Acrobat XI

e e g u i d e t o
The fr

P D F F o r m s
Crea ti n g
v e r nm e n t
for Go
Learn to:
Design forms for government

Use Acrobat’s form tools

Create easy copy/paste

JavaScripts

Host forms on
eGovernment websites

Develop standards &

best practices

VIDEO TUTORIALS ted padovai

Determine never to be idle. No person will have
occasion to complain of the want of time who never
loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we
are always doing.

—Thomas Jefferson

This book is an effort to influence government offices worldwide

on how to properly create forms for processing transactions, host
forms on eGovernment websites, and develop some level of
consciousness regarding how content in eGovernment should be
developed.

This is a free publication and I encourage government offices to

circulate and distribute this book in hopes that government
workers can gain some knowledge for improving PDF forms
hosted on eGovernment websites.

Comments, suggestions and feedback are welcomed.

—ted padova

[email protected]

ii
Creating PDF Forms for Government
Using Acrobat XI

ted padova
[email protected]
Understanding eGovernment

Chapter 1
Understanding eGovernment
IN THIS CHAPTER
The term eGovernment ranges considerably in definitions. The most common
Understanding eGovernment
definition used today is the use of technology to enhance access and delivery of
USA Presidential Cabinet Offices
government services that benefit citizens, partners and employees. One of the
Cabinet Technology Positions in the 3rd World most important uses of technology in this context is the Internet.
What should government do?
Although the use of the Internet, and more importantly the World Wide Web, has
been available to the masses as a recent phenomenon since about 1993 when the
first .gov websites were established, digital government has been around since the
1980s. Voice mail, computers, interactive cable television and other technologies,
for example, were in use by federal and local governments in the USA in the early
1980s.

4
During the 80s, USA government was involved with acts, examine financial records, and obtain information that was
experimentation related to broadcasting, transaction processing, either unavailable to the public or much more difficult to obtain.
public records accessing, computer conferencing and electronic Transparency in government became a hot campaign item for
surveillance. However, none of the early experiments amounted to candidate elections in the USA and many legislator hopefuls
a comprehensive approach that engaged citizens in government. promised more transparency in government when the votes were
Federal and local governments were developing digital methods tabulated.
and using a myriad of tools to work toward centralizing activities,
Many of these efforts however failed miserably. The failure in the
but no early developments reached the masses.
USA Federal Government was the lack of preparation to take
It wasn’t until 1993 during the Clinton Administration that advantage of the new technologies. The Internet exploded in the
eGovernment became a powerful public symbol when the White mid-1990s and government departments scurried to upload
House announced the availability of direct mail to both President information in many disjointed ways. There was no infrastructure
Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. Both President Clinton to coordinate the way information was made available, no
and Vice President Gore played a key role in developing the standards set forth to comply with, no centralized coordination of
concept of eGovernment that was later adopted by President departments to monitor and approve consistency between
George W. Bush and further embraced by President Barack departments. And campaign promises soon fizzled after
Obama. elections.

Throughout the 20 years of administrations of three presidents in USA Presidential Cabinet Offices
the USA from 1992 through 2012, eGovernment services
Many separate departments in both Federal and State
broadened to include everything from constituent advocacy,
government offices had individuals responsible for IT services,
dissemination of information, transparency, to processing
however at the top levels of cabinet secretary positions, many
transactions. Efforts in centralizing services enjoyed much
governments in the USA lacked a Chief Technology Officer, Chief
success and some malady.
Information Officer or department head responsible for IT services
Success was the development of services that engaged people in who reported to the top executive. The absence of this position
government in mass society much more than has been achieved resulted in a lack of overall planning and coordination of IT
in modern government. People could download congressional services and ultimately lack of eGovernment preparation for

5
global government offices such as the USA Federal Government Table 1.1
and many individual State governments.
Cabinet
State Link Destination
Position
At the federal level out of 15 different cabinet secretary positions
Arkansas X Communications Director
there exists no cabinet office in charge of technology through the
California X Chief Technology Officer
Barack Obama administration. When President Barack Obama
Colorado X Information Officer
was elected he appointed the first Chief Technology Officer in the
Connecticut X Information Officer
USA, however, the CTO for the USA Federal Government is not a
Delaware X Information and Communications Technology
cabinet level position.
Kentucky X Office of Technology

Maryland
Some US States have cabinet level authorities reporting directly X Information Technology

Michigan X Information Technology

to the chief executive. As shown in Table 1.1, a little less than half
Mississippi X Information Technology
the US States have such a position.
Nebraska X Chief Information Officer

Why is it important for a government to have a cabinet level Nevada X Information Technology

New Jersey X Chief Technology Officer

authority for information technology? As you peruse various
New Mexico X Information Technology
government websites you find much disparity in the appearance
New York X Office for Technology
and content hosted on individual department websites. In many
North Dakota X Information Technology
cases a government having separate websites for fifteen different Ohio X Information Technology

cabinet posts visually looks like websites that could easily be Oklahoma X Science and Technology

mistaken for fifteen different countries. Without consistency in Pennsylvania X Office of Information Technology

appearance and design —something that needs control by a high South Dakota X Information and Telecommunications

level cabinet authority, constituents have more difficulty Texas X Information Resources

navigating a site and locating relevant content. Utah X Technology Services

Virginia X Secretary of Technology

Washington X Department of Information Systems

Total 23

Percent 46%

US States having cabinet level authority for information technology

6
Cabinet Technology Positions in the Third to date carries no cabinet level authority. The US CTO serves in

World the US Department of Science and Technology Office under the

President’s Science Advisor —a much lesser role than a cabinet
The annual USA Federal IT budget is over 80 billion dollars. That’s
secretary.
more money than the total cost of government for over 75% of
the countries in the world. Inasmuch as the USA spends more Inasmuch as America is the heart of technology in the world, it
money on Information Technology than any country in the world, has yet to develop a well-organized body of government to
the organization of high-level technology positions in the USA is handle information and technology other than adjunct duties
significantly inferior to many developing countries. within existing cabinet offices. Rather than coordinate
eGovernment in the USA through a central authority, various
In South East Asia, for example, the Philippines has had one
branches of government offices determine their own path and
technology specialist in a cabinet post over 50 years. Another
host content within departments without central federal
cabinet level post was added over 35 years ago —although this
organization.
post was recently eliminated under the Aquino administration. A
small country like the Philippines organizationally in terms of IT is What are the Responsibilities of eGovernment?
more than 50 years ahead of the USA working with a fraction of
In terms of enhancing access and delivery of government
the USA IT budget.
services, eGovernment uses the World Wide Web to host content
Ghana Africa has had a Minister of Information since 1957, that engages citizens in government. Web hosting for
Russia has had a Secretary of Science and Technology since eGovernment provides several resources designed to help
Perestroika, the Peoples Republic of China has a Minister of citizens interact with their governments. A non-inclusive list of
Science and Technology, Botswana Africa has a Minister of resources can be described as:
Infrastructure, Science and Technology, Thailand has a Minister of
✦ Events Reporting. Various laws, resolutions, achievements,
Information and Communication Technology, and the list goes on
and problems can be reported instantly online for constituents
for developing countries throughout the world. to review.

In the USA it wasn’t until President Obama was elected in 2008 ✦ Disseminating Information. Everything from the structure of
that a Chief Technology Officer was appointed. Yet this position government, how it operates, the history of government,
access to libraries of archives, information related to
7
 education, health, economy, and more are part of most government entity providing the information. As a matter of rule
eGovernment websites. though, the mission of eGovernment is concerned with three
✦ Transactions. Performing transactions either via online forms main categories that include:
processing or downloading forms for applications and
processes are part of all eGovernment websites throughout ✦ Disseminating information. Whether it be the structure of
the world. Transactions, in this regard, are any means of government, the economy, education, reporting events,
collecting information on a form (HTML or PDF). protecting citizens against terrorism and natural disaster, etc.
these tasks fall under the umbrella of providing information to
✦ Constituent Reporting. eGovernment provides opportunities visitors of a government website.
for constituents to communicate directly with government in
free societies. People can submit ideas, remark on laws and ✦ Transactions. Both online and downloadable forms for
resolutions, provide opinions, rank and rate government and processing transactions is a critical part of all eGovernment
elected officials, and more. This option engages citizens in a websites.
two-way communication with government.
✦ Two-way communications. In free societies, engaging
✦ Marketing. Government can market the communities they citizens in government via opportunities to communicate
serve to help increase revenue and business. Departments of directly with government officials is an important inclusion for
tourism can promote visitations to areas of recreation and eGovernment.
interest, business climate can be communicated to attract
new business, and economic reporting can provide
information related to the advantages of setting up business in
a given region.

✦ Health Services. Reporting specifically on health related

issues is a common item shared by many eGovernment sites.

✦ Employment. Also shared by many eGovernment websites is

information related to a service area job market, employment
services, and other job related issues.

The above items remain part of a non-inclusive list but suggest

some of the more common interests shared by eGovernment
websites. There are more specific types of information that
eGovernment is concerned with and it varies depending on the
8
Chapter 2

Measuring the Quality of

Content Hosted by
eGovernment

The quality of the content displayed on

eGovernment websites is critically important for
communicating a positive image.
Measuring the Quality of Content Hosted by eGovernment

Chapter 2
IN THIS CHAPTER Browse any government website and you find information readily available
covering a huge array of different topics. If we were to rate the USA Federal and
Measuring the Quality of Content Hosted by
eGovernment States eGovernment websites according to a single criterion for providing vast

Hosting Content
information, every state and the USA Federal Government would receive an A+
mark. These entities provide information related to everything from lost pets to
Examining US State Organization Charts
pertinent information that helps constituents work with government agencies.
Examining USA Federal Government Organization
Charts

Using Government Seals

Finding Content on eGovernment Websites

Hosting eForms

The Importance of Having a Visible Link to Forms

The Nature of Downloadable Forms

Finding Forms on Government websites

Creating Solutions

10
Measuring the Quality of Content Hosted by Content needs to be clear, well presented, and appealing for

eGovernment visitors.

Peel away the top veneer of the Home page on any US State Examining US State Organization Charts
Government or the USA Federal Government websites and
As part of my research I sought to obtain an organization chart for
examine the quality of the content, the ease of accessing it, and
each of the 50 USA states. The structure, reporting, and
the value to the constituent and you find many eGovernment
information about cabinet positions and commissions I consider a
websites receiving a failing mark when rating the value and
valuable asset for constituents searching information within given
accessibility of the content.
US State offices. Knowing who to contact, what areas of
Information not only needs to be made available to constituents, responsibilities are charged to a given office, how the reporting
they also need to easily locate documents. Spending hours hierarchy is established, how to contact the department, and
poking around a website for pertinent information is definitely not similar information can help constituents save time in contacting
the best way to engage citizens in government. It’s nice to know the right office for assistance. A well-designed organization chart
the name of a Governor’s dog appearing as the first visual on a is one of the best tools people can use to obtain this type of
website, but will this information serve constituents better than a information.
link to a form for completing a transaction?
To conduct the research I limited my searches to Internet
websites. Since we’re talking about eGovernment, I thought it
Hosting Content
best to stay within the framework of what’s available online and
Quality of content on eGovernment websites is rarely evaluated how to find information using search engines both external and
by publications and societies that perform evaluations and rate internal for each eGovernment website.
websites. The appearance of a website, navigation links, use of
Web 2.0 technologies such as linking to Facebook, Twitter, I used the same search criteria for locating organization charts
YouTube, and other social media sites seems to be of most among the 50 USA States. The first search was performed on the
interest to evaluators. However, it’s the content one obtains from individual state’s websites. The second search was performed in
an eGovernment website that is beneficial to the constituents. Google. I used keywords such as org chart, organization chart,
executive branch, state names, and made several different

11
searches for each state using different combinations of the search The results in Table 2.1 show that an organization chart does exist
criteria. When I found no results for a given organization chart, I for 46 of the 50 US States. After exhausting long periods of
expanded the search and sorted though various documents searching the Internet I couldn’t find an organization chart for the
hosted on the states’ websites. In some cases organization charts states of Missouri, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Texas. This is
were buried in documents such as annual reports, studies, and not to say that organization charts for these four states don’t
research documents. Rather than skip a state, I did my best to exist. There may be a chart in some form on the websites. I just
find at least one organization chart for every state. gave up after spending much time searching the states and
finding no results. If organization charts do exist for these states,
Rather than use information on 3rd party websites that collect
they certainly are not easily found by constituents.
government data and report information about the hierarchy
within states’ governments, I restricted the search to what can be
found using search engines and navigating links for each state
within a given government website. In other words, I didn’t use
3rd party reporting to obtain the charts but was more interested in
what the eGovernment sites offered their constituents. There
actually exists websites that provide government organization
charts but the downloads can cost as much as US $99.00. Within Documents
43%
Single Charts
Imagine, websites are making money on information that should 57%
be made readily available by government to constituents.

The results of my study are shown in Table 2.1 for the multiple
searches. The first and second columns indicate whether the
organization chart was easily found as a single document or
some navigation was needed to find an organization chart buried
Of those states providing an organization chart for state
within another document. The last columns rate the quality of the
government, 57% hosted the chart as an individual document
organization charts that I’ll address later.
and they were easily found. The remaining charts (43%) were
contained in a document that may or may not be the official

12
 Rating Scale Single Within Rating Scale
Single Within State
State
Chart Doc 1 2 3 4 5 Chart Doc 1 2 3 4 5

Alabama X 4 Montana X 4

Alaska X 3 Nebraska X 4

Arizona X 4 Nevada X 3

Arkansas X 3 New Hampshire X 4

California X 3 New Jersey X 5

Colorado X 1 New Mexico X 4

Connecticut X 5 New York X 4

Delaware X 4 North Carolina X 2

Florida X 2 North Dakota X 4

Georgia X 3 Ohio X 4
Hawaii X 5 Oregon X 4
Idaho X 3 Pennsylvania X 4
Illinois X 2 South Carolina X 3
Indiana X 4 South Dakota X 4
Iowa X 4 Tennessee X 4
Kansas X 5 Utah X 5
Kentucky X 3 Vermont X 4
Louisiana 4 Virginia X 3
Maine X 3 Washington X 3
Maryland X 4 West Virginia X 4
Massachusetts X 5 Wisconsin X 5
Michigan X 4 Wyoming X 5
Minnesota X 2
Total 26 20 1 4 11 22 8
Mississippi X 4
Percent 57 43 ➤1 1 24 49 17

13
organization chart for the state. Some of the documents On the other side of the scale, I evaluated the State of Maine with
containing organization charts were prepared by librarians, office a 3. I consider a 3 rating not average but substandard. Maine has
clerks, and different department personnel, therefore, some of the state seal on the organization chart but the design is horrible
these charts may have been created specifically for the and doesn’t appear as a professional document. Again, some
documents I downloaded. evaluators might rate Maine differently, however I would expect
that no evaluator would place this chart at the top to suggest the
Quality can be measured in many ways. We can look at the
design is exemplary.
viability of the content, whether it meets the needs of the
constituent in terms of valuable data and related to the searches A number 1 mark was the highest mark and only one state out of
one performs to find it, and we can also include how well the the 46 states hosting charts received the this rating. The
information is presented in terms of design and appearance. organization chart from the State of Colorado is an appealing
design, contains the state seal, and presents the various
The Quality columns in Table 2.1 contain rating values 1 through
government offices in an attractive framework.
5. A 1 rating represents the highest mark for a well-designed
chart, sufficient with clarity, and easy to locate. Colorado Organization Chart:

I developed a personal rating scale so the evaluation results are You can find the Colorado organization chart at:
subjective and clearly my own. Another evaluator might rate the
http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application
quality of the charts differently however many would agree that
%2Fpdf&blobheadername1=Content-Disposition&blobheadername2=MDT-
those charts on the lower end of the scale belong in the lower Type&blobheadervalue1=inline%3B+filename%3D673%2F183%2FColorado+State
end and those on the higher end of the scale would likely be +Org+Chart-2007-2008%2C0.pdf&blobheadervalue2=abinary%3B+charset
agreed upon by different evaluators as worthy of the highest %3DUTF-8&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1167364306156&ss
binary=true
ratings. Take the State of Florida, for example. I rated this chart 2.
The chart is clear and attractive however the state seal is not Most of the states receiving a number 2 mark were close in
present on the chart. Some evaluators might give Florida a design to Colorado but they were not designed quite as well as
number 1 rating. I rated Florida 2 because I believe documents the highest rated state. The state of Illinois has a very attractive
such as organization charts need the state seal in clear view. organization chart and well conceived. However it’s missing the
state seal —a graphic element I believe is essential on all official
14
state documents. Both the states of Minnesota and North Examining USA Federal Government Organization Charts
Carolina organization charts have the state seal placed on the
Organization charts for the USA Federal Government and each of
document but the design is not quite as appealing as Colorado,
the cabinet offices reporting to the President of the United States
Illinois, and Florida. Once again, some evaluators might suggest
are equally as boring and unappealing as many of the US State
that the five top charts should all receive a 1 mark so this
organization charts that were rated 3 and below.
subjective evaluation could be argued. However, I suspect that
most would agree that, of the 46 organization charts hosted by The charts do reflect the structure of the agencies, but the visual
states, the states of Colorado, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, and appeal is uninteresting and elementary (see the gallery on the
Minnesota are appropriately placed at the top. 
 following pages).


Of the 15 cabinet offices plus the USA government organization
A 3 rating was imposed for a poor design —no visual appeal and
chart, 4 (or 25%) display the department seal. Some designs like
not the kind of clarity you find in the top 5 rated states. As you
the US Department of Transportation are simply embarrassing
move to a 4 and 5 rating the charts get worse in terms of
while many others look like someone tossed a copy of MS Visio,
appearance with 5 representing designs that are clearly
MS Project, or some other application that supports creating
unprofessional and somewhat of an embarrassment.
unattractive boxes on an office worker’s desk. I found none of
Some of the charts rated at the low end were scanned these 16 organization charts warranting even a number 2 mark in
documents —and poor scans at that. Some used graphic box my rating scale.
elements like one might imagine coming from an elementary
If you look at documents distributed by private enterprise,
school student and some were incomplete. It should be pointed
organization charts are typically held in confidence and not made
out however that with the exception of Massachusetts the
available to the public. A public document that communicates
number 5 rated charts were contained within various government
information about a given enterprise however is often found in
publications. The charts evaluated may not be the official charts
annual reports. Many companies make available annual reports to
of the states but rather designs assembled by office workers. The
shareholders and the public. Attention to visual presentation in
Massachusetts organization chart was an HTML file so it differs
these documents and most of the other documents hosted on
quite a bit from the other PDF documents.
company websites is paramount to the companies.

15
Gallery 2.1: USA Organization Charts

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES

THE CONSTITUTION

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH EXECUTIVE BRANCH JUDICIAL BRANCH

THE SUPREME COURT OF THE

THE CONGRESS THE PRESIDENT UNITED STATES
THE VICE PRESIDENT
SENATE HOUSE UNITED STATES COURTS OF APPEALS
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTS
ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL TERRITORIAL COURTS
WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET UNITED STATES COURT OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE
UNITED STATES BOTANIC GARDEN
OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY UNITED STATES COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS
GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE
COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS OFFICE OF POLICY DEVELOPMENT UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ARMED FORCES
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS UNITED STATES TAX COURT
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL OFFICE OF THE U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR VETERANS CLAIMS
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE
OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE
UNITED STATES COURTS
FEDERAL JUDICIAL CENTER
UNITED STATES SENTENCING COMMISSION

DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF

DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH AND HUMAN HOMELAND HOUSING AND URBAN
AGRICULTURE COMMERCE DEFENSE EDUCATION ENERGY
SERVICES SECURITY DEVELOPMENT

DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF

THE INTERIOR JUSTICE LABOR STATE TRANSPORTATION THE TREASURY VETERANS AFFAIRS

INDEPENDENT ESTABLISHMENTS AND GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES POSTAL RATE COMMISSION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD
COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION FEDERAL MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION SERVICE NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION (AMTRAK) SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD FEDERAL RETIREMENT THRIFT INVESTMENT BOARD NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE U.S. INTER-AMERICAN FOUNDATION OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVESTMENT CORPORATION U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION NATIONAL CAPITAL PLANNING COMMISSION PEACE CORPS
FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE BOARD NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION PENSION BENEFIT GUARANTY CORPORATION

USA Federal Government Organization Chart

Heal
th& Homeland Vet
erans
Commer
ce Def
ense Educat
ion Ener
gy HumanServi
ces Secur
it
y HUD I
nter
ior Just
ice Labor St
ate Tr
anspor
tat
ion Tr
easur
y Af
fai
rs

16
Imagine seeing an organization chart like some of the 5 rated appearance and design that facilitate easy interpretation of the
state organization charts coming from a company like Nike, content.
Exxon, Disney Studios, or Apple, Inc. You don’t find private
companies hosting information items on their websites, nor in Using Government Seals
printed form, without the fundamental design element of a logo To understand the importance for using government seals on
appearing on the documents. documents, one needs to understand the meaning, sentiment,
and history behind a seal and what the seal represents for a
In years past one could argue that printing 4-color brochures,
country’s people.
annual reports, and other documents was cost prohibitive in
government and government couldn’t keep up with private Before the first Continental Congress adjourned on July 4, 1776 a
enterprise when it comes to the costs of printing and distribution resolution was passed that appointed Benjamin Franklin, John
of content. However, in an eGovernment society, there are no Adams, and Thomas Jefferson to form a committee to search out
costs associated with printing and distribution —at least via and bring back a seal for use by the newly established United
electronic distribution. Government has not traditionally been States of America. These three men were among the five that
concerned in an analog world with branding and identify. But drafted the United States Declaration of Independence.
times are changing, and now, government can take advantage of
the marketing tools once left to private enterprise. The founding fathers of America wanted an emblem and coat of
arms that demonstrated visible evidence of a nation of free
The appearance of documents hosted on websites is a visual people with great aspirations for the future. The task was not as
introduction to an office. It communicates a message when a haphazard as today’s document developers slapping down a 5th
constituent first glances over a document. Is the message generation scan on a form. It took six years and efforts of 14
communicating a neat orderly flow of content that’s easily read people to agree on a design that represented the sentiment of the
and where information can easily be extracted, or is the people at that time. The Great Seal of the United States was
document a scanned fax layed out in courier type that looks like it adopted on June 20, 1782.
came from a 3rd grade elementary class? The unfortunate reality
that exists in eGovernment today is that content is often The United States Great Seal went through some design changes

randomly thrown up on websites without careful attention to as a result of recasting dies through the years until a new die cast

17
in 1904 modified an 1885 design. The die cast in 1904 resembles Finding Content on eGovernment Websites
the seal currently used by the USA government.
How information is organized and accessed on websites is critical
This icon symbolizes so much about the original creation of a new to the functionality of eGovernment. Content that is well
country and the meaning it had for freedom lovers passionate organized, flows logically, and intuitive, makes for easy navigation
enough to give their lives for their beliefs. Today the die and for constituents to find information. In a global view, eGovernment
counter die, the press, and the cover are guarded by the should adhere to standards and follow common rules for
Secretary of State and kept locked in the Exhibit Hall in the Office organizing content across all offices within a government
of the Secretary of State in a glass closure. The Great Seal is structure.
treated like a precious gem where government officers carry
The US President’s Cabinet is comprised of 15 Secretaries with
2,000 to 3,000 documents a year to affix the seal related to
six other departments having cabinet level authority. When
matters of state.
looking at the 15 individual cabinet secretary departments and
In the modern era, the Great Seal is displayed on websites and viewing the websites for those departments you find no
graphics of much wider use than special matters of state. consistent standard for organizing information and hypertext
Unfortunately, government workers placing the seal image on links. Each department hosts different information, links to
documents is inconsistent and often crude in appearance. Not all different sources, and uses different design models. If you remove
forms display the Great Seal; and many that do display it, appear the text where the U.S. appears at the top of each department’s
pixelated and poor representations of the original. website, you might think that these 15 different websites, at a
quick glance, come from 15 different countries.
In the United States, or for that matter any country, the country
seal represents history of the country and a belief system held by The top banner on each website contains hypertext links. The
its citizens. It deserves respect and dignity. If countries place a banners are designed differently. Some banners contain a row of
seal on downloadable content such as forms, they should place 3 or more buttons that link to other pages while some sites
the seal on all forms. The images should be crisp, clean, and contain a row of buttons with a series of other links adjacent to
communicate pride of a nation. the main button links. Some buttons contain drop-down menus
where other pertinent links are available and some do not. The
primary buttons appear in the top banner on each site in the most

18
Table 2.2 Federal Departments Top Banner Web Links

Department Top Level Banner Links

Programs &
Agriculture Topics Newsroom Blog
Services
The Commerce Economic Office of the About
Commerce Home Newsroom Contact Us
Blog Indicators Secretary Commerce
Military DOD
Defense Home Today in DOD About DOD Top Issues News Photos/Videos Contact Us
Websites

Education Funding Policy Research News About Ed

Public Science &

Energy Mission
Services Innovation

Health & Human HHS Grants & Prevention | Diseases |

Home About Us News Jobs Families
Services Secretary Funding Regulations | Preparedness

Homeland
Home Topics Get Involved News About DHS
Security

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19
prominent position. Disregarding secondary links and buttons
appearing less obvious than the top banners, you see a
comparison of the 15 different websites shown in Table 2.2.

As shown in Table 2.2, there is much disparity in the links that

open additional pages from the top-level banners. Some
departments have links to job applications while others do not.
Some pages contain links to pages with text in Spanish while
others do not. Some offer links to FAQs, press releases, and
information about the departments, while others do not.

Notice that nine (a little over half) of the 15 departments have a

link for a citizen to contact the department somewhere in the top
banner.

20
Of the 15 different departments only the US Department of Labor The Nature of Downloadable Forms
contains a link to forms in the top banner. The remaining 14
An eForm is an electronic document that captures information.
website banners do not include a link to a forms page.
The form itself is a visual representation of some manner of
The Department of Labor forms page is not well organized and computer processing that performs tasks for the user such as
displays links to a variety of different documents that are not all calculations, data entry formatting, validations, and so on. Some
forms. However the forms link on the Home page takes the visitor eForms can be filled in directly online within a Web browser and
to an area on the website where forms can be found. all eForms can be downloaded and filled in offline.

Forms populated with data can be submitted to host agencies by

Hosting eForms
printing the form and hand carrying or faxing back to the host
Whereas government websites have traditionally focused on agency. eForms can also be emailed to host agencies or
disseminating information to the citizenship, one of the most submitted electronically in XML format where servers can collect
functional aspects of working within an eGovernment structure is and route data to an agency’s backend database system.
performing a transaction via a government form.
An eForm normally begins with an authoring application where
I use the term transaction throughout this book to describe the visual appearance of the document is crafted. After the
processing a form for two-way communication between a design of the graphic elements, field objects are added that
constituent and a government office. permit data entry on a computer. Computer programs can be

eForms have been hosted on government websites around the used to both construct the graphic design and the field objects,

world as more countries engage in eGovernment. Almost every or separate programs can be used to first create the design and a

government website from every country hosts forms to help second application is used for creating the field objects.

engage people in a government process. The availability of the In terms of the most popular eForm file formats that exist today
forms, or rather the obscurity of their locations, is one thing most on the Internet, you find forms created and finalized in Microsoft
governments share. As of this writing I have yet to see many Word and Excel. These forms are both created and filled out in
government websites that host and organize eForms in a model the same authoring application. The more popular file format
capacity with forms that are properly constructed and made used today by government for eForms is the Adobe Portable
easily accessible to a country’s citizens and its visitors.
21
Document Format (PDF). PDF forms begin with the design Table 2.3 US States Posting Links to Forms Pages
created in one of many different programs and then converted to
the PDF format. Once in PDF format, Adobe Acrobat is used to Location on 

State Link Destination
Home Page
add field objects. Constituents can then fill out the form using the
Separate page where forms links are
free Adobe Reader software. Delaware Footer
organized according to category

A forms authoring application gaining increasing popularity is Georgia Sidebar

Separate page where forms links are
organized according to category
Adobe LiveCycle Designer. Designer is both an authoring
Categorical listings in drop down menu.
application and a forms creation tool that supports saving files in
Illinois Body (Quick Links) Need to return to Home page to explore
PDF format. You can design a form in LiveCycle Designer with other categories.

text and graphic elements and add field objects, save the file as Links to pages where forms can be
Indiana Footer
PDF, and deploy the forms. This application produces dynamic searched

forms that can be used to spawn additional data fields and/or Links to page with categorical listing of
Massachusetts Top Banner
pages based on user input, expand fields to accommodate data, forms.

and be configured for data connections to connect the forms to Michigan Sidebar
Button expands on Home page with links
to several forms pages.
databases. Like Adobe PDF files, users of the free Adobe Reader
Links to forms downloads. Downloads are
software can fill-in LiveCycle Designer PDF forms. North Dakota Sidebar
clearly defined in well-organized lists.

Finding Forms on Government websites Links to comprehensive list of all

Ohio Footer government forms. Sub pages support
When looking at the 50 US States only the states of downloads.

Massachusetts and Rhode Island post a link in the top banner of Links to pages where some forms can be
Rhode Island Top Banner
the Home page to forms. A total of less than 20% of the states downloaded. Not well organized.

post links on the Home page to a forms download page (10 out of South Dakota Drop-Down Menu Links to a page where forms are searched.
50) as shown in Table 2.3. All of the 10 states listed in Table 2.3
place links to secondary pages or contain drop down menus for
US States providing links on Home page to forms pages.
downloading forms in conspicuous locations that make accessing
forms easy for constituents.

22
The remaining 40 US States rely on search engines for accessing Regardless of where the cities are in terms of use of web
forms. Some searches easily send a constituent to locations technology, one thing all these cities as well as many other US
where forms can be downloaded and others are more obscure cities have in common is hosting extensive PDF forms for
requiring one to spend some time navigating a website to find a processing transactions from police reports, city permits, building
form. ordinances, recreational applications, income tax reporting to lost
pets notices and much more.
Some states have a handful of forms available for download while
others have extensive forms to complete most government The abundance of forms contained at the LGU level far exceeds
transactions. the number of forms one can find on national and regional
government websites.
If we assume that completing transactions is an important part of
eGovernment, the ease for which constituents can download Another thing these city websites have in common is that the
transaction documents or access pages for online processing is organization of forms and links to forms requires some polish. No
essential to the design of an eGovernment website. links appear on home pages for all the city websites and visitors
are required to use internal search engines to locate forms.
PDF Forms and US Cities However executing a single search for forms shows results on
Computer World Magazine and the Center for Digital Government many pages where links appear for downloading forms.
(http://www.centerdigitalgov.com) conducted studies that
When browsing search results users are required to move around
examined over 11,000 US cities for eGovernment. These studies
and look through a maze of webpages to locate a form. However,
were not concerned with forms and content, but rather the design
at the least, these city websites do take the user to an area that
and structure of city web portals as well how well cities are
helps simplify the search.
investing in technology.
Not all forms are designed well and many are not fillable as
The studies reveal much different results in identifying the top ten
shown in Table 2.4. However, compared to national and regional
cities with populations over 250,000. As you can see in Table 2.4
offices forms are more easily found.
only the city of Seattle, Washington appeared in the top ten in
both reports.

23
Table 2.4 US Cities over 250,000 and PDF Forms The Importance of Having a Visible Link to Forms
Many eGovernment websites have embraced using Web 2.0
Computer World Center for Digital Government technologies. You find links to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and
other social media sites directly on eGovernment Home pages.
City % Fillable City % Fillable
Quite often you find embedded video displaying a new focus for a
Fresno, California 40 Louisville, Kentucky 10 government office.

Tampa, Florida 30 Riverside, California 0 Browse around the US States websites and you can find the chief
executive holding a puppy as a visual to support development of
New Orleans, Louisiana 0 Boston, Massachusetts 10 new animal shelters. It’s cute, but is the information more
important than processing a transaction?
Washington D.C. 20 Seattle, Washington 20
As an example, if you drive down a highway and suffer from a
Houston, Texas 50 Aurora, Colorado 10 severe automobile accident that renders you disabled, what is
likely of more concern to you? Will it be viewing a video of the
Virginia Beach, Virginia 60 Corpus Christi, Texas 40
governor of your state playing with a dog on the mansion lawn or
will it be quickly locating a form that helps you engage in an
Seattle, Washington 20 Henderson, Nevada 70
assistance program?

St. Paul, Minnesota 0 Charlotte, North Carolina 60

Processing transactions is a fundamental activity for government.
Access to forms and effectively processing the data should be of
Kansas City, Kansas 10 Sacramento, California 40
paramount concern for eGovernment. Sadly though, government

Albuquerque, New Mexico 10 Fort Worth, Texas 0

websites throughout the world devote more attention to social
media connections, political advertisements, and current affairs.

Top 10 Cities over 250,000 eGovernment websites ranked by Computer World 


and the Center for Digital Government

24
Creating Solutions expand to other work in additional areas where government
needs some help. What student in an art school wouldn’t give
When examining issues related to government offices, it’s easy to
anything they possess to be profiled by their government and add
identify problems but often not so easy to make suggestions for
some accolades to their portfolio? This is a win-win situation for
solutions. Everyone is a critic but few present concrete ideas for
government and the selected individual. Government wins by
solving problems.
creating a low cost solution to a problem and engages youth in
In this regard I’d like to share a view for what might be a simple participating in government activities. The individual wins by
solution for improving content on government websites. More gaining significant notoriety for a job well accomplished.
specifically, let’s look at the organization charts discussed earlier
With communication tools available to constituents in the 21st
in this chapter.
century, new methods can easily be explored. Government today
Imagine for a moment that a national government office such as has a huge advantage for exploring creative new ideas while
the USA Federal Government sponsors a competition among developing low-cost solutions for a variety of problems.
students in the country’s best graphic design schools.
Government informs the schools that there is a need to make the
USA and each cabinet office organization charts more
contemporary and with much more design appeal.

Faculty at selected schools submit final designs to the

government office sponsoring the activity. Ultimately a given
individual’s artwork is selected for the organization chart
makeovers. The reward is simply publicizing the student and
school and publicly showcasing the artwork. Perhaps a trip to the
White House and lunch with the President is the ultimate reward
for the competition winner.

This is a relatively low cost solution for improving content on

government websites. Albeit just a start, such a program can
25
Chapter 3

Understanding Forms in
Government

The importance of forms in

eGovernment
Understanding Forms in Government
Chapter 3

Chapter 3
Forms, and particularly forms in government, are a way of life in the modern era.
IN THIS CHAPTER From the time of birth we all encounter a form either directly or indirectly and it’s
Understanding Forms in eGovernment highly unlikely that any individual of adult age in the USA and many other countries
The Importance of Government Forms has not at one time or another filled-in a form.

Web Hosted Forms By tradition, forms have been printed documents requiring completion either via
A Form is a Form, is a Form handwriting or typing. In today’s society forms are most often found on the
Fillable Forms Internet where constituents download a form saved in many different file formats
or complete online HTML forms found on websites.
Forms Hosted on World eGovernment Sites

27
Understanding Forms in eGovernment be well defined. It’s a first impression and something that is
supposed to ease the burden for following steps that result in
Most of the forms related to reporting and doing business with
some sort of action whether it be a permit, application, reporting
the USA Federal Government and all state governments are
document, or some similar type of action.
found on eGovernment websites. As a matter of fact, certain Web
pages host listings of forms related to many different More importantly, those forms hosted on websites need much
governmental departments. Browse www.forms.gov and you find more clarity and ease of completion than forms found in local
a collection of forms related to many of the USA Federal offices. No individual is accessible for fielding questions to clarify
Government departments, particularly those departments that fall steps in completing a form when downloading documents from
within the President’s Cabinet. the Internet. The forms themselves need to be instructive and
designed to facilitate simplicity in providing accurate data.
The Importance of Government Forms
A government form is most often the first introduction to a Web Hosted Forms
government office by a constituent or visitor. Before one interacts Forms are often saved in different file formats. You can find forms
with a government official, one is likely to acquire a form. This is saved in Microsoft Office file formats such as Microsoft Excel and
most obvious when downloading forms from government Microsoft Word. In fewer instances you can find forms saved as
websites. image files that were created from scanning analog forms.
However, when examining forms hosted on government websites
Even when walking into government offices, trays of forms are
worldwide, the overwhelming majority of forms are saved in
arranged on counters for consumers to complete before standing
Adobe PDF format.
in line to submit a form. Visit a local post office, Department of
State office, a local IRS office, or government office in almost any Adobe PDF is the de facto standard for most government forms
country and you find huge signs describing forms to be for several reasons. First, Adobe PDF documents can capture the
completed before moving to a window to interact with a design and appearance of the native document including text,
government representative. fonts, and graphics and display the form exactly the same on all
computer systems. Secondly, the consumer is not required to
Since a form is the consumer’s first introduction to a government
purchase any special software to view and print the form. The
office, the design, clarity, and functionality of the form needs to

28
free Adobe Reader software is available for download from Adobe NOT forms. An electronic form is a document that contains data
Systems’ Web site. fields. Period.

A third reason for using the PDF format is that the forms can be Scanned documents are NOT forms. They are image files.
made fillable where consumers can type information on a form Descriptions are NOT forms. They are text files containing
and print the document with the field data displayed on the print information about forms. Unfortunately many government
output or electronically submit the form including the form data to websites confuse constituents by hosting an array of documents
the host agency. in a specific area where visitors expect to find forms.

Other types of forms found on some government websites are Fillable Forms
HTML forms that are completed within Web browsers. A
A fillable form has live data fields. This means that the consumer
consumer needs to have an Internet connection to complete the
can open a form in an Adobe Acrobat viewer —either the free
form and once completed can submit the data to the host
Adobe Reader software or one of the commercial Adobe Acrobat
agency. The data are then collected on a server and typically
products and type data on the form.
routed to a database program.
A non-fillable form is one without data fields. This type of form
HTML forms are used much less frequently by government than
requires the consumer to print the form on a desktop printer and
PDF forms. HTML forms cannot represent the same document as
handwrite data on the form to complete it. In terms of non-fillable
printed forms found in local or federal agency offices as well as
forms, the file format does not need to be a PDF document. A
PDF forms. HTML deals primarily with data and therefore doesn’t
form can be saved as a JPEG file that can be printed from a
provide the host agencies with the same opportunities for filing
JPEG viewer, a text format that can be printed from a text
and archiving the forms as do PDF documents.
program, or another format requiring the consumer to use the
A Form is a Form, is a Form program in which the form was originally created. For example, a
Microsoft Word document requires the consumer to have
Inasmuch as many government offices host web pages listing
Microsoft Word installed on a computer or a program such as
forms on their websites, you typically find documents on these
OpenOfficeOrg Writer or IBM Lotus Symphony that can read
pages described as Instructions, Reporting Notes, XYZ
Microsoft Word files.
Descriptions, Use Policy, Brochure, etc. These documents are
29
When consumers use an Adobe PDF form, the burden of
Figure 3.1 Sample Static Form
transposing data by office workers is lessened. Deciphering
handwriting is not needed since the data appear clear and easily
DOE Form 3250.1 (Test)

legible. If a host agency collects a form and the data, then

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
(10-78)

EXIT INTERVIEW

transposing data from printed forms to computer systems is not PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT
(Public Law 93-579)

The authority for requesting this information is derived from Public Law 95-91 (the Department of Energy Organization Act) which authorizes the
needed thereby reducing labor costs significantly. Department of Energy to select and employ such officers and employees as are necessary to perform the functions vested in DOE. The information
requested is intended for use by DOE personnel officials in evaluating the effectiveness of the personnel management program of DOE. Completion
of this form is voluntary. However, if the employee fails to appear for the exit interview, his final paycheck may be delayed since necessary informa-
tion will be obtained by mail.

1. EMPLOYEE’S NAME 2. TITLE 3. SCHEDULE, SERIES,

Static fillable forms

GRADE
4. OFFICE 5. DIVISION 6. BRANCH 7. SEPARATION DATE

8. REASON FOR LEAVING

A static fillable form is one that is created in Adobe Acrobat and
populated with data fields. The static nature of the document is 9. WERE YOUR SKILLS EFFECTIVELY UTILIZED? YES NO (If not, please specify why below)

related to the form fixed with a specific design that requires the
form recipient to fill in the form using the allotted fields and field 10. WERE YOU TREATED FAIRLY?
All of the time Most of the time Some of the time Never

lengths constructed by the form designer. Figure 3-1 shows a 11. RATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNICATION WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION (check the most appropriate box)
Above average Average Below average Poor

static form from the US Department of State.

12. WERE YOU ADEQUATELY TRAINED FOR YOUR JOB? YES NO IF NOT, WHAT ADDITIONAL TRAINING WAS
REQUIRED?

13. PLEASE STATE BRIEFLY WHAT YOU LIKED MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB:

Note 14. PLEASE STATE BRIEFLY WHAT YOU FOUND LEAST APPEALING IN YOUR JOB:

Notice on the form in Figure 3.1 items 12-14. The form author 15. WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO RETURN TO WORK FOR DOE IN THE SAME OR ANOTHER CAPACITY? YES NO
16. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND EMPLOYMENT IN DOE TO A FRIEND? YES NO
determined the field length and the amount of text that can be typed 17. GENERAL COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS:

into the field. If a form recipient gets this form and wants to add more
than the space allotted for the information, the static characteristics of
the form prevent the user from displaying more data than the 18. SIGNATURE 19. DATE

prescribed field length. 20. PERSONNEL SPECIALIST’S NOTES:

Sample US Department of State static fillable form

30
Dynamic fillable forms Figure 3.2 DynamicForm
A dynamic form is one that accommodates either the user or the
data needs. User needs are those when a user requires more
space on a form to answer a question. Data needs are when you
import data into a form from a data file that populates the form.

Dynamic forms can permit form recipients opportunities for

expanding field lengths or populating additional fields and/or
A dynamic form with a single block of fields for previous employer information
pages according to the amount of data the form recipient needs
to adequately fill in a form.

The form in Figure 3.2 is a dynamic form. The first block of fields
requesting the form recipient to complete employment history
Figure 3.3 After Adding Two Blocks of Fields
provides space for a single employer. When the form recipient
clicks the Add Another Employer button, another block of fields
dynamically appear in the form for accommodating information
for a second employer. In Figure 3.3, the button was clicked twice
to create two additional blocks of fields for employer information.

Note

The dynamic characteristics of a form, such as the one shown in

Figures 3.2 and 3.3, can be completed by users of the free Adobe
Reader software.

The same form after clicking the Add Another Employer button twice

31
Fillable forms authoring applications Internet, filled in on a computer, printed, and the final print is
either hand carried or faxed back to the host agency. As shown in
When creating PDF forms, the PDF form authors need one of the
Figure 3.4, data needs to be transposed from a printed form to a
commercial Acrobat products. In Adobe Acrobat XI you can
computer at some point in the forms processing steps.
create PDF forms using Acrobat Standard (Windows only), or
Acrobat Pro (Windows and Macintosh). Figure 3.4 A Semi Electronic Workflow

Acrobat supports creating static PDF forms. All the tools for
adding field objects are available using any one of the commercial
Acrobat viewers. To create dynamic forms you need another
application. Prior to Acrobat XI, Adobe LiveCycle Designer
shipped with Acrobat Pro and Pro Extended on Windows only. Download Government
Government
Form Employee
With Acrobat XI you need to purchase Adobe LiveCycle Designer Office keys in data on
Computer
separately. LiveCycle Designer is used to create forms similar to
the form shown in Figures 3.2 and 3.3.

The tools used by the US Federal Government include Acrobat Receipt

and Adobe LiveCycle Designer. Inasmuch as LiveCycle Designer Fill-in and
print forms
is often used to create dynamic forms, all the forms researched
for this book were static forms saved from Acrobat or Designer. A semi-electronic workflow
There were no forms the author found available on the USA
Federal Government websites that had dynamic characteristics
The alternative and one that has not been implemented by almost
similar to what you see in Figures 3.2 and 3.3.
all agencies in the USA Federal Government as well as all US
Forms Processing Workflows States Government offices, as of this writing, is a true electronic
workflow. In this type of workflow, a constituent downloads a
The mere hosting of electronic fillable forms and making those
form, completes the form, and submits the form back to a host
forms available to constituents is only one part of a true electronic
workflow equation. By tradition, forms are downloaded from the
32
agency server along with an online payment. In Figure 3.5, the attention to investigating falsified data and impose penalties on
workflow is illustrated. violators.

Although servers have been in existence for some time,

Figure 3.5 A Complete Electronic Workflow government has not made use of modern technologies to create
workflows such as the one shown in Figure 3.5. As of this writing I
Payment &
Receipt
have found no government office in the world that one could look
to as a model example for processing form data.

Download Form Server collects

data from submitted forms Forms Hosted on World eGovernment Sites
and electronically sends back receipt
There are 206 sovereign states in the world. The one thing over
90% of the world governments share in common is hosting forms
Data is routed to
department, fee
related to visa applications. Of the 206 world governments, 188
Completes form and collections performed
submits to online server online
(91%) host various forms for visa and passport applications.
Many governments do not have websites for the central
Electronically processing data government offices, however, there are various embassy websites
and some other country websites that host visa application

The advantages for using a true electronic workflow are obvious. forms.

The government office does not need to spend time keying in One hundred thirty-seven of the 188 websites hosting visa
data on computers and the use of paper is eliminated in the applications do not host any other type of form. Thirty-three
process. The burden on government is greatly lessened thereby countries have a limited set of forms related to visa applications
releasing time from employees to divert their energies more to and various other forms such as business, tourism, and other
data analysis than in data handling. In some cases the workforce government operations. Of the 33 websites hosting a limited set
can be lessened to help save costs in government. Retraining of forms, approximately 36% (12 websites) are fillable forms.
employees to analyze data as opposed to key in data can often Three of the websites host MS Word files while the remaining
produce more revenue for government when employees devote forms are PDFs (Table 3.1).


33
Table 3.1 Countries hosting limited forms in the top banner to a forms page. Some websites have links in
Not Not other areas on the home page but most governments do not
Fill- Word Fill- Word
Country
able
Fill-
Files
Country
able
Fill-
Files provide links to organized forms pages. Visitors are required to
able able
search web sites to find forms.
Bahamas X Israel X
Bahrain X Japan X Table 3.2 Countries hosting moderate to extensive PDF forms
Bangladesh X Mauritius X
Barbados X Mexico X Not
Country Fillable
FIllable
Bhutan X Micronesia X
Australia X
Botswana X Namibia X
Belize X
China X Netherlands X
Canada X
Cyprus X Palau X
India X
Papua, New
Eritrea X X
Guinea Kenya X
Falkland Is. X Qatar X Luxembourg X
Fiji X St. Lucia X Malaysia X
Finland X Saudi X Philippines X
Arabia
Germany X Slovenia X Singapore X

Grenada X Solomon Is. X Sudan X

Iceland X Somalia X Taiwan X

Indonesia X Sweden X Tonga X

Ireland X Trinidad/Tobago X

United Kingdom X

Eighteen of the 188 websites hosting forms provide moderate to United States X

extensive PDF forms covering many government operations Vanuatu X

(Table 3.2). Only 4 of the 18 websites host fillable forms. Of all the
Kenya provides a link to Forms on the top banner of the Home page.
world government websites only the country of Kenya has a link

34
Chapter 4

Adobe PDF &

Sustainability

Creating more sustainable workflows

Adobe PDF & Sustainability

Chapter 4
Government spends money and devotes time to supporting ideas for developing a
IN THIS CHAPTER green society. We find government websites posting information related to
US States Going Green greenhouse gases and the carbon footprint. We’re inundated with an explosion of
information related to protecting the environment and what your government is
Sustainability Conference Registrations
doing about it.

36
When we look at paper usage in the USA, the average American US State Leaders in Going Green
consumes 700 pounds of paper annually —that’s the world’s
In 2007 Forbes conducted a study that ranked US States for
highest per capita figure.
measures of low carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. The top
Printing a 500 page PDF document creates 15 pounds of CO2, three leaders that had the lowest levels of carbon dioxide
consumes 50 gallons of water, and 5 pounds of paper. Hence the emissions were the states of Vermont, Oregon, and Washington.
average American is tossing more than 2,000 pounds of CO2 in
Policies in these three states were the strongest among all states
the atmosphere, consuming 7,000 gallons of water, and
surveyed. I have no reason to doubt that the three states are
consuming 700 pounds of paper annually.
indeed leaders in taking initiatives to help improve air quality and
In terms of paper usage and costs for government, the USA reduce toxins. But, how well do these states do with government
Federal Government spends over 1.3 billion annually just for forms, creating fillable forms, and electronically routing forms?
printing costs as reported in 2009 by Lexmark and O’Keeffe & How well do they do beyond laws that limit paper use in
Company. government and extend measurable initiatives to the
constituents?
What government attempts to do to reduce the carbon footprint
is enact legislation that requires government offices to use I took a brief glance at forms hosted by the three states and
recycled products. In the State of Washington, for example, examined forms from different departments. Only a small sample
legislation in 2009 required state agencies and state colleges of forms was examined. My findings are not conclusive and do
having 25 or more employees to use recycled paper and further not represent the status of all forms hosted by each site. Rather,
reduce printing by 30%. my analysis is more of a case-in-point view of some selected
forms.
Some of the measures proposed by governments help reduce the
carbon footprint within government offices but they do nothing for Vermont eForms
constituents. Documents posted on government websites such
The Home page for the Vermont portal hosts a link for finding tax
as forms still typically require end users to print the forms and
forms. No other links on the Home page take the visitor to an
either mail or fax forms back to a host agency.
organized page for government forms. If you perform a search on

37
the site for forms, you arrive at a listing of forms that’s not very Oregon hosts forms in a number of different file formats including
well organized and not categorically defined. MS Word, MS Excel and PDF. Of the PDF forms they host, most
are not fillable. One form I found interesting was a form for Air
Most of the forms contained on the www.vermont.gov website
Quality Permit Holders. This form was fillable however the form
are not fillable. All forms I examined required the user to print and
filler needs to complete the form, print, and mail to the Oregon
fax or hand carry forms to the host agency. In terms of
Department of Environmental Quality.
sustainable measures for forms processing the State of Vermont
is, in my opinion, substandard and not impressive. Washington eForms
Although not related to sustainability, I found most forms Washington follows the lead by Vermont and Oregon in terms of
designed poorly in terms of appearances, not specific enough for the ease of finding government forms. No link exists on the Home
how to process the form, and the forms are not secured. As a page; and when searching for forms on the portal, a long non-
matter of fact some forms that contained calculations were not categorized list appears. You need to poke around the
protected against user manipulation. Washington site to find the form you want to complete.

Forms that contain calculations in particular can take great advantage for Forms on the www.washington.gov site contain many fillable
using hierarchical field names. On one form where I found calculations forms while many are not fillable. Users are required to perform
included on the form, field names for a list of 18 items that need summing the same steps for processing forms such as printing, and mailing
the data were named FillText1, FillText2, FillText3, etc. The JavaScript
or faxing the forms.
written to calculate the sum needed to specifically name each field requiring
18 lines of code. Had the PDF author used hierarchical names such as
The process for submitting forms is the same for these green
FillText.1, FillText.2, FillText.3 only 3 lines of code are needed to write the
script for calculating a sum. states and no forms I found were setup for processing
transactions online (other than some HTML forms).
Oregon eForms
Washington forms appearance-wise look much more professional
The www.oregon.gov website is similar to the Vermont website in and by and large were the best-designed forms of the three
terms of not posting a link to a well-organized forms page. When states.
searching the portal for forms a disjointed list appears without
any categorical organization of forms hosted by the state.

38
The Best US State eForms difficult because a form editor cannot easily access the data
fields from within a mess of content fields.
What do I consider the best state government office hosting and
designing PDF forms? You might think that among the best is a Nevertheless, compared to all other US States and the USA
state like California, New York, Pennsylvania or other state with Federal Government, North Dakota excels in many areas related
more resources and larger budgets. However in my estimation to well-designed fillable eForms.
these states don’t compare with the State of North Dakota
(www.nd.gov). This small state with less than 700,000 people has Sustainability Conference Registrations
a direct link on the www.nd.gov website Home page for Forms What we find in government is a paradoxical stand between
that takes the visitor to a well-organized form contents page. eForms and sustainability. Government wants to convince
Links are made to pages equally well organized for users to easily constituents that it is taking great strides in measures toward
locate forms within departments. environmental protection, yet just about every government

North Dakota’s forms designs are pristine with the state seal worldwide has yet to adopt electronic workflows that actually

appearing on every form. Forms are layed out with design result in significant reductions of paper and printing when it

appearances that are attractive, consistent, and well organized comes to processing transactions.

making the forms logical and easy for constituents to fill out. All What’s more astounding is that individual government
the forms are fillable forms and they are enabled for Reader users departments charged with environmental protection laws and
to save the form data. issues are yet to adopt simple measures that can reduce the use

Unfortunately North Dakota’s forms are not perfect. Data routing of paper by constituents.

via submit buttons are not found on the forms and there are When we move out of eForms for government and look at
design issues that need improvement. Apparently North Dakota international conferences focused at delivering information and
uses the LiquidOffice Java Publishing Framework for creating the studies on sustainability we find the same type of paradox as
forms. I’m not familiar with the application, but after examining found in government.
many forms from this state I find that all content appears as form
fields even the background form design. This makes the forms Sustainability conferences attract some of the best world
bulky and overburdened with unnecessary data. Editing a form is authorities on environmental protection. The conferences are

39
designed to provide information for government and industry on
how to reduce carbon footprints and achieve measures in
sustainability.

For years I’ve examined conference websites and downloaded

PDF forms for conference registrations. When a PDF form is
hosted by an international conference on sustainability one would
expect to download a form that can be electronically processed.

To date I haven’t found a conference registration form for a

sustainability conference that enables the user to fill out the form
and submit the form with data back to the host. Almost all of the
PDF forms for these conferences are not fillable. Virtually all PDF
registration forms require the end user to print, handwrite the
data, and mail or fax the form.

With the tools you have at your disposal from Adobe Systems,
you can create fillable PDF forms, collect form data, and process
data that is efficient, much easier for constituents, and helps you
move to a more sustainable workflow.

40
Chapter 5

The Anatomy of an
eForm

Properly constructing forms

The Anatomy of an eForm

Chapter 5
For the purposes of this discussion I restrict eForms to PDF forms. Government
IN THIS CHAPTER websites host a variety of form types such as MS Word files, WordPerfect files, MS
Essential Form Elements Excel files, and HTML files.

Field Construction Elements As a matter of practice you should think of hosting only PDF forms and HTML
forms. In some cases an HTML form may prove a better solution than a PDF form.
Developing Standards & Best Practices
All standardized government printed forms used for analog processing should be
PDF forms.

The most important thing to consider when deploying forms is consistency. An

eGovernment site that hosts PDF, MS Word, MS Excel and a variety of other file
types makes it difficult for constituents to work with the agency forms. Because
PDF forms can be designed with consistency and contain all pertinent form
elements, PDF is the best format for downloadable forms. Moreover, PDF is the de
facto standard among government offices worldwide.

42
Essential Form Elements perform the same searches for forms and random selection of
forms for analysis.
Every form hosted on eGovernment websites should include form
elements consistently on every single form. These essential form In my research through random sample testing I found 62% of
elements include: the forms hosted by the USA Federal Government were fillable.
Over one-third (38%) of the hosted forms were not fillable.
Fillable
Forms should be fillable meaning that they should have field Document Metadata
objects where a constituent can type data. In addition to being Certain data needs to be added to a form’s document
easier for users to fill out forms, the data on forms can be properties. In Acrobat you access document properties by
captured and introduced into database management programs. pressing Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Macintosh) + D. You can
also access Document Properties by clicking the File menu and
A few years ago I examined a random sample of forms hosted
choosing Properties.
by the USA Federal Government. The research is a bit dated
since forms are revised routinely. Therefore some improvements
Note
may have been made with regard to certain departments and
On the remaining pages of this book I use CTRL/Command to describe the
the www.forms.gov website. Control key (Windows) and the Command key (Macintosh).

The USA hosts a special website (www.forms.gov) where many



federal forms are stored. The USA Federal Government makes
In the Document Properties window click Description. Here you
an effort to update and keep the website current. Not all forms
find editable text fields where you can supply information for the
are available; however, when searching for USA government
document Title, document Author, document Subject, and
forms, this is the best place to begin a search.
document Keywords.
I randomly examined a sample of 20 forms from every cabinet
The Title should contain the form title such as Application to
department in the USA Federal Government and based
Participate in an FCC Auction, Request for Hearing by an
conclusions on the sample data. Every effort was made to
Administrative Judge, Employment Eligibility Application, or
similar type of title that describes the form.
43
Figure 5.1 Document Properties Window Government employees change frequently; however,
department names change much less frequently, and it’s much
easier to run down a department than an individual if a form
needs revision.

The Subject field might include a subset of the title field. You
may have Job Application in the Title field and further describe
the form in the Subject field by using a department name, such
as the HR department responsible for processing job
applications.

The Keywords field is used for a collection of descriptors that

further demonstrate the form’s use such as effective 1/1/2013,
supersedes form DOD101-A, Army Civil Service use only, etc.

Why document metadata is important relates to managing

forms on a website and within a forms repository. If you want to
search for a form you might use Acrobat Search. In the Search
window you find options for including Title, Author, Subject and
Keywords fields as well as dates and Boolean expressions.
Hence you may want to perform a search where Title contains
Document Properties Window (access using CTRL/Command + D)
Application, Author contains FCC, Subject contains Pilot, and
Keywords contains Revision. When you perform a search, the
The Author field is very important. Unfortunately, on most
only items appearing in the results window are those forms
government forms hosted by the USA Federal Government this
meeting the search criteria. You could search a repository of
field is inappropriately filled in. The Author field should denote a
100,000 or more forms and only those that meet your criteria
department or division where a form is constructed and used.
are displayed in the search results window and the results are
This field should not include the form author’s name.
reported in a matter of seconds.
44
 In my research I found less than 20% of USA Federal forms Enabling
contained appropriate document metadata.
Prior to Adobe Reader XI forms authors needed to enable PDF
files with special usage rights for Adobe Reader users. What
Document Security
this means is the PDF author needed to save the PDF from
EVERY form hosted on government websites should be secured
Acrobat with an enabling feature that permits the Reader user to
with password security or certification to prevent tampering
save form data.
with the form.
Adobe Reader XI no longer requires enablement. When PDFs
Securing even the most basic forms is critical. Why this is
are enabled with Adobe Reader usage rights, a licensing
important is due to any potential legal action a constituent may
restriction is imposed by Adobe Systems. Enabled files restrict
have against government. Attorneys preparing for litigation do
users to collecting and processing data on a maximum of 500
not have time to read every word in every document used as
forms. Now with Adobe Reader XI and elimination for the need
exhibits in courtrooms. An attorney representing government
of enabling PDFs, there exists no license restriction on the
may have seen a given form a thousand times while
number of forms you can retrieve and collect data.
representing the client. Attorneys typically skim over documents
they’re familiar with and spend their time reading and studying If forms are filled-in by users working with Adobe Reader
new material essential for the case. version X and below, the forms need to be enabled. If forms are
completed in Adobe Reader XI, the forms do not need
If you don’t secure a document appropriately, users can alter
enablement.
text making it difficult for a government’s legal department as
well as having forms returned with erroneous information. Your best solution is to configure forms so that only Adobe
Reader XI and above can view the PDFs. This is a matter of
In my research of the USA Federal Government I found only
adding a simple JavaScript that prohibits filling out a form in
21.6% of the random sample forms secured. In the Homeland
earlier versions of Adobe Reader. (See Chapter 17 for steps on
Security Department I found over 80% of the Homeland
how to create JavaScripts that limit users to a given version of a
Security forms not secured.
PDF form).

45
 Prior to the release of Acrobat XI, I found only 12.2% of the Government Seal and Branding
USA Federal forms enabled with Reader usage rights. Today
Enterprises spend billions of dollars annually for branding their
this is a moot point for Reader XI users. Any legacy PDF
products and services. Visit websites, look over brochures,
containing form fields can be opened in Reader XI and the data
examine products, etc. and the one thing you find in common is
can be saved without enablement.
the identity symbol, most often in the form of a logo, on every
item.
Accessibility
Forms can be made accessible for screen readers via assistive Every government and every wing of government has a seal.
devices for the vision and motion challenged form recipients. This graphic element should be included on each and every
When a form is made accessible, the form can be read aloud form distributed by a government office. The seal is a branding
using an assistive device so people with these challenges can item and immediately informs the user from what department
complete the form without human assistance. the form originated.

I found less than two-thirds of all forms on the USA Federal Seals on government forms routinely are displayed as horrible
Government websites accessible. pieces of artwork. Users drop in a gif image or a scan on a form
that looks crude and unprofessional —hardly the same kind of
Design Elements graphic one would find on a Nike; Apple, Inc.; CNN; Colgate-
The appearance and design of forms is critical. A form may be Palmolive, etc. print or website. Government needs to devote
the first introduction a constituent or visitor has with a the same attention for visual display as you find in enterprise.
government office. It’s a first impression. You want to be certain
Users who design forms should have access to crisp clean
you give the best first impression you can to any visitor.
department seals that are positioned on forms in the same
Analyzing visual design appearances is a subjective evaluation. location with consistent design appearances.
If I were to grade the USA Federal forms for overall design
In my research I found only a little over 25% of USA Federal
appearances my personal opinion is that more than 40% of the
Government forms contained a department seal.
forms I reviewed were substandard in terms of design and
appearance.

46
Original Documents Converted to PDF If you are in the process of converting legacy forms, any forms
not set up for electronic processing should include submission
The no-no here is never, ever, use a scanned paper document
information such as printing, faxing or handing in at a local
as the background design for a form. If you don’t have access
office.
to the original document, you need to recreate the file in MS
Word, Adobe InDesign, or some other authoring program and If form instructions are contained in a separate document a
convert the file to PDF. Original files converted to PDF not only document link to the instructions file should also be included in
look clean and attractive, they also contain searchable text. the form.

Design Consistency Field Construction Elements

The overall design of forms should be consistent and appear The placement of field objects and how they are configured is
similar. Inasmuch as the content changes you can maintain important for all your form designs. Some of the more important
several standards such as whether to use keyline borders considerations include:
around elements, consistency with fonts on forms, consistency
with color, checkbox and menu appearances, etc. These Field naming conventions
elements should be identical on ALL forms for all wings of Field names are transparent to the user but they are of great
government. Do not leave individual design licenses to separate benefit to the forms authors and authors who need to revise
departments. If you do, you end up with forms that look like forms.
they come from several different governments.
Consistent naming conventions should be used on all forms
Form Handling Information within an entire government complex. Field names such as Item
Every form should include a section for how the constituent 1, Item 2, Item 3 or employment history one, employment
proceeds to submit a form. Ideally, all your forms should contain history two, employment history three, etc. are inappropriate
Submit Form buttons that a user clicks to submit the form and create many problems for authoring complex forms.
electronically. The user should be instructed to click the button
Field names should be constructed using hierarchical names
when the form is completed and ready to submit.
such as item.1, item.2, item.3, etc. or employmentHistory.1,
employmentHistory.2, employmentHistory.3, etc. Using field
47
 names of a hierarchical order (no spaces and a dot + number) Figure 5.2 Comb Field
simplifies field construction, editing, calculations, and more. For
examples on how hierarchical names are used in form designs,
see Chapter 10.

Mutually exclusive fields A form from the US NAtional Archives containing a comb field.

If you use check boxes or radio buttons for choices that require
either/or responses, the fields should be mutually exclusive — Reset buttons
meaning that only one choice can be made within a common
Perhaps not all forms require a button to clear the data. Some
field group. For example, if a processing fee is required with
forms though are best designed with reset buttons to help a
credit card information, you may have choices for a user to
user start over. Buttons should be unobtrusive but clearly
select AMEX, VISA, M/C, DISCOVER, etc. If fields are not
visible.
mutually exclusive the user can check multiple items. Setting up
mutually exclusive fields prohibits the user from clicking more If you design a complex form, be certain to add reset buttons
than one choice. for sections. Users can become frustrated if you have a reset
button that clears all data including identifying information while
Checkboxes and radio buttons they only want to clear a section.
Check boxes and radio buttons should appear to the left of text
descriptions. Be certain all forms are designed consistently. Submit buttons
Having some boxes to the left and others on the right can Submit buttons are used to send the form from the user’s
confuse users. computer to the host agency. Submit buttons should appear at
the same physical location on all forms such as top right, last
Comb fields page lower bottom, etc. Wherever your office decides to best
Comb fields are commonly found on government forms (see locate submit buttons, be certain that the button placement is
Figure 5.2). Don’t rely on users adding spaces or tabs to fit data consistent across all forms.
within hash marks. Acrobat has a comb field feature that
proportionately spaces the data.
48
Calculations Notarization
Calculations can be handled in several ways in Acrobat. When a Some forms need to be notarized. There are Notaries now using
calculation on a form is needed, do not rely on the user to certificates who can notarize PDF documents electronically
perform the calculation. Use one of Acrobat’s calculations (See Chapter 15 for more on eNotarization). A government
options and lock the fields to prevent tampering with the website should include a description on how to acquire a notary
results. (See Chapters 16 & 17 for creating calculation and a list of approved notaries within a catchment area.
formulas).
Developing Standards & Best Practices
Other Matters to Consider There are other considerations you need to observe when
Websites should contain information for users related to using designing forms. Standard line weights, white space and margins,
Adobe Reader and the tools within Reader to complete forms. header and footer designs, contact information, form numbering
Websites should have a link where the Reader application can schemas, appropriate use of graphics and file formats, and more.
be downloaded free from Adobe Systems and help pages A book of standards and best practices should be developed by
should be well formed and illustrated for using the Reader a government office and adopted by all branches of government
application. to maintain consistency.

In addition to hosting specific information about Adobe Reader When researching information on best practices for forms in
there are two other items that deserve attention: government, try to browse different content hosted on the
Internet and be certain to pick and choose items suggested by
Signing Forms other governments and enterprises. To date, I haven’t found a
Forms can be signed using a wet signature that the user applies comprehensive solution from any organization. Some agencies
directly in Adobe Reader. Adobe Reader supports several make suggestions for form elements and how forms are
methods for applying signatures to forms as I explain in Chapter designed. If you find agencies offering solutions for best practices
15. and developing standards, look over sample forms the agencies
host. Quite often you find some good suggestions about
For constituents, you should post information on the
government website regarding how a document needs signing.

49
designing forms but the forms coming from the agencies can be The Australia government maintains best practices in some
less than desirable. individual departments. Again, the information is helpful however
forms hosted by the Australian Government (www.australia.gov)
An example of best practice solutions vs. actual form designs is
vary greatly in terms of being fillable, secured, and design
found on the Nova Scotia, Canada website (https://
consistency. Australia does include the government seal on all
www.gov.ns.ca/better-forms/better-forms-standards.asp). Nova
forms I downloaded and the site maintains well-organized lists for
Scotia hosts web pages containing excellent suggestions for
forms.
developing forms standards and best practices. Much detail is
defined for form elements and how forms should be constructed. Another source that is helpful in understanding proper forms
I found much of the content helpful, but it wasn’t all-inclusive for development is the Business Forms Management Association
developing good forms construction standards. (BFMA). You find many worthwhile tips and descriptions on the
BFMA website (www.bfma.org) and they provide a huge array of
In terms of forms hosting, the Home page on the Nova Scotia
training programs for forms developers.
website contains no link to a well-organized forms page. The
visitor needs to search the site to find forms. Search results report In short, I have found no model government office today that one
back 7,680 items found when searching for forms. The list is not can point to as exemplary and use for a basis to develop best
well organized and requires the visitor to browse pages practices and standards. One needs to research and take the
containing links to forms. best examples from several sources. If your office develops a
model for government forms, your government could well
The PDF forms, linked to the forms pages, followed some of the
become the leader for eForms development and management.
suggestions made for developing standards, but not all standards
were implemented. On the standards pages an item specified
using Adobe Acrobat to create form fields, yet after downloading
many forms, most contained no fields. The government seal was
placed on all forms but the graphic was a poor scan. Form
designs varied and no consistent appearance was evident among
many forms.

50
Chapter 6

Modifying Form Designs

Modifying the forms background design while

preserving field objects
Modifying Form Designs

Chapter 6
One of my greatest challenges with government workers is getting people to
IN THIS CHAPTER recognize the importance for deploying documents both attractive in appearance
Document Design Appearances and well developed for easy interpretation by constituents. A form is just a
document that people slap down responses on and submit back to the host. Who
Modifying Designs
cares what the document looks like. If it does the job, it’s good enough, right?

Wrong! Governments are competing internally and in a world economy for more
business. Whether it be competitive business processing outsourcing,
manufacturing, tourism, business development, exports, etc., government today is
in fierce competition with its neighbors and within its own regional borders. With
struggling deficits, high unemployment levels, and a global economic depression,
government needs to harness all it can to attract more business.

The quality of the content you host in terms of design, appearance, usability and
clarity is a statement about your office, how it’s organized and how well it meets
the challenge of its duties. A sloppy document, unappealing and unprofessional,
communicates a statement you don’t want communicated in a competitive
regional or world economy.

52
Document Design Appearances Modifying Designs
To illustrate a point, take a look at a form used for a public college Design revisions are commonplace when it comes to forms. If you
admission. I created a makeover for the form as shown. If the submit forms to committees or supervisors, ultimately people
forms came from two separate colleges and with all things being want changes made on your designs. The health form I discuss in
equal such as status of the college, courses available, prestige, Chapter 24 went through 6 revisions before the form was finalized
geographic location, etc., what college would you choose for your just for the design. Another 35 revisions were made for the field
child? A parent who views a college or university admission form objects. Inevitably people find items that need to be added,
makes a first impression from viewing the form. This impression is deleted, or improved on a form. “Oh, we forgot one little thing,” is
likely to occur before the individual interacts with personnel at a a phrase you hear often as a form designer. And, that one little
college admissions department. thing just might take you days of recoding JavaScript on some
forms.

When you create a form and populate the form with field objects,
you won’t want to start over if the design background needs a
change —especially if you have a complex form with many fields
and JavaScript code. Fortunately Acrobat provides you easy
methods for modifying form designs without interfering with field
objects.

It’s important to understand that PDF forms have two areas where
content are contained —the background design and the field
objects. Although not specifically layers, think of the form design
as a background layer and the field objects are contained on a
separate foreground layer. You can edit the two layers
It should be obvious that document design, ease of use, and ease independently.
of accessing documents are important factors when governments
are competing for business.

53
If you need to edit the form design, as a matter of practice, you Figure 6.1 Original Form Hosted by the US Dept. of HUD
should return to the original authoring application and make your
edits. Do not rely on tools in Acrobat to edit text and modify
images.

After you modify the form design in the original authoring

application, export to PDF. In Acrobat use the Replace Pages
command. Replace Pages should be an item you add to your
custom tools set. If you haven’t added Replace Pages to a
custom tool set, as I explain in Chapter 7, open the Tools panel,
click the Customize button in the top right corner of the Acrobat
window, and choose Default to open the Default Tools. Open the
Pages list and you find Replace Pages.

TIP

When you export a modified design to PDF, use a number preceding

the document name. For example, suppose you have a form named
PassportRenewal_SS341. When you make the first modification to the
document save the revision as 0.PassportRenewal_SS341. The next
modification is named 1.PassportRenewal_SS341, and so on. This
helps you keep track of design modifications. When it comes time to
replace a page you select the most recent revision to replace the
current design. Since all forms named with a number at the beginning
of the file name are designs only, you won’t be confused about what Original form hosted by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

form contains the field objects and what form is the modified design.
As an example for replacing pages in PDF documents I use a
form from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development. The original form was a scan from a paper form.

54
The appearance is horrible and not a document a government The department seal appears at the top of the form along with
office would want to host on a website. text identifying the department. Both the seal and text
description at the top of a form helps users know immediately
The form was fillable and, although the field names were not well
where the form originated. 

described, the table does contain hierarchical field names. The
original form does work properly, therefore, the task at hand is to
At the bottom of the form are two buttons. The Reset Form
simply rework the design and use the existing fields.
button is used for clearing data and the Submit Form button is
To rework this example I did the following: used for returning the form electronically to the host. These
buttons were not present on the original form, however, when
1. Open a design application.
 designing forms, these items should appear on most of the
I used Adobe InDesign CS6 for the makeover. A nice feature in forms you deploy on your agency’s website.

Adobe InDesign is that you can import a PDF document, place
the PDF on a working layer, and ghost the background to 3. Export to PDF.

create a template. On a second layer, you create the new When the form is completed, export to PDF. Adobe InDesign
design. Before exporting to PDF you can trash the template has a menu command for exporting directly to PDF.
layer.
4. Open the original form in Acrobat.

2. Rework the design.
 Open the old form —the one containing the form fields, in
In this example I created a new table. The lines are clean and Acrobat. You want this form in view in the Document Pane.
structured well. I also broke the description at the top of the
5. Replace the Page.

table into two columns. If you have large text blocks used for
Open the Pages panel and click the Replace Pages tool. A
instructions or descriptions, breaking text into columns is
dialog box opens prompting you to choose the file for
easier for the user to read.
replacing pages. Browse your hard drive and locate the file you
edited for the new design. Select the file name and click the
Select button. 


55
Figure 6.2 Another dialog box opens Figure 6.3 Design Makeover
prompting you for the page
range to replace. The U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
FEDERAL HOUSING ADMINISTRATION

example used here is a

single page form so the
4410.1 REV-2 FHA FORM 3635
Appendix 7 REV. September 1991

CLOSING FISCAL EXAMINATION WORKSHEET

default text boxes for the INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare onginal and one copy in pencil. File original in Washington (c) inspection fee , date of acceptance of Commitment to insure
Project No.

docket and copy in office docket. Appropriate entries are to be Upon Completion or date of initial endorsement when advances

Original and Replacement made at lime of ( 1) initial endorsement for insurance of advances,
(2) iritial-final endorsement of commitment to insure upon comple-
tion, (3) final endorsement for insurance of advances, and/or (4)
are insured; (d) Reopening Fee, date of receipt of request for
reopening; and (e) Premium, date of initial endorsemant for insur-
ance. After completion, the certification panel will be completed
Section of the Act

final closing of non-insured projects. Any additional collection items by an employee designated by the Director. If any fee credit

text boxes are 1. Click OK should be identified in column (1 ). Enter in column (2), opposite
(a) Application Fee, date application was received; (b) Committ-
represents a transfer from another project, indicate former project
number under Remarks column. See Handbook 4410.1, Project
Area/Insuring Office

ment Fee, data commitment was issued; Fiscal Procedures, Paragraph 1-12.

and the new design falls in Collection

Item
Date Amount on App.,
Committment or
Amount of Fee or
Premium Collected
Schedule
Number
Amount of
Refund
Remarks

Mortgage

behind the fields. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

Application Fee

6.Secure the file.


Before deploying the form,
be certain to add security to
prevent a user from
Commitment Fee

modifying the form.

7.Save As to a new file.
 Inspection Fee

Open the Pages panel and click the Replace

Pages tool. Choose File ➤ Save As and
save the file as a new file Reopening Fee

name. Rewriting the file compacts the file and quite often
reduces file size.
Premium

As you can see in this example, designing a simple form is not a I certify that, as applicable, on the basis of (1) Date Signature

the highest amoung applied for, (2) the highest

monumental task. You don’t need to be a professional graphic commitment, and (3) the mortgage endorsed
for insurance, all fees and premiums collected
and retained are correct.
designer but you do need to acquire some design sense. Hosting HUD - Wash., D.C.

RESET FORM SUBMIT FORM

consistent visually appealing form designs doesn’t guarantee 1 of 1, 6/92

generating more business for a government office.

Form makeover after replacing pages
56
Rather, it is one small component in the overall way you approach
communicating professionalism and excellence in your
department.

A few decades ago, Apple CEO, Steve Jobs was asked in an

interview to comment about Microsoft. Jobs told the interviewer
the problem he had with Microsoft is “they have no taste.” Jobs
was relentless in delivering products with exceptional design and
minute detail for appearance, font usage, and style. Today, Apple,
Inc. has the largest market cap of any company in the world.

Apple, Inc. is on a path to become the world’s first trillion-dollar

company. Go to a movie today and it’s hard to see a new film that
doesn’t display an Apple product in at least one scene. Movie
producers aren’t interested in performance of consumer
electronic devices. What they want are objects in film for
aesthetic purposes only. When it comes to aesthetics, Apple, Inc.
is the world’s leader and something that has spearheaded the
company in becoming the wealthiest company in the world.

57
Chapter 7

Understanding Acrobat
Viewers

Working with Acrobat viewers in version XI

Understanding Acrobat Viewers

Chapter 7
Adobe provides two types of PDF viewers. The commercial product Adobe
IN THIS CHAPTER Acrobat XI Pro and a lighter commercial product Adobe Acrobat XI Standard
Authoring Forms in Acrobat (Windows only) are software products you need to purchase from Adobe Systems.

Using Adobe Reader Adobe also provides a free software product, Adobe Reader, that permits users to
view PDFs and fill out forms. If you are a forms author you need to purchase
PDF viewers and Handheld Devices
Adobe Acrobat XI Pro. Both Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader are cross-platform
and almost equally supported on both Macintosh and Windows computers.

For the purposes of this book, I refer to the commercial product simply as Acrobat
and the free application simply as Reader.

PDF stands for Portable Document Format. Files you view and work on in Acrobat
and files you view and add data to forms and save the forms in Reader are PDF
files. Note that Acrobat also supports filling in forms and saving forms with form
data.

59
Authoring Forms in Acrobat For design creations I find Adobe InDesign the best authoring
application for forms. However, if you are most familiar with MS
Adobe Acrobat was introduced originally as Acrobat Exchange in
Word, you can create your original designs in Word and save the
1991. The program has experienced many changes through the
file as a PDF. For government offices, it’s best to standardize on a
years and currently, as of this writing, we are now in Acrobat XI
single authoring program. This helps with technical support
(version 11).
services and makes training new employees much easier.
For any kind of form authoring you should use only Acrobat XI. If
Once you open a PDF in Acrobat you add field objects to a form.
you haven’t upgraded to Acrobat XI, do your best to convince
Fields are best added and managed in Acrobat, however
purchasing authorities that you need the most recent upgrade.
programs such as Word and Adobe InDesign CS6 do provide
Acrobat XI not only offers more features than previous versions of
options for adding fields. As a matter of practice though, you
Acrobat, it has many fewer bugs and problems that are most
should plan on adding all fields in Acrobat.
noticeable for forms designers.
For optimum workflow operations in larger offices it may be best
When designing forms, you typically work in an authoring
to have personnel who are charged with designing forms and
program like MS Word, Adobe InDesign, or some other
another department creating forms with fields and writing
application that supports placement of text, objects, and creating
JavaScripts using Acrobat.
rules (lines). When you finish creating a form in an authoring
program you convert the native file to a PDF document. Acrobat A good many problems in government and enterprise is that
itself provides you tools for performing such conversions that you office workers charged with responsibilities for creating memos,
can use if your authoring program does not support export to letters, reports, briefs, etc. have been assigned duties for creating
PDF. However, most of the popular programs such as Adobe forms. These office workers often do not have design
InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Word, MS Excel, IBM Lotus backgrounds and are typically not knowledgeable about how
Symphony, OpenOfficeOrg Writer and many other authoring forms need to be constructed. Designing forms is a specialty and
programs provide you tools for exporting direct to PDF. requires people with some background and experience with
handling forms.

60
Using Adobe Reader
For a free application, Adobe Reader is remarkable. You can
distribute PDF forms in an office and the entire office personnel
can download Adobe Reader free for each computer. Once PDFs
are opened in Reader, forms can be populated with data and the
files can be saved with the data intact.

Reader supports searching PDFs; searching through catalogs of

PDF files; creating and using digital signatures; and in Reader XI,
a full compliment of comment and markup tools are available
without enablement.

For government eForms, constituents don’t need to purchase any

additional software. They can fill out your forms and submit forms
with data back to your host agency.

PDF Viewers and Handheld Devices

Each year we move closer to form fill-in on mobile and handheld
devices. There are some PDF viewers that are available for
Android and iOS devices that provide options for form fill-in and
signing. However, JavaScripts you may use in a form are not yet
supported for handhelds.

You may wish to continually browse the Web searching for new
products and updates as they occur. Sooner or later we should
see a PDF viewer that supports all the fill-in options you have with
Adobe Reader.

61
Chapter 8

Exploring the Acrobat

Interface

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

FEDERAL HOUSING ADMINISTRATION

4410.1 REV-2 FHA FORM 3635

Appendix 7 REV. September 1991

CLOSING FISCAL EXAMINATION WORKSHEET

INSTRUCTIONS: Project No.
Prepare onginal and one copy in pencil. File original in Washington (c) inspection fee , date of acceptance of Commitment to insure
docket and copy in office docket. Appropriate entries are to be Upon Completion or date of initial endorsement when advances
made at lime of ( 1) initial endorsement for insurance of advances, are insured; (d) Reopening Fee, date of receipt of request for
Section of the Act
(2) iritial-final endorsement of commitment to insure upon comple- reopening; and (e) Premium, date of initial endorsemant for insur-
tion, (3) final endorsement for insurance of advances, and/or (4) ance. After completion, the certification panel will be completed
final closing of non-insured projects. Any additional collection items by an employee designated by the Director. If any fee credit
should be identified in column (1 ). Enter in column (2), opposite represents a transfer from another project, indicate former project Area/Insuring Office
(a) Application Fee, date application was received; (b) Committ- number under Remarks column. See Handbook 4410.1, Project
ment Fee, data commitment was issued; Fiscal Procedures, Paragraph 1-12.

Collection Date Amount on App., Amount of Fee or Schedule Amount of Remarks

Item Committment or Premium Collected Number Refund
Mortgage

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

Application Fee

Getting around the Acrobat tools and menus Commitment Fee

Inspection Fee

Reopening Fee

Premium

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

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.
HUD - Wash., D.C.

RESET FORM SUBMIT FORM

1 of 1, 6/92
Exploring the Acrobat Interface

Chapter 8
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
web pages, editing PDFs, working with interactive elements, encryption tools,
Adding Tool Sets
searching, spell checking, signing documents, comparing documents, exporting
Zooming Views content and more.

Setting Initial Views Fortunately for forms designers you don’t need to learn all the various features in
the program to create sophisticated, dynamic, and complex eForms.

63
Working with Preferences you zoom in on a form, you see only a portion of the form in
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.
field’s properties. This is perhaps the most essential tool you

Setting General Preferences find for authoring forms.

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
✦ Hand tool (H). After you check the item in the preferences, Forms and the right pane changes to reflect options you have for
individual keys you press on the keyboard select a tool. setting forms preferences.
When pressing the H key the Hand tool is selected. You use
There is one item in this category that’s paramount for forms
this tool to move a document around the document pane. If
designers and a new preference option that was introduced in
64
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 If your forms are assembled in a language other than US English,
you need to adjust tab orders on your forms you have many other you can click the Language item in the category list and choose a
alternatives I discuss in Chapter 10. language from the Application Language drop-down menu.

Figure 8.1 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 you’re 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

Press CTRL/Command + D. Click Forms in the left pane and remove the checkmark
documents and another for designing web documents. You might
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

65
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 we’re talking about forms. Therefore, you’ll want
Figure 8.3 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 8.2 Create New Tool Set

Click Customize and choose Create New Tool Set

The Create New Tool Set Window

66
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 you’ll 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.

✦ Save As: Likewise this may be an optional choice. This You find the Page Templates tool in the Document
command is important when creating complex forms. You Processing category.
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 you’ll
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.

67
 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
loud. You can control the reading speed by pressing the 0 to 9 keys on not the order you want, you can select items in the right pane and
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. It’s more likely though that in Acrobat work sessions. If you want to change to another tool set,
government offices you won’t 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 won’t 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.

68
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.

69
Figure 8.4 Initial View Properties differently on different computers according to the preference
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

70
 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
✦ Open to Page: By default, the number is set to 1 where the requested additional information on the form. Extensive

first page in the file appears in the Document pane when a JavaScripts and calculations were made that referenced

file is opened. You may want to change this item to open page numbers so it was much easier to modify the form by

another page where a user may logically start but the form is adding registration cards at the end of the form. All of this

best viewed after populating a form from page one. was transparent to the workers since pages opened
automatically when data were transposed.
As an example, I created a health statistics form for the
Botswana Africa Ministry of Health. The form opened page ✦ Window Options: For eForms, all these items should be left

225 where a registration card for a new in-patient was unchecked and at defaults.
recorded. However the important part of the form was the
discharge information that resided on page 2.

71
✦ 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.

72
Movie

Movie 8.1 Setting Up the Work Environment

Creating Tool Sets

73
Chapter 9

Understanding Form
Elements

Field objects contained in PDF forms

Understanding Form Elements

Chapter 9
In the previous chapters we looked at some issues related to the status of
IN THIS CHAPTER government forms and an overall view of tools and elements in the Acrobat
Entering Form Edit Mode interface. Now it’s time to get down to understanding precisely how forms are
constructed. You have the background information in the first eight chapters. From
Understanding the Form Edit Mode
this chapter forward I talk about creating forms in Acrobat.
Interface

Using the Form Tools

Understanding JavaScript

75
Entering Form Edit Mode Open a PDF document and click Edit Form in the Tools panel. If
this is the first time you enter Form Edit mode on a new form a
Acrobat has what we might think of as two separate interfaces.
dialog box opens asking you if you want Acrobat to detect fields
All the edits and work you do with everything other than form
for you.
editing is handled in the default space I refer to as Normal view.

When you first begin creating a form, you enter a different

Figure 9.1 Add or Edit Fields Dialog Box
workspace referred to as Form Edit mode.

Switching to Form Edit Mode

To begin creating a form you need to start with a PDF file. As I
stated earlier in previous chapters you first create a form design
in another program such as MS Word, Adobe InDesign, or some
other authoring application. You then convert your layout to a
PDF file. Finally you open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
When you first enter Form Edit mode on a form containing no fields, Acrobat prompts
you for auto-detecting fields.
Once in Acrobat, you use the Tools panel to address form editing.
If you created a custom tool set you should see the Edit Form Understanding Auto Field Recognition
item in your tool set. If you haven’t created a tool set you can find
The dialog box appearing when you first enter Form Edit mode on
the Edit Form tool in the Default tool set in the Forms category.
a new PDF document offers you an option for Acrobat to
automatically recognize fields. Through several recent versions of
Acrobat, Adobe has attempted to offer novice users easy
Note
methods for working with forms. Auto field recognition is an
From this point forward I assume you have made a custom tool set
example of one effort to help novice users create simple forms.
with the tools added as described in Chapter 8. If you have not
created a custom tool set for forms, look over Chapter 8 and add the
You, however, are now or soon to be, a professional form
tools as recommended in that chapter.
designer. As such you don’t need Adobe’s simplistic methods for
working with forms. As a matter of fact, it will be

76
counterproductive for you to permit Acrobat to automatically that you need to exit Figure 9.2
create fields. Form Edit mode
when you want to
There are a few reasons why you should avoid using auto field
test your form.
recognition. First, the fields Acrobat automatically creates on a
During an editing
form are not perfect. Acrobat may add fields in locations where
session you may
no field should appear. Radio buttons and checkboxes may not
frequently toggle
be created properly. Secondly, all the fields Acrobat automatically
between Form Edit
creates are named without a hierarchical order. If you leave the
mode and Normal
field creation to Acrobat you’ll need to change the names on most
mode. Be certain to
of the fields.
remember how you
In short, NEVER, EVER click Yes when you start a new form. enter Form Edit
Always begin a new form with field objects you create manually. mode and how you
When creating basic to complex forms you can actually move return to Normal
faster through the form editing process by creating fields view.
manually.
There are two
That said, click No in the dialog box that opens when you first primary areas you
open a form. After you add a field to a form, the dialog box won’t need to understand
appear when you open the form. This is a one-time experience when editing forms.
that happens when you open a new form that does not contain You use field object
To return to Normal view, click the Close Form Editing
any field objects. tools and you use button.
the Tasks panel to
Understanding the Form Edit Mode Interface complete your forms.

The first thing to notice when you enter Form Edit mode is the
Close Form Editing button in the top right corner of the Acrobat
window. You click this button to return to Normal view. Be aware
77
Using the Form Tools each box is available for marking without affecting the other
boxes.
At the top of the Form Edit mode window you find a row of tools
used for creating field objects. There are eight different tools Mutually exclusive check boxes enable form fillers to select
available for creating different field types. These tools include: only one box within a group. As one box is checked all other
boxes appear unmarked. You may ask a question such as
Figure 9.3 The Form Edit Toolbar highest level of education. The responses might include
grammar school, high school, baccalaureate degree,
graduate degree, and doctorate. The form filler would check
only one box within the group. If one item is checked and
then another item is checked, the first mark is cleared
leaving only one mark in the group.

The Form Edit toolbar located at the top of the Form Edit window Mutually exclusive fields can help you acquire responses
that help prevent user error. If you have a question where a
✦ Text Fields: Text fields are used for entering both text and
Yes or No response is required, you don’t want the user to
numeric information. On most forms, text fields occupy the
check both boxes. When you set up mutually exclusive
majority of fields on a form.
fields, the user is restricted to supplying only a single
✦ Check boxes: Check boxes can be used as independent response.

items within a group or they can be mutually exclusive fields. ✦ Radio Buttons: Contrary to popular belief, radio buttons are
For example if you wish to obtain information where a
identical to checkboxes with two exceptions. Radio buttons
constituent should check all items they possess for
can have a circle appearance as a field border and
identification such as driver’s license, birth certificate, credit
checkboxes are restricted to squares/rectangles for field
card, registration identify card, income tax report, etc. The
borders. The second exception is that a check box can be
form filler would check all items that apply. The check boxes
unchecked and radio buttons can only be cleared in a
would appear within a group for a single question where
mutually exclusive set by clicking another radio button.

78
 Everything else concerning check boxes and radio buttons is You can invoke actions by clicking a button and you can
equal. add content in the form of a button icon. An action might be
resetting a form and clearing data. You can add a button
To simplify learning creating form fields, you can avoid using
field that invokes the Reset Form action.
radio buttons on your forms. You don’t need them since
check boxes provide you with everything you need for Button icons are images and the button can be sized to a
designing forms and collecting responses. full page if needed. A button icon might be something like a
passport photo added to a form. Rather than the user
✦ List Boxes: List boxes provide you with a field type where
attaching a photo to the form, the button icon can be set up
responses are added in a scrollable window. If the space on
to import a photo making it visible on the form.
your form is limited, you can create a list box where
response information appears in a scrollable window. ✦ Digital Signatures: For forms hosted on government
websites you typically won’t add digital signature fields.
✦ Dropdown lists: This field was formerly labeled Combo Box
Creating a digital signature for end users is a complicated
in earlier versions of Acrobat. As the name implies the field
process and most users are not likely to create a digital
appears as a drop-down with response information opening
signature in Reader. If a user did have a digital signature, you
in a list. If space is limited on a form and you want to collect
would need a certificate to verify the signature. This would
responses for something like civil status, you might create a
be prohibitive if collecting forms routinely from constituents.
dropdown list with menu items such as single, married,
divorced, separated, widowed, etc. The form filler opens the Where digital signatures might be used effectively is with in-
menu and clicks the item that applies. house forms within a branch of government by employees. If
this is of interest to you, look at Chapter 20 where I discuss
✦ Buttons: In previous versions of Acrobat, the Button tool
creating forms for in-house use.
appeared both in Form Edit mode and by default in the
Toolbar Well in Normal view. In Acrobat XI you can only
access the Button tool in Form Edit mode or by editing a tool
set and adding the button at the top of the Acrobat window
in the Toolbar Well.

79
 ✦ Barcodes: Barcodes are added to forms for retrieving form available in Acrobat. However, more sophisticated math
data using barcode readers. Since our focus is creating routines do require using JavaScript. Later in Chapters 16
forms with an emphasis on electronic routing, you won’t and 17 I cover multiple methods for calculating data and
likely need to work with barcode fields. offer code samples for easy copy/paste methods.

While Acrobat provides you with eight different field types, you In addition to the Calculate properties you also find
need only be familiar with five of the eight field types (Text, Check JavaScripts in text fields for Actions, Formatting, and
Box, List Box, Dropdown List, and Buttons) for just about any Validating field data.
form you host on government websites.
✦ Buttons: Buttons invoke actions and there are a series of

Understanding JavaScript different action types you can apply to buttons such as
hiding fields, resetting forms, executing menu items, etc.
Acrobat uses a special implementation of JavaScript. If you know
Among the various action types you can assign to buttons is
JavaScript it’s easy to modify code for working in Acrobat and
running a JavaScript. You can use buttons and JavaScript
with PDF files. If you don’t know any JavaScript you can begin by
for many dynamic features in your forms.
copying and pasting code in forms.
✦ Document Level JavaScripts: Functions can be accessed
JavaScript is beneficial for all eForms and many forms require no
multiple times in a form. These functions are added as
more than a simple routine you can copy and paste. More
Document JavaScripts. You can also use document level
sophisticated scripts take time to learn or require assistance from
JavaScripts to execute a routine just after the PDF opens.
programmers. For now, it’s important to know where JavaScripts
One helpful script you can add at the document level is
are added to a form.
assessing the viewer version the end user is working with. If
The areas in forms where you find JavaScripts include: the user is opening your form in Reader prior to version XI
you can invoke a message that informs the user they need
✦ Text Fields: Text fields have a calculation property and often
Reader XI in order to complete the form. For more on
you find JavaScripts used for field calculations such as assessing viewer versions see Chapter 17.
summing data. Some math routines do not require
JavaScript and can be handled with some easier tools

80
✦ Document Actions: Document actions include printing and
saving a document. When the user saves your form you
might want to add a message in the form of a JavaScript that
reminds the user to submit the form via a submit button on
the form.

✦ Bookmarks: You can add JavaScripts to bookmarks. When

the user clicks a bookmark in a long form, you might want to
invoke an action such as opening a secondary file where
instructions are found.

✦ Page Actions: Page actions are added in the Page

Thumbnails Navigation pane. You can add JavaScripts for a
Page Open action and a Page Close action. When the user
scrolls pages in a form you might want to add a Page Close
action that offers a message in a dialog box or some other
action via a JavaScript.

81
Movie

Movie 9.1 Entering Form Edit Mode

82
Chapter 10

Working with Text Fields

Adding text fields and tables to forms

Working with Text Fields

Chapter 10
If you followed along from the beginning of this book you know that forms begin in
IN THIS CHAPTER Form Edit mode and you have five field types that are commonly used with
Creating Text Field Objects eForms. When you open a form in Form Edit mode, it’s time to add field objects.

Opening the Field Properties Window

Examining a Sample Form

Working with Comb Fields

Working with Tables

Setting Tab Order

Moving the Cursor to Another Field

Setting Up Required Fields

84
Creating Text Field Objects
Text fields are the most common field objects you find on all The first text object is added to your form. Before you add
forms. To add text fields on a form you must open the PDF form additional fields, you want to set all field attributes for the first
design in Acrobat and click the Edit Form tool in the Tools panel. field. Setting field attributes is handled in the Field Properties
window.
To create text fields do the following:
Opening the Field Properties Window
1. Enter Form Edit mode.

With a form open in Acrobat click the Edit Form button. If a When you first create a field in Form Edit mode a pop-up appears
dialog box opens asking you if you want Acrobat to auto- (Figure 10.1). If you want to adjust properties, you can
detect fields click No. immediately click Properties in the pop-up before you make any
other adjustment or before you deselect the field. If you want to
2. Select the Text tool.
 adjust properties after the fact you have several ways to open the
From the tools at the top left of the Form Edit mode window, Field Properties window. These include:
click the Add text field tool (I simply refer to this as the Text
tool in this chapter). Figure 10.1 Mini Popup Window

Note
3. Create a text field. 

With the Text tool selected click and drag open a rectangle When you click a handle and size the rectangle the small yellow
where you want to add the first field. pop-up disappears. This item is used to name a field and easily
access the Text Field Properties window. Don’t worry if the item
4. Adjust the field to size.
 disappears, you can easily open the Text Field Properties window
and later edit field names.
If the text field does not precisely fit in the area where the text
field is to appear, click one of the handles (black squares at the
corners and sides of the rectangle) and drag in or out to
reshape the rectangle.

Mini Popup window opens where you can name a field and open the field Properties
window 85
✦ Double click the field.
 key lines on field objects disappear. When you want to use the
Double clicking the field while the Text tool is selected opens Select Object tool, press the R key and you’re back to editing the
the Field Properties window. fields.

✦ Open a context menu and choose Properties.
 Another advantage in working in Normal view is you have access
Right click the field to open a context menu and choose to all Acrobat tools. You may want to assess coordinates on a
Properties. On a Macintosh with a one-button mouse, press page for locating precise positioning for spawned fields, you may
Control and click to open a context menu. want to add a comment note, you may want to add a watermark
and assess its placement in respect to fields, you may want to
✦ Exit Form Edit mode, and perform the same operations in insert a blank page for testing scripts, or many other tasks that
Normal view.
 are not permitted in Form Edit mode.
Once you add a field in Form Edit mode, you can return to
Normal view and make all the edits you need for adding fields Whether you wish to work in Form Edit mode or Normal view is a
and adjusting properties while remaining in the Normal view. personal choice. Either is acceptable.
However, you must first click the Select Object tool (or press
the R key on your keyboard) and double click on a field or
Setting Attributes in the Field Properties
open a context menu and choose Properties.
Window
When you create the first text field object you immediately need
At this point you have a decision to make. Do you want to stay in
to address field properties. Some field properties include font
Form Edit mode or do you want to work in Normal view? I
choice, appearances such as border and fill colors, field
personally never work in Form Edit mode unless I work with the
formatting, visibility, calculations and a host of other choices you
Fields panel. I find this entire Form Edit mode experience
make in the Text Field Properties window.
oversimplified by Adobe and unnecessary for experienced form
authors. The reason it’s important to change the attributes from the
defaults is that if you choose to duplicate a field, the new field
An advantage you have in working in Normal view is you can
copy carries with it the field attributes. One thing that helps speed
easily toggle the editing and a view like the end user will see.
up your work is creating a field, setting attributes, then
Press the H key to select the Hand tool and all the handles and
duplicating the field and just changing the name and tooltip for
86
the new fields. All duplicate fields have the same font, font size, 3. Change the field name and tooltip.

and appearance settings plus any other attributes you add to the The first item to address always is changing the field name. If
original field. you don’t change the name, all fields with the same name will
have the same properties and they will contain the same user
To edit the field properties do the following:
data. Each and every field in a PDF form requires a unique
1. Select a field and open the Field Properties window.
 name. There is one exception with Button fields I explain later
Double click a field in Form Edit mode or use the Select Object in Chapter 12.
tool in Normal view and double click the field. The Text Field
4. Use hierarchical names.

Properties window opens.
In my example form notice that there are two sections
2. Select General Properties.
 containing similar data. The first section 10.a Name and
Notice the tabs at the top of the Text Field Properties window. Address of Lobbying Agent and the second section 5, If
Click General on the far left to edit the General Properties. Reporting Entity in No. 4 is… have several similar fields. To
make things easy as I move along on this form, I want to set it
Figure 10.2 Text Field Properties Window up so I can easily copy/paste fields. To do so, I’m going to set
up field names with a root name common for each section. For
example, in the 10.a area I use lobbyingAgent as the root
name. In the section 5. area I’ll use prime as the root name. If
you’re confused, don’t worry. You’ll see the results soon.

For the first field name I use lobbyingAgent.name.last. Note

that lobbyingAgent and name are separated with a period. This
is important when using hierarchical names. Below the field
lobbyingAgent.name.last you can type a field tool tip. Add a
descriptor here such as Lobbying Agent Last Name and you
finish editing the General properties.

Click the General tab to open the General Properties pane.

87
Figure 10.3 Sample Form 5. Edit Appearances.

DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES Approved by OMB
Click the Appearance tab in the Field Properties window to
Complete this form to disclose lobbying activities pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1352
open the Appearance adjustments.

0348-0046
(See reverse for public burden disclosure.)
1. Type of Federal Action: 2. Status of Federal Action: 3. Report Type:
a. contract a. bid/offer/application a. initial filing
b. grant b. initial award b. material change

Figure 10.4 Appearance Properties

c. cooperative agreement c. post-award For Material Change Only:
d. loan year _________ quarter _________
e. loan guarantee date of last report ______________
f. loan insurance
4. Name and Address of Reporting Entity: 5. If Reporting Entity in No. 4 is a Subawardee, Enter Name
Prime Subawardee and Address of Prime:
Tier ______, if known :

Congressional District, if known : Congressional District, if known :

6. Federal Department/Agency: 7. Federal Program Name/Description:

CFDA Number, if applicable : _____________

8. Federal Action Number, if known : 9. Award Amount, if known :

$
10. a. Name and Address of Lobbying Registrant b. Individuals Performing Services (including address if
( if individual, last name, first name, MI ): different from No. 10a )
( last name, first name, MI ):

Information requested through this form is authorized by title 31 U.S.C. section

11. 1352. This disclosure of lobbying activities is a material representation of fact
Signature:
upon which reliance was placed by the tier above when this transaction was made
or entered into. This disclosure is required pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1352. This Print Name:
information will be available for public inspection. Any person who fails to file the
required disclosure shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and Title:
not more than $100,000 for each such failure.
Telephone No.: _______________________ Date:
The Text Field Appearance tab
Authorized for Local Reproduction
Federal Use Only:
Standard Form LLL (Rev. 7-97)



For Border Color and Fill Color click the diagonal line in the
color swatches for None. You open the color swatches pop-up
by clicking on the square adjacent to the Border Color and Fill
Color text. If you need a border on a field you can adjust line
weights in the Line Thickness drop-down menu. As a general
rule, it’s best to draw rules in your original authoring program so
fields typically don’t require adding borders and fills.
Sample form
88
 For Font Size and Font make choices from the drop down Format tab you find options for choosing a format. You can, for
menus. As a general rule, 11-point type is a standard example, format the text as a number. The default is None
typewriter size that works well for most forms. You may want which is fine for text data. The Validate tab is used for
to set the font to 11-point type or lower to 10-point. Be certain validating values and the Calculate tab is used to perform
the size is not set too small. This is an item you need to check calculations.
when you exit the Field Properties window. Be certain to select
9. Press the Enter/Return key on your keyboard to set the
a font size then type in a field to insure text characters fit within
the height of the text box. attributes.

Edits you make in the Text Field Properties window are
6. Position.
 dynamic and take effect as you make changes. As rule I always
Click the Position tab. This is a new item added in Acrobat XI. press Enter to be certain the last item I changed does indeed
In this pane you find precise coordinates for the position of the register in the window.
field object on the page. In most cases you won’t need to edit
At this point, leave the Text Field Properties window open. You
any of the values. Just pass this by and move on to the next
can continue adding new fields and make changes without
tab.
having to reopen the window each time you make an edit.
7. Options.
 However, if you test a field and type data in a field, the minute
Click the Options tab and look over the field options. Here you you select the Hand tool, the window closes and you need to
find alignment for the data typed in the field, check spelling, reopen it to continue editing field properties when adding
permit long text to overflow, enable multi-line text, setting up additional fields.
the field as a comb field and more. For the current example
10.Check the field with sample text.

form I leave the settings in the Options tab at the defaults and
Press H on the keyboard to select the Hand tool and type text
move on to the next tab.
in the field to be certain the text fits the field box height. If
8. Review the Actions, Format, Validate, and Calculate tabs.
 you’re in Form Edit mode you can click Preview at the top of
For the current field on the example form I leave the remaining the window and type text or you can click Close Form Editing
items at the defaults. In the Actions tab you can assign a to exit Form Edit mode and type text in the field.
number of different actions including JavaScripts. In the
89
Your first text field object should be formatted properly and you’re
Note
ready to add additional fields. If you want to use the attributes
you assigned to the previous field and have them appear as new In the first release of Acrobat XI version XI.0 you may experience a
defaults you can open a context menu on the field and choose problem with moving the field. If you press the keys and move a
field and you don’t see the duplicate field, deselect the field then
Use Current Properties as New Defaults.
click and press shift and drag to position. The field gets duplicated
in the first step but may not move.
Duplicating Fields
The easiest way to populate a form, especially when you have a 4. Open the Field Properties and change the field name.

number of fields all having the same field attributes, is to You must name each field with a unique name. In this example
duplicate fields. To duplicate fields do the following: I name the field lobbyingAgent.name.first. The same root name
is used and the name changes after the root. Below the field,
1. Enter Normal view if you’re in Form Editing mode and press
edit the Tooltip text box.
the R key on your keyboard to choose the Select Object
tool. 5. Continue adding additional fields.

Follow the same steps to duplicate fields, change field names,
2. Click the field you want to duplicate.
 and edit tooltips to populate all the fields in Section 10.a. As I
Press the CTRL key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh) said earlier, you can leave the Field Properties window open
and click the mouse button. With the mouse button and while adding new fields.
modifier key pressed, press the Shift key and drag the field
vertically (or horizontally).

The CTRL/Option key permits you to duplicate a field. Pressing

the Shift key constrains the movement —in this example to a
horizontal movement.

3. Size the field and fit to position.


Drag handles on the field rectangle to size the field for the next
position.
90
Figure 10.5 Fields Added to Form Figure 10.6 Text Field Format Properties

First group of fields added to form

Changing Field Formats

All fields in Section 10.a are text fields and work fine with no
additional formatting. The text field in Section 9 for a dollar
amount needs formatting. In addition, the telephone and date
fields can use a little help with some special formatting.

When you have text fields that require numbers and especially if
you want to use numeric data in calculations, you need to format Format numbers in the Format tab

the text fields as numbers. Open the Text Field Properties window
Telephone numbers and Date formats are easily formatted in the
and click the Format tab (Figure 10.6). The default you see in the
Field Properties window in the Format tab. Double click the
Select format category drop-down menu is None. Open the menu
Telephone number field and click the Format tab in the Field
and choose Number. Where you see the Number Options section,
Properties. Open the Select format category drop-down menu
make choices for how you want the number formatted. In my
and choose Phone Number.
example I choose 0 (zero) for Decimal Places and use a Separator
Style with commas. You can choose a symbol for a currency Double click the Date field, click Format and open the Select
number from the Currency Symbol drop-down menu, however format category drop-down menu. Chose Date from the menu
the sample form displays a US dollar sign, therefore in this choices. From the Date Options choose the date format you want
example the Currency Symbol is left at None. to use.
91
Figure 10.7 Date Field Properties Figure 10.8 Options Tab

Choose Date from the Select format category drop-down menu to format date fields

When formatting the date field, use the same date format on all
your forms. Reader requires you type date field data that
specifically matches the date format. If you use dd/mm/yy for
example, an application alert dialog box opens if the user types
dd/mm/yyyy. It’s also a good idea to add the accepted format in
The Options tab
the Tooltip field for text fields —something like Today’s Date (dd/
mm/yy). Something else that you may want to change in the State field is

Another item you may want to format is the State field. In the alignment. You might want the text in this field center aligned. To

USA, states are abbreviated with two characters. You can limit change alignment open the Alignment drop-down menu in the

user responses to two characters in the Text Field Properties Text Field Properties Options tab and choose Center.

Options settings. When you create a state field or other field type
where you want to limit the number of characters, click Options in
the Text Field Properties window. Type 2 in the Limit of ____
characters text box.

92
Examining the Sample Form last name, first name, MI). As it stands, the form is not very clear
about what data needs to appear in the first line of fields. If the
The sample I use here (Figure 10.10) is a form hosted by the USA
user adds a company name, then perhaps the last, first, and MI
Federal Government. The form was populated with form fields.
should not be completed. If this is the case a check box might be
Upon examining the form, we can make some assumptions about
added for Individual and Company. If the user checks the
how the form was populated with field objects and how we might
Individual check box, three fields are shown. If the user clicks the
improve the construction of the form.
Company check box only a single field is shown. Unfortunately
there’s not much room on the form to specify differences for
Understanding How the Fields Were Created
company vs. last, first, and MI.
The sample form was not populated with Acrobat’s auto field
detection when the form was opened in Form Edit mode. We The way the form was originally designed, five fields were added
know this because the field names appear to be custom names in Section 10.a. I’m assuming the first field is for Company, the
and Acrobat could not create five separate fields in Sections 10.a second field for last, first, MI, followed by two address fields and
and 5. If you click the Edit Form tool, Acrobat prompts you to the city, state, and zip code in one field at the bottom of the
auto detect fields. If the form author clicked Yes, Acrobat would section.
have created a single field for Section 10.a and Section 5.
Rather than sort this out, let’s use last, first, and MI for three fields
We also know that the form author used manual methods for at the top and forget about company name. If it is required as
naming fields. If the form author automatically populated the shown in Figure 10.5, the user might use the last name field to
form, Acrobat would have named fields Text1, Text 2, Text3, etc. write the company name.

This means that the form author created the fields in Section 10.a To duplicate fields in Section 10.a do the following:
and Section 5 separately. The form is okay for how it is intended
for use, but we can simplify the field creation process a bit — Copying and Pasting Fields
especially for the fields in Section 10.a and Section 5. Look over the sample form. At this point the 10.a Section
contains fields properly formatted. Formatting for the State field
To add fields for Section 10.a we might want the fields
was set to 2 characters in the Options tab, the Zip Code field was
constructed to follow the description where you see (if individual,

93
defined as a Zip Code in the Format properties, and the fields all Figure 10.9 Sorting Fields 5.Copy fields.

had tooltips that were added in the General Properties. On the form
(while still in
We could continue duplicating additional fields, change field
Form Edit
names and tool tips, and edit field attributes as we did in Section
mode) drag the
10.a to populate fields in Section 5. However there’s a much
cursor through
easier way to create the Section 5 fields. We can copy and paste
the Section
fields and easily change field names. This is where you find some
10.a fields.

of the power for using hierarchical names on forms.
Choose Edit ➤
1. Open Form Edit mode.
 Copy or press
We first need to edit the root field names. To globally change CTRL/
root field names you must enter Form Edit mode. Command + C.

2. Sort fields alphabetically.
 6.Immediately

In the Fields panel, open the Sort By drop-down menu and undo the edit.
choose Alphabetical Order. Choose Edit ➤
Undo or press
3. Change the root name for the lobbyingAgent fields.
 CTRL/
Notice fields having the same root name are grouped together Command + Z.

and displayed in a hierarchy. lobbyingAgent appears followed The last edit
by the individual fields having the same root value. Click Acrobat
lobbyingAgent in the Fields panel and all fields beginning with recorded was
the same root name (lobbyingAgent) are selected. Click again In Form Edit mode sort fields alphabetically in the Fields
changing the
panel.
on lobbyingAgent and you can edit the root name. field name.
Acrobat didn’t record you copying fields. At this point you have
4. Change the root name to prime.
fields on the clipboard having the prime root name. When you

94
 Undo, the fields in Section 10.a return to the original field Aligning Fields
names that have the root value lobbyingAgent.
When you drag fields individually around a form, the field
7. Paste the fields. Choose Edit ➤ Paste or Press CTRL/ alignment is not precise and requires polishing up the alignment.

Command + V.
 Acrobat has a number of alignment commands to help you move

When you paste the fields on the clipboard, you paste the fields to various alignment positions.

fields having the root value prime. Section 10.a has fields with To align fields do the Figure 10.11 Alignment Menu
a root value of lobbyingAgent. Your form now has fields in two following:
sections with unique field names.
1. Select a row of fields
8. Move the pasted fields to position.

by dragging the
Be certain to avoid deselecting fields. Move the cursor to a
cursor through all
field and drag the selected fields to Section 5. Deselect the
fields in a row.

fields by clicking away from the selection and individually drag
If you want to align
fields to position and size them to fit within the form design.
columns you can drag

Figure 10.10 Move Pasted Fields through fields in a

Open a context menu on selected fields and make
column. menu choices for alignment

2. With fields selected open a context menu.


Right click on a selected field (Control + click with a one-
button mouse on Macintosh) to open a context menu.

3. Align the top of the selected fields.


From the context menu choose Align, Distribute, or Center ➤
Align Top. The selected fields align across the row. Continue
aligning additional rows as needed.


Pasted fields and positioned in Section 5

95
 These are not monumental problems but they do require a bit of
Note extra work for the user and the agency staff retrieving forms. All of
In the context menu you have various choices for aligning and this can be avoided by using the Comb field feature in Acrobat.
distributing fields. These menu commands are helpful when you need
to add some precision for the field placements. Designing Comb Fields
When working with comb fields you first need to make a choice
The remaining text fields on the sample form require you adding for where you want to design the field appearance. In an
fields individually. Be certain to name fields appropriately, add authoring application you can create boxes or hash marks. In
tool tips, and position the fields using alignment commands. Acrobat you can apply a border to the field and Acrobat displays
a series of boxes.
Working with Comb Fields
At some point in time you have probably filled out a form that One problem I see consistently on forms having comb fields is the
contains comb fields. A comb field contains hash marks or boxes divisions between lines are most often off-center. If you rely on
where separate characters are typed on a form. One of the copying and pasting lines and moving to new locations in an
mistakes I see on many forms containing comb fields is that PDF authoring program the result is more often than not uneven
authors often create separate individual field boxes for comb spaces between lines. A better solution in a design application is
fields. to use a program with a step and repeat, blend, or duplicate
feature that spaces lines perfectly. Programs like Adobe InDesign
Designing comb fields with separate fields presents a few and Adobe Illustrator provide these options.
problems. First, the user needs to tab through the fields each time
a character is typed. For many credit cards you find 19 numbers. If you decide to let Acrobat define the field appearance, the Thin
This requires the user to type and press tab 19 times. A second border width is not a hairline. Therefore if your form contains
problem is that if data are exported, the export routine requires a hairlines, the comb fields will appear larger than boxes and rules
subroutine to concatenate the numbers so the end result is a you might add in the authoring application for other fields and
single number. sections divisions.

The variances between border widths is slight when combining

designs in both an authoring application and Acrobat. Most users
96
won’t notice much difference. Graphic artists and forms Figure 10.12 Comb Field in Design
designers will immediately notice the inconsistency in the
designs.

Personally I find designing forms in Adobe InDesign the best

solution. InDesign provides all you need for designing attractive
forms. If you have to make a choice though between precise line A comb field on the form

widths and equidistant spacing, you need to test field attributes

To create a comb field, do the following:
to find the best compromise.
1. Use the Text field tool and create a field.

If you don’t use an application that can easily proportionally
Size the field to fit the comb field design.
space lines, test appearances for using the design background
and using Acrobat’s field border appearances. In some cases the 2. Edit the field properties.

appearance may be best with the original design if the non- Open the Text Field Properties window and begin in the
proportional spacing is slight. In other cases you may find using General tab where you name the field and add a tool tip. In the
Acrobat’s borders provides a better solution. Appearance tab, set the border and fill to none.

Creating Comb Fields 3. Click the Options tab. 


In the sample form from the US National Archives Office you find The Options properties is where you set the comb field

a comb field in Section C. At first glance you can see some slight attributes. By default the Comb of check box is grayed out.

proportional spacing problems in the field design. This form Comb fields cannot be spell checked, scroll text, be multi-

originated in Microsoft Word where the form design was lined, etc. You must remove all check boxes in the Options tab

constructed. in order to create a comb field. Uncheck the boxes then check
the Comb of check box. Type in the text field the number of
In this example I create a comb field and examine differences characters for the field.
between using no field border and using a border.

97
Figure 10.13 Options Properties Although the separator lines are not proportionally spaced the
end result doesn’t look too bad on the sample form. To compare
the field having no border with a field having a border, open the
Text Field Properties window. Click the Appearance tab and click
the color swatch to select a color. Be certain Thin is selected in
the Line Thickness drop-down menu.

The edits are dynamic while the Text Field Properties window is
open. You can change back and forth between a border and no
border to compare the differences in visual appearance.

The sample design uses hairlines for rules and boxes. When you
use a thin border for the field, the difference between the comb
field appearance and other elements on the page is much more
obvious than the slight difference in the uneven proportional
spacing created in the authoring program. For this form it’s best
Click Options and uncheck all boxes. Click the Comb of check box and enter the number to use a comb field with no border.
of characters to fit within the hash marks

If you look at Section 1 you find another area where a comb field
4. Test the field.
 might be used effectively. If the form author creates eight
Type values in the field and look over the result. Be certain the separate boxes the user needs to tab trough the fields. Adding a
number of characters needed match the number you defined in comb field, even
the Options properties. though the design Figure 10.15 Comb Field

is not clearly a
Figure 10.14 Comb Field
comb field, works
well and provides
a better solution.
Comb field at top of the form
Comb field populated
98
Working with Tables Rather than creating fields and duplicating them individually we
can let Acrobat do most of the work for us. For a simple table like
You find tables containing rows and columns on many eForms.
the one on the sample form, do the following:
Populating tables is made easy by using some additional features
in Acrobat. Let’s begin by creating a simple table. In this example 1. Create a field in the top row first column.

I use a US Department of Agriculture form for recording employee When working with tables you need to manually create the first
overtime. Within the form, a table appears with ten columns and row or column. When you add field names it’s important to
eight rows. NOT use hierarchical names.

2. Name the fields and set attributes in the Text Field

Figure 10.16 Table
Properties window.

In this example I name the first field employee. Add a tooltip,
set the font and font size, choose no border and no fill, and
leave the remaining settings at defaults.

3. Create additional fields to populate the first row.


Duplicate the first field (CTRL/Option + Shift and drag right)
and change the field name and tooltip. Change the name to the
same name appearing in the columns at the top of the table.
Continue adding fields across the first row.

Figure 10.17 First Row in Table

First row in table populated with fields across columns.

Form containing a table

99
4. Populate the table.
 5. Drag through the fields in the last row and move the fields
Select the first row of fields. Open a context menu and choose to fit in the last row of cells. 

Create Multiple Copies. In the Create Multiple Copies window For small incremental movements you can use the arrow keys
(Figure 10.18) enter 8 for the Copy selected fields down text on your keyboard.
box and 1 for the Copy selected fields across text box. Press
OK and the table is populated with fields. 6. Distribute fields.

Unfortunately Acrobat can’t distribute rows evenly for the entire
Note table. You need to distribute the columns individually.


Acrobat takes care of naming fields in a hierarchical order. In this 


example the first column of fields are named employee.0, employee. Drag through fields in the first column to select the fields. Open a
1, employee.2, etc. context menu and choose Align, Distribute, or Center ➤ Distribute
Vertically (Figure 10.19). The fields in the first column move and fit
Figure 10.18 Create Multiple Copies
nicely within the Name of Employee column.

7. Repeat the steps for distributing fields for each column.

If you work with tables containing check boxes or radio buttons

you have some additional considerations when it comes to
populating tables. Look to Chapter 11 for more on creating tables
with check boxes.

Figure 10.19 Distribute Fields

Select fields in a column and open a context menu. 100

Setting the Tab Order For manually adjusting tab order, do the following:

When a user opens your form, they should be able to press the 1. Open a populated PDF form in Acrobat.

tab key and the cursor should jump to the first field in the top left After opening a form, press H to select the Hand tool and tab
corner of the form unless there’s some good reason why another through the document so you understand how the tabs are set
field should be the first field in the tab order. As the user presses and what edits need to be made.
the tab key the cursor should move to the next logical field.
2. Enter Form Edit mode and
As one of the final steps in completing a form, you should open open the Tab Order drop- Figure 10.12 Row Tab Order
the form in Acrobat, press the tab key and tab through the form. If down menu.
the tab order is not logical, you need to make some changes in
Form Edit mode. 3. Choose Order tabs by Row
in the menu.
There are several ways you can edit the tab order. To begin with
you should look at the Fields panel in Form Edit mode and open 4. Test the tab order again.

the Tab Order drop-down menu. In this menu you have several Return to Normal view, press
choices. You can set the tab order to follow the structure of the H to select the Hand tool and
document, set the tab order by rows and columns, set the tab tab through the document.
order manually, or not specify a tab order. Be certain the cursor does
not appear in any field and
Generally, it’s best to start with setting the tab order by row. If you
verify that the first tab moves
have a form where part of the form appears logical with a row Open Form Edit mode and open the Tab
the cursor to the first logical Order drop-down menu in the Fields
order and other parts of the form appear logical with a column panel. Choose Order Tabs by Row.
field. Tab through the
order you need to make adjustments manually after you set the
document and note any
tab order by row.
problems with the tab order.

5. Return to Form Edit mode.

101
6. Adjust the tab order manually.
 To select a group of fields in a contiguous order, click the top field
Open the Tab Order drop down menu and choose Order tabs you want to move, press the Shift key and select the last field you
Manually. A dialog box opens providing you instructions for want to move. All fields between the first field and the last field
manually ordering tabs. As denoted in the dialog box, you are selected. Click and drag the fields up or down to change the
reorder tabs by clicking fields in the Fields panel and moving tab order.

the fields up/down to change the tab order. 

You can also select fields in a noncontiguous order. Click a field,
press CTRL/Command and click another field. Continue using the
Figure 10.21 Alert Message
modifier key and click each field you want to move. Click on a
selected field and move up or down to change the order.

Moving the Cursor to Another Field

You may want the cursor to jump to another field after the user
completes filling in a field with data. For example, suppose you
have a section on a form where fields are visible by default.
Suppose further that checkboxes appear at the top of a section.
If the user clicks the Yes box the cursor needs to move to the
next section. If the user clicks the No box, the following section
fields are hidden and the user needs to skip the section. If this is
the case you may want the cursor to automatically appear in the
Read the message and click OK
next section where fields are visible —even on another page.
In earlier versions of Acrobat prior to Acrobat XI you could only
In order to move the cursor to a field from a check box action,
move one field at a time. Reordering tabs was a painfully slow
you need to write a JavaScript. (Look to chapters 16 to 19 for
process. Now in Acrobat XI you can select multiple fields and
more on writing JavaScripts).
drag them in the Fields panel.




102
On a check box field, open the Actions tab in the Check Box In the script above you need to add the name of the field you
Properties window and choose Run a JavaScript from the Select want the cursor to jump to within the quote marks. When the user
Action drop-down menu. Click Add and write the following code clicks a check box, the cursor automatically moves to the field
in the JavaScript Editor window: you identify in the script. If you have a Yes check box and a No
check box you can add separate scripts so the cursor moves
1. getField("field name").setFocus();
respective to the fields you identify in the scripts.

Figure 10.22 JavaScript Editor Setting Up Required Fields

In the General properties you find a check box for Required. The
Required item is used to make certain all required fields contain
data before a form is submitted. As you create new fields you can
check the box in the General tab in the Properties window.
However, I find that it is often best
Figure 10.23 Required to add all fields on a form, then
later mark those fields that are
required after the fact.

If all fields on a form are required,

you can select all fields (with the
Check the Required check box in the
General Properties Select Object tool active press
Open the Actions tab and choose Run a JavaScript from the Select Acton
drop-down menu to open the JavaScript Editor. CTRL/Command + A to select all
fields), open the Properties window, click the General tab, and
After writing the script click OK in the JavaScript window and
check Required. If you want to eliminate some fields that are not
close the Check Box Properties window. Ignore the number 1 in
required, you select all fields, then press CTRL/Command and
the above script when you type the code. Line numbers are used
click the fields with the Select Object tool to deselect individual
for annotating JavaScripts in this book to help explain different
fields. With just the right fields selected open the General
lines of code.
Properties and check Required.

103
Movie

104
Chapter 11

Working with Check

Box Fields

Creating nonexclusive and mutually exclusive

check box fields
Working with Check Box Fields

Chapter 11
As I mentioned in Chapter 9, there are only two slight differences between check
IN THIS CHAPTER boxes and radio buttons. As a matter of choice you can use check boxes for all
Creating Mutually Exclusive Check Boxes fields requiring mutually exclusive or non-exclusive responses.

Copying/Pasting Check Box Fields In terms of form designs you should place check boxes to the left of text and
questions. In some cases check boxes may work best on the right side of a line of
Creating Non-exclusive Check Box Fields
text —particularly for long lines of text with check boxes placed at the end of the
Working with Mutually Exclusive Fields in lines. If so, use the right side sparingly. Most importantly, you should be
Tables consistent. If you have some check boxes to the left of a line of text and some
check boxes to the right of a line of text, users can easily become confused when
filling out a form.

106
Creating Mutually Exclusive Check Boxes Figure 11.1 Sample Form from US Dept. of Education

A series of check boxes where you solicit responses for each item
in a group are not, by default, mutually exclusive. A mutually
exclusive group of check boxes permit only a single response OMB Number: 4040-0004
Expiration Date: 03/31/2012

Application for Federal Assistance SF-424

from among the group. When one check box is checked, all other * 1. Type of Submission: * 2. Type of Application: * If Revision, select appropriate letter(s):

Preapplication New

check boxes within a group are cleared of data and remain Application Continuation * Other (Specify):

Changed/Corrected Application Revision

unmarked. * 3. Date Received:

Completed by Grants.gov upon submission.
4. Applicant Identifier:

5a. Federal Entity Identifier: * 5b. Federal Award Identifier:

There’s just one simple rule to follow when you create mutually
State Use Only:

exclusive check boxes. The field names need to be identical and 6. Date Received by State: 7. State Application Identifier:

8. APPLICANT INFORMATION:

the export values need to be different. If field names are different, * a. Legal Name:

* b. Employer/Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN/TIN): * c. Organizational DUNS:

each box in a group can be checked regardless of the export

d. Address:

value. * Street1:

Street2:

* City:

County/Parish:

* State:

Province:

Note
* Country: USA: UNITED STATES
* Zip / Postal Code:

e. Organizational Unit:

On the sample form the check boxes are clearly visible and were Department Name: Division Name:

created in the authoring application. Typically it’s best to add strokes f. Name and contact information of person to be contacted on matters involving this application:

and rules in the design program rather than rely on Acrobat for borders. Prefix:

Middle Name:
* First Name:

You have many more choices for line weights in your authoring * Last Name:

Suffix:

application than what is available in Acrobat. Title:

Organizational Affiliation:

* Telephone Number: Fax Number:

To create a group of mutually exclusive check boxes, do the * Email:

following:

1. Open a form containing check boxes.


In the sample form used by the US Department of Education Two sections at top left of form require check box fields

(Figure 11.1) the first two sections (1 and 2) have three

107
 checkboxes each. The three checkboxes in each section need the top of the window. Click on the form to place the check
to be set up as mutually exclusive fields so only a single box field.
response is permitted.
3. Name the field.

2. Create a check box field.
 You can type a field name in the mini yellow popup or you can
If you elect to work in Normal view and you already have a field type a field name in the Check Box Properties window. If you
(any field) on a page, you can remain in Normal view while type a name in the mini yellow popup, click Properties to open
adding additional fields. 
 the Check Box Properties window.


 

The sample form contains text fields. Now I want to add a
check box field. To do so, open a context menu on any field. Figure 11.3 Mini Popup Window
From the context menu choose Add New Field. A submenu
opens displaying a list of the field types. Click Check Box and
the cursor is loaded with a check box. Click on the form to
place the check box field.

If you wish to add fields in Form Edit mode, click Edit Form in
the Tools panel and click the Check Box tool in the toolbar at

Figure 11.2 Add Check Box

You can type the field name in this window or in the Field Properties window.

In this example, I used submission.type for the field name. I

use a hierarchical name however I need to edit the names
separately when I change the field names.




Open a context menu on an existing field and choose Add New Field.
108
 Add a tooltip and click the Required button if at least one Once you make appearance settings for Check Box fields open
check box needs to be marked before the form is submitted. a context menu on a field and choose Use Current Properties
as New Defaults. When you add additional check boxes on a
form, the Appearance settings remain without a border and fill.

Note

The Check Box Properties window appears very different than the Text
Field Properties. As you work with the different field types the Properties Figure 11.4 Check Box Appearance Properties
window changes to reflect options specific to the field type in question.
However the General properties for all field types contain the same
information where you supply field names, tool tips, and choose field
display options.

4. Adjust appearances.

Click the Appearance tab. Remove the default Black stroke
and white fill. If you design your forms with graphics in the
authoring program you don’t need any strokes or fills applied in
Acrobat.

For Font Size you can leave the default at Auto or you can
exaggerate the mark by increasing the font size. If the check
boxes are small you may want to have the response marks
appear larger than the check boxes. The best way to determine
what works well is try a size and examine the results by
marking a check box. You can return to the Check Box
Properties window and make changes.

Click the color chip to open the popup menu.

109
5. Edit the field Options.
 Figure 11.5 Check Box Options Tab
Click the Options tab. In the Options tab you find settings for
Check Box Style and Export Value. 



For Check Box Style you have a number of choices for
displaying a character when a check box is marked. You can
use a Check Mark, Cross (X), Diamond, Square, Star, etc.
What’s important is be consistent. You should use the same
style for all your eForms. I find the Cross style works well for
the forms I design. The Cross places an X in the check box
when marked. However, this is a personal choice and should
be discussed in committee so all forms authors use the same
style for all forms hosted on you agency site.



The Export Value is critical for mutually exclusive fields. You
must add unique text for each field within a group. The default
is Yes. You can change the export value by typing text in the
Export Value text box. For the sample form I use 1 for the first
check box (Figure 11.5).
 For this form I use 1 or the Export Value



If I choose to add export values such as Pre-application,
When data are exported to a database system, export values
Application, and Changed/Corrected Application for the check
can easily be changed in the export routine. By using a
boxes in Section 1 on the sample form, I would need to change
numeric value here I can easily copy/paste the check box fields
the export values when copying the checkboxes and pasting
and not need to worry about changing export values after I
for Section 2. By using 1, 2, and 3 for export values, I won’t
paste fields. 

need to change settings in the Options tab.



110
6. Examine the field size.
 

Zoom in on the field so you can clearly see it in a zoomed view. After examining the mark, zoom out slightly so you can see the
You can press CTRL/Command + (plus) several times to zoom remaining check boxes on the form.
in on the field. Click the check box with the Hand tool and
7. Duplicate the field.

examine the mark. The field should be sized a little larger than
After all property settings are made to the first check box field
the box displayed on the page. Notice in my example the field
and the field is sized properly, you can duplicate the field and
box is slightly larger than the graphic box.

just make a change to the export value. All other settings
remain the same for check boxes within a common group.

Figure 11.6 Zoom View


Press CTRL/Option + Shift and drag the field vertically to
duplicate it. In the Check Box Properties window type a new
value for the Export Value. In this example I type 2 for the
export value. 



Duplicate once again and add 3 for the export value for the
third field.

When you examine the results only a single check box can be
marked within the group.

Figure 11.7 Box Checked

Zoom in on the Check Box fields to clearly view the field object against the back-
ground box



When you add check boxes on forms you want the marks
clearly legible and clearly in view if the user zooms out to a Fit
in Window view.

Only one box in the group can be checked
111
Copying/Pasting Check Box Fields 3. Change the field names.

Click the check box field name. In my example three fields are
In my example I have three check box fields added in Section 1
named submission.type. Rename the three fields. In this
on the sample form. Section 2 also requires 3 mutually exclusive
example I use application.type.
check boxes. All the field attributes including the export values
can be copied along with the check box fields. The only item that
Figure 11.9 Edit Field Names
needs a change is the field names.

To copy the Section 1 fields and paste them for Section 2, do the
following:

1. Open Form Edit mode.


We need to first change field names in the Fields panel. Zoom
out of the document so you can see the form in a zoomed out Type new names for the three fields.
view.
4. Copy the fields.

2. In the Fields panel in Figure 11.8 Sort Fields Use the Select Object tool and drag through the three check
Alphabetically
Form Edit mode, open box fields. Choose Edit ➤ Copy or press CTRL/Command + C
the Sort By drop-down on your keyboard.
menu and choose
5. Undo the last edits.

Alphabetical Order.
The copied fields on the clipboard are named application.type.
When you Undo, the last check box field returns to the original
field name. Undo three times to revert the field names.

6. Paste in Place.

If you choose Edit ➤ Paste the fields are pasted in the center

In the Fields panel open the Sort By drop-down

of the form. You can paste the fields precisely from where they
menu and chose Alphabetical Order were copied and easily drag to the right constraining the
112
 movement. This guarantees a perfect vertical alignment.
 Creating Non-exclusive Check Box Fields
To Paste in Place, press the Shift key down on your keyboard
As you might suspect, non-exclusive check box fields follow the
and choose Edit ➤ Paste. The fields are pasted on top of the
same steps as when creating mutually exclusive fields with the
existing fields and remain selected. Be certain to click within a
one exception that all fields need a unique name.
field box and press the Shift key down to constrain movement.
Drag the selection to the right and move the fields in place. If you have a series of check boxes that require calculating data
—something like a questionnaire where the user rates an item as
good, average, poor, etc., you want to use unique names such as
Note
responseOne, responseTwo, responseThree, etc. for the different
If you work in Normal view always keep the Select Object tool active
rows and hierarchical names for the columns such as
when pasting fields. If the Hand tool is active and you paste fields, the
fields are deselected when pasted. You must then attempt to select the responseOne.0, responseOne.1, responseOne.3, etc. fields
pasted fields that may be surrounded by other fields making it difficult across columns. Each name in a hierarchical order is a common
to select just the fields you need to move in place. If you accidentally name for the root followed by a number to make the field names
paste with the Hand tool active, press CTRL/Command + Z to Undo.
unique. You use the hierarchical structure so the calculation
Click the Select Object tool and paste again.
formulas are much easier to write when you add JavaScripts.

7. Move the pasted fields to position. More often than not you find an abundance of mutually exclusive
check boxes on eForms. However, occasionally you find a series

Figure 11.10 Fields Moved to Position of check boxes where more than one response is needed within a
common group of fields.

The US Office of Special Counsel hosts a complaint form where

you find two sections containing non-exclusive check box fields.
Notice in Section 1.c. and 2.c. there are six check box fields. At
the bottom of each field group there is a check box for NONE OF
After pasting press the Shift key and move the pasted fields to position. THE ABOVE.

113
 Before we create the fields we need to think about what we hope
Figure 11.11 Sample Form to accomplish. If a user clicks a check box then clicks the NONE
OF THE ABOVE check box, we need to add a little error
Form OSC-11a ( - ) OMB Control No. 3255-0002

COMPLAINTS ALLEGING REPRISAL FOR WHISTLEBLOWING: correction. We should set up the fields so a user can click any or
ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURES AND PERSONNEL ACTIONS

Date Received by OSC: ______________________ OSC Attorney, Investigator, or Complaint Examiner:

all of the first five fields, but when NONE OF THE ABOVE is
1. WHAT INFORMATION WAS DISCLOSED?
(DESCRIBE WHISTLEBLOWER DISCLOSURE.)
________________________________________________
a. WHEN WAS THE DISCLOSURE MADE? (MO/DA/YR)
checked the first five fields should be cleared. We also need to be
certain that if a user clicks any one of the five fields the NONE OF
b. TO WHOM (NAME AND TITLE) WAS THE DISCLOSURE MADE?

THE ABOVE field is cleared of a check mark. In other words we

c. DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION EVIDENCED (check all that
apply):
( ) VIOLATION OF LAW, RULE, OR REGULATION
want to make it impossible for a user to mark both the first five
( ) GROSS MISMANAGEMENT
( ) GROSS WASTE OF FUNDS
( ) ABUSE OF AUTHORITY fields AND the last field in each section.
( ) SUBSTANTIAL AND SPECIFIC DANGER TO
PUBLIC HEALTH OR SAFETY
( ) NONE OF THE ABOVE
d. WHAT PERSONNEL ACTION OCCURRED, FAILED TO OCCUR,
OR WAS THREATENED BECAUSE OF THE DISCLOSURE? Another issue we need to contend with is copying/pasting fields.
e. WHEN DID PERSONNEL ACTION(S) OR THREAT(S) OCCUR?
We can’t simply copy paste fields because attributes we use in
(MO/DA/YR)
the first set of fields to clear the fields can’t be used in the second
Date Received by OSC: ______________________
2. WHAT INFORMATION WAS DISCLOSED?
OSC Attorney, Investigator, or Complaint Examiner: set of fields. For example, if we clear the first five fields with a
________________________________________________
(DESCRIBE NEXT WHISTLEBLOWER DISCLOSURE.)
a. WHEN WAS THE DISCLOSURE MADE? (MO/DA/YR) Reset a form action, and copy/paste the fields, the action remains
b. TO WHOM (NAME AND TITLE) WAS THE DISCLOSURE MADE?
for clearing the first set. When we paste fields we need to change
the Reset a form action to clear the second set of fields.
c. DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION EVIDENCED (check all that
apply):
( ) VIOLATION OF LAW, RULE, OR REGULATION

Taking into consideration the controls we need to implement on

( ) GROSS MISMANAGEMENT
( ) GROSS WASTE OF FUNDS
( ) ABUSE OF AUTHORITY
( ) SUBSTANTIAL AND SPECIFIC DANGER TO

(
PUBLIC HEALTH OR SAFETY
) NONE OF THE ABOVE
the form, the following explains how to tackle the design for these
d. WHAT PERSONNEL ACTION OCCURRED, FAILED TO OCCUR,
OR WAS THREATENED BECAUSE OF THE DISCLOSURE?
check boxes.
e. WHEN DID PERSONNEL ACTION(S) OR THREAT(S) OCCUR?

1. Create a Check Box field for NONE OF THE ABOVE field.


(MO/DA/YR)

The first five fields need to clear the NONE OF THE ABOVE field.
KEEP A COPY OF THIS PAGE FOR YOUR RECORDS

Therefore I want this field placed on the form first so I can clear
the field in the Check Box Field Properties before I duplicate
Form containing non-exclusive choices
fields.

114
 In Normal view you can open a context menu on an existing and create a new check box. If you create a new check box,
field and choose Add New Field ➤ Check Box. If no field you need to define the same attributes.
exists on the form open Form Edit mode and click the Check
5. Change the field name.

Box tool. When the cursor loads the Check Box click in the
Before you do anything, change the field name. If you
area where the NONE OF THE ABOVE check box needs
duplicate a field and change any attribute before changing
placement. Size the check box by dragging handles in/out.

the field name, the new attribute setting is applied to the


duplicate field and the original field.
Note that you should zoom the view so you can place the first
check box field precisely in position. 5. Reset the Form.

In this example we want to clear the NONE OF THE ABOVE
2. Name the field.

field. When this check box is checked, the last field in the
In my example I use disclosure1cNone for the field name.
group is cleared.
This field is named without a hierarchical name.

3. Set the field attributes.
 Note

In the Check Box Field properties window click the
You can clear data by using an Action or by writing a JavaScript. When
Appearance tab. Set the Border and Fill color to None you become familiar with JavaScript, as I explain in Chapters 16-19,
(diagonal line icon). Click the Options tab and choose a check using a JavaScript will be the preferred method. However, this form is
box style from the Check Box Style drop-down menu. My not complicated and doesn’t contain many fields so using the Reset a
preference is the Cross choice however, you can choose any form action works well.

mark your agency decides to use for check box field styles.

The default Export Value can remain as Yes. 6. Click the Actions tab in the Check Box Properties
window. From the Select Action drop down menu choose
4. Create a second check box field.
 Reset a form. Click the Add button and the Reset a Form
In my example I want a check box at the top of the section window opens.
adjacent to the first question. You can CTRL/Option + Shift
and drag the NONE OF THE ABOVE field to duplicate it and
carry the field attributes or you can use the Check Box tool
115
 Scroll the window and locate the field name you want to 8. Select the field you want to duplicate.

clear. In my example I want to clear disclosure1cNone (the In my example the disclosure.1c field is the one I want to
NONE OF THE ABOVE field I first added to the form). Check duplicate. Open a context menu on the selected field and
the box adjacent to the field name and click OK. choose Create Multiple Copies. In the Create Multiple Copies
of Fields window enter the number of fields down/across. In
Figure 11.12 Reset a Form Window my example I add 5 for Copy selected fields down and 1 for
Copy selected fields across. Click OK and the fields are
duplicated.

9. Distribute fields.

Move the last field in the group to position and select all fields
in the group. Open a context menu and choose Align,
Distribute or Center ➤ Distribute Vertically. The fields should
align to position.

10. Set the attributes for the NONE OF THE ABOVE field.

At this point our first five fields are non-exclusive and when
In the Actions tab choose Reset a form from the Select Action menu and click Add to any of the fields are checked, the NONE OF THE ABOVE field
open the Reset a Form window.
is cleared of data. The user is prevented from choosing the
last field then another field where both check marks are
7. Create multiple copies of the field.

visible. However, the user can click one of the first five fields,
The attributes for the first check box in the group are set
then click the last field resulting in a check mark for one of
including clearing data on the last field in the group. When we
the first five fields and the last field.
create multiple copies the copies likewise have the same
action to clear data on the last field.

116
 We want to be certain that if a user clicks the NONE OF THE The user can click any or all of the first five fields and the NONE
ABOVE field, all fields above this field are cleared of data. We OF THE ABOVE check box remains unchecked. If the user clicks
had to first create all the fields in order to set attributes for the NONE OF THE ABOVE check box, all fields are cleared and a
clearing the NONE OF THE ABOVE field. mark appears only in the NONE OF THE ABOVE check box. If the
user returns to one of the first five fields and checks a field, the
11. Select the last field and open the Check Box Properties
NONE OF THE ABOVE field is cleared. Designing your forms to
window.
 prevent user error is something you want to control whenever
Click the actions tab and choose Reset a form from the possible.
Select Action drop-down menu. Click Add and check the first
five fields in the Reset a Form window. Click OK and test the 

fields. For creating the second section of fields, do not copy/paste the
fields. You need to properly address all the field attributes and be
Figure 11.13 Resetting Multiple Fields certain clearing data is correct for the second group and doesn’t
interfere with the first group of check boxes. The best way to
handle creating the second group of fields is to start over by
adding new check boxes with the Check Box tool and follow the
same steps as above

Working with Mutually Exclusive Fields in

Tables
In Chapter 10 I talked about creating tables using the Create
Multiple Copies command to populate a table with fields. The
caveat when using this command is that it doesn’t work when
you have fields with identical names. As you know, mutually
exclusive fields have identical field names but different export
values. Therefore when you populate a table with mutually

Check the fields to be reset

117
exclusive check box fields, you need to work within some of the
limitations of Acrobat.

To create a table containing some mutually exclusive fields, follow

the same steps as outlined in Chapter 10 for creating tables.
However, exclude one of the mutually exclusive check boxes. For
example if you have Yes/No columns. Create fields for all columns
except the No columns. Populate the table using methods
described in Chapter 10.

After the table is completed, Copy and paste the Yes columns,
position the pasted fields in the table, and while the fields are
selected, open the Check Box Properties. Click the Options tab
and change the export value. For a No column change the export
value from Yes to No.



There are many field attributes you need to change individually for
a group of fields. However some attributes such as Export Value
can be changed and applied globally to multiple fields.

118
Movie

119
Chapter 12

Working with Buttons

Creating Buttons, adding labels, and adding

button faces
Working with Buttons

Chapter 12
Buttons are an important part of every form. Most common are buttons used for
IN THIS CHAPTER clearing data on a form, printing a form, and submitting data to a host agency.
Understanding Button Actions Buttons can also be used for navigation through document pages, linking to other
forms, and performing actions that add more dynamic functions for the end user.
Using Button Labels & Faces

Setting Button Visibility

Importing Button Faces

Duplicating Button Fields

121
Understanding Button Actions The remaining triggers are available for entering and exiting fields
either through a mouse click (Enter/Exit) or via the tab key (Focus/
Buttons, and similarly all form fields, include an Actions tab in the
Blur). These mouse triggers are very helpful when creating forms.
Field Properties window. Open the properties on any field type
and click the Actions tab. In the Actions tab you find two items to You may have a Mouse Enter trigger that opens a dialog box
address. The first choice is the trigger. You choose what mouse warning a user that responses in two or more fields are not filled
click or navigation to a field that triggers the action. Most in properly, then send the cursor back to a field and disallow the
common is the Mouse Up action. When you assign an action to user to continue until proper responses are completed. You might
the Mouse Up trigger, the action is invoked when the user use an On Focus trigger (when the user tabs to a field) to open a
releases the mouse button. You can use the Mouse Down action message box that informs the user what data are acceptable in a
so the action is invoked when a user clicks but users do not field. For example, you might inform users that no dashes are
expect this behavior. Hyperlinks on websites typically use a needed for credit card, telephone, or social security numbers.
Mouse Up trigger. Therefore, if using a mouse click to invoke an
After you choose a mouse trigger, you select what action is
action, always use the Mouse Up trigger.
invoked when the user clicks the button. From the Select Action
drop-down menu you find a long list of action types. Not all the
Figure 12.1 Action Triggers
actions are needed for eForms. Those actions of most interest to
you include:

✦ Execute a Menu Item.


This action invokes a menu command. In earlier versions of
Acrobat we had access to all menus. Through recent Acrobat
revisions many commands have been eliminated from the
menu item choices. 



You might design a form where a key of information is
Select a Mouse Trigger for the assigned Action. contained within the form. The key might be many pages
with codes and descriptors. It would be easier for the end
122
Figure 12.2 Menu Items user if they use Acrobat Search to find an item where the
descriptor and a code are listed on a page. You can use the
Execute a Menu Item action that automatically opens the
Advanced Search window. The user types search information
and the search results are displayed in a window. One click
takes the user to the page where the result is found.



There are a number of other menu item choices at your
disposal (Figure 12.2). When you select Execute a Menu
Item, click the Add button and review the menu choices
Acrobat provides you.

✦ Go to a Page View.

This action is used for navigation. You can link to pages
within a document or a page in another document. If you link
to pages in other documents you must make certain the user
downloads both pages from your website.

✦ Import Form Data.


Although an action related to forms, this action is useless for
Adobe Reader users. You won’t need this action for forms
you host on your website. You might however, use this action
internally among Acrobat users in your office for importing
data on a form.

Choose Execute a menu Item and click the Add button to open the Menu ✦ Open a Web Link.

Item window.
As you might suspect, this action opens a webpage. You
might add a button on a form that opens a webpage where a
123
 user finds instructions in an HTML document for filling in a Figure 12.4 JavaScript Editor
given form or a link to an additional PDF that one can
download from the agency’s website. In most cases
however, you can add text to your form, change the text
color to blue to help the user discover the text as a link, and
the text, written as a web link (such as: http://
www.county.gov) when clicked, can open the respective
webpage.

Figure 12.3 Open a Web Link

You can type and paste code in the JavaScript Editor window.
Type the complete URL in the dialog box.
✦ Set Layer Visibility.

✦ Reset a Form.
 For multi-lingual forms this action is very helpful. You can
This action is very common for forms. You use this action to design forms so all the graphic elements appear on a
clear data. When you add the action, a window opens where common layer. Each language text appears on separate
you select exactly what fields you want cleared.
 layers and the fields appear on all layers regardless of layer
visibility. You can use a button to invoke an action that
displays the language layer of choice. For example, click
✦ Run a JavaScript.

English and the English text is visible. Click French and the
Once you become familiar with JavaScript this action is likely
English layer hides while the French text layer is made
to be the most frequent action you’ll use. When you add the
visible.

action, a window opens where you type code to write the


JavaScript.


124
 In order to design multi-layer forms you need an authoring You might wish to hide fields that don’t require user
program like Adobe InDesign that supports creating multiple responses (something like official use only fields). You might
layers. When you export from InDesign you have an option to also use show/hide fields for added security on a form. For
export a layered PDF document. example, after a user completes populating a form and
before submitting a form, personal data are hidden on the
✦ Show/Hide a Field.

form.

Showing and hiding fields is an action type that can be used


in many ways for many purposes. You can show fields based
There are a number of uses where the show/hide field action
on a user response (something like fields that pertain to
is applicable. When you add the action, a list of all fields on
gender, age, or other criteria). In this case a user response
your form are displayed in a window and a choice for
invokes the show/hide fields action.

showing or hiding the fields. You can individually check

Figure 12.5 Show/Hide a Field Dialog which fields are affected when the action is invoked.

✦ Submit a Form.

For eForms this is a critical action type and should be
included on all forms hosted on government websites. When
you add the action you are presented with a window where
you make choices for where the data are sent. You can
choose to have data emailed back to the host or data
submitted to a website. If you choose to submit data to a
website additional programming is needed from your IT
department to set up data collection and routing.

Click the Show & Hide buttons then click the field names.

125
Using Button Labels & Faces Designing Forms with Button Labels
When you add a button field to a form, the Options tab in the A common use for text labels is when you want to add reset and
Button Properties window offers you three choices for a button submit form buttons. You don’t need a graphic or button design
appearance. You can use a label (a line of text), an image, or both in order to create a button field with a label that informs the user
a label and image. In the Options tab you have choices for what what action is invoked when the user clicks the button.
label you want to use, how you want to position the objects, and
Inasmuch as Acrobat does permit you to use text labels that
some behavior settings.
describe the button uses, you might wish to create graphic
images for common buttons used on your forms. You can create
Figure 12.6 Button Label
such images in illustration, photo editor, and layout programs and
import the graphics for the button labels. Using graphics helps
you insure that all the labels are identical on your forms and all
departments designing forms use the same objects.

At the authoring stage, these button labels are added in Acrobat

before the form is deployed. The end user has no control over
changing the labels.

Setting Button Visibility

If you do need to print a form, in most cases the form should be
printed without showing buttons. You can easily determine what
fields are displayed on printed forms in the General Properties for
each field type.

Open the field properties and from the Form Field drop-down
In the Options tab I chose Label only from the Layout menu. Text typed in the Label text
field appears inside the button. menu choose Field is visible, but doesn’t print. All fields marked
with this choice won’t appear on printed forms.

126
Figure 12.7 Showing/Hiding Fields on Printing documents. Any file (illustration files, image files, text documents
etc.) converted to PDF can be imported as a new button face in
Adobe Reader XI. But the files must be in PDF format.

You may have forms that require a passport photo. In the past,
government offices needed to acquire photos as attachments to
forms or delivered in an office as a printed photo. Now, you can
design forms so the photos appear within a form. Likewise any
other type of graphic can be imported as long as the graphic is
saved as PDF.

Adobe may soon change the limitation for Reader users and allow
more formats acceptable when importing button icons. Currently
with Adobe Reader XI.0, you can host a webpage informing users
Open the Form Field drop-down menu in the General Properties and choose an option for
that they can save image files as PDF and import the images in
field visibility. forms using Adobe Reader XI.

Importing Button Faces As is the case with saving form data, using the full complement of
Prior to Acrobat XI, Adobe Reader users could not change button comment tools and several other features, Adobe Reader XI users
faces. If you designed a form in Acrobat with a button and do not need to work with enabled files. Save a PDF with a button
JavaScript you could permit the Acrobat users to click a button and the appropriate JavaScript, and the Reader user can import
and import a file —thus changing the button face. The file types content for the button face.
you can import in Acrobat include most image formats such as
I discuss how to accomplish writing the script and setting up the
JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, etc., and PDF.
buttons for importing content using Adobe Reader XI later in
In Adobe Reader XI we find support for importing button faces Chapter 19.
similar to what has been available only to Acrobat users.
However, importing a button face in Reader XI is limited to PDF

127
Duplicating Button Fields 3. Duplicate the field.

Open a context menu on the field and choose Duplicate
Unlike other field types, button fields do not require unique
Across Pages. 

names. You can use a button field with the same name on a page
or several pages in a form and vary content and actions within
Figure 12.8 Duplicate Field Across Pages
each field independently. Although it is acceptable, it is best to
use unique names unless duplicating fields across pages. If you
wish to delete or copy/paste multiple buttons you can use
hierarchical names. If you name several fields with names like
button.0, button.1, button.2, etc. you can open the Fields panel,
select the root name button and delete the fields or copy them.

When you want to duplicate items across pages, Acrobat

provides you a command that enables you to add duplicates
within specified page ranges. If you have a button that performs
an action on a given page (such as opening the Advanced Search
window) and you want the same action applied to buttons on a
Open a context menu and choose Duplicate Across Pages
range of pages, you can duplicate the button across the pages
where you want to invoke the action. 

The Duplicate Field Figure 12.9 Duplicate Fields
To duplicate buttons (or any field type) across a range of pages,
dialog box opens.

do the following:
You have choices for
1. Open a form containing several pages. duplicating the field
across all pages or
2. Add a button field to a page and set the attributes in the within a specific range
Type the page range in the From/To text
Button Field Properties window.
 of pages. boxes.
You should visit the Options tab in the Button Properties
window and add a label, an icon, or both to the field.
128
4. Choose the option you want and click OK. 

The field is duplicated across the pages, and all the attributes
assigned to the original button are equally assigned to the
duplicate buttons.



Be aware that the field names won’t change for the duplicated
fields. Buttons can have different attributes assigned without
changing the field names. Other fields like text fields however,
require changing the field names if you want unique data in the
fields.

129
Chapter 13

Working with List Boxes

and Dropdown Menus

List Box and Dropdown fields have some similar

characteristics and some distinct differences
Working with List Boxes and Dropdown Menus

Chapter 13
List Boxes and Dropdown menus (formerly called Combo Boxes in earlier versions
IN THIS CHAPTER of Acrobat) afford you two advantages when populating forms with fields. First,
Creating List Boxes both items can help conserve space on your form while supplying a number of
fixed response options. Items are listed in a box or menu requiring much less
Creating Dropdown Menus
space than separate fields placed on a page. List Boxes are scrollable lists in a
window and Dropdowns function similar to drop-down menus in application
programs where a list falls down on a mouse click and the user makes a selection
from the list.

Secondly these field types also offer you a means for restricting responses to
options you determine in the list or menu. A question for type of business on a
taxpayer form, for example, can restrict responses such as Cooperative,
Corporation, Partnership, Limited Liability Company, and Sole Proprietorship. You
can also determine if you want the user to supply additional responses
(Dropdowns only) or you can lock out any editing and limit responses to those you
provide.

131
List Boxes and Dropdowns have some common features when Master selected in the Options properties when you close
setting field properties that include: the Properties window, that item appears selected in the list
as the default. If you reset a form, the default always prevails.
✦ Both lists are created in the Options tab and the items in the
lists can be sorted alphabetically or arranged manually. For Dropdowns especially, more often than not, you want the first
item selected so the list falls down revealing all items below the
✦ List Boxes are fixed to the items appearing in the box and no
selected item. You might add an item at the top of your list
user-supplied data can be added.
described as Choose one.., Select one…, etc. If you add an
✦ Dropdowns can be restricted to a list or you can choose to option like this, be certain to select the item in the Options tab
permit users to type additional information. before you exit the properties window so it becomes the default.

✦ List Boxes can be set up so users can select multiple items Choosing the first item in a list is not always true however. You
in a list or they can be restricted to a single choice. may have a List Box or Dropdown listing countries for place of
residence. If most of your forms come from your country, you
✦ Dropdowns cannot be set to accept multiple responses. might select your country name in the list before you exit the
Only a singe item in the list can be selected for a response. Options tab. Each time the form is opened, your country appears
selected in a List Box or Dropdown menu.
✦ List Boxes require more space on a form. They should be
large enough for several responses to appear within the list
Creating List Boxes
window.
When creating List Boxes you want to examine the form and
✦ Dropdowns can be designed with a single item visible in the decide whether you have enough room for a box. A list box
field box. When the user clicks the field the list drops down displaying a single response in the field rectangle is awkward and
to reveal more choices. makes it difficult for users to scroll the list. You should plan on
sizing the list box large enough so at least three responses
✦ The item you last selected in the Options tab in a list
appear on the form.
becomes the default shown on the form for both List Boxes
and Dropdowns. For example, if you add items in a list such
as Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master and you have

132
To create a list box, do the following: don’t add an export value, the Item name in the list is exported.

After adding an Item, click the Add button. Your new item is
1. Select the List Box tool and draw open a rectangle where
added to the list appearing at the bottom of the Options tab.
you want the field placed on the form.
 Continue adding additional items to complete your list.
You can work in Form Edit mode or Normal view. If you’re in
Normal view, open a context menu on an existing field and Figure 13.2 List Box Properties Options Tab
choose Add New Field ➤ List Box.

Figure 13.1 Add New Field Options

Open a context menu in Normal view on a field and choose the Add New Field
command, then choose the field you want to add.

2. Add the list items.
 Type an item for the list in the Item text box and click the Add button.
Name the field, set Appearance properties and click the
Options tab in the List Box Properties window. To add items in
the list, type the item name in the Item field. If you want a value
such as a numeric value when the data are exported from your
form, you can type a value in the Export Value text box. If you

133
3. Managing the list.
 the name of the item, click the Add button and the item is listed at
If your list is best viewed in an alphabetic order, you can click the bottom of the Options tab. You can sort and manage the list
Sort Items in the Options tab. If you want to manually move in the same manner as you do with List Boxes.
items in the list you can click an item and click either the Up or
The one item you can choose with dropdowns that doesn’t
Down buttons to reorder the list.
appear for List Boxes is Allow user to enter custom text. If you
4. Enable/disable multiple selections.
 check this box the user is not restricted to the list items. However,
Ask yourself, do you want the user to make multiple responses Dropdown menus are limited to single selections unlike List
or limit the response to a single choice? If you have a question Boxes where users can select multiple items in a list.
such as personal interests, the user may have several personal
Before you exit the Dropdown Properties window you need to
interests and want to make multiple selections. If you ask a
select the item you want to appear as the default. Dropdowns
user his/her country of birth, you want only a single country
most often display a single item in the field box with an
response on the form.
arrowhead appearing to the right of the default selection. Be
5. Select the default.
 certain the item appearing in the field box is the one you want
Before you exit the List Box Properties, be certain to click the displayed on your form before the user interacts with it.
item in the list you want appearing as the default. You may
Dropdown menus are particularly helpful when you need to
wish to add a line of dashes or asterisks for the first line or text
identify states, regions, countries, calling codes, and similar kinds
such as Choose one… Move the item to the top of the list and
of lists. One disadvantage you have with Acrobat is that you need
select it before exiting the List Box Properties window. When
to type each item in a dropdown list. Acrobat provides no means
the form is completed, the list box displays the item you chose
for importing text or MS Excel files to populate lists for either list
for the default.
boxes or dropdowns.

Creating Dropdown Menus You do have one workaround however when you want to use lists
Dropdowns follow many of the same rules you apply to list boxes. commonly found on websites such as country lists. When you
After you create a dropdown field, you supply the list information arrive at a website that contains a dropdown menu displaying
in the Dropdown Properties window in the Options tab. You type

134
countries, regions, states, etc., you can convert the HTML file to a state, embassies, diplomatic services, etc. require using
PDF and capture form fields. international country and calling codes on forms. The field for
identifying a country calling code is a good candidate for a
On Windows you can use the Create PDF tool in the MS Explorer
dropdown menu.
toolbar. On the Macintosh you need to use the Create PDF From
Web Page tool (File ➤ Create PDF ➤ From Web Page. When
Figure 13.4 OMB Sample Form
the PDF is opened in Acrobat click the field you want to copy and
press CTRL/Command + C. Open your form and press CTRL/
Command + V to paste the field. Dropdown menus carry field
attributes when you copy from an HTML page converted to PDF
and paste in your form.

Figure 13.3 Create PDF From Web Page

Capture a web page that has form fields for countries, states, or other dropdown
menus. When converted to PDF you can copy/paste fields.

The USA Office of Management and Budget uses the example

form shown here. A field appears on the form for the user to
identify a country calling code. Many government forms need to
address some data for an international market. Departments of
A field exists for calling codes
135
To create a dropdown menu for calling codes, do the following: Using this method makes it easy for the user. Users simply
choose the country from the menu rather than searching for
1. Search the Web for a form containing a dropdown menu
codes matching country names. When the data are exported the
listing calling codes.
 code is exported to the data file.
A webpage may include a dropdown menu listing calling codes
however, I found this task difficult. I couldn’t find a menu with Figure 13.5 Dropdown Menu Listing Countries
the data I needed for a dropdown field on the example form.
As an alternative, I found dropdown menus listing country
names and decided to modify the Options.

2. Copy a dropdown field from a webpage file converted to

PDF.

In this example I first converted a webpage to PDF using the
File ➤ Create PDF ➤ From Web Page) command. I copied a
dropdown field containing country names and pasted the field
in the example form.

3. Open the Dropdown Properties window and click the

Options tab.

Since countries were listed in the Dropdown Properties
Options tab when I pasted the field, I decided to use the
Click a country and add an Export Value. In this example I added calling code
country names and change the export values. Each country is numbers for the Export Values.
listed and the export value is the country calling code. I made
edits by clicking a country name and typed the corresponding
code in the Export Value text box.


136
 Figure 13.6 Dropdown List on Form

The selected item in the Dropdown Options Properties appears as the default
selection in the menu.

4. Select the default.


After editing fields in the Options tab, be certain to select the
item in the list that you want to appear as the default. In this
case I selected United States. Choose the item that you
believe most users are likely to select when filling out the form.

Click OK and the selection becomes the new default.

List Boxes and Dropdowns can be helpful when you need room
on a form for long response lists. These fields are also helpful for
users when you provide closed response answers to questions.
The users won’t need to struggle to type an answer in an open
field.

137
Chapter 14

Securing Forms &

Copyright Protection

Adding security to forms to prevent users from

changing the form. Should you copyright your
forms?
Securing Forms & Copyright Protection

Chapter 14
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
protected against changing the form contents. Any content displayed on
Cataloging Passwords
government websites and available for public consumption should be considered
Copyrighting Forms a target for security and protection. This rule should extend to every document a
government website hosts even those documents not considered forms.

139
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 I’ll 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 Figure 14.1 Document Properties
researching security options available to your department.
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. 


To secure a PDF form, do the following: Press CTRL/

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. Click the Security tab in the Document Properties window.

140
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.

5. Adding Restrictions.
 7. Enable Form Fill-In.


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 won’t be able to fill in the
Adobe Reader. The eForms you host won’t 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.


141
9. Change Permissions Password.
 Check the box for Encrypt all document contents except
This is where you add password security to your form. On metadata (Acrobat 6 and later compatible). This box should be
the right side of the text box is a scale that measures the checked so your forms can be found using Internet search
strength of your password. Typing a few characters results engines.
in a weak password. Using upper and lowercase
11. Click OK.

characters, numbers, and certain symbols results in a
When you click OK you are prompted to re-enter your
password with more strength.
password. Type the password exactly the same as the
password you supplied in the Change Permissions
Figure 14.2 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
Be certain to enable form fill in and signing existing signature fields. opening the document. Once open, you can perform a search
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.

142
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 you’re 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 don’t want samples of your forms appearing in a
study by ComputerWorld!

143
Movie

144
Chapter 15

Signing and Notarizing

Forms

Adding signatures to forms and working with

eNotaries
Signing and Notarizing Forms

Chapter 15
Perhaps the largest obstacles in preventing eForms from proliferating throughout
IN THIS CHAPTER government offices are related to signing and notarizing forms. In the USA the
Signing PDF Forms Digital Signature Act of 1999, by law, granted agencies the right to recognize
digital signatures as a means of authenticating documents much like they do with
eNotarizing PDF Forms
written signatures. In the UK, electronic signatures regulations were established in
2002.

146
In more than a decade of legal acts permitting agencies rights for documents. The more government supports eSignatures and
using and accepting digital signatures for legal and binding eNotarizations, the more users will take advantage and the more
documents, little progress has been made and this still remains eNotary services will be made available.
an area of caution by many agencies.
Signing PDF Forms
However some progress is slowly making its way with
As a PDF author, you need not be as concerned with adding
eSignatures. The US Federal Housing Administration (FHA), for
digital signature fields on forms, but more interested in supporting
example, in 2010 began accepting eSignatures from third party
signatures from constituents. There are two types of signatures
documents including real estate forms. Progress has been slow
that users most often apply. These are adding a digital signature
though some movement is occurring. As more government
and adding a wet signature.
agencies begin using eSignatures we should see much wider
acceptance. The lion’s share of Adobe Reader users are not familiar with
creating a digital signature. A digital signature must first be
Another area that has kept eForms from proliferating is electronic
created in Reader. After a user creates a digital signature, the user
notarization. There are eNotaries in existence today throughout
can digitally sign a form containing a digital signature field.
the USA. However they are not present in some US states. Of the
50 US states, 29 have eNotaries and 21 states do not have In controlled environments such as within your office, digital
notaries that can electronically notarize a document. signatures can be beneficial. However for the masses, not only is
digital signature creation often misunderstood, validating
Like digital signatures, eNotarization has been slow but we are
signatures requires obtaining public keys from the users. Even if
seeing progress.
the end users understood how to add a signature and include a
The important thing to consider is that digital signatures and public key, the job is enormous when it comes to validating
electronically signing documents as well as electronic notarization signatures.
are both available in more than half the US States and moving to
For a more practical application users can place a wet signature.
acceptance in other countries. Services do exist and those
The user simply uses a mouse, stylus, or finger (on a mobile or
government websites that do host eForms can remarkably
tablet device) and signs a document much like they would
improve growth with supporting electronic signing and notarizing
handwrite a signature on a piece of paper. Wet signatures also
147
include creating a signature by typing the user’s name. Both Typing a Signature.
methods are handled in the Sign panel ➤ Place Signature menu
This option requires the user to type their name in a text field box
in Adobe Reader.
in the Place Signature dialog box. After typing a name, the user
Placing a signature requires the user to open the Sign panel. can change the text appearance by clicking the Change Signature
From the Place Signature drop-down menu the user needs to first Style button. Continue clicking and Reader displays different
click Change Saved Signature. The Place Signature dialog box fonts and styles in the Review Your Signature window. When the
opens. Here you find a drop-down menu for Typing a Signature, style looks acceptable, the user clicks the Accept button.
Drawing a Signature, or Using an Image.
Figure 15.2 Typed Signature

Figure 15.1 Sign Panel Options

Choose Type My Signature from the drop-down menu and type your name in the
Click the Sign panel and from the Place Signature drop-down menu choose Enter Your Name text box.
Change Saved Signature.

148
Draw my Signature. Figure 15.3 Place an Image
This option permits the user to write a signature much like
handwriting on paper. The signature may appear unpolished since
the user needs to work with a mouse or finger. If a user has a
stylus, the signature can look very close to a handwritten
signature.

Use an Image.
A handwritten signature can be scanned and saved as JPG, PNG,
GIF, BMP, TIFF, or PDF. When the user chooses Use an Image
from the drop-down menu they click the Browse button to locate
the scanned signature on their hard drive. A preview is displayed
in the Review Your Signature window. If the preview looks right,
click the Accept button.

Once a Reader user sets attributes for a signature, the same

settings are used when filling in additional forms and working in Choose Use an Image from the drop-down menu and click the browse button to
locate a scan of your signature.
different Reader sessions. No further changes are needed until
one wishes to change his/her signature appearance.

Creating a signature is relatively simple, but very clear steps

should be posted on a website for users to follow and the user
community should be informed what signature is acceptable by
your agency. This entire area of electronic signing documents
should be discussed in committee and decisions should be made
relative to acceptable standards.

149
eNotarizing PDF Forms
Notarization of all forms is not necessary but there are a
significant number of forms within many agencies that do require
notarization. For this reason any government office requiring
notarization of documents should host information about eNotary
services within an agency’s catchment area.

PDF authors don’t need to be concerned with adding content to a

form that permits eNotarization. The job at hand is research and
clearly stating processes on agency websites for constituents to
follow for gaining access to eNotaries. For eForms requiring
notarization you might add a URL link to a webpage detailing
information regarding eNotaries in your area to make it easier for
constituents to find eNotary services.

Your agency would be well advantaged in locating existing

eNotaries, promoting expansion of eNotary services, and meeting
with groups such as GlobalSign, American Society of Notaries
(USA), The National Notary Association (USA), The Notaries
Society org in the UK, and various other notary societies that
exist in many countries.

150
Chapter 16

Working with
Calculations

Knowing how to use Acrobat’s calculations

options
Working with Calculations

Chapter 16
When calculations are needed on a form, it’s always best to let Adobe Reader
IN THIS CHAPTER perform the calculations rather than the end users. If you develop correct
Knowing Where Calculations are Placed in calculation formulas, you can prevent user error and save both the constituent and
PDFs your agency personnel time in processing a form.

Calculating Data with Acrobat Built-in There are three methods you can use to create calculations in PDF documents.
Formulas These include 1) using Acrobat’s built-in formulas, 2) using Simplified Field
Notation, and 3) using JavaScript. The easiest method and one that even the most
Calculating Data with Simplified Field
novice Acrobat user can apply is adding a built-in calculation formula provided by
Notation (SFN)
Acrobat. A little more difficult is using Simplified Field Notation. The most difficult
Calculating Data with JavaScript for non-programmers is using JavaScript.

152
Knowing Where Calculations are Placed in Before you dive into the Calculate Properties on a text field, there

PDFs are a few things you should know about field design. The B6J
sample form from the US Department of Justice (see Figure 16.2)
The Calculate tab in text field boxes is the only place where you
makes the work for adding a calculation formula difficult for the
can add any one of the three methods. JavaScript however, can
PDF author. The form is not well designed. Inasmuch as tool tips
be added to any PDF elements where you find Actions. You can
provide the user feedback on the data required for a given field,
perform calculations with JavaScript on any field type. In text
the alignment of text and fields is awkward. However more
fields you can add JavaScripts in the Actions, Format, Validate,
importantly, the field names in the column that needs tabulation
and Calculate tabs.
are unique names without a proper hierarchical structure. Fields
When creating calculations in tables for summing data or writing are named Utilities.Fuel.Amt, Telephone.Amt, Transportation.Amt,
other formulas, most of your work involves using the Calculate Clothing.Amt, etc.
tab in text fields. Many eForms are designed with fields where
When you open the Text Field Properties window and click the
calculations can be performed. For most of these forms you use a
Calculate tab for the AverageMonthlyExp.Amt (the total field), you
few simple math operations and don’t need to worry about writing
select Value is the and choose sum (+) from the drop-down menu.
complex formulas.
Figure 16.1 The Calculate Text Field Properties
Calculating Data with Acrobat Built-in
Formulas
Acrobat supports several formulas. You can sum contents of
fields, you can calculate a product (multiply), calculate an
average, calculate a minimum within a range of values, and
calculate a maximum within a range of values. Acrobat’s built-in
formulas are limited to these five calculation methods. If you want
to subtract or divide values you need to use either Simplified Field
Notation or JavaScript.

Click the Value is the radio button & choose sum(+)

153
Figure 16.2 Form BJ6 From US Department of Justice You next click Pick and the Field Selection dialog box opens. In
this dialog box you need to check every field in the column that
you want to use in the formula.

Figure 16.3 Field Selection Dialog

You need to check all fields that are used in the formula

Since there are fields throughout the form you need to carefully
read the field names and determine what fields are required for
the calculation. On this particular form it would be easy to miss
including a field in the formula and the calculation would render
incorrect values.

After you select the fields, click OK and the formula is ready to
perform the calculation.

On form B6A (also from the US Department of Justice) you find a

Fields are not properly named for easy calculations
table containing fields named in hierarchical order. However

154
EVERY field in the table has the same root name: Property. There Let’s fix this form to demonstrate an example for how the form
is no way to distinguish the fields in the column that needs to be should have been designed:
tabulated from the other fields in the table.
1. Create a text field.


Figure 16.4 Form with a Column that Needs Summing In this sample form I deleted the fields in the 4th column where
you see Current Value… and started by creating a new field in
the first row.



For tables having columns and rows you create the first field
without a hierarchical name. In this example I use currentValue
as the field name. Since all other fields in the table have a root
name of Property, my new column has a unique name for the
root value.

2. Format the field.


When calculating numeric values always format the text as a
number. In the Text Field Properties window click Format.

Figure 16.5 Format the Field as a Number

Fields on this form all have the same root name.

Choose Number from the Select Format Category drop-down menu.
155
 Open the Select format category drop-down menu and choose 4. Click OK and Acrobat creates eight fields down. 

Number. Edit the Decimal places and Separator style options. The fields are named with a hierarchical structure. In my
In this example I choose 0 (zero) for Decimal places and use example the field names are currentValue.0, currentValue.1,
the Separator style with commas. currentValue.2, etc.

3. Populate the column with fields.
 5. Choose a calculation formula.


When you’re certain you have the field attributes properly The Property.CurrrentValue.Ttl field is used for the sum of the
assigned for the first field in a column, open a context menu currentValue fields. In the Text Field Properties window, click
and choose Create Multiple Copies. In this example I use 8 for the Calculate tab.

Copy selected fields down and 1 for Copy selected fields 

across. Select the Value is the radio button and from the drop-down
menu and choose sum (+).
Figure 16.6 Table Populated with Fields
6. Add the fields to be calculated.

Click Pick and the Field Selection window opens. In the Field
Selection dialog box, scroll the list until you find currentValue. 



Figure 16.7 Field Selection Window

Click just the root name and all fields with the same root name are
aded to the formula.

New fields in the Current Value column.

156
 When you have fields that need some simple math routines and
Note the field names are not described with a hierarchical name
structure you can use SFN. However, for more complicated
The root name appears first followed by currentValue.0,
currentValue.1, currentValue.2, etc. formulas, your best solutions are available with JavaScript.

When you select a root value among a group of fields, the Calculating Data with JavaScript
calculation is performed for all fields having the same root Acrobat JavaScript is not limited to calculating numeric values.
name. You do not need to specifically identify each field in the You can open application alert messages, manage data, show/
Field Selection dialog box. hide fields, show/hide layers, open/close files, create new
objects, delete objects, run analyses on documents and much
7. Click OK in the Field Selection dialog box and the
more using JavaScript.
calculation formula is added to the field.
In terms of calculating data, JavaScript is added to the Calculate
Calculating Data with Simplified Field properties like we previously added Acrobat built-in and SFN
Notation (SFN) formulas.
Simplified Field Notation (SFN) is a scripting language that
The same field attributes need to be assigned when using
resembles writing formulas similar to the way formulas are written
JavaScript to make your forms authoring much easier. Just like
in spreadsheet programs. The disadvantage you find when using
we found a way to simplify calculating sums with Acrobat’s built-
SFN is that you cannot use hierarchical field names. SFN is
in formulas, JavaScript is much easier when you use hierarchical
helpful when you want to subtract and divide values since these
names.
formulas are not part of Acrobat’s built-in formulas.
To compare using other formulas with JavaScript, let’s use the
An SFN calculation might be something like (item0 + item1) / 2.
same form discussed earlier in this chapter where we calculated a
Note that item0 and item1 are not hierarchical field names (no
sum using Acrobat built-in formulas. The steps to follow include:
period exists in the names). In this example a field named item0 is
added to a field named item1 and the result is divided by 2.

157
1. Follow steps 1-3 you use for calculating sums with Acrobat column adding values as it loops through the fields. The result is
JavaScript.
 the event.value (within the field where this script is written) and
The fields should be formatted for numbers and should have sum in line 6 is the sum total of the currentValue fields.
hierarchical names.
Figure 16.8 Type Code in the JavaScript Editor
2. Select the total field and open the JavaScript Editor.

Click the Calculate Properties and click the Custom calculation
script radio button. Click Edit to open the JavaScript Editor.
The JavaScript Editor is like a text editor where you write code
for the JavaScript (See Figure 16.8).

3. Enter the following code in the JavaScript Editor:


1. var f = this.getField("currentValue");

2.var a = f.getArray();

3." var sum = 0;

4." " for (i =0; i < a.length; i++)

5." " sum += a[i].value;

6." event.value = sum;

4. Click OK in the JavaScript Editor.


Type the code and click OK.
The formula is set to calculate the currentValue fields in the
column. If you never looked at a JavaScript and you are not a
programmer, don’t be concerned. You can copy this exact same
In the JavaScript for this example the first line of code sets
code and paste it in the JavaScript Editor for any total field where
variable f to the field currentValue. This is a root name of the fields
you want to sum two or more rows (or columns) of data. The only
in the column we need to total. In the second line of code we set
item you need to change is the currentValue text in the first line of
up an array. We set a variable sum to a value of 0 (zero) and then
code. If you use a root field name such as total so the fields in the
follow that line with a loop. The loop runs through the entire
158
column appear as total.0, total.1, total.2, etc., you replace
currentValue with total.

It doesn’t matter how many fields you have in a column or row.

You could have 2,000 or more fields. The script still works for
calculating a total. In line 4 we run a loop through the length of
the array (a.length). As long as there are additional fields, the loop
keeps running until it reaches the last field.

Remember. Most eForms require only a few different JavaScripts

that you can easily copy and paste. Don’t be concerned about
not having skills as a programmer. With just a few copy/paste
JavaScripts you can make your forms dynamic and satisfy needs
for your agency.

159
Movie


160
Chapter 17

Working with JavaScript

Using easy copy/paste JavaScripts

Working with JavaScript

Working with JavaScript

By far the most complicated aspect of creating eForms is working with JavaScript.
IN THIS CHAPTER For non-programmers, adding JavaScripts in forms can be a challenge.
JavaScript Resources Fortunately though, with a fundamental understanding for where scripts are added
in forms and what results you want to accomplish you can handle some of your
Using the JavaScript Console
JavaScript needs by copying and pasting scripts.
Document Level JavaScripts

Writing Button Scripts

162
JavaScript Resources JavaScript Tips and Techniques.
The more you work with eForms the more you’ll want to know I host a PDF document on my website that has 101 tips for
about JavaScript. To gain some information and learning how to creating PDF forms. More than half the tips address JavaScript.
write scripts, there are help documents and manuals online This free tips manual can be downloaded from http://
available free for download. Information and material can be tedpadova.com/downloads.html.
found at:
Search the Internet.
Adobe Systems. The Internet has a wealth of information related to PDF forms and
Adobe Systems provides manuals for JavaScript they host on the Acrobat JavaScript. Do a Google or Bing search for tips and help
Adobe website. JavaScript manuals are typically dated however related to JavaScript and code samples.
much of the information provided for an earlier version of Acrobat
works well for Acrobat XI. For material on JavaScript from Adobe Using the JavaScript Console
Systems look at: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/ You add JavaScripts in the JavaScript window on form fields, at
javascript.html. the document level, on page actions, bookmarks, etc. To test and
debug scripts you can use the JavaScript Console. This special
The JavaScript API Reference manual can be downloaded from:

window is used for temporarily testing code snippets and
http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/devnet/acrobat/
debugging code.
pdfs/js_api_reference.pdf.
You open the JavaScript Console from the Tools ➤ Forms panel
PDF Scripting. by clicking JavaScript Debugger. The keyboard shortcut is CTRL/
Thom Parker, one of the world’s leading authorities on Acrobat Command + J. When working with JavaScript you’ll want to
JavaScript, hosts a website www.pdfscripting.com where you can remember this keyboard shortcut to quickly access the
find code snippets, video tutorials, and articles on Acrobat JavaScript Console/Debugger.
JavaScript.
In the Console window you can type code and execute the code
and errors are reported when scripts contain bugs. You
continually interact with this panel when writing JavaScripts so
163
it’s a good idea to keep the window open as you write and test 3. Add a script.

JavaScripts. For this example type in the following code:

To write a script and execute it, let’s take a look at creating an 1. var msg = “Write SSN without dashes
application alert message. Application alerts are routines that (111559999).”;
you’ll want to frequently add to eForms. You may want a message
to appear when the form is opened instructing the user on how to 2. " app.alert(msg);
complete or process a form, you may want an alert message to
appear if data are not properly encoded, you may want to inform
Figure 17.1 The JavaScript Console
users on proper encoding for form fields or a host of other
circumstances where you find a message alert helpful for the
user.

To create and execute an application alert message, do the

following:

1. Open the JavaScript Console.


Press CTRL/Command + J on your keyboard.

2. Clear the default text.


Type the code in the JavaScript Console.
When the console opens you find a few lines of text appearing
in the Console window. Click the trash icon at the bottom right 3. Select the text.

corner of the JavaScript Debugger window. You can select a few lines of code in a long script to test a
subroutine or you can select the entire script when testing the
routine. In this case there are only two lines of code and both
lines need to be selected to test the routine.

164
4. Press Enter on the numeric keypad.
 You could use any variable name you like such as x, message,
Do not press the Enter/Return key. You need to use the Enter etc. In this example we use msg for the variable name. The
key on your numeric keypad. If using a laptop computer you second line of code instructs Acrobat to open an alert dialog box
may need to add the Function key when pressing Enter. and displays the message.

After pressing Enter, you should see an application alert dialog This routine is one that you can easily copy and paste in the
box. In the JavaScript code above, the variable msg was JavaScript window when you want to add a script to a button,
assigned to the line of text within the quote marks. field, bookmark, etc. All you have to do is change the text
appearing within the quote marks.
Figure 17.2 The Routine Executed
Document Level JavaScripts
When you want a script to execute upon opening a form, you add
the script as a Document Level JavaScript. More complicated
scripts using functions are also written at the document level.

You can write scripts that instruct Reader to open application

alert messages, clear data on a form, show/hide fields, set
parameters for fields, and a number of other conditions in a
document level JavaScript. The document level scripts execute
before the user begins to interact with a form.

Assessing Viewer Versions

A good use for writing a document level script is assessing the
user’s viewer version. Suppose your form can only be completed
in Adobe Reader XI. You can write a script that assesses the
version of Adobe Reader on the user’s computer. If the version is
lower than version XI, an application alert opens. If the Reader
Select both lines of text and press Enter (num pad key).
165
version is XI or greater, then nothing happens. To write a script 3. Open the JavaScript Editor.

that assesses the user’s version of Adobe Reader, do the Type a name for the script in the Script Name text box. Click
following: the Add button to open the JavaScript Editor. In the JavaScript
Editor window clear the default text (select the text and press
the Backspace/Delete key on your keyboard).
1. Open a form in Acrobat.
4. Type the JavaScript code.
2. Open the Document JavaScript Editor.

1. //is the viewer version less than 11.0?
In the Tools ➤ JavaScript panel click Document JavaScripts.


 2. if(app.viewerVersion < 11.0)

Figure 17.3 Document Level JavaScripts 3. {

4. var msg = "This form needs to be completed

in Adobe Reader or Acrobat version 11.0 or
greater";

app.alert(msg);

5. }

5. Close the windows.


Click OK in the JavaScript Editor. When you return to the
Document JavaScripts window click Close.

Type a name and click the Add button to open the JavaScript Editor

166
The first line of code is a comment line and ignored by Acrobat If a user tries to open your form in a Reader version below XI, the
when the script is executed. It’s a good idea to add comment dialog box opens displaying the message.
lines throughout your routines where some notation is helpful for
A routine like this should be included on all eForms. Some PDF
you and others to understand when modifying the form.
forms can be populated in a viewer version 7.5 and above.
Comment lines begin with //. You can also keep a subroutine from
However, forms may not work properly in viewer versions less
executing by adding /* in the first line and */ in the last line of
than 7.5. Many users are still working with Reader versions less
code where you want Acrobat to ignore code when the routine is
than 7.0 therefore it’s best to give the users a heads up when a
executed. This can be helpful when you debug scripts and want
form won’t work properly in viewers less than a given viewer
to isolate a subroutine to test it.
version.
The second line of code looks at the application viewer.
New features have been added in Reader XI that do not work in
Regardless of whether the form is opened in Reader or Acrobat, if
any previous version of Reader, although the routines work fine in
the viewer is less than version 11, the code within the braces is
Acrobat viewers less than XI.0. You must insure that Reader users
executed. If the viewer is 11.0 or greater, nothing happens.
are properly informed about what viewer version is needed to
The code within the braces sets up the message and executes an complete a form.
application alert message.
Force Quitting the Viewer
Figure 17.4 Application Alert Dialog Box Suppose you want all your eForms completed in Acrobat XI and
above. Some of your forms may be completed fine in earlier
versions of Reader, but many forms may require using Reader XI.
To standardize on a viewer version for all forms, you want to
insure users are required to upgrade to Reader XI or above before
they interact with your forms.

You can easily prevent users from working in a version less than

If the viewer version is less than version XI.0, the dialog box opens displaying the
the one you prescribe by adding one more line of code to the
message. previous example.
167
 or above. After they click the OK button, the file automatically
Figure 17.5 Code for Force Closing a Form
closes. No editing is permitted in a viewer version less than the
one you prescribe in the routine.

Adding this line of code insures that all your eForms are
completed in the version you prescribe in the script. This kind of
forced condition assures the constituents that when they
complete forms the data are reliable and all aspects of the form
work properly.

Writing Button Scripts

Button fields are contained on many forms. You might use
buttons to clear data, send data from one group of fields to
another or from one form to another, navigate pages such as
jumping to instructions in a multi-page form and returning back to
the form, submitting form data to a host agency, show/hide fields
add the last line of code before the closing brace. and just about anything else you can imagine. With JavaScript
you are only limited by your imagination. In addition you can add
Right after the line 5: 
 other actions such as Execute a Menu item and nest JavaScripts
app.alert(msg);
 with other actions on the same button.
Enter the following:

this.closeDoc(); Writing JavaScripts for buttons is yet one more reason you need
to use hierarchical field names. If you want to hide all fields on a
This line of code must be within the braces and appear after the form that has 100 fields or more, 2 lines of JavaScript will perform
application alert opens. When the Reader user opens the form in the action. If every field name has a unique name it would require
a version less than version XI, the alert dialog box opens 202 lines of code. If you want to clear fields in one section on a
informing the user that the form must be completed in Reader XI form, 4 lines of code will do the job when fields have hierarchical

168
names. If fields have unique names each field name in the section Figure 17.6 Fields in Obstetrics Section
needs to be referenced in the JavaScript.

Before adding buttons and writing JavaScripts, you need to be

certain the form is constructed properly and all fields are properly
named.
All fields in the Obstetrics section have a root field name of a.ob,

Showing/hiding fields Notice that the fields in the obstetrics section have a root name of
If fields are not visible on a form then the user isn’t able to interact a.ob and you find fields named a.ob.sex.0, a.ob.weight.0,
with the form. You may want a user to interact with a form based a.ob.date.delivery, etc. the fields in this section have unique
on conditions such as checking a box for gender. If a gender names but they all have a common root value of a.ob.
response is F (female) then questions specific to females are
Most of the fields on this form all begin with a. Therefore, on this
shown. If the response is M (male) then fields specific to males
form we can add a JavaScript that clears all the a fields and/or a
are shown. When the form opens, fields are hidden and only
JavaScript that shows/hides only the a.ob fields.
appear after the user checks the gender check box. In another
scenario you may want all fields hidden on a form until the user Let’s look at how we add a JavaScript to the Sex field that shows/
checks a box agreeing to terms and conditions. If the user checks hides the obstetrics fields based on the user response.
the Yes field, all fields are shown. If the user clicks No then all
fields remain hidden. As an example for a situation where you 1. Open the field properties on a field where you want to add
may want to show/hide fields, the sample form shown here is a an action to show/hide fields.

health form. On this form there is a section for obstetrics. In this example I start with a check box for F (female).
Obviously the fields in the obstetrics section apply to only female
2. Open the Actions tab.

patients. By default all obstetrics fields are hidden when the form
For this field we won’t use the Calculate properties on the text
opens. If the user marks the sex field with F (female) then the
field. The Actions tab is where we write the JavaScript.
obstetrics fields are made visible. If the response is M (male) the
fields are again hidden.

169
3. Set the mouse trigger to Mouse Up.
 Figure 17.7 Sample: Botswana Health Form
The JavaScript executes when you click the checkbox and Republic of Botswana Ministry of Health
MH 017/Rev 2003
release the mouse button. Morbidity, Mortality and Obstetric In-Patient Form
This form is to be used for in-patients in all health facilities regarding information on diagnosis/injuries, causes of death and obstetrics.
Section (1) is used at admission. Section (2) at time of discharge and section (3) for obstetrics only.

4. Choose Run a JavaScript from the Select Action drop- Facility Number: Med Record No. Serial No.

Section 1 Admission

down menu. Date of admission:

Patients Surname:
Ward/Doctor:
Forenames: DOB:
Re-admission:
Age:
Yes
Sex: M
No
F
Nationality: Code: Occupation:
Occupation:

5. Click The Add button to open the JavaScript Editor Patients address:

Next of kin name:

Chief:
Next of kin (address/
Headman:

relationship):
window.
Next of kin phone num:
Section 2 Discharge

Discharge: Date: Alive Referral Death

Treatment/operation:

6. Add the following code in the JavaScript Editor:

MORBIDITY ICD-10 HSU Diagnostic Condition

Main condition:
1. var j = this.getField("a.ob.");
Other conditions:

2. j.hidden = false;

This script with only two lines of code shows all fields having a MORTALITY Cause of death ICD-10 HSU due to (or as a consequence of) Interval

Disease or condition directly leading to death*

root value of a.ob when the F (female) check box is selected. By (a)

Antecedent causes Morbid conditions, if any, giving

default the obstetric fields are hidden when the form opens. The rise to the above cause, stating the underlying
condition last (b)

(c)

only way to show the fields is when the user clicks the F check (d)

Other significant conditions contributing to the

box. In line 1 we set the variable j to the a.ob fields. death, but not related to the disease or condition
causing it
*This does not mean the mode of dying, e.g. heart failure. It means the disease, external causes of fatal injury, or complications that caused death.

this.getField(“field name”) is a common term you’ll use in many Section 3 Obstetric (Famale and complications of pregnancy/delivery only)
Date of delivery: Gestation (duration of pregnancy) in weeks:

scripts. The second line of code takes all fields set to the variable Result of delivery:
Sex (M or F caps only):
One Two Deliveries Three Deliveries Four Deliveries

Alive OR Still (A/S):

name (in this case all the a.ob fields) and shows them
 Premature OR Full (P/F):
Birth Weight(gms):

(j.hidden = false). Method delivery:

Completed by Block letter Designation Telephone Address, health facility Date comp Signature

To prevent user error you need to add a routine in the field that
hides the obstetrics fields. If a user clicks the F check box first
Sample form having two check boxes for gender choice at the top of the form and
and then clicks the M checkbox, the first action shows the fields for obstetrics choices at the bottom of the form.

170
obstetric fields. When M is checked you need to re-hide the form, populate the form, and click a button that sends the data to
obstetric fields. The same script is used except line 2 is edited as the master form.
follows:
As an example, look at the sample from the Botswana Ministry of
1. var j = this.getField("a.ob."); Health form here. This form contains in-patient registration cards.
The idea is that patients are registered when they are admitted.
2. j.hidden = true;
Another form is used to discharge a patient. A third form collects

Remember that when a form is secured against making changes data from the discharge form in a summary form that is submitted

and form fields are hidden there is no way for a user to interact to the central office monthly.

with the hidden fields. You might find that hiding fields used
Figure 17.8 Registration Card
specifically for official use helpful on a form. You could add a
button that opens a dialog box prompting the user for a
password. If the password is entered correctly, the fields are
shown. This method requires those who retrieve forms to simply
enter a password rather than having to edit the security settings.
(See Chapter 20 for more on working with Official Use Only fields
The user completes the registration information then clicks the Send Data button (lower
and adding passwords to unlock the fields). right corner) to send the data to the discharge form.

Locking Fields (readonly) When a patient is ready for discharge the health worker clicks the
Send Data button. The action on this button opens the master
Locking fields is helpful when you want the data in a field
discharge form and sends the data from the registration form to
displayed but you don’t want users to edit the field(s). Calculation
the master discharge form.
formulas are a good example for when you want the results
displayed but the field locked against editing the results. Another After the data are sent to the second form, the registration
use for read only fields is when you want a user to populate a information is cleared guaranteeing that the registration file
section of a master form from another form and use a button to contains only those patients who are currently in a hospital or
send the completed data to the master form. If certain fields on a health clinic. This helps heath officials tabulate total patients in
master form are read only, you can force users to open another
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hospitals/clinics at any given time and the data collected from the Rather than have health workers rekey data that are contained on
discharge forms is accumulated for analysis. a registration form, a button is used to send the existing
registration data to the final discharge form. To prevent users from
Figure 17.9 Discharge Form changing the original registration data, the registration data on the
master discharge form are sent to read only fields.

The script to send the data from the registration form to the
discharge form is extensive so I won’t bother you with the script
information. For now realize that you can set up fields in a form to
read only, so certain fields are locked when a form opens. This
setting is in the General properties for all field types. Notice the
checkbox for Read Only in the Common Properties in the General
tab.

Figure 17.10 General Properties

Read Only checked.

The top section contains read only fields. Data are sent from the
Registration Cards to this form.
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If you have a form that requires a user response to make the You might add a button action to send the user to a specific page
fields active, you can globally change the field attributes and turn in a document. A script like the following is used if you write a
off (or on) Read Only. JavaScript to navigate pages.

Notice in the master discharge form most of the fields have a root this.pageNum = 25;
name of a. Suppose these fields are locked when the form opens
JavaScript is zero based meaning that JavaScript sees the first
and suppose further that the user needs to click a button to agree
page in a document as page 0, followed by 1, 2, 3, etc. The
to terms and conditions in order to interact with the a fields.
above script takes the user to page 26. You can use other actions
An Agree button would have a JavaScript action for unlocking the besides JavaScripts to navigate pages such as the Go to a page
fields written as follows: view. However, writing JavaScript is much faster. You can copy/
paste the script and edit the page number much faster than
1. var f = this.getField("a");
moving through pages to set the page result in the Create Go to
2. f.readonly = false; View dialog box.

Once again notice the benefits for using hierarchical field names. Other page navigation scripts that are handy include the
When you begin many forms you may not immediately know what following:
interactivity you wish to control on a form. Therefore, even if you
this.pageNum++;
initially feel that you won’t require hierarchical names, get in the
habit of using them. Later, if you modify a form that requires using this.pageNum--;
hierarchical names, you won’t need to completely redesign the
When a user completes a form on one page and needs to move
form.
to the next page the (++) takes the user to the next page. The (--)
Navigating Pages with JavaScript takes the user to the previous page.

Buttons can be helpful to assist with page navigation on long You may want to spawn a page from a template (see Chapter 18
forms where you may have instructions included on many for spawning pages from templates). When you write a script that
separate pages. You may wish to place buttons to assist the user spawns a page from a template, the new page is added to the
in finding help information related to filling out a given section.
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document but the user remains on the same page where the Figure 17.11 Sample Form
button used to spawn a new page exists. Typically it helps users
to move to the new page when a new page is added. After
spawning a page from a template you’ll want to add page
navigation at the end of the script.

Clearing Data (reset form)

There’s an action for Reset a form in the Select Action drop-down
menu. When you use this action type, a dialog box opens and
you have a choice to clear all fields or only selected fields you
check in the dialog box.

You might have a form where a user adds identifying information

followed by several sections to fill out. Perhaps a button action
that clears all data except the identifying information helps the
user start again in a section. In another situation, you may have
forms with many different pages and want to add a reset button
to clear data only on a page in view.

The sample form from the US Federal Regulatory Commission

has 60 pages. Fifty-seven of the pages contain form fields. It
would be a laborious task to add a reset button on 57 pages
using the Reset a form action. Using JavaScript however, we can
greatly simplify the task and add a reset button on each page that
clears only the data on the respective page. We can create reset
buttons for clearing page data in a matter of minutes.
Field names for the 4th page in the document have a common root value of P3.

174
When you design a form with multiple pages you must first think actually page 3. Therefore, I begin on the fourth page and use the
about the interactivity you want in the form before you begin root name P3 (JavaScript sees the page as page 3 while Acrobat
adding field objects. On the sample form I want to place a reset sees the page as page 4). The first two fields at the top of the
form button to clear data on each page. Therefore I need to think form on page 4 are named P3.legalName, P3.reportYear. The next
about how to name the fields properly to facilitate creating the page in the form uses the root name P4 and so on.
reset buttons with as few steps as possible.
When I add a button to the P3 page I add a JavaScript in the
JavaScript permits you to use the current page number and Actions tab and open the JavaScript Window where I add the
assign it as a variable. Therefore if the root name for fields is following script:
something like P3, P4, P5, etc., you can use P(n) where n is a
1. var oPage = this.pageNum;
variable. On the sample form I use a variable name oPage to
make the variable name a little more descriptive and assign it to 2. var fields = new Array();
the page number.
3. fields = "P" + oPage;
The fields on the pages need to have a root name of P plus the
page number such as P3, P4, P5, etc. 4. this.resetForm(fields);

In the above script the variable oPage is assigned to the current

Note
page in view. Therefore when on the P3 page, the oPage value is
You don’t have to use P to begin the field root name. You can use 3 (this.pageNum). In line 3 the fields variable is set to P + the
Page or any other name you want for the root name. You just need
oPage value or P3. The last line of code clears the data for only
to be certain the name follows with the variable we assign to the
page number.
the P3 fields.

On the sample form used in this example, the first three pages
contain information and there are no form fields on these pages.
The actual form begins on page 4. However, remember that
JavaScript is 0 based, hence, in JavaScript terms, page 4 is
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Since we use a variable for the page number and name fields
containing the page number you can duplicate this button across
the remaining pages. No separate code needs to be written for
each page. Simply test the script to be certain it works properly
and open a context menu on the button. From the menu options
choose Duplicate Across Pages. When the Duplicate Field dialog
box opens enter the page range. In my example I click the From
radio button and type 5 in the first text box and 60 in the second
text box.

Note

In the Duplicate Field dialog box we don’t use 0 (zero) for the first
page number. Since Acrobat displays the current page as Page 4,
the duplicate fields need to start on page 5 —the next logical
page.

Creating a reset button with 4 lines of JavaScript code and

duplicating the button across 57 pages can be accomplished in a
few minutes. If we don’t use hierarchical names it would virtually
take hours of development time to create individual reset buttons
on 57 pages.

176
Movie

177
Chapter 18

Dynamically Adding
Pages to Forms

In Adobe Reader XI you can now spawn pages

from templates
Dynamically Adding Pages to Forms

Chapter 18
Acrobat provides a means where you can dynamically add new pages in a form.
IN THIS CHAPTER Adding new pages requires you to first set up a page template then write a script
Creating Templates to spawn the page from a template.

Writing a Script to Spawn a Page From a

Template

Understanding Field Names in Spawned

Pages

179
Spawning pages from templates was not possible in Adobe Templates can be created as separate documents and inserted in
Reader prior to version XI. The addition of this feature and a master form or you can start with a page already included in a
importing button faces adds much more functionality for eForms. form and convert the page to a template. To easily add a page to
In terms of spawning pages you may have forms where amplified an existing form, open the Page Thumbnails panel and drag a
details help provide additional space for more lengthy responses. form from the desktop to the Page Thumbnails panel.

A job application form, for example, may be brief for job entry- 

level people but may need much more room for professional vitae It doesn’t matter where the page you intend to covert to a page
items. In this scenario you can design a brief form and let the user template resides in a form. Template pages can be hidden and
add more pages as needed. are not identified in the total pages for a form. For example, if a
form has 3 pages and you turn one page into a template, you can
In another example you may want to add summary data from one
choose to hide the template page. If you hide the page template,
form to aggregate data over a period of time. Even if you know
Acrobat/Reader sees the file as having only two pages.
the maximum number of pages required in a form, you would
have to add the maximum pages before deploying the form. The first thing you want to do is be certain the form to be used as
Since you can now spawn pages from templates in Adobe a template works properly, fields are formatted properly, and all
Reader you can permit the user to add pages as needed. This the JavaScripts, if any exist, work properly. When you’re certain
makes deploying forms much easier since a single page form the form field elements are properly set up, you then open the
would require less disk space than a form with many pages and Page Templates tool from the Document Processing panel.
having many fields. The more fields you add to a form the larger
the file sizes grow. To create a page template, do the following:

1. Open the page you want to add as a page template in the

Creating Templates
Document Pane.

To spawn a page from a template you must first have a page in a You must have the page in view to make the page a template.
form identified as a template. You add fields to template pages
just like you would add fields on any form. You can use 2. Open the Page Templates window.

hierarchical names and follow the same rules you use for In the Tools ➤ Document Processing panel click Page
designing any form. Templates. The Page Templates window opens.

180
3. Provide a name for the template.
 5. Hide the template.

Type a Name in the Name text box in the Page Templates It would be rare to have a template visible in your form.
window to add a name. Names you provide here should be Typically you always want to hide a template page especially if
simple names. When you write JavaScripts for interacting with the template contains form fields. This prevents users from
a page template you can use the template page name.
 entering data in form pages converted to templates. When you

 spawn a page from a template you’ll want to start with a fresh
Returning to the example of a registration form I used in the clean page containing no data in the data fields.

last chapter, I add the name reg for my template name. 

Click the eye icon to the left of the template name to hide the
4. Add the template.

template.
Click the Add button in the Page templates window to add the
page as a template. 6. Close the Page Templates window.

When you close the window the page template is hidden. The
Figure 18.1 Page Templates Window
only way you can edit the template is to open the Page Templates
window and make the template visible.

After the page template is created you can write a script to add
duplicate pages in your form. This can be handled with button
actions or you can tab out of the last field on a page and run the
script on an On Blur action to automatically spawn a page. The
latter is transparent to the user since the user doesn’t need to
click a button to spawn a page.

Click the eye icon inside the box to the left of the page template name to hide the
template.
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Writing a Script to Spawn a Page From a In line 4 we instruct Acrobat to rename the fields. If you set

Template bRename to false, the fields will have the same field names and
you won’t be able to add unique data to the fields.
Let’s use a button click to spawn a page from a template. Create
a button for adding a new page. Use the Run a JavaScript action The overlay is set to false. You can spawn pages so the spawned
and click Add to open the JavaScript window. In the JavaScript page overlays the current page or creates a new page in the
window, write the following script: document. We want a new page with unique field names so the
overlay switch is turned off (false).
1. var a = this.getTemplate("reg");
When you click a button with this kind of script a new page is
2. a.spawn ({ added to the document that carries with it all the characteristics
of the template page.
3. nPage:this.pageNum+1,

4. bRename:true, Understanding Field Names in Spawned

Pages
5. bOverlay:false,
Acrobat needs a mechanism to rename fields with unique names.
6. }) The way renaming fields is handled is using the page number
were the spawned page resides. If you have two pages in a
The first line of code sets the template (reg) to the variable a. The document and spawn a new page, the new page fields are
name you added in the Page Templates window should be within renamed with a root name of P2. (Remember, JavaScript is zero
the quote marks. The second like of code instructs Acrobat to based so it sees the third page as page two. Spawn another page
spawn a page from the named template. Lines 3-5 describe and the root name changes to P3.
attributes for the spawned page. In line 3 we determine where the
new page is placed in the document. In the code above it’s the If a template page has a field name like nameLast, the spawned
current page number plus 1. If you want the page placed at the page renames the field to P2.nameLast. The numeric value is a
end of the document you would use
 description of the page number. You can use a variable to
this.pageNum = this.numPages-1; describe page numbers if you need to loop through fields on
several pages. You might add a line of code like:
182
 var oPage = this.pageNum; For more about using page numbers assigned to variables see
Chapter 17.
The above code picks up the page number and assigns it to the
variable oPage.

Suppose you want to perform an action that retrieves a field

name on a spawned page. If you added the line of code above to
the script you would follow the first line with:

this.getField(＂P＂ + oPage + ＂.nameLast＂;

Notice the period inside the quote marks. This is essential since
the field name is P3.nameLast.

If you have multiple pages and a button to perform an action such

as sending data to another form or another page in a form you
could use the same script on a button placed on every page.
Since the oPage value is different on each page, such as on page
9 in a document the oPage value is 8 therefore the code:
this.getField(“P” + oPage + “.nameLast”; gets the
field P8.nameLast.

In short, you can create a script for a button field, test the script
to be certain it works properly. Then add the button to the
template page and all spawned pages have a button to spawn a
new page. The same script works on all pages since the oPage
value is determined by the page number where the button is
activated.

183
Movie

184
Chapter 19

Adding Button Faces

with JavaScript

You can add a button to a form and permit the

Adobe Reader user to change the button face
using a simple JavaScript
Adding Button Faces with JavaScript

Chapter 19
As I explained earlier in Chapter 12, Adobe Reader XI now supports importing
IN THIS CHAPTER button faces. Adding a button field in Acrobat and opening the form in Reader
Creating Buttons doesn’t permit the Reader user the ability to change a button face. You need to
have a JavaScript written in the Actions tab in order to import a graphic.
Writing the JavaScript

186
Changing button appearances is particularly helpful when you Figure 19.1 College Application Form
want the user to add a photo on a form. Many countries require
photos attached to application forms for schools, government
offices, employer applications, and such similar organizations.

Note

As I mentioned in Chapter 12, button faces are imported from PDF

files only. Acrobat supports many different image types and
signature appearances support many different image types, but
button faces, as of the first release of Reader XI, require importing
PDF files.

Users need to save photo image files as PDF documents.

Programs like Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and various
authoring programs support exporting to PDF. Users not having
image editing programs may need to import a photo taken with a
cell phone or a camera in an authoring program and export to
PDF.

Creating Buttons
To begin you need to create a button field. The sample form used
here is a college application form. The form requires a photo
affixed to the form so we can add a button field where the Reader
user can import a photo.

This college application form requires the applicant to submit a photo.

187
In the Options tab in the Button Field Properties choose Figure 19.2 Importing a Photo in Adobe Reader
Appearance and set appearances for Border and Fill. You may
want a keyline border around the image and you may want the
background surrounding the photo set to white. If you want the
background to be transparent use None for the fill.

After setting appearances, click the Options tab and choose Icon
only from the Layout drop-down menu. At this point you don’t
need to import an image in the button field.

Click the Advanced button in the Options tab and the Icon
Placement window opens. Check the Fit to Bounds check box
and click OK.

Writing the JavaScript

Click the Actions tab in the Button Field Properties window and
choose Run a JavaScript for the Action type. Click the Add
button and type the following in the JavaScript window:

event.target.buttonImportIcon();

This single line of code is all you need for the Reader user to click
the button and open a dialog box where the user can browse a
hard drive and locate a PDF file to import. Once the file is found,
the user clicks OK and the PDF is imported as a button face.
Click the button field in Adobe Reader and click Browse in the Select Icon dialog
box. Navigate to the photo you want to import, select the photo, and click OK to add
the photo as a button face.

188
Chapter 20

Working with In-Office

Forms

Designing forms for in-house use

Working with In-Office Forms

Chapter 20
Government offices work with two types of forms —those forms that are hosted
IN THIS CHAPTER on eGovernment websites for the public and those forms used internally within
Using PDF Stamps offices by employees. Just about any kind of office whether it be government or
enterprise with 5 or more employees is likely to distribute forms and collect
Working with Application Response Dialog
populated forms from the local staff.
Boxes
An abundance of forms within offices are often found in HR departments where
Sending Data to Secondary Forms
you find travel reimbursement forms, request for leave forms, employee evaluation
forms, grievance forms, insurance forms, and many more.

In-house operations are actions the host performs when collecting distributed
forms from office personnel or processing forms from constituents. You may find
Official Use Only sections on forms that are intended for local agency use where
approvals are granted, administrative signatures are applied, issuance and
expiration dates are specified, identifying information related to authorized
personnel reviewing the form, and more.

190
In this chapter we look at forms where personnel within offices PDF Stamps Essentials
need to interact with the forms either collected from the
There are two kinds of PDF Stamps —static stamps and dynamic
constituency or used exclusively by internal staff.
stamps. A static stamp is a graphic, text, or both graphic and text
created in an authoring application and converted to PDF. The
Using PDF Stamps
PDF is then imported using the PDF Stamps menu in the
If you create a PDF workflow in your office for approving forms Comments panel as a new stamp. You can determine a category
and documents one of the best approval tools you have in and a stamp name when you import a PDF and create a new
Acrobat and Adobe Reader are PDF Stamps. PDF Stamps are stamp.
similar to analog stamps used for approving documents, marking
sections on a form where signatures and initials are needed, When a static stamp is used, no aspect of the stamp is changed.
marking documents for Draft, Final, Completed, Confidential, The stamp merely has an appearance and used to support a
Void, For Public Release, and more. comment note or simply reside on a page displaying the stamp
design.
PDF Stamps can be custom designed and they can contain fields
with JavaScripts. You can create custom dynamic stamps with Dynamic stamps are created the same as static stamps and
signatures for individual users and route documents electronically imported as a stamp using the same menu options in the Stamp
showing who has approved the documents before they are drop-down menu. However after the stamp is created, and before
deployed. Documents can be certified to protect the PDFs from the stamp is imported in the Stamp menu, dynamic features such
being altered after a user has reviewed and commented on the as a date, identity information, and some other JavaScript actions
document. can be added. Dynamic stamps can be made available to staff
within a department and when stamps are placed on documents
There’s so much to working with PDF Stamps that Acrobat the dynamic features are derived from each user’s Acrobat/
JavaScript guru Thom Parker wrote a book that exclusively Reader configuration. For example, when you open the
covers working with PDF Stamps. I can’t begin to get into all the Preferences window and click Identity in the left pane, you can
details related to stamps here however we can look at some add an Identity name and title. This information can be imported
simple, but worthwhile solutions. in a dynamic stamp.

191
Stamps can also be secured or certified using a variety of security text and graphics. You design the stamp in an authoring
options. You can authenticate signatures from users to insure program and convert the design to PDF.
reliability of stamps.
2. Create a new Static PDF Stamp.

Creating advanced dynamic stamps and adding security requires Open a document (any document) in Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
some additional work and training among members in a Click the Comments panel and open the Annotations panel.
workgroup. Without delving into complex tasks, I’ll keep it simple From the Stamp drop-down menu choose Custom Stamps ➤
in this chapter and illustrate some examples of static stamps and Create Custom Stamps.
easy to create dynamic stamps. For more advanced work with
stamps and security look at Thom Parker’s PDFScripting website Figure 20.1 Select Image for Custom Stamp
at www.pdfscripting.com.

Creating a Static PDF Stamp

Creating a static PDF Stamp is much easier than creating a
dynamic stamp. If working with stamps and JavaScript is new to
you, you may want to begin using static stamps in your workflow.
If you want to use a graphic image for approving form drafts, and
further wish to use the same graphic for disapproving documents,
marking documents as draft or ready for deployment and other
conditions, you can create separate stamps for each notation you
wish to add to forms and other documents.

To create a static stamp, do the following

1. Create the stamp design.


Use an authoring application such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe
InDesign, MS Word or the application you use for assembling

After choosing Create Custom Stamp, the Select Image for Custom Stamp dialog box
opens. Click Browse and locate the stamp design you want to import. 192
 The Select Image for Custom Stamp dialog box opens (See added to the Stamps menu listed in the category you identified
Figure 20.1). for the stamp.

3. Import the Stamp Design.
 To use a stamp on a document you open the Stamp menu, click
In the Select Image for Custom Stamp dialog box click the Browse the category name and click the stamp you want to use. The
button. In the Browse/Open dialog box locate the PDF document stamp is loaded in the cursor. Move the cursor to a location on a
and click Select. Click OK in the Select Image for Custom Stamp form and click to place the stamp. If you want to add a comment
dialog box and the Create Custom Stamp dialog box opens. note, double click the stamp after placing it on a page and a
comment note window opens. Type text in the window as
4. Select a stamp Category and name the stamp.
 desired.
In the Create Custom Stamp dialog box open the Category
drop-down menu and select the category where you want to
Figure 20.3 Open the Stamp Menu
place the stamp. If you want to create a new category, type a
category name in the Category text box. Type a name for the
stamp in the Name text box and click OK. Your new stamp is

Figure 20.2 Create Custom Stamp Dialog

Click the down arrow adjacent to the Stamp tool and choose a category, then click
choose a Category and type a name for the new custom stamp. the stamp within the category to load the stamp.
193
 the Title document metadata becomes the stamp name when you
Note add the PDF to the Stamps menu.
Stamps can be placed on secure PDF files if the permissions
include Commenting, filling in form fields, and signing using
The second exception is adding field objects before you import
existing signature fields. If the form grants permission for only the PDF in the stamps menu. You cannot add field objects after
Filling in form fields and signing using existing signature fields, the fact. When creating dynamic stamps, fields and JavaScripts
users cannot add stamps or other notations on the form. For more need to be added before the document becomes a stamp.
on securing PDF forms see Chapter 14.
The next thing to understand about dynamic stamps is that the
dynamic nature of the stamp is not executed until the stamp is
added to a PDF page. Any JavaScripts included with the stamp
Creating a Dynamic PDF Stamp
won’t be executed until you add a stamp to your document.
Dynamic stamps can be configured using a lot of bells and
whistles that require some extensive knowledge of JavaScript. To use fields with JavaScripts that you can copy and later paste

For simple tasks you can easily copy/paste fields with in your stamp design you need to locate the Dynamic stamp file

JavaScripts without writing any code. In this section I’ll cover that was installed with your Acrobat installation. Stamp files

some basic steps in creating dynamic steps. For more advanced reside in two locations on your computer. In an application user

dynamic stamp development see Thom Parker’s location and inside the Acrobat folder. The easiest way to locate

www.pdfscripting.com website. the dynamic stamps file is by using a short JavaScript routine.

The first thing to know about creating dynamic stamps is that you Open the JavaScript console (CTRL/Command + J) in Acrobat.

first begin your development with a static stamp. You follow the (For more on using the JavaScript Console see Chapter 17). In

steps outlined in the previous section for first creating a static the Console window you can type:

stamp and importing the stamp with two exceptions. When you
app.getPath ("app", "stamps")
convert your design to PDF, open the PDF and press CTRL/
Command + D to open the Document Properties. Click the Select the text in the JavaScript Console and press Enter (num
Description tab and type a title for the stamp. What you add to pad key) and the above script returns the directory path for the
Acrobat folder location where the stamp files are stored.

194
Or you can locate the Stamps folder in the user data folder by 3. Copy the field on the Revised Stamp.

typing the following in the JavaScript Console: When you open the Dynamic.pdf file the first page is blank.
Scroll to the second page and you find the Revised stamp.
app.getPath ("user", "stamps")
Press R on your keyboard to activate the Select Object tool.
Likewise select the text in the JavaScript Console and press Click the Revised text box and press CTRL/Command + C to
Enter (num pad key) and the above script returns the directory copy the field. This field contains a JavaScript in the Calculate
path for the User folder location where the stamp files are stored. tab that retrieves the current date automatically. Each time a
document is stamped the date the file was stamped appears in
In terms of reliability, the Application folder is more reliable. On the text box.
the Macintosh you have to do a little more work to find the
Stamps folder in the Acrobat folder. You need open your 4. Paste the field in your stamp design.

Applications folder, then open the Adobe Acrobat XI Pro folder. Bring your design forward in the Acrobat Document Pane and
Click Adobe Acrobat Pro and open a context menu. From the press CTRL/Command + V. Size and position the field to the
menu options choose Show Package Contents. The directory appropriate area on the design.
path in the JavaScript Console reports the location inside the
5. Save the file and add it as a new custom Stamp.
Package Contents folder.
There are other fields you can copy/paste in stamp designs.
To copy/paste fields and make your stamp a dynamic stamp, do
When you open the Acrobat or Reader Preferences window and
the following:
click Identity, the user’s login name is derived from the login that
1. Create a static stamp design and save as PDF. 
 was set up when the operating system was installed. If
Open the Properties window (CTRL/Command + D) and Type a computers in a department office are custom installed for users
title in the Description tab. Leave the file open in Acrobat. you can copy fields in the Dynamic.pdf file where the user login is
added to a stamp.
2. Open the Dynamic.pdf file installed by Acrobat.

Use the JavaScript Console to locate the Dynamic.pdf file. Acrobat has some limitations with the Identity information. It has
never worked properly for adding JavaScripts like event.value
= identity.name. This script should work properly and retrieve

195
 The best way to handle fields used for official use or by
Figure 20.4 Dynamic Stamp
authorized personnel is to hide the fields. If the forms are
secured, the end user isn’t able to interact with the office use
fields.

Another consideration that you need to entertain is in regard to

The dynamic stamp uses Identity data and a date field to automatically populate the
first two fields and the date field at the bottom of the stamp. digital signatures. In Chapter 13 I talk about digital signatures for
the constituency and we look at using simple signatures for users
the Name field in the Identity Preferences. Likewise you should be to sign forms. In a more controlled environment such as within an
able to use the Identity Title. However, this doesn’t work well in office, you might consider using Digital Signature fields. You can
Acrobat either. There are workarounds using different scripts and
secure documents and authenticate signatures within your office. 

adding Trusted Functions, but that’s a much more complex issue.


If you choose to use digital signatures among office personnel
Working with Application Response Dialog
you need to provide some instruction for those who retrieve and
Boxes
sign forms. Digital signatures can be applied using Adobe Reader
On many government forms you find sections restricted for but creating signatures and distributing public keys is a little
official use only. It’s easy to conclude that many forms hosted on complex. You’ll need to offer some training for personnel to
government websites are designed for analog routing. The reason adequately handle working with signatures.
being that most forms you download do not contain fillable fields
for office users. That said, let’s look at adding fields on a form for authorized
personnel use only and making the fields accessible to only
If fields are contained for office workers and the fields are editable personnel who interact with the forms.
for end users, you run the risk of retrieving forms with data added
by the end users. If the form is signed or certified, this presents a 1. Open a form where a section exists for official use or
problem. Signed forms should not be edited after a user authorized personnel.

populates a form. If the form is certified, editing the form nullifies In this example I use a form from the US Department of
the certification. Interior. The original form had data fields for the Title and Date
columns in the table at the bottom of the page but there were
196
 no signature fields. The Title and Date fields were open so This script hides the fields with the common root of oAuthority
users could interact with these fields. after the document is signed.

2. Add form fields to the section.
 4. Create the table.


On the sample form I deleted the fields in the table for the After the first row of fields are created and the JavaScript is
authorized personnel only area. Fields on this form were not added to the first Digital Signature field, open a context menu
named with hierarchical names so I needed to start over with and choose Create Multiple Copies. Distribute and position the
new fields using appropriate field naming conventions.
 fields as explained in Chapter 11.


Figure 20.5 Table Created at Bottom of Form
The new fields I created in this section have a common root
name of oAuthority. Using a common root name enables us to
easily show/hide fields (See Figure 20.5).

Before populating the table, I created the first row fields and
used a digital signature field for the signature column. After To make it easy to write a script that shows/hides fields, the fields have a common
root name of oAuthority.
creating the first Digital Signature field I added a JavaScript.
5. Hide the fields.

3. Add a JavaScript to the Signature Field.

Drag through the new fields with the Select Object tool and
Open the Digital Signature Properties and click the Signed tab.
open a context menu. Choose Properties to open the
In the Signed tab click This script executes when field is
Properties Window. Note that some properties can be adjusted
signed. Assuming this form is routed to several individuals, it
when both Digital Signature and Text fields are selected.
might be best to keep fields hidden until they need to be
signed. Therefore the following script was added in the 6. Click the General tab and from the Form Field drop-down
JavaScript Window:
 menu select Hidden.
1." var f = this.getField("oAuthority");

2." f.hidden = true;
 At this point the table for authorized use only is populated and the
field attributes are properly assigned. If the staff signing the form


all have Acrobat the users can open the field properties and show
197
the hidden fields when the form is returned. To do so, the staff 1. var t = this.getField("oAuthority"); 

would need the password that was used to secure the form and // target field

have an understanding for working with field objects in Acrobat. 2. var cResponse = app.response({

3. " cQuestion: "Enter password?",

To simplify matters, we can add a button that we can password
4. " cTitle: "Password Request"});

protect. When a user clicks the button, the correct password
needs to be typed. When the password is correct, the fields are 5. if ( cResponse != "password"){ // if the

made visible. If the password is not correct, the fields remain password is not entered properly

hidden. 6. " app.alert("The fields below are for
authorized personnel only");

Here’s how to do it:
7. else

1. Continuing with the sample form, add a button field.
 8. " t.hidden = false;
In this example I made a button with a label that reads To be
4. Click OK in the JavaScript window and close the Button
completed by authorized personnel only. The button appears
Properties window.
transparent to the user however if a user clicks the button we
need to add an application alert in the JavaScript that informs The first line of code assigns the field oAuthority to the variable t.
the user that authorized personnel only use the fields. Since the table fields all begin with the root name oAuthority it’s
easy to show/hide these fields with a few lines of JavaScript.
2. Define the Button Properties.

Note the // in this line and in line 5. Text following the // is a
Open the Button Properties window and set the border and fill
comment or programmer notation and ignored by Acrobat.
color to none. Click the Options tab and add a label. (See
Chapter 12 for more on working with button properties). The second line of code sets the variable cResponse to the
app.response object. Lines 3 and 4 relate to information
3. Add a JavaScript.

displayed when the app.response window opens. A question
Click the Actions tab and choose Run a JavaScript from the Select
appears and a title for the dialog box.
Action drop-down menu. Click Add and the JavaScript Window
opens. Type the following script in the JavaScript Window:


198
In line 5 we specify the password. For this example I simply use Sending Data to Secondary Forms
password. If you use this routine in your forms you’ll want to
If you design forms and host the forms for users where data in
change “password” to the password you want to use. Be certain
one form needs to be sent to another form, you must make the
to use more than 8 characters and mix up the characters with
user aware that both forms need to reside in the same folder
numbers and/or symbols. But make it easy enough for your staff
location on a hard drive. If forms are in different folders, Reader
to type in the response dialog box. The if statement in line 5
cannot open the secondary form. It may be rare that you would
checks the response. If the password typed does not precisely
use such forms for constituents but you can find many uses for
match the password identified between the quote marks, an alert
intra-agency staff.
dialog box opens and displays the message in line 6.
In your office you may collect forms from constituents and use
If the password is correct the oAuthority fields are not hidden as
summary forms to aggregate data. You might use summary forms
show in line 7. Since we added a script in the signature fields to
to collect a week, a month or a quarter worth of data. Then export
hide the oAuthority fields after a signature is added to the form,
the summary form that ultimately gets introduced into your
each authority needs to use the same password to make the
database system. If you don’t use a server to collect and route
fields visible.
data, this method can be effective to handle data without
When the form is completed, the person in charge of filing the purchasing server systems —especially for small government
form can click the button to show fields, save the form, and all offices where the costs for servers are prohibitive.
fields remain visible.
There are several things you need to know about setting up
documents where you want data sent from one form to another.
Figure 20.6 Application Response Dialog
The first thing you need to do is write a Document Level
JavaScript. At the document level add the following on both
forms:

this.disclosed = true;

When a user clicks the button, a dialog box opens prompting the user for a password.

199
If you write the script for a button to send data from one form to In line 2 I assign the field “s.medRecord.0” to the variable record.
another you begin by adding the following: The root name is s to make it easy for discerning the differences
for the slave document (s) and the current document (c).
1. this.slave =
app.openDoc("document.pdf",this); In line 3 we assign the “c.medRecord.0” field to the variable j. In
line 4 we take the j.value which is the current data and make it
2. this.bringToFront(); equal to the record.value in the slave document.

The above script looks for the secondary PDF form (in this You continue adding the same 4 lines of code while changing
example document.pdf). Again, this file must reside in the folder field names for additional fields where you want to send data from
where you have the form with a button that contains the script. one form to another. It’s helpful to add a comment line for every
field you address. When it comes time to debug the script it will
Code that follows identifies the fields in the current document and
be much easier to correct the code.
exports field data to the slave document. The script might look
like: If you host forms for constituents, this routine can run effectively
in Adobe Reader.
1. //medical record number

2. var record =
this.slave.getField("s.medRecord.0");

3. var j = this.getField("c.medRecord.0");

4. record.value = j.value ;

In the first line I use a comment so I know what field is retrieved

from the current form and sent to the slave document. In this
case a medical record number is used.

200
Movie

201
Chapter 21

Making Forms
Accessible

Forms deployed on government websites should

all be made accessible for persons with vision
and motion challenges.
Making Forms Accessible

Chapter 21
USA Federal and state forms need to comply with Section 504 of the US
IN THIS CHAPTER Rehabilitation Act that guarantees certain rights and liberties for persons with
What are Accessible PDF Forms? disabilities. The act was legislated in May 1977 and through the years more rights
were granted to persons with disabilities. Today, disability law has become an
Designing for Accessibility
international human rights issue with the United Nations, some regions in the
Checking for Accessibility world, and many individual countries. As a matter of practice all eForms in the
USA and many other countries should be made accessible.
Checking the Reading Order

Testing the Form with Read Aloud

203
What are Accessible PDF Forms? Figure 21.1 Sample Form

Accessible forms contain the structure and design that optimizes

readability on screen reading devices for the vision and motion
challenged users. Certain tags need to be defined in PDF forms
to make the reading experience optimal for screen readers.
Images, for example, need alternative text tags that describe the
appearance of an image. Form fields need detailed tooltips that
describe fields.

Designing for Accessibility

The sample form used for this example is a US Department of
Education form. The form is constructed fairly well however there
are a few problems that need to be corrected before making this
form accessible.

The first item presenting a problem is the underscores below the

first text field. When designing forms, stay away from using
underscores to designate field positions. When this form is read
aloud, each underscore character is read as a separate item.
Therefore you hear underscore, underscore, underscore, etc. from
the screen reader. The first task therefore is to delete the
underscores before making this form accessible.

The second item that needs attention is the mailto link at the
bottom of the form. When this form was originally designed, a link
was created for the [email protected] text. The action set for Form from US Department of Education
the link was to open a web link. Clicking the link merely opens the
204
users mail client. The form is not attached when clicking the link. When the user clicks the Submit Form button, the default mail
A better solution is to add a submit button or change the link client opens and the PDF document is automatically attached to
action to a Submit Form Action. a new mail message.

To add a submit button, do the following: A third item that needs attention in the original form is the
document metadata. This form had no metadata for the Title,
1. Create a button field.
Author, Subject, and Keywords fields. The accessibility checker

2. Adjust the field properties.
 picks this problem up after checking accessibility so we can

In this example you can simply use a label such as Submit handle adding document metadata later.

Form Before running the Accessibility Checker, you may want to review
all images in a file. On the sample form I use here the alternate
3. Add a Submit Form Action.

tags were properly added to the seals at the top of the form. You
Click the Actions tab and choose Submit a form. The Submit
can add alt tags to images easily by right clicking a graphic with
Form Selections window opens. At the top of the window enter
the Edit Object tool (found among the Print Production tools) and
the email address. In this example mailto:[email protected].

choose Properties from a context menu (Figure 21.3). When the
Click the PDF the complete document radio button.
Object Properties window opens click the Tag tab. Here you can
Figure 21.2 Submit Form Selections type alternate text.

Checking for Accessibility

After you design a form and you’re confident that the fields are
designed properly, the fields have tooltips describing all the fields,
and JavaScripts work properly, you’re ready to check the form for
accessibility. This is the first step in making a form accessible.

Add mailto: and the email address in the top line and check the PDF The
Complete document radio button
205
 Figure 21.3 Image Tag Properties Figure 21.4 After Running the Accessibility Check

Type the tag information in the Alternate Text box.

At this time you may want to add the Accessibility tools to your
Forms Editing toolset. Click the Customize button in the top right
corner of the Acrobat window and choose Manage Tool Sets from Errors are reported in the Accessibility Checker pane in the Navigation pane.
the drop-down window. Click the Edit button and add all the
Accessibility tools to your toolset. The items in the list report errors where you see a circle with an X.
On many of the errors listed in the Accessibility Checker pane you
With the tools in place, click the Accessibility Full Check tool in
can right click to open a context menu and choose Fix from the
the Tools panel. The Accessibility Checker reports back errors in
menu options. Where you see Title – Failed in the Accessibility
the Navigation pane (left side of the Acrobat window).
Checker pane, open a context menu and choose Fix. The

206
Document Properties are displayed where you can add Title, You can click and drag items in the Order pane to change the
Author, Subject, and Keywords. reading order.

Checking the Reading Order Testing the Form with Read Aloud
When your form is read on a screen reader you want to be certain The first step to take to test your file is open the Preferences
that the reading order is the same as the view you see in the (CTRL/Command + K). Click Reading in the left pane and check
Acrobat window. To check the Reading Order click the Touch Up the Read Form Fields check box at the bottom of the Reading
Reading Order tool in the Tools panel. When the Touch Up Preferences.
Reading Order panel opens, click the Show Order Panel button.
The Order pane opens in the Navigation pane. Figure 21.6 Reading Preferences

Figure 21.5 Reading Order

Check Read form fields before reading aloud.

Click the Show Order Panel button to open the Order pane in the Navigation
pane.
207
To test the form as it might be read on a screen reader, choose
View ➤ Read Out Loud ➤ Activate Read Out Loud. Return to the
same submenu and choose Read This Page Only or Read to End
of Document.

Test the overall reading of the document to be certain the reading

order is correct and the graphics all have alt tags. After the
document is read aloud, press the tab key. The cursor should
jump to the first field and the tool tip is read out loud. Continue
tabbing through all fields and check for accurate reading of the
tool tips.

After you check the form using Acrobat’s Read Out Loud feature,
check the form on a screen reader before deploying the form.

208
Chapter 22

Hosting Forms on
eGovernment Websites

Organizing forms and making them easily

accessible to constituents
Hosting Forms on eGovernment Websites

Chapter 21
Creating great forms means nothing if visitors to a government website can’t find
IN THIS CHAPTER forms. Forms need to be accessed quickly and easily, they must be saved in a
Organizing Forms common format for consistency, and they must be easy to download.

Creating New Revenue Streams

210
Constituents should be no more than three clicks away from Unfortunately, today website visitors searching for forms on one
locating a form needed to process a transaction. Today, however, city or regional office find no consistency when searching through
most government websites do not have easy and intuitive means other LGUs within the same country. Little consistency exists
for finding forms. between websites among national government offices, regional
offices, and LGUs.
Ideally, the best solution for helping constituents find forms is
placing a link on the top banner of the eGovernment website. Organizing Forms
Quite simply a button for Forms should be as visible as the Home
Government first needs to understand the difference between a
button. If all government websites place a link to a forms page on
form and brochures, instructions, pamphlets, etc. A form is a
the banner, visitors would soon begin to look at the banner for
document used for processing a transaction. It should be made
quick access to forms.
fillable. All other documents are not forms. When designing forms
Most countries have national government websites, regional webpages logical divisions should be made between forms and
government office websites, and city websites. As citizens move other documents. A good many documents such as pamphlets,
around a country or foreigners migrate, they need to acquire brochures, etc. have no business being listed on webpages listing
forms for business licenses, school applications, taxpayer forms.
information, residency and immigration forms, and more.
There are so many eGovernment websites today hosting pages
Acquiring forms should involve the same navigation steps on all for forms while a good portion of the content doesn’t resemble a
government websites within a country. It’s very frustrating for form. On some government websites the visitor needs to sort
users to locate forms from one website to another within the through long lists of downloads to find forms integrated with
same country if they have to follow different navigation links. I everything from brochures, instructions, slide presentations, and
contend that the website designs of national, regional, and LGUs many other documents —some related to forms and others that
should have common design elements. If we agree that have no relevance for filing in an eForm.
processing transactions is one of the top three purposes of
There are several considerations that need to be entertained
eGovernment, then eGovernment websites need consistency in
when developing uniform standards for developing and
organizing content.
organizing forms:

211
1. Create a Forms Standards Committee.
 should be agreed upon in committee. A form might be
At the national level a committee should be assembled to identified with a national department abbreviation and number
develop a set of standards that require all government or an LGU number and department plus a number. The
websites to follow within a country. Committee participation standards should be agreed upon in committee so all agency
should include graphic design people as well as IT specialists. personal can look at a form number and immediately know
Leaving forms designs to IT departments can result in a where the form originated.
horrendous set of form designs in terms of the forms structure
6. Develop forms webpages.

and appearances.
From a Home page link, the user should be taken to a well-
2. Develop standards and best practices.
 organized forms webpage. In committee, standards for forms
The appearances of forms should be consistent and well keys and webpages should be developed and implemented
designed. A book of standards should be developed for throughout the country. A user should be able to immediately
placement of text, graphics, and fields for all forms. arrive at a forms page and find consistency in the design no
matter what national office or LGU the user explores.
3. Approval officers.

After forms are developed, individuals or committees should There may be other considerations that need to be explored.
approve forms before they are deployed. Leaving forms However, if a central standards committee is developed,
approvals to individuals throughout a county leads to additional matters can be discussed and standardized via
inconsistency and much disparity in form designs. committee resolutions.

4. Training forms authors.
 Creating New Revenue Streams

PDF authors should be well trained and knowledgeable about
Governments can assess the current workflows for how
forms construction, Acrobat JavaScript, and fundamentals of
constituents are submitting forms and the costs to the
form design. Form authors should be knowledgeable about
constituents that currently exist. How much time and expense is
document metadata, accessibility, security, and data routing.
required for constituents to submit a form? Does the constituent
5. Develop a forms organization schema.
 need to travel to a government office? How far, how much cost is

All forms should be numbered with form numbers. Identifiers associated with the travel?

212
Take something like submitting an application to attend a public In developing countries Internet penetration can be as low as 6%.
institution of higher learning as an example. Suppose a However, these countries typically have Internet cafés readily
constituent needs to travel from a rural location to a capitol city. accessible in some of the most remote locations. Some of the
In developing countries a prospective applicant might take a bus most impoverished countries in the world can take advantage of
accompanied by a parent, spend money for lodging for one night electronic forms processing for many constituents.
and make a return trip.

Add up the costs now associated with submitting forms to

institutions. Even within a city where time and public
transportation is necessary for hand delivering a form and
compare nominal costs to process a form submitted
electronically.

Government can implement processing fees for most forms

submitted electronically that actually saves the consumer money,
time, and aggravation. The more people processing forms
electronically the less burden is placed on government offices for
personnel and facilities that need to accommodate long lines and
waiting periods.

This is a win-win-win situation. Consumers win because less

money is required to visit an office to process a form.
Government wins because offices have a new revenue stream.
Government wins again by using revenues to offset costs for
implementing additional servers to collect and route data.

213
Chapter 23

Using PDF Forms on

Mobile Devices

The current state of supporting PDF forms on

mobile devices
Using PDF Forms on Mobile Devices

Chapter 22
In most first world countries we find Internet penetration over 70%. In third world
IN THIS CHAPTER countries we find Internet penetration less than 10%. Many third world countries
PDF Readers and eForms on Handheld have Internet penetration as low as 6%.
Devices
In terms of smart phones and Internet hot spots, third world and developing
Supporting Handheld Users countries have much higher levels of Internet access. Many of the countries having
penetration of 6% have over 28% access via mobile phones, tablets and hot
spots.

Technology is continually growing to support needs of people using various

devices throughout the world. One needs to view technology as evolutionary and
something that eventually supports needs of most users. Inasmuch as support for
filling in and submitting eForms is not readily available to the masses in many
countries, we are in a rapid growth cycle. Eventually most people throughout the
world will be able to take advantage of filling in forms and submitting them
regardless of the device they use.

215
PDF Readers and eForms on Handheld Inasmuch as support for some of the forms you create is not yet

Devices available, it will soon arrive. The time to start is now. Websites
should have separate downloads made available for forms where
There are a number of PDF readers today supported on iOS,
preferred usage is a computer and where alternate usage can be
Android, and Windows handheld devices. I hesitate to name any
handled with other devices. As technology supports more
here because in the mobile market it’s a moving target. What’s
features among readers for handhelds, changes can be
available today can easily be replaced by a new product
addressed on websites for changing form designs and providing
tomorrow. Suffice it to say, there now exists a number of PDF
constituents with information on what devices can be used to
readers supported on every handheld and tablet.
complete and submit forms.
Of the many PDF readers available on handhelds, only a few
readers permit filling in a form. However, not all Acrobat features
are currently supported on these devices. Various signature
attributes are limited, importing button faces are not supported,
spawning pages are not supported, and sending data to
secondary forms is not supported.

Nevertheless, some forms can be completed and signed on

handhelds and submitted to government offices.

Supporting Handheld Users

To support users on various devices government offices need to
research and investigate limitations with devices and software to
complete and submit forms. With rapid growth in technology,
offices need to continually keep abreast of developments.

216
Chapter 24

Exploring Some Sample

Forms

Sample forms used in real world scenarios

Exploring Some Sample Forms

Chapter 24
In my work with government offices, particularly in developing countries, I found
IN THIS CHAPTER many interesting needs that offices expressed for using PDF forms. In this chapter
Philippine Unified Form I explain some of those needs and look at some solutions.

Certificates Form

Health Statistics Form

Farm Products Order Form

218
Philippine Unified Form Designing the Unified Form
The Philippine national office for the Department of Trade and Each agency form required for a business application was
Industry (DTI) wanted a form to help constituents apply for included in the Unified Form. Rather than have the user fill in
business licenses. The Philippines was ranked 165 in the world common data fields, it made sense to identify common fields on
for the ease of doing business in 2010. The complicated the the individual forms and design a master form at the
applications for sole proprietorships and corporations took as beginning of the document. The user would populate the master
much as 120 days to process a new business application. form and data would appear on the common fields in other forms.

Problem The form was designed for use throughout the country in fifteen
regions. Some regions had more than 100 LGUs. Each form
The Department of Trade and Industry set up local offices to help
needed to identify a given LGU at the top of the form. To add an
facilitate the business application process but they needed a form
identifier, a document level JavaScript opened an alert dialog box
for constituents to complete before visiting an office. No servers
prompting a user to select a given local area from a drop-down
were in place and no means of collecting and routing data existed
menu when the form opened.
so applicants needed to print forms and personally deliver the
forms at local offices.
Figure 24.1 Open Alert Dialog
The Unified Form was a collection of forms that were required by
7 different government agencies. Standard agency forms such as
internal revenue, health, SEC, and others were required to
complete a business application. At the beginning of the project
all forms were PDF documents but none were fillable forms.

The task for this job was to create a single document containing
the 7 different agency forms, make the forms fillable, and
implement as many error checks as possible for improving user Informs the user to make a selection in a drop-down menu
accuracy.

219
After the user makes a selection in the drop-down menu for A field such as taxpayer ID was required on all forms. Therefore
identifying a given municipality a button is made visible. When the when the user populated the taxpayer ID on the master form the
user clicks the button, the selection from the drop-down menu is taxpayer ID fields on the other forms were automatically
sent to all forms in the document. This insures easy identification populated. Common fields such as business name, address,
for the area where the form originated and makes the form proprietor name, address, etc., were locked on all forms except
useable in every LGU in the country. the master form. Therefore the user needs to return to the master
to make corrections. When a correction is made the forms with
Figure 24.2 Drop-down Menu for Selecting a the common data are updated. This method insures the user and
Municipality
the government agency collecting the form that data are
consistent throughout the form.

Figure 24.3 Master Form Page

Before a user can proceed a selection from the menu must be made for
Common data are sent from this form to the remaining forms in the document.
identifying a given municipality.
220
Fields on the master form have different field names than the On page two in the Unified Form a question exists for adding the
common fields on the other forms. Therefore data needs to be total number of employees.
sent from the master form to the other forms for the common
fields. This is easy enough with a simple JavaScript. However, the Figure 24.4 Number of Employees
script is not in the Calculate properties as you might imagine. For
this task I add the script to the Validate tab in the Text Field
User identifies the number of employees
Properties window.
Following page two is a page where employee information is
The script to send data from the current field to target fields was
supplied. By default the fields are hidden. When the user supplies
written as:
data for total employees, the fields on the following page are
this.getField("global.bus.name").value = made visible. But only the number of rows that match the total
event.value; number of employees are made visible. This is another measure
that insures proper completion of the form. A user cannot claim 5
This script simply gets the target field name and whatever is employees and fill in data for less than or more than five.
typed in the current field (the event value) is sent to the target
field. Figure 24.5 Identify SSS Number for Employees

A script like this helps users eliminate the need for typing
redundant data. If a name is required on one page and repeated
on several other pages, why ask the user to type a name several
times? You can help the users ease through your forms by
implementing shortcuts like this.

Additionally it helps prevent user error. If fields are locked using

read only, the user needs to return to the page that accepts data
input. If an error is found on the data input page, one change
insures that data on all pages are changed accordingly for the
common fields. The fillable rows are available for only the total number of employees.
221
The Java Script that shows the number of rows respective to the Name, Middle Name, Date of Birth, Position, Monthly Salary,
total employees is written as follows: Date of Employment, and Previous Employer). Each of these
fields need to be added to the script the same as lines 9 and
1. var w =
10 to unhide the fields.
this.getField("sole.bus.male.employees");
In lines 1-3 the result in the total employees field is the sum of
2. var y = the male and female employees. The variable j is assigned to
this.getField("sole.bus.female.employees"); the total number of employees.

3. event.value = w.value + y.value; In line 7, if the total number is not 0 (zero) the script executes
the lines following line 7. In line 8 a loop is set up to loop
4. var j = event.value;
through the total number of employees (j value). Therefore if
5. var k = this.getField("employee"); the total number of employees is five, the loop runs 5 times
(the length of j).
6. k.hidden = true;
Line 9 takes the first field in the table in column one and
7. if (j.value != 0) assigns the variable tin to the field employee.tin + i. The first
time the loop is run the tin value is employee.tin.0. The next
8. for (var i = 0; i < j; i++){
time the routine loops through, the tin value is employee.tin.1,
9. var tin = this.getField("employee.tin." + and so on.
i);
Another item that helps users fill in the form is a question asked
10. tin.hidden = false; about foreign investors. If the answer is yes, additional pages and
fields need to be completed. If the answer is no, there’s no reason
11. } to show the fields. By default, the fields for questions related to
foreign investors are hidden. The check boxes on the master form
To simplify the script for purposes of discussion I added just
ask if the user is a foreign investor (Yes) or not (No). JavaScripts
the first column (tin). The actual script continues after line 10 to
are contained in the check box fields to show/hide fields.
include the remaining columns (SS Number, Surname, Given
222
The page containing questions related to foreign investors The background design is hidden from view by the huge text box
contains a text field with the appearance set to fill white. Text in covering the page. In order to display the page design and the
the field displays a message that the page is intentionally left fields on the page, the text box and the fields need to be in view.
blank and not to be printed. Additionally, fields on the page are When a user checks the Yes check box, a JavaScript shows the
hidden. page design and the fields. The script is written as follows:

Figure 24.6 The Default View 1. var f = this.getField("global.foreignText");

2. f.hidden = true;

3. var g = this.getField("global.foreign");

4. g.hidden = false;

The text field covering the page is named: global.foreignText. In

the first line of code the variable f is assigned to this field. In line
2, f is hidden.

All the fields on the page have a common root value of

global.foreign. Line 3 assigns the variable g to the global.foreign
fields. In line 4 the fields are made visible (g.hidden = false).

On the master form the No check box reverses the fields visibility.
The global.foreignText field is shown (f.hidden =
false;). The global.foreign fields are hidden (f.hidden =
true;)

By default the page contents and fields are hidden.

223
Figure 24.7 Page Contents and Fields Visible Certificates Form
Another project requested by a local government office in the
Philippines was a form needed to print certificates. A variety of
different shops need inspection and approval such as fire
extinguisher, emissions control, auto repair shops, etc. After the
shops are approved by a local government office, a certificate is
printed and needs to be on display at the shop.

The certificates are renewed annually and new certificates are

printed for each shop every year.

Figure 24.8 Certificates for For Fire Extinguishers

When the Yes check box is checked, the huge text field is hidden and the fields are
Certificates are printed annually for a variety of different businesses after being
made visible.
certified by local government.

224
Problem Figure 24.9 Print Dialog Box
The local government office printed certificates each year for
each type of shop. The office was burdened with rising printing
costs and they always printed more certificates than used for any
given year. The additional certificates were trashed at the end of
each year.

Printed certificates were given to shops and a copy of each

certificate was kept by the government office and filed.

Solution
Rather than print certificates for an anticipated number and print
duplicates for a government office to file, it made more sense to
print certificates on demand. Additionally, the government office
could keep electronic records and eliminate the need for filing
paper records.

The forms served several purposes. The certificate design was After a form is populated with data, the Print button opens the Print dialog box.
used in the form, the form was printed by the government office,
and data were aggregated on separate summary pages. After printing, a button appears on the form to send the data to a
summary page. The user clicks the button before they can
When a worker completed the form, the Print dialog box opened continue. The button JavaScript sends the data from the
via a JavaScript on the Print button. The worker clicks the Print certificate to a summary form contained in the same document.
button to print the form.
The JavaScript behind the Send Data button was written as
follows:

225
Figure 24.10 Send Data Button 5. var j = this.getField("P" + h.value +
".summary.list.name." + c.value);

6. var name = this.getField("a.name");

7. j.value = name.value;



Lines 4 to 7 is a partial list. Not all fields are included in
this abbreviation of the script. In line 5 var j is assigned to
the target field on the summary form. Line 6 assigns the
variable name to the respective field on the certificate.
Line 7 sends the data from the certificate form to the
respective field on the summary form. The actual routine

After the form is printed a button appears to send the data to a summary form.
on the form follows getting fields from the certificate form
and sending data to the summary form.
1. var h = this.getField("s.counter");
8. //increment the counters
2. var oPage = this.getField("page");
9. oPage.value = oPage.value + 1;
3. var c = this.getField("holder");

10. c.value = c.value + 1;





The first 3 lines of code set up some counters. As new
records are added to the file, the counters increment so Lines 8-10 increment the counters.

the data sent to the summary page falls after the previous 11. var max = this.getField("maxRecord");
record.
12. var msg = "You cannot add any more
4. //name
businesses to this file.";

226
13. var f = this.getField("printForm"); Figure 24.11 Summary Form

14. if (oPage.value >= 300){

15. app.alert(msg);

16. max.hidden = false;

17. f.readonly = true;

18. }



Lines 11 and 12 set up variables for assessing the value
of a field max.record and a message alert. If 300 pages
are populated on the form, the message box opens and Summary form collects data for each new certificate.

informs the user that no more records can be added to

The summary form is a history file and users in the department
the form. The maximum number of records is made
office can review the form for duplicate requests, reprinting lost
visible on the form and the print field is set to read only.
forms and keeping an electronic record of certificates printed in a
This prevents the user from printing additional
given year. There remains no need for office personnel to print
certificates.
duplicate certificates for the office files.
19. var oHide = this.getField("sendData");

20. oHide.hidden = true;




The last lines of code hide the Send Data button field

227
Health Statistics Form secondary diagnosis required identifying the precise diagnostic
term accompanied by an international ICD-10 code. In addition, a
The Botswana, Africa Ministry of Health needed a form for in-
local office code (HSU) was also required for each diagnosis.
house use to accumulate data on patients in hospitals and clinics.
They needed improvement in their data collection system to help There are over 14,000 ICD-10 codes. The central office needed to
reduce backlogs and stay current with accumulating data on manually search through manuals to find a diagnostic condition,
patients’ diagnoses. the accompanying ICD-10 code, and reference the internal HSU
code to populate the data. Using manual methods required
Problem extensive staff time.
The Botswana Ministry of Health central statistical unit collected
forms from hospitals and clinics throughout the country. The Designing the Forms
printed forms were used for encoding data in their database Three forms were designed for the project —a registration form, a
management system (SPSS). discharge form, and a summary form. The registration form was
used for inpatient admittances in clinics and hospitals.
The statistical unit was backlogged more than 3 years and the
staff time was devoted exclusively to data entry rather than data The registration form is used when a patient is admitted to a clinic
analysis. or hospital. The default form has a single page. Each page holds
10 records.
Solution
Records remain on this form until a patient is discharged. When a
Rather than use a single central office to encode data, a more
patient is discharged, a button on each registration card sends
productive measure was to develop forms that could be used by
the registration data to the discharge form. When the data are
facility’s staff in local clinics and hospitals, send the forms to the
sent to the discharge form, the registration card is cleared of data
central office, and the central statistical office could export the
where a new registration can be added to the old card.
data to their SPSS system. The statistical staff could then be
freed from data entry and focus more time on data analysis. If all 10 cards are populated on a page, a JavaScript
automatically spawns a new page from a template. Pages are
Among the challenges with developing a form for facilities use
dynamically created as needed.
was properly identifying diagnostic conditions. Each primary and
228
Figure 24.12 Patient Registration Form 1. var nTemplateNum = 1;
2. var bDone = false;
3. do{
4. // Get field-set for a specific template
page
5. var oFieldSet = this.getField("P" +
nTemplateNum +".reg.r.facility");
6. if(oFieldSet != null)
7. {// If field set exists, then iterate to
find empty field
8. var aFlds = oFieldSet.getArray();
9. for (i =0; i < aFlds.length; i++)
10. {
11. if(aFlds[i].value =="")
The registration form accommodates 10 registrations per page.
12. {// Empty field found, set focus to
this field.
On the first page in the form a button exists prompting the user to
13. // Set the zoom level
create a new registration. The JavaScript that spawns a page
from a template is placed on this button. 14. this.zoom = 150;
15. aFlds[i].setFocus();
The JavaScript looks at the first field on the registration cards. If
16. bDone = true;
the Facility Code field (first field on each card) contains data, the
17. break;
JavaScript looks at the next field. The script loops through the 10
18. }
fields on a page. If the first field contains no data, the cursor is
placed in the field. If all fields on a given page contain data, a new 19. }

page is spawned from a template. 20. }

21. else
The script is written as follows:

229
 22. {// Template does not exist, Time to spawn When a patient is discharged, the clinic worker clicks the Send
a new one
Data button on a given registration card. The JavaScript on the
23. bDone = true;
Send Data button opens the discharge form (form MH-017) and
24. var a = this.getTemplate("reg"); populates the Section I data. The registration card is cleared of
25. a. spawn ({ data after the data are sent to form MH-017.
26. nPage:this.numPages+1,
Figure 24.13 Discharge Form
27. bRename:true,
28. bOverlay:false,
29. });
30. this.zoom = 150;
31. this.getField("P" + nTemplateNum
+".reg.r.facility.0").setFocus();
32. }
33. nTemplateNum++;
34.}while(!bDone);
The first part of the routine in lines 5 - 20, assesses fields for data.
If a field contains data line 15 sets the focus (moves the cursor) to
the empty field.

If all 10 records have data in the first field, lines 22 - 33 are

executed. A new page is spawned and the cursor is placed on
the first field in the new page. All of this is transparent to the user.
One simply clicks the button for a new registration and the cursor
appears in a field (either on an existing page or on a new
spawned page.

The Section I fields are read only. Data needs to be introduced from the
registration form. 230
Form MH-017 contains a one-page form followed by 225 pages Figure 24.14 Search Results
of a lookup table. In order to precisely record diagnostic codes
the diagnostic descriptions and codes are contained within the
file and data are transposed from the table to the form. This
eliminates a need for workers to use manuals and attempt to
record data from a manual to the form.

To make it easy for workers to search the table, a button on the

form appears as Search Conditions. This button has an Execute
Menu Item action specified for Edit ➤ Advanced Search. When
the user clicks the button the Advanced Search window opens.

The user types search criteria in the Search window and clicks
Search. Results are displayed in the Search window. In this
example I typed Typhus and the results are shown for all
conditions related to Typhus.

In the Search window the user can click any one of the results
and the corresponding page where a given result is found opens
in the Document pane.

The found result is highlighted on the page so the user knows The searched word(s) appear in the Search window and the selected result is highlighted
on the corresponding page.
precisely where the found result appears.
For example, if I click on Typhus highlighted in this example, the
Each page in the lookup table contains a button. The lookup table
text below the highlight is A75 357 Typhus fever. The JavaScript
does not contain separate fields for each condition and code.
reads the text and sends A75 to one field, 357 to a second field,
Rather, the JavaScript behind the button assesses the x,y
and Typhus fever to a third field at the top of the page. If the data
coordinates of a mouse click, looks below the mouse click and
appear correct to the user, the user clicks the Send Data button.
sends the text on the page to form fields at the top of the page.
231
 Figure 24.15 Data in Three Fields Figure 24.16 Summary Form

When the user clicks a condition on a page, the text is parsed into three
data fields.

The Send Data button has a JavaScript that sends the data in the
three fields to form MH-017. Before sending the data a number of
error checks are made. Diagnostic conditions that are gender
specific need to match the gender choice on the MH-017 form.
Age is checked for conditions related to pregnancy and need to
be consistent with ages of child bearing years. If conditions are
not appropriate for sex and age choices on the MH-017 form, Summary form collects discharge data.
application alert dialog boxes open with a message and the data
are cleared. Only when the data meet appropriate conditions are The summary form is used to collect a month’s worth of data. At
the data sent to the form. the end of the month the summary form is submitted to the
central statistical office where personnel integrate the data into
When form MH-017 is completed, the user clicks the Post Data their SPSS analysis system. The entire process alleviates a heavy
button in the lower right corner of the form. The JavaScript for workload from central office personnel who can spend their time
this button opens the summary file where a new record is created in data analysis as opposed to data entry.
for the discharge. Data are cleared on MH-017 and ready for a
new discharge.

A button at the lower right corner of the summary page is used to

spawn a new page from a template. By default, the summary
form is a one-page document. New pages are added as needed.

232
Farm Products Order Form Figure 24.17 Cotabato Farmers Order Form

The area of Cotabato on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines

is rich with agricultural products. The regional government office
wanted a form that could be hosted on a website to facilitate
ordering agricultural products from agricultural cooperatives.

Problem
The regional government office wanted a simple, easy to use form
they could host on a website and collect form data electronically.
There was no such form at the time to perform electronic
ordering. The office also wanted the form to be flexible for
purchasers of large quantities of farm products as well as a short
form for purchasers of limited items. They further wanted error
checking and a means of limiting common problems they
frequently experience when collecting order forms.

Solution
The most common problem for the farmers was clients not
properly identifying descriptions for products. Placing an order for
corn requires the purchaser to describe what product they wish
to purchase when ordering corn (canned, whole ear, or creamed
corn). If a form requires the user to type text in a field, users may
not complete the field for the description or they may add a term
not within the product range of the farmers.

A form was designed to help facilitate proper product descriptions for items ordered.

233
To resolve the problem a form was designed that required the To restrict the choices in the Description field, a JavaScript was
description field to be completed. The only way a user could written in the Product dropdown menu field.
complete the required field is to choose an option from a drop-
The script was added to the Format tab and written as follows:
down menu. The choices in the drop-down menu however are
specific to the Product choice. Therefore if a user selects Corn as 1. if (!event.willCommit) {
the product, the description dropdown field offers choices for
2. " var a = this.getField("description.0");
canned, whole ear, or creamed.
3. " a.clearItems();

Figure 24.18 Corn Selected in First Dropdown Menu 4. switch (event.change) {

5. case "Corn":
6. a.setItems(["", "Canned", "Whole Ears",
"Creamed"]);
7. break;
8. case "Milk":

When Corn is selected the Description dropdown menu restricts the options to corn.
9. a.setItems(["", "Alaska Filled",
"Condensed", "Powered"]);

If the user selects another product such as Rice, the choices are 10. break;
limited in the description drop-down menu to Long Grain, High 11. case "Rice":
Protein, and Japanese. 12. a.setItems(["", "Long Grain", "High
Protein", "Japanese"]);
Figure 24.19 Rice Selected in First Dropdown Menu 13. break;
14. case "Sardines":
15. a.setItems(["", "In Tomato Sauce",
"Canned", "Rolled", "Flat"]);
16. break;
17." }
18.}
When Rice is selected the Description dropdown menu restricts the options to rice.
234
In line 2 we identify the target field which is also a dropdown
menu. Line 3 clears the target field. Lines 4 to 18 set up the
options for the target field. Each line where you see Case “item”
identifies the items in the Product drop-down menu. The lines are
followed by the a.setItems... that describes the options ultimately
shown in the Description dropdown menu.

This kind of restricting a user to complete fields before data can

be submitted and limiting responses within a specific range can
greatly help the reliability of the data.

235