Acrobat XI Fillable Forms

Chapter 1 Exploring the Adobe Interface

Chapter 2 Convert an Existing Form

into a fillable PDF form

13

Chapter 3 Email and Forms

35

Chapter 4 Securing Forms &

Copyright Protection

41

Chapter 1

Exploring the Acrobat

Interface

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

FEDERAL HOUSING ADMINISTRATION

4410.1 REV-2
Appendix 7

FHA FORM 3635

REV. September 1991

CLOSING FISCAL EXAMINATION WORKSHEET

INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare onginal and one copy in pencil. File original in Washington
docket and copy in office docket. Appropriate entries are to be
made at lime of ( 1) initial endorsement for insurance of advances,
(2) iritial-final endorsement of commitment to insure upon completion, (3) final endorsement for insurance of advances, and/or (4)
final closing of non-insured projects. Any additional collection items
should be identified in column (1 ). Enter in column (2), opposite
(a) Application Fee, date application was received; (b) Committment Fee, data commitment was issued;

Project No.

(c) inspection fee , date of acceptance of Commitment to insure

Upon Completion or date of initial endorsement when advances
are insured; (d) Reopening Fee, date of receipt of request for
reopening; and (e) Premium, date of initial endorsemant for insurance. After completion, the certification panel will be completed
by an employee designated by the Director. If any fee credit
represents a transfer from another project, indicate former project
number under Remarks column. See Handbook 4410.1, Project
Fiscal Procedures, Paragraph 1-12.

Section of the Act

Area/Insuring Office

Collection
Item

Date

Amount on App.,
Committment or
Mortgage

Amount of Fee or
Premium Collected

Schedule
Number

Amount of
Refund

Remarks

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

Application Fee

Getting around the Acrobat tools and menus for Forms

Commitment Fee

Inspection Fee

Reopening Fee

Premium

I certify that, as applicable, on the basis of (1)

the highest amoung applied for, (2) the highest
commitment, and (3) the mortgage endorsed
for insurance, all fees and premiums collected
and retained are correct.

Date

Signature

HUD - Wash., D.C.

RESET FORM

SUBMIT FORM
1 of 1, 6/92

Exploring the Acrobat Interface

Chapter 1
Acrobat is a complex application that serves the needs of several industries. You
IN THIS CHAPTER

find tools for comment and review, professional printing, legal services such as

Working with Preferences

redaction, scanning and OCR recognition, conversion methods for documents and

Adding Tool Sets

web pages, editing PDFs, working with interactive elements, encryption tools,
searching, spell checking, signing documents, comparing documents, exporting

Zooming Views

content and more.

Setting Initial Views

Fortunately for forms designers you dont need to learn all the various features in
the program to create sophisticated, dynamic, and complex eForms.

you zoom in on a form, you see only a portion of the form in

Working with Preferences

the Document pane. Click and drag the Hand tool around the

The very first thing you need to do after launching Acrobat XI is

page to move the page content within the document pane.

visit the application Preferences. You find many toggles and

Additionally, when you fill-in form fields, you use the Hand

switches in a long list of preferences in Acrobat. Most important

tool.

are preferences located in the General and Forms categories.

Select Object tool (R). As the name implies, you select

Launch Acrobat and open the preferences by pressing the CTRL

objects with this tool. A field is an object. You can use the

(Windows) or the Command (Mackintosh) key + K for a keyboard

Select Object tool to select field objects for copying/pasting,

shortcut. Alternately you can open the Acrobat menu (Macintosh)

resize field objects, manage fields by aligning and

and click Preferences or Edit menu (Windows) and click

distributing, and double-clicking a field to easily access a

Preferences.

fields properties. This is perhaps the most essential tool you

find for authoring forms.

Setting General Preferences

The Preferences window opens and you find a list on the left side

Just remembering these two tool keyboard accelerators can help

of the window with Categories listed. Click General in the left

you work much faster in Acrobat when designing forms. The

pane and the right pane changes. Click the check box where you

remaining items in the General Preferences pane can be learned

see Use single-key accelerators to access tools.

as you become more knowledgeable about Acrobat and other

features in the program.

Checking this box enables you to use keys on your keyboard to

access tools. It will take some time to remember all the keyboard

Setting Forms Preferences

shortcuts but there are a few you can easily commit to memory

Acrobat provides a special category in the Preferences for toggles

that help speed up your work in Acrobat. These include:

and switches related specifically to forms. In the left pane click

Forms and the right pane changes to reflect options you have for

Hand tool (H). After you check the item in the preferences,

setting forms preferences.

individual keys you press on the keyboard select a tool.

When pressing the H key the Hand tool is selected. You use

There is one item in this category thats paramount for forms

this tool to move a document around the document pane. If

designers and a new preference option that was introduced in

Acrobat XI. Click Forms in the left pane and notice the item

independently. For now, just realize the most important item to

denoted as Automatically adjust tab order when modifying fields.

address is turning off the auto tab order setting.

You must remove the checkmark for this preference item. If you
leave this item checked, Acrobat will operate painfully slow when

Setting Language Preferences

working on complex forms. Always keep this item unchecked.

If your forms are assembled in a language other than US English,

you can click the Language item in the category list and choose a
language from the Application Language drop-down menu.

Figure 1 Forms Preferences

The remaining preferences can be left at defaults when you

installed Acrobat. As needs arise you can periodically visit the
preferences to make changes. For help with preference choices
you can open the Help menu and click Adobe Acrobat XI Pro
Help.

Adding Tool Sets

If youre familiar with other Adobe applications you know that
most programs support creating Workspaces. A workspace is a
collection of tools and menu choices that a user personally
defines. You make choices for the contents of your workspace
and save it. You can create additional workspaces and save each
one independent of the others. If using a program like Adobe
InDesign you might create a workspace for designing print
documents and another for designing web documents. You might

Press CTRL/Command + D. Click Forms in the left pane and remove the checkmark

use tools that support CMYK color for print and RGB color for

The remaining items in the forms preferences are personal

web and save to the respective workspace.

choices for viewing forms and fields. You can explore these items

In Acrobat terms, workspaces are known as Tool Sets. You

The Create New Tool Set window opens. Here you find a list of all

likewise determine what tools you want in a given tool set and

available Acrobat tools listed in the left panel, and by default you

save the set. You can likewise create several different sets. If you

find an empty panel on the right where you see the caption Tools

use Acrobat regularly and you work with reviewing documents

in Custom Tools pane. The right pointing arrowheads adjacent to

and you also design forms, you might save two different sets of

the tool categories in the left pane are used to expand/collapse a

tools one for Comment & Review and the other for Forms.

category.

For our purposes were talking about forms. Therefore, youll want

Figure 3 Add Tools to New Tool Set

to create a tools set that contains all the tools you use when
designing forms. To begin developing a tool set you start by
clicking the Customize button in the top right corner of the
Acrobat window to open a drop-down menu. Choose Create New
Tool Set from the menu options.
Figure 2 Create New Tool Set

Click Customize and choose Create New Tool Set

The Create New Tool Set Window

Obviously you want to add all the items listed in the Forms

box opens asking me to locate the file I want to use to

section. Click the right pointing arrow and click a tool in the list.

replace the existing page or a range of pages.

To move the tool to the right pane, click the right arrow icon

You find the Replace tool in the Pages category.

appearing between the two panes. Follow the same steps and
add all the tools so they appear listed in the right pane.

Insert from File: Also included in the Pages category is the

Insert Pages from File tool. You can use this tool to insert a

Other tools youll want to add to your Forms Editing Tool Set

blank page when you want to test calculations, JavaScripts,

include:

and button actions.

Select Object tool: You find this tool located in the

Page Templates: Page Templates are used when you want

Interactive Objects category.

to add new pages to a document that are spawned from

Save: This is optional if you happen to know the keyboard

template pages. I cover more on spawning pages from

shortcut (CTRL/Command + S) to save and update a file.

templates in Chapter 18.

You find the Page Templates tool in the Document

Save As: Likewise this may be an optional choice. This

Processing category.

command is important when creating complex forms. You

may want to save a copy of a form to test JavaScripts and

JavaScript: Open the JavaScript category and add all the

formulas without disturbing your final form.

tools contained in this category.

Replace: This command is used for replacing pages. I use

Accessibility: To comply with Section 504 in the USA youll

this command virtually every time I create a new form. I find

want to add accessibility to all your forms for USA

there are many times I need to return to the original

government sites. You may need to do quite a bit of editing

document, make some edits, and convert to PDF. If I add

for tagging files properly, adding alt text, and insuring that

field objects on a form, I want the fields to remain but I want

the reading order is correct for screen readers. To add

the background design with my new changes appearing on

Accessibility tools, open the Accessibility category and add

the form. If this is the case, I choose Replace and a dialog

all the tools to the right pane.

If you stick with those items recommended for adding to a Forms

TIP

Editing tool set, you have all the essential tools necessary for

Acrobat has a Read Out Loud feature that can help you determine

designing dynamic forms.

reading order before forms are tested on screen readers. Choose View

If the order in the right pane in the Create New Tool Set window is

Read Out Loud Activate Read Out Loud. Your form is read out

not the order you want, you can select items in the right pane and

loud. You can control the reading speed by pressing the 0 to 9 keys on
your keyboard.

click the up/down arrows to reorder the tools. When finished,

click the Save button and your new tool set is added to the

For creating government eForms, the above listed items are the

Customize drop-down menu.

most important. Acrobat provides other tools that might be used

by forms designers such as distributing a form to Office 365 or a

Once you select a tool set, the tool set remains open in all your

Microsoft Sharepoint server. Its more likely though that in

Acrobat work sessions. If you want to change to another tool set,

government offices you wont use the distribution choices from

just reopen the Customize menu and select another tool set.

Adobe.

Adding Tools to the Toolbar Well

In the Save & Export category you find the Reader Extended PDF

Above the Document pane you find a number of tools in a toolbar

tool. Since you should require all users to upgrade to Reader XI,

spanning the width of the Acrobat window. A few tools not loaded

you wont need to enable PDFs with Reader Usage Rights. If, for

by default can help when designing multi-page forms. Open a

some reason, you need to support the needs of Reader users

context menu (right click anywhere on the Toolbar Well or with a

below Reader XI, you may want to add this tool to the right pane.

one-button mouse on the Macintosh, press Control and click to

Adobe has spent much engineering time and effort in simplifying

open a context menu) and choose from the menu Page

the forms editing process and has tossed in some items such as

Navigation Previous View. Return to the same menu and

the Create Form tool that takes you to Adobe Forms Central

choose Next View. If you view a page such as page 1 in a

where forms can be designed from an assortment of templates.

document and jump to page 5 (or another page), click the

Again this is an item not likely used by government forms

Previous view tool to return to the page before the jump. This

designers.

saves you time over manually scrolling pages.

If you find additional tools that work well for you, you can

Ctrl/Command 0 (zero): Press the Control key (Windows) or

examine tools in a context menu and add them to the Toolbar

Command key (Macintosh) and the zero key to zoom to a

Well in similar fashion.

full-page view.

Zooming Views

Try to commit these shortcuts to memory and you can quickly

zoom in and out of pages in the Document pane.

A common task when editing forms is zooming the view. You may
want to zoom in on a field to precisely size a field box, then return

Setting Initial Views

to a Fit View to examine the entire form page.

An initial view is the zoom view when a document is opened in

You find the minus (-) and plus (+) symbols loaded in the Toolbar

Acrobat or Reader. The view can also show or hide toolbars and

Well by default. Additionally you find a text box for typing a zoom

show or hide panels. You can make choices for how you want

view, a drop-down menu to choose fixed zoom views, and page

constituents to view your form when the file is opened.

icons for Fit Window to width and enable scrolling and Fit one full

The toggles you set are strictly subjective. You may want all your

page to window. You have a number of other tools you can add

forms to appear zoomed in so the form filler can clearly see the

for zooming views that can be added to the Toolbar Well.

fields on small monitors. You could also set the view to Fit Width

Perhaps the easiest options for zooming views is just remember a

so the form zooms to a screen width. Another choice is to Fit

few keyboard shortcuts. Using the shortcuts enables you to work

View where an entire page is shown when the file opens.

much faster in Acrobat. The most important for zooming views

Regardless of the choice you make this item requires some

include:

discussion in a staff meeting and some standards should be set

forth so all forms hosted by your government office are set to the

Ctrl/Command + (plus): Press the Control key (Windows) or

same zoom view.

Command key (Macintosh) and the plus (+) key to zoom the
view.

Setting the opening view is handled in the Initial View window. To

access the Initial View settings, choose File Properties or press

Ctrl/Command - (minus): Press the Control key (Windows)

CTRL/Command + D. When the Document Properties window

or Command key (Macintosh) and the minus (-) key to zoom

opens, click the Initial View tab.

out.

differently on different computers according to the preference

Figure 4 Initial View Properties

choices each user makes.

Default views would be fine if all Adobe Reader users knew they
could change a viewing preference. However, most users are not
aware of the toggles. It may be best for your department to make
the choice for what viewing option is best for most users.
Experienced users can always change the view once inside
Reader or Acrobat using keyboard shortcuts and tools.
In the Initial View window you have several choices to make that
can help the viewing experience for users. These include:
Navigation tab: Typically you might set this option to Page
only. However, if you have bookmarks created for long forms,
you may want to choose Bookmarks Panel and Page from
the Navigation tab drop-down menu. You may have some
forms that are multi-lingual and the different languages may
be on separate layers in your form. If this is the case you
may want Layers Panel and Page opened when the user
Set the Initial View for forms that you want appear as the default view when the form is
opened.

views the file in Reader. Again, you make the choice in the
Navigation tab drop-down menu.

When you first open the Initial View window you find a number of
drop-down menu items are set to Default. Be certain to override

Page Layout: Should the form be viewed as a single page or

all the Default choices. The Default choice pertains to Preference

should continuous pages be enabled? I personally prefer

choices made by individual Reader users. Some users may have

using a single page view. When viewing pages in this view,

defaults set to open Fit Width, some to Fit Page, and others to

the entire page snaps to view. When you scroll pages each

Automatic. The result is that your document is displayed

page snaps to a view in the Document pane. If you choose

10

Single Page Continuous, users can scroll pages without

Discharges occurred after the registrations. When a patient

snapping to a full page. In essence, one can see the bottom

was discharged the data from the registration card was

half of the top page and the top half of the bottom page in

transposed to the patient discharge form. Data always had

the Document pane. This can be an advantage for a user if

to be sent from the registration card to the discharge form.

they need to see a previous set of fields that might be helpful

There was no way to populate registration information

in completing the next set of fields appearing on a following

manually on the discharge form. Hence, since registration

page.

cards were always viewed first, either to add a new patient

or discharge a patient, it made sense to open the PDF on

Page layout is another subjective judgment and warrants

the registration card page first page 225.

discussion in a committee meeting for standardizing forms.

In terms of the design for this example, I could have

Magnification: This is where you set the open default zoom

designed the document with the registration cards

view. You have several choices from the Magnification drop-

appearing at the beginning of the form and the discharge at

down menu. Make a choice that is the standard for your

the end of the form. However, the registration cards were an

government office.

afterthought when the health professionals met and

requested additional information on the form. Extensive

Open to Page: By default, the number is set to 1 where the

JavaScripts and calculations were made that referenced

first page in the file appears in the Document pane when a

page numbers so it was much easier to modify the form by

file is opened. You may want to change this item to open

adding registration cards at the end of the form. All of this

another page where a user may logically start but the form is

was transparent to the workers since pages opened

best viewed after populating a form from page one.

automatically when data were transposed.

As an example, I created a health statistics form for the

Window Options: For eForms, all these items should be left

Botswana Africa Ministry of Health. The form opened page

unchecked and at defaults.

225 where a registration card for a new in-patient was

recorded. However the important part of the form was the
discharge information that resided on page 2.

11

 User Interface Options: You can choose to hide items listed

in this section. You may want to avoid hiding menu bars.
Users may want to work with menu commands for saving
and closing your forms. Hiding tool bars and window
controls provides more real estate for users to work with
forms. For eForms, the tool bars and window controls may
be unnecessary for most forms. If you do choose to hide
items, be consistent for all forms your agency deploys.

12

Chapter 2

Convert an existing form

into a fillable PDF form

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

FEDERAL HOUSING ADMINISTRATION

4410.1 REV-2
Appendix 7

FHA FORM 3635

REV. September 1991

CLOSING FISCAL EXAMINATION WORKSHEET

INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare onginal and one copy in pencil. File original in Washington
docket and copy in office docket. Appropriate entries are to be
made at lime of ( 1) initial endorsement for insurance of advances,
(2) iritial-final endorsement of commitment to insure upon completion, (3) final endorsement for insurance of advances, and/or (4)
final closing of non-insured projects. Any additional collection items
should be identified in column (1 ). Enter in column (2), opposite
(a) Application Fee, date application was received; (b) Committment Fee, data commitment was issued;

Project No.

(c) inspection fee , date of acceptance of Commitment to insure

Upon Completion or date of initial endorsement when advances
are insured; (d) Reopening Fee, date of receipt of request for
reopening; and (e) Premium, date of initial endorsemant for insurance. After completion, the certification panel will be completed
by an employee designated by the Director. If any fee credit
represents a transfer from another project, indicate former project
number under Remarks column. See Handbook 4410.1, Project
Fiscal Procedures, Paragraph 1-12.

Section of the Act

Area/Insuring Office

Collection
Item

Date

Amount on App.,
Committment or
Mortgage

Amount of Fee or
Premium Collected

Schedule
Number

Amount of
Refund

Remarks

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

Application Fee

Commitment Fee

Inspection Fee

Reopening Fee

Premium

I certify that, as applicable, on the basis of (1)

the highest amoung applied for, (2) the highest
commitment, and (3) the mortgage endorsed
for insurance, all fees and premiums collected
and retained are correct.

Date

Signature

HUD - Wash., D.C.

RESET FORM

SUBMIT FORM
1 of 1, 6/92

13

Convert an existing form into a fillable PDF form with Adobe Acrobat XI
Easily convert forms to fillable PDF forms from paper or existing electronic files, such
as Microsoft Word files. Automatically recognize and convert static fields to fillable ones with a form wizard.
1. At the top right in Acrobat, click the Tools pane.
2. Open the Forms panel. Click Create.
3. Select Existing Document and click Next.
4. Choose one of the following options.
Use the current document or choose another file
If using a different document, browse to the file and click Continue.
Scan a paper form and convert it into a PDF fillable form
Click Continue. Select the scanner and a color mode. Follow the instructions for your scanner to
scan the form.
After each page, Acrobat asks if the scan is complete or if you need to scan more pages.
5. Acrobat analyzes the document and adds interactive form fields. Inspect the form fields list in the Fields panel. You use the form names when collecting and
analyzing data, so make sure that each name is unique and descriptive. To change a field name, double click and type the desired name in the General tab.
Click close.
6. To edit fields, select the field and click Edit Fields in the Tasks panel. You can also add fields.
7. At the top of the Forms Editing toolbar, click Preview (This button toggles between Edit and Preview.) to display the form as a recipient will see it and to test form
behavior.
To return to editing mode, click Edit.
8. When finished, at the top right in Acrobat, click the Close Form Editing button. Save your PDF form.
Tip: To learn how to create a form from scratch or template, see Create a form from scratch or a template in Acrobat XI Pro.
Tip: To distribute your form and analyze responses, see Distribute PDF forms and analyze responses with Acrobat XI Pro.

14

Acrobat XI Pro Accessible Forms and Interactive Documents

Create interactive forms that can be used by anyone, ensuring
privacy and independence for all

Adobe Acrobat XI Pros form creation tools make it simple to create interactive form fields that are accessible to users with
disabilities, including those with visual impairments and mobility impairments. This is typically achieved by adding properly
structured fillable fields to the PDF file, setting a tab order to control a
logical sequence, and by adding tooltips to fields providing an accessible label and instructions to users of assistive technology.
To determine if a PDF document should be an interactive form, examine the file for the presence of form fields, or areas in the
document where users are asked to provide information that you would like to collect. If the form contains these qualities, the
document can be made electronically fillable, allowing users to
complete the form online. Many people with disabilities can fill out electronic forms unassisted, which is a huge advantage over print
forms. An accessible electronic form can provide privacy, security, and independence to users with disabilities.
There are several items to be aware of when creating accessible electronic forms. Specifically, authors must provide:

accessible and on-screen labels

instructions (including field constraints and requirements)

a logical tab order

no keyboard traps or non-user initiated changes in focus

error identification and suggestions (when known)

error prevention for legal or financial information

These must be provided in a way that is available to all users, including those using assistive technology. For example, using the
Tooltip property value, it is possible to add text to a check box on an RSVP that users can use to indicate their intention to attend an
awards dinner. The tooltip could be set to I plan to attend the awards dinner which will be announced to someone who is blind or
visually impaired via a screen reader. When form objects are used in Acrobat, the objects type (such
as Check Box), and state (checked or unchecked) will also be exposed to assistive technologies. This document describes the
various types of form objects and provides implementation strategies for accessibility in electronic forms.

15

Note:

The techniques in this document are limited to the accessibility issues involved with creating form fields with the Acrobat
XI Pro form tools. For a more detailed discussion of PDF forms including forms created with the Adobe LiveCycle
Designer or the Adobe Digital Enterprise Platform Designer, refer to the Acrobat XI Pro online help.

16

Types of interactive PDF Form Fields

A PDF form created with Adobe Acrobat XI Pros forms editing tools can contain the following types of fields:

Text field
Allows the user to type in text, such as name, address, or phone number.
Check box
Presents yes-or-no choices for individual items. If the form contains multiple check boxes, the user can typically select as many or few
of these as needed.
Radio button
Presents a group of choices from which the user can select only one item from the group. All radio buttons with the same
name work together as a group.
List box
Displays a list of options the user can select. List boxes have a field property that lets the user Shift-click or Control-click to select
multiple items on the list.
Combo box
Allows the user either choose an item from a pop-up menu or type in a value.
Button
Initiates a change on the users computer, such as opening a file, playing a sound, or submitting data to a web server. These buttons
can be customized with images, text, and visual changes triggered by mouse actions. Action buttons are different from radio buttons,
which represent data choices made by the user.
Digital signature field
Allows the user to electronically sign a PDF document with a digital signature.
Barcode
Encodes the input form selected fields and displays it as a visual pattern that can be interpreted by decoding software or

17

hardware (available separately).

Automatic Field Detection using the Acrobat Form Wizard

The Form Wizard in Adobe Acrobat XI Pro can be used to create interactive forms from an existing electronic document (for example a Word, PDF, or Excel
document) or from a paper form that was placed in a scanner with the resulting image opened in Acrobat. Authors can also create forms manually in Acrobat, or
individually add form fields to an existing document using the form tools.
Acrobats automatic form field detection will attempt to locate any labels that are adjacent to the form field (text, check box, etc.) and use any labels it finds as
the source for the accessible label (the form field tooltip in Acrobat). A form element and form objects for each field will be created in the Tags pane as part of
this process. Examine the document carefully to verify that Acrobat accurately detected the fields and labeled them properly.
To make an electronic form fillable with the wizard:
1. Display the Forms Pane
Select View Menu > Tools > Forms (The keyboard accelerator sequence for displaying the Forms Task Pane is Alt + V + T + F)

18

Figure 1.

Figure 1. Create Form Command in the Forms Task Pane

2.

Select the Create command

3.

The Keyboard Shortcut is Shift + Ctrl + 7.

The Create Form dialog is displayed

Figure 2.

Acrobat X Pro Create or Edit Form Dialog Acrobat XI Pro Create Form Dialog

From the Create Form Dialog, select one of the following options and then follow the on-screen instructions.
Use an existing file
This option converts an existing electronic document (for example Word or PDF) to an interactive PDF form. To use the document that is
currently on display, select Next and the Use the current document option. Select Next again. Acrobat automatically searches
for and creates any form fields it detects, and places the document in Form Editing Mode. (Refer to Figure 3. Adobe Acrobat XI Forms
Editing Mode on page 5).
Scan a paper form

19

This scans a paper form and converts it to a PDF form. The form will be scanned, converted to PDF and Acrobat will search for and
create any form fields it detects. The form is placed in Form Editing Mode
Create a form from scratch or using a template
This creates an Online Form using Adobe FormsCentral. Adobe FormsCentral provides a simple interface to create interactive forms for
collecting data online. FormsCentral is not addressed in this document.

20

When either the Use an Existing File or Scan a paper form option is chosen, Acrobat XI Pro analyzes the document, adds any detected form fields, and puts
the document in Forms Editing Mode. The document will look similar to what is shown in Figure 3. Acrobat XI Pro Forms Editing Mode below. From here,
you can add, edit or delete the automatically created form fields.

Figure 3.

Acrobat XI Pro Forms Editing Mode

During form field detection, Acrobat may have missed some fields, or created unnecessary ones. It may also have created fields of the wrong type. Verify the
fields and field names on the form. Add New Field on the Forms Editing toolbar can be used to add more fields. You can also right- click on the form to add,
edit, or delete fields.

Creating a Form without the Forms Wizard

Form Editing Mode can also be enabled without using the Form Creation Wizard.
1. Select View Menu > Tools > Forms and select the Edit command under the Forms Tool Pane
The Keyboard shortcut is Shift + Ctrl 7.
2. The Add or Edit Form Fields dialog is displayed if form fields have not been added to this document.

21

Figure 4.

Acrobat XI Pro Add or Edit Form Fields Dialog

Answering Yes to the Add or Edit Form Fields dialog question Do you want Acrobat to detect form fields for you? causes the automatic detection of form
fields prior to placing the document in Form Editing Mode. This is the same as running the Form Wizard.
Acrobat will analyze the document, add detected form fields and put the PDF form in Forms Editing Mode. From there, you can edit the automatically created
fields or add new ones.

22

During form field detection, Acrobat may have missed some fields, or created unnecessary ones. It may also have created fields of the wrong type. Verify the
fields and field names on the form. Add New Field on the Forms Editing toolbar can be used to add more fields. You can also right- click on the form to add,
edit, or delete fields.
Answering No to the Add or Edit Form Fields dialog question Do you want Acrobat to detect form fields for you? also places the document in Form Editing
mode, but does not create form fields automatically. Form fields will have to be added manually.

Create Form Fields Manually

If you answer No to Do you want Acrobat to detect Form Fields for you? , the document enters Forms Editing Mode without automatically creating any
fields.
To add new form fields to the PDF, select one of the options from the Add New Field drop-down menu that presents the eight possible Acrobat field types.

Forms Editing Mode

In Forms Editing Mode, you can add, edit or delete any existing form object.
The Acrobat XI user interface changes when in Forms Editing Mode (Refer to Figure 3. Adobe Acrobat XI Forms Editing Mode on page 5). The Forms Editing
Toolbar appears and provides access to the Select Object tool, the Add New Field buttons for each field type, and the Form Preview button. On the right hand
side of the Forms Editing Toolbar, beneath the Tasks pane, the Add New Field, Distribute, Track, and Other Tasks commands are displayed. The Fields pane
shows any interactive fields that are currently part of the form. You can exit this mode by selecting the Close Forms Editing button above the Tasks pane.

Selecting a New Form Field to Create

In Acrobat XI Pro, a form field can be created by choosing one of the form tools. For each field type, it is possible to set a variety of options through the form
field Properties dialog box.
The forms tools can be accessed in one of three ways:

23

Select Add New Field under the task pane.

Figure 5. Acrobat XI Add New Field Command

Select one of the commands from the Forms toolbar that appears below the Acrobat XI Pro menubar.

Figure 6. Acrobat XI Forms Tools Icons

24

Right click over the form to add new fields.

Figure 7.

Adobe Acrobat XI Right Click Forms Dialog Positioning and Naming the New Form Field

Once a form tool has been selected, a crosshair cursor appears, and a blue region defines the outline of the form object selected for placement.

25

On the page, click where the field is to be added. A field with a default size. To create a field using a custom size, drag a rectangle
to set the dimensions of the field.

In the Field Name box, type the name of the field. Select a name that is relevant and descriptive to make organizing and collecting
the data easier. This name is not shown to users of the form.

Figure 8. Field Name Box

To test the form, select the Preview button at the top of the document window. Preview lets you view a form the way a form recipient would, and gives the
author a chance to verify the appearance and behavior of the form. If a form is being previewed, click the Edit Layout button to return to Forms Editing Mode.
Next, set the accessible name for the field. This is how the field will be announced by assistive technology. Other properties such as required field notation
can also be set here.
Note: If the Keep Tool Selected option is checked in the forms toolbar, the Field Name box doesnt appear after adding a field. Each time the
page is clicked, a new field is added to the form. To exit this mode, press the Esc key or click
the Select Object Tool button. To modify the properties of a field, double-click it.

Form Field Properties

How a form field behaves is determined by settings in the Properties dialog box for that individual field. Properties can be set that apply formatting,
determine how the form field information relates to other form fields, impose limitations on what the user can enter in the form field, trigger custom scripts,
and so forth.
To modify a fields properties, right-click it (or select and then press the Application key).
A variety of properties can be set for an Acrobat form field, depending on the form field type. The properties for each type of form field are selected on a
series of tabs. When a property is changed, it is applied as soon as another property is selected or when Enter is pressed.
All form field types have a General tab, Appearance tab, and an Actions tab. Other tabs appear only in specific types of form fields. The Options tab appears
for most form field types, but the options available are unique to each type of form field.

26

You can leave the Properties dialog box open if you want to change multiple fields at once.

Setting Tooltips for Form Fields

The tooltip field on the General tab of the field properties dialog is the most important item for form fields. The content of the tooltip will be announced by
screen readers as the accessible name of the field. This property provides the user with information and instructions about the field. Tooltips should be short
and descriptive and should not include the type of field or text such as Click to enter. For example, First Name would be a good tooltip for a first name
field and Sign-up Date (2 digit month / 2 digit day / 4 digit year) would be a good name for a

27

Sign up date field that had a required field format. The City field for a group of shipping field would need to include the group name as well as the on-screen
label, Ship to City or Shipping Address City.
Note:

Note: The tooltip also displays text that users may find helpful in filling in the form field. Tooltips appear when the pointer hovers briefly over the
form field.

To set the tooltip property of a form field:

1.

Ensure Forms mode is active

Activate Forms Tool > Edit

2.

Ensure that the Select Object tool is selected from the toolbar

3.

Open the field properties dialog

4.

Double-click a selected form field; or

Right click or select and press the applications key and select properties; or

Select the desired field and press the shortcut keystroke (Control+I)

Enter a short and concise label into the tooltip field.

The tooltip should provide any group label for a group of fields along with the fields label (refer to the special instructions for radio
button groups in the next section Tooltips for Radio Buttons).

28

Figure 9.

Adding a Tooltip to a Form Field Tooltips for Radio Buttons

To create a radio button group, where only one field can be selected at a time, assign each field the same name and the same tooltip, but provide different
Button Choices (values). The radio button choice is a field in the Options tab of the Radio Button Properties dialog. The tooltip and button value will be
announced to users of assistive technology for each radio button. When the

29

same radio button name is assigned to a radio button, the tooltip field should automatically be populated with the tooltip text from the other radio buttons in
the group. (Refer to Figure 10. Identical Name and Tool Tip Value for a Radio Button Group on page 10).
For example, create a radio button group that asks the question, Conference Pass. Create four radio buttons. For each button, choose to give the
button the identical name,
Conference_Pass. For each radio button, the identical text appears in the Tooltip field, such as
Conference Pass

Figure 10.

Setting Identical Name and Tool Tip Value for a Radio Button Group

For the button next to the label indicating 1-day Pass, enter 1-day Pass in the Radio Button Choice field under the options tab in the Radio Button Properties
dialog.

Figure 11. Setting the Radio Button Choice

Editing or Modifying an Existing Form Field

Acrobat form field properties can only be accessed in editing mode (by choosing Forms > Add New Field or Edit Fields). Properties for multiple form fields
can be set at once.
1.

To edit multiple form fields, select the fields to edit.

30

Hold down control and click each field to select

2.

Right-click/Control-click one of the selected fields, and choose Properties.

Change the properties on each of the available tabs, as needed. The property is changed as soon as another property is selected or
Enter is pressed.

3.

Activate the Close button or press enter to close the Properties dialog box.

If form fields are selected that have different property values, some options in the Properties dialog box are not available. Otherwise, changes to the available
options are applied to all selected form fields.
Note:

To avoid accidental changes to the form field, select Locked in the lower left corner of the Properties dialog box before it is closed. To unlock,
click the check box again.

31

Deleting a Form Field

With the document in Forms Editing mode, click on the field to delete and do any of the following:

Right-click and select Delete

Press the Delete key.

From the menu, select Edit > Delete (ALT + E, D)

Note:

To select multiple fields hold the Control/Command key and click on each one.

Field Actions
There are many different actions that can be associated with a form field. These include actions based on mouse entry, mouse exit, mouse up, mouse
down, on focus, and on blur. It is important to note that mouse-only actions will not be keyboard accessible. All functionality
must be keyboard-accessible without requiring the use of a mouse. The on focus and on blur actions are triggered when the field receives or loses focus
respectively. These actions should be used with caution. The on focus action must not move focus to another field unless the field
is not to be used, and these actions must not be used to trap the keyboard focus within certain fields.
The user must be able to navigate past form fields without having the keyboard focus trapped. This is a requirement because many keyboard-only users,
including users of assistive technology, use the Tab or Shift+Tab keystrokes to explore the fields of a form and discover
what options are available. For the same reason, the option Commit value immediately should be avoided for the dropdown and list fields. Users of assistive
technology often use the Up and Down arrows to explore or navigate to items in these fields, so changing values using these keystrokes can prevent them
from using the form properly.

Validation and Error Messages

When form validation is used to automatically validate fields, error messages must indicate what fields triggered the error and provide suggestions to help the
user enter the correct information.
Error suggestions are not required when they would invalidate the purpose of the form, such as with a quiz. But error prevention must be provided for legal
or financial transactions. Error prevention can involve allowing the user to review or make changes, and/or checking the information for errors prior to
submission. Typically, the Validation tab of the field properties
dialog is used to provide feedback to the user. One accessible solution is to provide an alert that indicates the error and provides a suggestion. However, errordetection mechanisms should not restrict the ability for keyboard users to navigate among form fields.
When audio is used to indicate an error such as entering more characters into a field than are allowed, a visual indication must also be provided to warn users

32

who cannot hear the audio.

Set the Tab Order

If a PDF document does not have a specified tab order, the default order is based on the document structure, unless the user has deselected the Tab Order
option in the Accessibility preferences.
The tab order can be changed after the form has been created. It has the following options:

33

If Forms Editing mode is active, the order can be set to document structure (default), row, or column.

The order can also be set manually by dragging and dropping fields in the Fields pane.

If Forms Editing mode is not active, the order can be set in page properties by row or column. However, the tab order
cannot be set manually.

To change the tab order, first select Order Tabs Manually from the Tab Order button on the Fields pane. Then fields can be dragged and dropped where
appropriate within the Fields pane to modify the tab order. To assist in determining tab order, select Show Tab Numbers from the Tab Order button
menu of the Fields pane. To see the relationship between items in the Fields pane and the Document pane. Note also the Order Tabs Manually and the
Show Tab Numbers options are highlighted.

Figure 12.

Rearranging Tab Order with the Fields Pane

Provide Instructions and Onscreen Labels

It is important to ensure that all form fields have instructions or labels. Form instructions are typically be placed above the form, call out required fields,
and provide additional information on completing and submitting the form. Individual form fields typically have labels above or to the left of the form
field, with the exception of radio buttons and checkboxes, whose labels should appear to the right of each field. Labels should contain any formatting
information, such as value length or date format.

34

Chapter 3

Email and Forms

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND
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35

Date

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FORM6/92

Emailing and Forms

In this tutorial, learn how to distribute a fillable form to recipients via email. Once you've distributed your form, you can view the status of
replies and send reminders to people who havent responded.
1. With your form open in Acrobat, click Distribute in the lower-right corner of the right- hand pane (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Click Distribute at bottom of dialog box.

2. A series of messages may appear, depending on the conditions Acrobat XI detects in your form. Respond to the onscreen instructions
as needed, and save the form.
3. Choose Email as your distribution and collection method and click Continue (Figure 2).

36

Figure 2: Choose email as your distribution and collection method.

4. Type in information that identifies you to your recipients (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Enter your personal information.

5. Choose a delivery method

37

6. A dialog box appears with a default message. Enter the email addresses of your recipients separated with a semi-colon or click the To button
to select email addresses from your address book (Figure 4). Edit the default message. Select the option Collect name & email from
recipients to provide optimal tracking. The system prompts recipients to provide their name and email address when they submit the form.
This guarantees that in Tracker, you see exactly who has and hasn't replied, and when. Deselect the option if you want to receive anonymous
submissions, or you don't care about that level of tracking.

38

Figure 4: Edit the default message.

7. In the Send Email dialog box, choose how you want to send your email (default email application or webmail) and click Continue (Figure
5).

39

Figure 5: Choose email or webmail and click Continue.

8. In the left panel, click Distributed under Forms and verify your form has been distributed (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Check to make sure your form has been sent.

40

Chapter 4

Securing Forms &

Copyright Protection

Adding security to forms to prevent users from

changing the form. Should you copyright your
forms?

41

Securing Forms & Copyright Protection

Chapter 3
Securing a form is protecting the form against changing its appearance and
IN THIS CHAPTER

content. For eForms, all forms should be secured without exception. Even the

Securing a PDF Document

most basic forms requiring no more than a signature should be secured and

Cataloging Passwords
Copyrighting Forms

protected against changing the form contents. Any content displayed on

government websites and available for public consumption should be considered
a target for security and protection. This rule should extend to every document a
government website hosts even those documents not considered forms.

42

Securing a PDF Document

2. Save a copy of the form.

Saving a copy compacts the file and eliminates any

Acrobat provides several opportunities to secure PDF files. You

overhead not needed for the form to be opened, populated,

can use Acrobat Security, you can use a 3rd party solution for

and returned to you. As you add form elements, copy/paste

securing files, you can use in-house security options developed

fields, delete fields, etc. during an editing session, Acrobat

by your IT department, and you can certify PDF files.

retains unnecessary information and file gets bloated.

The simple and easy method for applying security is handled by

Rewriting the file by saving as a new file compacts the data

Acrobat Security. For the purposes of this book Ill address

and often results in a smaller file size. In addition, you want

Acrobat Security but I encourage all readers to search for

to secure the form you deploy while maintaining the original

solutions acceptable for your branch of government. There may

unsecured form on a secure intranet not available to the

be mechanisms in place now in your agency for securing

public.

documents including PDFs. You should spend some time

3. Open the copy

researching security options available to your department.

Figure 1 Document Properties

you save and

Applying security to a PDF is handled in the Document

open the

Properties. You can secure files protecting certain activities while

Document

granting permissions for a number of other activities. These

Properties.

choices are found in the Acrobat Security window.

Press CTRL/

To secure a PDF form, do the following:

Command + D

1. Open the form in Acrobat.

or choose File

Securing a document is the last step you perform before

Properties to

deploying a form. You should test the form, be certain the

open the

form is assembled properly and ready to deploy.

Document
Properties
window.

43

Click the Security tab in the Document Properties window.

4. Choose a Security Method.

6. Disallowing Printing.

Click the Security tab. From the Security Method drop-

The first item to address is whether you want the end user

down menu you see several options for securing the

to be able to print the form. This may be a matter that

document. For the purposes of this discussion we look at

needs some discussion in committee. You can force

Password Security. Unless you have another security

constituents to follow your lead in achieving sustainable

method in place, this security option will work well for the

measures by disallowing printing. Or you can provide users

eForms you deploy except documents related to national

the ability to print files for their own personal filing system.

security.

If you do restrict printing, you should create a webpage that

explains the fact that no forms can be printed, they must

From the menu options choose Password Security. The

be handled electronically, and your reasoning for not

Password Security window opens.

permitting printing.
7. Enable Form Fill-In.

5. Adding Restrictions.
Be certain to not check the box for Require a password to

From the Changes Allowed drop-down menu choose Filling

open the document. Checking this box requires the

in form fields and signing existing signature fields. You must

constituent to know a password in order to open the PDF in

enable this permission or users wont be able to fill in the

Adobe Reader. The eForms you host wont require people

form.

knowing a password to open the forms.

8. Enable text access.

By default the item for Enable text access for screen reader

Check the box for Restrict editing and printing of the

devices for the visually impaired is checked. You should

document. A password will be required in order to change

leave this item enabled so your forms meet with

these permission settings. When you check the box,

accessibility standards and permit users with screen

options you find in the Password Security Settings

readers the ability to complete your forms.

window are made available to you.

44

Check the box for Encrypt all document contents except

9. Change Permissions Password.

This is where you add password security to your form. On
the right side of the text box is a scale that measures the
strength of your password. Typing a few characters results
in a weak password. Using upper and lowercase
characters, numbers, and certain symbols results in a
password with more strength.

metadata (Acrobat 6 and later compatible). This box should be

checked so your forms can be found using Internet search
engines.
11. Click OK.
When you click OK you are prompted to re-enter your
password. Type the password exactly the same as the
password you supplied in the Change Permissions

Figure 2 Password Security Settings

Password text box.

12. Save the file.
The security settings are not added to the document until
you save the file.

Cataloging Passwords
One of the best ways to keep a record of passwords for PDF files
in your department is to create a PDF form where new passwords
are stored. You can encrypt the file with password security for
opening the document. Once open, you can perform a search

Be certain to enable form fill in and signing existing signature fields.

with Acrobat Search to find document form numbers and

10. Compatibility.

passwords associated with them. Keep this file on a secure

From the menu choose Acrobat X compatibility. This

intranet server where only the forms design departments have

encryption level is much stronger than earlier versions of

access.

Acrobat compatibility.

45

Storing passwords in an encrypted file requires users to know

only one password to open the PDF. When a user opens the file,
the user has access to all passwords used on the forms you list in
the file.

Copyrighting Forms
Almost all forms on USA Federal government websites are
considered to be in the public domain and therefore do not carry
copyright protection unless specifically noted on the form. US
States vary according to policies established by the states. Many
US State forms are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced or
displayed in any content whether printed or online.
This is a matter for your office to decide. Unless you have specific
reasons for doing so I would recommend you not copyright forms
especially if youre proud of the forms hosted on your site. Your
web content may be assessed and evaluated by magazines,
reporting agencies, and studies that examine developments in
use of eForms. Independent researchers can benefit by showing
the community of government offices examples of well-designed
and functional eForms.
If your forms are scanned documents, have no fields, no
department seals, and designed poorly, by all means, copyright
your forms. You dont want samples of your forms appearing in a
study by ComputerWorld!

46