; ‘Limit Length to Visible Area’ only: will only allow text on single line, will not scroll to next line

0 Value

- Set ‘Type’: Can make field Protected or Read Only, or set as a required answer (i.e. cannot save form if incomplete)

- Validation Patterns: must conform to format (i.e. Postal Code, Phone Number, SIN, Email, etc.

0 Binding

- Name your object: Important for data collection (i.e. using Adobe mailmerge plug-in), and for