How to create a PDF online form with Acrobat X
Donna Baker – March 26, 2012
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In this tutorial, learn how easy it is to create an online form (sometimes called an HTML form or Web form) from an existing PDF document.
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How to create a PDF online form with Acrobat X
Donna Baker – March 26, 2012
Let’s start from an open PDF file. Click Create, then click PDF Form or Online Form to open the Create or Edit Form dialog box. The option to use an existing file is selected by default. Click Next. The open document is selected by default. Click Next. The dialog box explains about Form Editing Mode. Click the Do not show check box if you don’t want to see the message every time you start a form! Click OK.
Now you see your document with the form fields Acrobat found. This layout is called Form Edit Mode. You work only in the Forms pane while you’re in Form Edit mode. The Task tools let you work with the fields and the form. The Fields tools show a list of the fields and their types. The Forms Tools toolbar has tools for each type of form field.
Use the Zoom In tool to see the fields clearly. Click the name of a field in the list to highlight it, and you see the selected field shows a highlight on the form page. The selected field shows a blue frame on the page. Click anywhere on the page to deselect the field—now the field shows a solid black frame and the field highlight disappears in the Fields tab, too.
Acrobat copies the text on the page to the left of the field and uses that text for the field’s name. Let’s check out some more fields. Click a field on the page to highlight it, and Acrobat also highlights the field’s name in the list.
The automatic field names aren’t always correct. This field is named fill_4 although it should be named Huge using the text to the left of the field. The button to the left of the text causes the problem.
This form is very complicated with lots of graphics and lines. This form is very simple. Each field is identified and uses the text to the left of the field for the name. All of the fields are named and located correctly and are easy to find in the Fields list.
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15 comments
Jay
2 days agoDonna, thank you for your reply. As I mentioned, I am able to send the form to myself so the mailto: is correct. We also have received some forms via email. The customers sending are company owners and regularly send email pdfs; they are frustrated and this makes us look bad. Also, the guy who updated Reader last week said afterwards he couldn’t even open the form. Any ideas on that? I feel like Adobe is just trying to get us all to use Forms Central at a monthly fee.
donna baker
3 days agoHi Jay -
There are two issues that could be at play here. Your users may have security set in such a way that it prevents programs from sending email. Also, you should check your distributed copy of the document to make sure the email address is correct. Remember you need the mailto: protocol included with your email address.
donna.
Jay
6 days agoI created the form and have it automatically download from the web. The problem is that not everyone is able to submit the form by email. some have said they sent it numerous times (I didn’t receive it), one said that after he updated Reader he could not even open the form, yet another said that he couldn’t send it from his Mac. Of course this is not a problem for me; I can send it to myself. I have Reader extensions enabled too.
donna baker
1, 2012-09-23 23, 2012Hi David -
To add an email address you can add a button or a link and use the mailto:me@address.com as the content in the URL field. That’ll send the form to you when clicked.
You store your PDF document on your server, and then add a link to it in your web page.
donna.
David Cudlip
12, 2012-09-21 21, 2012Hi Donna,
I’ve created a simple form in Acrobat 9 Pro Extended, but (1) cannot find the way to hyperlink it to an email address, or (2) to upload it to a website. Any advice is much apprectiated…
donna baker
10, 2012-08-21 21, 2012Hi Roni -
You can add password security to the PDF file that allows for digital signatures, but prevents any changes. If you don’t want to password protect the file, you can check in the Signature pane to see any changes that have been made between signatures.
donna.
Roni
3, 2012-08-20 20, 2012I’ve created a timecard that includes digital signatures. Once I’ve entered my time, I’ll sign it and forward to my supervisor for signature. Is there any way to protect the document from unwanted changes after I sign it? If so how do I do it?
Roni
donna baker
12, 2012-08-15 15, 2012Hi Megan -
The text that’s copied into the form as the label is completely editable. You don’t have to put any text in the fields at all. If you want to have multiples, you can have a whole list of blank fields for your customers to type the numbers themselves.
donna.
Megan
11, 2012-08-08 08, 2012Hi I want to use this to create Order Forms or my Photography Business but I am having trouble understanding this… The text that it copies, will this be editable? What if I want to have the fileds blank and have them type it in without their being something their previously? I usually have multiple lines where people can write in multiple photo #s… Do you have any suggestions as to how I can make this work?
Thanks for all of your help!
Megan
donna baker
10, 2012-06-21 21, 2012Hi Mark -
Yes, you can program a button to return a form to an email address. As for the trigger, MouseUp is the standard trigger used for button actions.
donna.
Mark Smith
6, 2012-06-20 20, 2012Try to create a “submit a form” button sending the completed pdf to an email. And use the Mouse Up trigger instead of Mouse Enter.
donna baker
9, 2012-05-22 22, 2012Hi Cyndi -
I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Sending a form to someone is a different task. Please check out this video:
http://acrobatusers.com/tutorials/how-do-i-create-an-interactive-pdf-form
donna.
donna baker
9, 2012-05-22 22, 2012Hi Lee -
When you change the tab order by dragging and dropping the fields in the Fields list, you are also changing the tab number order. There isn’t a quicker way to do that in Acrobat X.
Lee
4, 2012-05-09 09, 2012Hello,
Is there a quicker way to change the tab order in a form besides drag & drop?
Why can’t the tab numbers be changed? That would be the quickest & simplest way.
Thanks
Lee
Cyndi
10, 2012-04-01 01, 2012The video is great except it doesn’t show how to send the form to someone.
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