Indesign to PDF form

I'm trying to get a form from ID to PDF then create a form. The issue I'm having is getting a multi line field to be recognized. I've attached a sample here.

With "manually", Bob meant you cannot do it in InDesign (which must make it as good as 'manual', in his opinion ).
Using Acrobat Pro, all you have to do is open the PDF and start the Forms Wizard. It's the top item under the Forms menu. You'll be amazed at how well it does:
All I did was start the wizard and hit "OK"!
(hey! that image was supposed to end up inbetween! jive editor showing a tantrum, again.)

Similar Messages

Want more robust form fields in InDesign for PDF forms.

I wish that soon InDesign CS6 Interactive Form Fields will include the COMB field for entering data in various formats such as phone numbers, credit card numbers, using some sort of format like [number of characters] ["(nnn) nnn-nnnn"]. I use comb fields a lot. Likely others do too. I realize that we are at v1.0 in the InDesign Interactive fields, so I hope that the developers will consider this for the next release!
I long for the power that Acrobat fields have to be implimented in InDesign.

The powers that be (InDesign product managers, engineers, or other employees) don't frequent this forum. To have you voice heard, file a feature request:
Adobe - Feature Request/Bug Report Form

Acrobat Pro collapse after trying to adjust my pdf form created in Indesign 6

I want to change the font type in in pdf form which I created in Indesign, while attempting to do so, Acrobat Pro collapse and shut down....what's the problem?
Regards,
Marieke

When you fix it in Acrobat, what you want to do specifically is remove whatever action is present in the button and add a "Submit a form" action to the Mouse Up event. Specify that you want to submit the entire PDF and use the mailto URL you showed earlier, making sure there are no spaces.
For it to work in desktop versions of Reader prior to 11, you need to Reader-enabled the document by selecting: File > Save as Other > Reader Extended PDF > Enable More Tools
The button won't work with the native iOS PDF viewer, but certain other PDF viewers such as Adobe Reader and Readdle's PDF Expert allow you to email a filled-in form and will support the button action.

I have been creating forms in InDesign and pulling into Acrobat XI Pro to do form fields. My client would like to fill in the PDF form, save under a different name locally on their device, and redistribute. The problem I have is that, sometimes, they want

I have been creating forms in InDesign and pulling into Acrobat XI Pro to do form fields. My client would like to fill in the PDF form using Reader, save under a different name locally on their device, and redistribute. The problem I have is that, sometimes, they want to redistribute the form as Read Only. I know how to flatten the form on a mobile device, but uncertain how they can do that with a PC or Mac using Adobe Reader. I looked at FormsCentral thinking there might be a solution going that route, but don't believe there is. Any advice?

FormsCentral won't help with flattening a form. You could set up the form in Acrobat so that the fields are set to read-only, using JavaScript. Not quite the same as flattening but it's the best Reader can do.
Note that when Reader is used to e-sign a document, it gets flattened, but this won't be possible if you need to Reader-enable the form and under certain other conditions.

Which is better software for brochures and PDF forms ? Photoshop or InDesign ?

Which is better software for brochures and PDF forms ? Photoshop or InDesign ? and why ?

If you are going to be making a lot of brochures, with photos, you probably want both. Photoshop to edit the photos, and InDesign to assemble and layout images with text.

Can I make a PDF form that can be filled/saved in Illustrator/InDesign without Acrobat Pro?

Can I make a PDF form that can be filled out and (more importantly saved) in Illustrator or InDesign without having to use Adobe Acrobat Pro?
I only have Adobe Reader XI. Do I need to purchase Adobe Acrobat Pro in order to make a PDF form that can be filled out and saved by others? or is it possible to do this solely through Illustrator, InDesign, and/or Adobe Reader?

InDesign can export to a filable form, assuming you add the fields in InDesign (6/CC) and export as an interactive PDF. You can't create a form with Reader or Illustrator. You also can't Reader-enable with anything other than Acrobat, so Reader users will have to use version 11 in order to save a filled-in form.

Create form elements directly in InDesign and publish them directly to PDF forms.

It would be great to add form elements directly in InDesign (e.g. on a specific layer) and when publishing the document to PDF automatically exporting them.
Now the work flow for adding one new field in am existing PDF form is quite complicated:
Edit the InDesign document (layout and text) in InDesing -> publish the PDF out of InDesign -> add the existing form fields (copy from existing form into new) -> move the fields to the right place (acrobat does not support paste in place!) -> add the new field (name it, place it, etc.) -> save the PDF.
For our company handling many different forms, with a lot of changes, this process is very error-prone.
Enabling this process in one application would help a lot. We are currently using CS3. The feature overview of CS4 does not seem to implement this.
Anyone else suffering here?
Best regards,
Michael

Just incase you don't Adobe make a Windows only app Lifecycle which is a full blown form design app. Real layout tools, real calculation tools, vastly better than Acrobat which is too tedious for forms. If you company does lots of forms I'ld give it a look.
They have no intention to bring to Mac I gather, as Mac is a designers only domain according to one Adobe Evangelist I spoke to.

InDesign CS6 & CC - form field PDF output very erratic, unusable, disappointing ...failure.

Hi
Until very recently, my workflow has been to add the form fields in Acrobat. However due to problems getting form fields to tag properly in this workflow the client has requested that the form fields be added in InDesign which on one page or very simple tests forms appeared to work fine. Based on successful tests with single page test documents we embarked on a much larger job with a very false sense of confidence
I've just spent several days adding complex form fields to a 26 page form in multiple languages which includes text fields, check boxes and combo boxes. When output as an interactive PDF, several of the text fields and combo boxes do not highlight as form fields, but when clicked on repeatedly sometimes behave as check boxes, not as text input fields and sometimes highlight as a field when moused over, but are otherwise inert. I have tried using both text frames and images frames to create the text fields from indesign with similar results.
Check boxes sometimes work, in other cases, give an "on" value rather than a check mark which disappears when you click on another check box or move your curser off the check box.
d as being capable of
I've spent several days now, reinstalling software, downloading the CC trial version to see if a later version would give better results, Outpting single pages, smaller page batches but nothing I have tried has improved this problem. The results are basically unusable, which is a major disappointment because it means that InDesign is incapable of performing a task it is advertised as being capable of. I am about to begin the tedious task of rebuilding this form in acrobat, but hope that someone from adobe will be willing to weigh in on this subject. If needed I can provide both the source files and the disappointing results.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions on salvaging something from this situation

Hi Derek
Thanks for sounding in. Yes, up until now I have been doing the layout in InDesign and adding form fields in Acrobat. But there are two major flaws with this workflow;
1. there is no way to properly tag form fields in acrobat as the accessibility tool "Add form fields to tags" does not appear to do anything in the way of adding tags, so in the age of accessibility these forms are basically unusable to a person using a blind reader
2. when the client makes edits (which they always do), you have a big workflow downstream, at the very least you have to go through and cut and paste from the old PDF to the new PDF
Besides which Adobe has boldly made the claim that, as of CS6, the form fields can be set-up in InDesign...

InDesign equivalent of LiveCycle's "Image Field" in PDF form creation?

LiveCycle has a PDF form field called "Image Field". We add this field to the PDF files we create so that our end users can select and import a JPEG image into their PDF document using Adobe Reader.
Now we would like to use InDesign to produce the same PDF form files as an alternative to using LiveCycle. Does InDesign have a PDF form field like LiveCycle's "Image Field"? We haven't found it yet.
In other words, does someone know in InDesign how to create a field in PDF forms which has the same functionality as LiveCycle's "Image Field"? LiveCycle's field works in enabled Adobe Reader files, and permits JPEG format, among others.
Thank you,
Kevin
P.S. We discovered a way to create PDF forms in Adobe Acrobat Pro XI with similar functionality by using JavaScript, but the Acrobat Pro created documents only permit Adobe Reader to import PDF files, not JPEG or other image formats. So Adobe Acrobat Pro XI was not a viable alternative to LiveCycle for creating our PDF files. We'd like to know if we need to rule out InDesign, too.

It's worth separating out the different responsibilities and products.
Whether a functionality exists in Reader depends on the Acrobat team. Reader, being free, is limited by design, the aim of the design being to sell copies of Acrobat. Obviously, Reader can't make PDFs or do preflighting. Less obviously, there are a bunch of JavaScript functions that don't work. Sometimes, with Reader enabling, more functions become available. (There are different kinds of Reader enabling, some of which need very expensive extra products).
Whether a form capability exists at all is largely down to the PDF specification (now an ISO standard) or the XFA specification. Adobe can choose to go beyond the specification but largely choose not to.
So, the InDesign team can make form fields, not because the Acrobat team approves, but because the way this is done is written down in the PDF Specification. InDesign _could_ choose to make XFA forms, but thank goodness that will never happen.
So, if you want InDesign forms to do something you first have to ask: can Acrobat forms to this. NOT XFA (LIveCycle forms) which are done by a different team to different rules. So far as I know Acrobat forms cannot do the sort of thing you want; that is, placing arbitrary graphics, but in certain circumstances they can place PDF files.
Why make the distinction?
- If Acrobat can make forms that do this, then so can InDesign: it's worth asking the InDesign people to do it.
- If Adobe limit Adobe Reader, there is no use asking the InDesign team to solve this.
- If Acrobat can't make forms that do this, then nor can InDesign.

How do I complete an electronic signature field in an Interactive PDF form (created in Indesign)?

How do I complete an electronic signature field in an Interactive PDF form (created in Indesign)? This form will serve as an employment application on a website. The goal is to have any person (interested in applying for a job via the Internet) access, complete and electronically sign the form upon submission.

Hi,
Via createPDF you would not be able to electronic sign the PDF form, you would either require Adobe Reader or purchase Adobe Acrobat to sign the PDF.
To download Adobe Reader
http://get.adobe.com/reader/
You can purchase Adobe Acrobat
http://www.adobe.com
~Pranav

Interactive PDF Form Field Text properties InDesign CS6

I am new to InDesign CS6 (upgraded from CS4) and after advice when attempting PDF form creation.
Is there a way of defining text style of text colour font for the form field,
(in the same way thay is possible if I was editing the PDF within in the text properties of Acrobat).
Or do I need to export and change the font and colour properties from Acrobat (which would be a shame).
thanks
MattHM

Short answer…no, you can’t do that in InDesign.
Bob

Linking data from PDF form into Indesign CS6

Hello all,
I'll be working on a magazine which has a large section of day camps technical descriptions :
name, contact info, location, short introduction text, activities icons (they have to choose up to 5 icons from a total of 12)
Is it possible to link data from a fillable PDF into predetermined and prestyled text boxes in Indesign CS6?
Would it be necessary to export in an Excel sheet prior?
What would be the best trick in order for the icons to place themselves automatically, if possible?
Thanks in advance

When placing a PDF into InDesign, it's a flat piece of art for each page included. There's no way to manipulate form fields or work with links or anything like that.
The data from the form would have to be collected and converted into an Excel file for placing into InDesign. (Collecting data from PDF forms and converting the Excel format can be done in Acrobat Pro.)

InDesign CC interactive forms - PDF is blank when printed from any printer

Hello - I have created an interactive PDF form in InDesign CC, which appears to work perfectly. However, I cannot get it to print. It shows the information on the page in the print preview, but the page is completely blank when it prints to a printer.
In InDesign, I have double-checked that the ‘printable’ option is selected for all my buttons & it is saved as an interactive pdf. I have tried it on different printers, yet I still cannot figure out what’s going on. Even the logo or the title, which aren’t interactive, don’t print. The form is sent very nicely via e-mail, but we need to be able print out the filled in form on our end for our files.
Interestingly, when I save it as a regular PDF file, the information is there, however, all the interactive fields (text boxes and/or buttons) are missing.
I have narrowed it down to the ‘Submit via e-mail’ button that I created in InDesign. If I do not have the ‘Submit’ button, everything works and prints exactly how I want.
I am using Acrobat Standard X as my default PDF program.
I posted this question in the InDesign forum and was advised to ask my question here. Any insight anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.

You guess?
You’re going to have to give us a firm answer on that because without that we’d be the ones guessing.

Creating PDF forms: possible in InDesign?

Hi there
I'd like to create PDF forms to be used for email questionnaires and surveys. The last time I looked into it I found that I needed to create the PDF first and then use another application (I can't remember the name) to add the fields for the form. I found it to be a little clumsy, and didn't have the layout control that I do with InDesign. Is there a way of creating forms entirely in InDesign?
Any help would be appreciated.
Graham

.. then use another application (I can't remember the name) to add the fields ..
That would be Acrobat Pro.
Nothing ID can do for you here. You still create the PDF with a layout package, and add form fields (which are a PDF feature, not a layout thing) with Acrobat. Fortunately, Acrobat has a nearly magical Form Field wizard that'll help you through that process as painless as possible.

Indesign pdf form

I have created a pdf form from Indesign. Is there a way to enable the person filling out the form to then click a button (created in indesign) that collects their answers and exports them in a preformatted pdf?
It's not something I'm aware of but a client has asked if it is possible.
I know that I can collect the data at my end but it is the instant creation of the pdf with the users answers that is then available to the user that I'm looking to achieve.
Any help is welcome!
Thanks
C

You can't do it with InDesign alone. You have to use the Distribute Form feature in Acrobat Pro. Assuming you have Acrobat Pro, check out the Help file for form distribution. Forms can be collected in a PDF Portfolio format which can be exported to a spreadsheet.

Indesign to PDF form

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