Locking fields in increments

Yes it can be done programatically. You would first need a way to activate and control the locking. For example, a check box for each department.

The simplest way to lock a field is to make it read only. Like this

this.getField("MyFld").readonly = true;

Here's an article on creating disabled fields. This could be a way for you to do this.

http://www.acrobatusers.com/tutorials/2007/js_disabling_fields/

I had followed that example and was able to create the greying out/disabling of the fields.
The only problem is that anybody can enable/disable them by selecting the radio buttons.
I would like to find a way to have the radio buttons password protected so whenever one selects them it asks for a password and if the password is correct the fields are then locked, otherwise it will reject the locking and rever to unlocked.
Could this possibly be accomplished?

FayeC

It can't be done in a secure way, and it's not simple, but yes, you could do it. For example, place code on the check box to first display a dialog that asks for a password. Then check it against some internal value before allowing the check box to be changed. This internal value would be hard coded in the documents JS so anyone sophisticated and motivated enough could figure out how to get at it. But for most people this would not be a problem. Also, if you protected, or rights enabled the document, you could make it impossible for someone to use Acrobat Pro to easily look at your code.

Now onto the popup password dialog. You could use the "app.response()" box. But a custom dialog would look nicer because you can control the layout and have your own logos. Both options allow for obscured password entry. Find info about custom dialogs at:

http://www.windjack.com/products/acrodialogs.php