These forums are now Read Only. If you have an Acrobat question, ask questions and get help from one of our experts.

Adjusting Leading within a text field box...

jarryl
Registered: Feb 28 2008
Posts: 2

I'm working on a PDF and i'm making it into a editable form. I have multiple lines to fill on the form. Whenever I use the text box, i want to be able to type on the form with the words matching the form lines on the PDF. So I was wondering how to fix the leading of the text to match the PDFs lines on the form. Thanks.

carrimak
Team
Registered: Dec 13 2006
Posts: 165
Did you make the form in Word?

There are two options that I know about. One would be to type some sample words (a few lines) in your PDF, print it out, measure distance between the lines; and then remake the Word document with that spacing. Big hassle. Then remake the PDF. A lot of dithering.

The option that I like is simplicity itself. I get rid of all the lines in Word, and just make a simple rectangular box with no lines as my form field in the PDF. It looks just like the box that this message is in. You don't need the lines. The typed words in your PDF will be perfectly straight. I do this all the time and no one has ever complained!!

Try it!!

Hope this helps....

Acrobat is probably the program I use most often and I'm learning more every day.

lkassuba
ExpertTeam
Registered: Jun 28 2007
Posts: 3636
You can also manipulate the spacing by using a rich text field. In the Text Field properties under the Options tab select Multi-line and select Allow Rich Text Formatting. Then select the form field and bring up the Properties toolbar (Ctrl+e under Windows) you'll see many options under the More .. button.

Lori Kassuba is an AUC Expert and Community Manager for AcrobatUsers.com.

smurfalicious
Registered: May 13 2008
Posts: 1
Sorry for "taking over" the post, but I have a very similar problem to jarryl.

I work in a clinic and we use phone message sheets to document everything said between us and the patient, but we get so many phone calls that I wanted to make an electronic version of the form for our secretaries to be able to fill out quickly. I want to be able to get the spacing so the lines match up with the form's pre-printed lines. Unfortunately I can't use carrimak's 2nd option of erasing the lines because we take the notes back to the nurses/doctors where they have to document what they said to the patient as well (so the lines have to stay).

So here's what I've done so far: I created a text field over the "message" part of the form and did the Rich Text option to change the line spacing to "exactly 24" which lines up perfectly. I can save it and give it to the phone secretaries, and it works for the first time they do it, but instead of having to constantly close/re-open the form, they just highlight all the text in the message area and delete, which erases the line spacing formatting so the next message they type is back to single space. So is there some way that can actually PERMANENTLY save the line spacing formatting? Or am I pretty much just out of luck? (Attached is a shrunken screenshot of the message area of the form.)

[url=http://img187.imageshack.us/my.php?image=notepreviewph8.jpg][img]http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/2083/notepreviewph8.th.jpg[/img][/url]

Thank you!
elcheque
Registered: Apr 7 2008
Posts: 13
lkassuba wrote:
You can also manipulate the spacing by using a rich text field. In the Text Field properties under the Options tab select Multi-line and select Allow Rich Text Formatting. Then select the form field and bring up the Properties toolbar (Ctrl+e under Windows) you'll see many options under the More .. button.
Unfortunately, the "More" button just brings up the "Text Field Properties Box" again.
A leading option is sorely needed in text boxes because a lot of forms are designed to be filled out electronically or manually. While the standard leading of .167 in. for 10 pt. type is fine for electronically filled forms, this is hardly enough room to hand write information. The minimum leading for handwritten info would be about .25 in. (maybe even greater).