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\uD83D\uDCD8 Instructions
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3: Adding Form Fields
Now that we are in Acrobat with our file, we need to create our form fields for each of the line. Acrobat can create these fields for you and place them on the lines. To add the form fields,
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This tool will automatically add form fields to your document and your PDF will be open in Form Editing Mode. One thing to keep in mind is that the tool will only create text box form fields. If you only use form fields for typing in text, that is okay, but if you need to create check boxes, or dates, or other complex form fields, you will need to make those manually. Field Names and Tooltips are also added automatically, but you may want to edit them.
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4: Replacing Form Fields
Now that your form fields have been created, you need to check them all. All of our form fields are text fields. This means that you can type in letters and numbers in the boxes. The issue is that a text field is not necessary for every field. On the left side of the screen, the Prepare a Form Tool is open, there are 10 different form field options including,
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Note from the author: In our example, there are also many form fields that could be replaced with a date field. I would not recommend using this type of field because it is easier to type in a date in a text field. You will ability to specify the format of the dates in the text field, which we will cover later. If you use a date field, you will have to use a screen reader to access a calendar then go through the calendar one day at a time to find the correct day. This is much more time consuming and not recommended. |
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5: Editing Form Fields
Now that our example has all of the correct form fields, we need to edit the form fields to have the attributes we want in them. You can change the form attributes by double clicking on each field. After double clicking, the Field Properties box appears. In our example, we want to make changes to the Name of the Field and the Tool Tip, which are found in the General Tab. The Format, in the Format Tab, and the Options, found in the Options tab. Most fields have different needs so you may not need to edit all of those attributes. However, you must make sure that all fields have different names, and a tooltip.
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Stay in the Prepare Form Tool, and click on the text at the top of the page.
Press the Enter button to create a new line, and type in “All fields are required”.
Finally, shrink the text make the full text block align with your content. In our example, the new text is set at Times New Roman size 12.
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6: Tab Order
Now that all of your form fields have been completed, you need to test the tab order of your PDF. A user may not be able to use the mouse to click from one form field to another. A good alternative to access the form fields is by using the Tab Key. To test your PDF, click the Preview Button and hit the Tab Key several times. What should happen is that the first form field at the top of the PDF should be highlighted first. Then by clicking the Tab Key again, the form next to or underneath the first form field will be highlighted. If a form field is skipped, that means the Tab Order is out of order.
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