Forms basics

The form tools are accessible in a drop down menu adjacent to the button tool. The types of fields you can create using these tools include:

• Button . Buttons are used for hyperlinking and invoking actions. You might create a button to clear data in a form, or to submit form data to a web address or email account.
• Check Box . The attributes for Check Box and Radio Buttons are almost identical. Check Boxes are used for checking a number of different options such as a grocery list where the user checks all the items to be purchased at the grocery store.
• Radio Button . Radio Buttons can be used like Check Boxes, but the intent for this field type is for either/or conditions. For example, you might use radio buttons to identify credit card type where only one response is acceptable. As one button is marked, the remaining buttons assigned for a response to the same question are turned off. All the behavior and conditions assigned to check boxes and radio buttons are identical. The distinction between the two form fields is the appearance. Check boxes are square and radio buttons are round shapes.
• Combo Box . Combo Boxes and List Boxes are used when you want to create menus and offer respondent's options for selecting choices from a list. The Combo Box uses a down pointing arrow to open the list much like you see arrows appearing adjacent to tools in the Nitro PDF Professional toolbar.
• List Box . List Boxes are scrollable lists. With Combo Boxes you are limited to assigning a single response from menu options. List Boxes enable you to assign multiple responses to the menu items.
• Text Field . Text fields are used for respondents to type text in the field box. Text can be either alpha or numeric values.
• Signature Tool . Signature fields are used for applying a digital signature.

Among the common attributes with form tools you find:

• General. To create a field you select one of the seven form tools and drag open a rectangle marquee to the define the field size. When you release the mouse button the field icon appears as a rectangle for all field types with the exception of the radio button field appearing as a circle.

As fields are created the Form Properties dialog box opens. In the Form Properties dialog box you have options for setting field attributes within several different categories. The first category is the General options. These include:

• Name. As each field is created, Nitro automatically names the field according to field type and order. For example, if you have two text fields on a page and create a third text field, then Nitro PDF Professional defaults the name to Text3 (Text for the field type and 3 for the next field of the same type). Drawing your first button field results in Button1 for the field name.
• Tooltip. Type text in the Tooltip text box and a tooltip appears below the cursor when a user places the mouse cursor above the field.
• Visibility. In most cases, a form field will be visible. You have three additional options, Hidden, Visible but does not print, and Hidden but printable.
• Orientation. You can choose rotation angles in 90-degree increments.
• Read Only. A Read Only field is not editable. Checking the Read Only check box prevents a user from editing the field data.
• Required. Check the box when a field is required for completion before submitting form data.
• Locked. This checkbox locks a field in place on the document page and prevents changes to the attribute settings. If you need to change attributes, first uncheck the checkbox that is locked.
• Appearance. The object you create for each form field (rectangles for all fields except radio buttons) can be assignment appearances. These include:



• Border Color. The rectangle (or circle) border can be assigned no color or a color from the pop-up color palette. Click the Custom Color option and you can assign any color supported by Windows^®.
• Line Width From a pop-up menu select Thin, Medium, or Thick to change the rectangle (or circle) border stroke weight.
• Line Style. From the pop-up menu select Solid, Dashed, Beveled, Inset, or Underlined.
• Fill Color. The contents of the rectangle (or circle) can be filled with a color using the same color palette options as you have when adding color to line widths.
• Font Name. The typeface you assign to a field appears only when text is added to a field, like when a user types text in a text field. Text changes do not affect tooltips or text appearing in the Form Properties dialog box.
• Font Size. All fields except signature fields accept font size changes. The default size is Auto. When you create a field box, Nitro PDF Professional sizes the text to fit the vertical size automatically. From a drop down menu you can select fixed-point sizes or enter a value in the Font Size text box.
• Font Color. The same color options you have for appearances can be applied top fonts.
• Set Action. You can assign the same action types as you have available with bookmarks and links. Actions attributes offer you two primary options — the trigger and the action type. In the Actions category you have:



• Select Trigger. The Trigger is the mouse action. An action is performed on a mouse behavior from the following options:
• Mouse Up. This is the default trigger. When the mousebutton is released, the assigned action is performed.
• Mouse Down. When the mouse button is depressed, the assigned action is performed.
• Mouse Enter. When the cursor enters a field, the assigned action is performed.
• Mouse Exit. When the cursor exits a field, the assigned action is performed.
• On Focus. When a user tabs into the field, the assigned action is performed.
• On Blur. When a user tabs out of the field, the assigned action is performed.
• Select Action. All the same action types you have available with bookmarks and links are available with form fields. Click the Select Action option and choose an action type from the drop down menu.
• Actions. The Actions box expands as actions are identified to accommodate a description of the assigned action(s). Use this box to view at a glance actions assigned to form fields. The box itself is not editable, but you can double-click on items to change the action. For example, when you use the Open a web link action, double clicking on the web link dialog box where a URL is typed. You can edit the URL and the change is reflected back in the box. Below the Actions box are buttons that offer you options for moving actions up or down in the box.
  
  An Edit button opens the dialog box where an action is assigned, and the Delete button is used to delete a selected action in the box.
• Unique attributes. Because the form fields differ greatly in their design and intent, you have unique attribute assignments you can add to any given field type. For example, when creating text fields, you have options for data formatting, validation, and calculations. When using button fields, you have more options for adding appearances where icon images can be used as button faces. When using combo and list boxes you have options for adding menu names.

Tip: You can add several actions to a form field and the actions are performed in the order as they appear listed in the Actions box.

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