16 Replies Latest reply: Dec 9, 2013 5:13 PM by ZenDao RSS

    Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines

    ZenDao Community Member

      I am adding check boxes and fields to a PDF file that was created from an MS Word 2011. I am using Acrobat 10.8.1. I have been wrestling with a couple of problems that I hope to find solutions for....

       

      1. On the first line, there are five options to choose from plus an "other" to type in an alternate option. There is a check box next to each option. If the user checks one box but decides to check off a different box. How do I set it up so that the initial checked box becomes unchecked automatically when a different box is selected?

       

      2. I have a phone field. From the Text Field Properties box, I selected "Phone Number" option from the Format/Special option. When I go back to test the form and type in a phone number, I keep getting an error message saying "The value entered does not match the format of the field." I tried typing in the phone in different formats but the message keeps popping up. What am I missing here do I need to define a script to go with it?

       

      3. I have a few questions that requires the user to type in their responses. Each question has four .5pt black rules carried over from the MS Word doc that I created the PDF from. The client would like the lines to stay in case the form is filled out by hand. If I create text boxes (fields) for each line, is there way to link them? Or can I make one large text box that would be equivalent to the depth of the four lines and adjust the leading to match?

        • 1. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
          try67 CommunityMVP

          1. Give them the same name, but different export values.

           

          2. The format option expects you to enter just numbers, and it will then "format" them into the correct string.

          If you want to be in control of the format use the Arbitrary Mask option and enter your own format string. Use "9" to represent a digit.

          For example, the built-in Phone Number format string is "(999) 999-9999".

           

          3. Linking multiple fields is tricky. You can try to do it with a single multiline field, just make sure that font size is fixed and adjust the field so the lines in it match the underlying ones.

          But really, there's no need for such lines in a digital form. They're useful if the form is printed out and the users fill it in by hand, but don't make much sense on a computer...

          • 2. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
            ZenDao Community Member

            1. Great. That did the trick with the check boxes.

             

            2. Okay, The problem with the phone number seem to disappear. I can use Adobe's default Phone Number option (Text Field Properties>Format>Special Options).

             

            3. It would certainly make more sense to just have a multi-line field. I am going to recommend to the client to go that route. However, the client would like the text to change point size if the user inputs way too much text. I could use the scroll option instead but I have the feeling the client would prefer not to scroll but have all the information displayed in it's entirety. So if I set the Font Size to Auto, it looks like the default starting point is 12 points. Is there a way to have start with 10 point type instead?

             

            On other thing, when I define things in the Text Field and Check Box Properties, for areas like General/Name and Export Value. If I use more than one word to define those fields, is a blank space okay or do I have to use a dash or an underline?

            • 3. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
              try67 CommunityMVP

              3. You can't set the default text size used. It is possible to use a keystroke script to change the font size based on the length of the value entered, but I think that's really over-kill in most cases...

               

              4. Spaces are fine. However, if you want to use the built-in calculation options, avoiding using them in the field names would make your life a bit easier. If not, then it doesn't matter.

              • 4. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
                ZenDao Community Member

                I have another question about the Properties for the check boxes. As I mentioned, there are five check box items and only one item can be selected.

                 

                Okay, I understand that if define different expiort value that would allow only one check box to be selected.That works fine.

                 

                I have given them all the same name but why can't I give them a different Tooltip names?

                • 5. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
                  try67 CommunityMVP

                  Some properties are a property of the field, and some of a widget. A widget is a single instance of a field in a group. Tooltip is a property of the field, so you can't set it individually for each check-box, while the export value is a property of the widget, so you can.

                  • 6. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
                    ZenDao Community Member

                    Okay. I have a real odd problem (of course the documents are going live tonight, Murphy's Law). The tool tips windows I created in Acrobat on the Mac. They look fine like regular stickie notes that do no extend beyond the margins. They are roughly a third of the page in width but no a lot of copy, 5 to 6 lines max. However on the client's PC, the first few lines of text break as expected but towards the end, the text runs in a long sentence and off the page. Any ideas why this is happening?

                    • 7. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
                      try67 CommunityMVP

                      Are they using Adobe software to view the file?

                      • 8. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
                        ZenDao Community Member

                        Hmmm. Should have asked that. Have you heard of anything like this happening in your travels?

                        • 9. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
                          try67 CommunityMVP

                          Not really, no, but it's quite a minor issue. People don't usually use the tooltips to show a lot of information...

                          My suspicion is that they're using a third-party viewer (like a browser plugin), which interprets the tooltip text in a different way than Adobe software does. One possible way around that is to add hard-coded line breaks into the tooltip text.

                          • 10. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
                            ZenDao Community Member

                            Hard code like html code <br> inside the tool tip field?

                            • 11. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
                              try67 CommunityMVP

                              No, you need to use "\r", but it has to be done using a script. For example:

                               

                              this.getField("FieldName").userName = "Line 1 of tooltip text\rLine 2";

                              • 12. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
                                ZenDao Community Member

                                Ahh. Thanks. This might be for version 2.0 since the docs will need to be posted tonight.

                                 

                                BTW - I was fixing the Tab order in the PDF. I was trying to get Acrobat to by-pass the tool-tip pop-up windows and the internal anchors/links as the user tabs through the document. From the Properties panel, applying a Read Only option to hyperlinks works. If I apply it to the pop-up window/tool tips, the window does not pop-up anymore and there is not an option to Read Only in the Properties panel for the internal anchors. The anchors/links don't even show up in the Tab list.

                                 

                                Will this requiring a script as well for both cases?

                                • 13. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
                                  try67 CommunityMVP

                                  Link objects editable don't have tooltips and can't be set as read-only.

                                  • 14. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
                                    ZenDao Community Member

                                    The links were working even after I set them to Read Only. I was trying to avoid them being part of the tabbing order. It did skip over them during the tabbing. I kept on clicking on them and the pages open up in the browser. Are you saying it should not have worked in the first?

                                    • 15. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
                                      try67 CommunityMVP

                                      You can use them, but you can't set their tooltip property...

                                      • 16. Re: Using Phone Numbers, Check Boxes, Multiple Lines
                                        ZenDao Community Member

                                        Major crisis mode here.

                                         

                                        About the tooltip. I have a small light bulb graphic that has a text field over it and the user hovers over it to produce the pop-up. When the client is tabbing from field to field and ends up in the light bulb area, the client does not want to be able to tab into nor type into it (but still keep the pop-up functionality). How do I set it up so that the pop-up still functions but is not part of the tabbing order.

                                         

                                        Optionally the client is open to making it into a mouse clickable pop-up window but I am not sure if that is doable,