Introducing PDF Form Elements

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Scribus has the ability to create PDF forms with embedded JavaScript scripts. PDF forms are in some cases filled out by users on their computers and then printed out locally, but information in a PDF form may also be submitted online to a remote location for further processing. However, this online submission only works with Adobe Reader 8 or later; in earlier versions of Adobe Reader, the feature is only available if you are using the Acrobat Reader plugin for your browser, not with the standalone Reader application.

Another possibility is saving the entered data with the form. This, however, is a proprietary Adobe feature of PDF forms and not possible with Scribus, therefore will not be discussed in this manual.

Contents

Start With OK

On your toolbar, find the icon with the default OK label, which by the way changes as you select from the list. Attached to its right side is an expander to generate a drop-down list of choices: Button, Text Field, Check Box, Combo Box, and List Box. By selecting one of these, you can then go to your document and click-drag to create a frame, which you will perhaps be disappointed to see merely creates a generic-appearing empty text frame.

What this shows is that simply making one of these form items does not do much of anything – each needs content, associated attributes, and actions to be useful in your PDF form.

Button

A Button has several operations it can carry out. It might show itself as a text message, but you can also load an image for the button, and create your own tooltip. When clicked, you could go to a particular page of the same or a different PDF, submit data from the form, reset the form, run a short JavaScript command, or import some data to the form.

Text Field

Image:Formtextfield.png

A Text Field, not surprisingly, is for entering some keyboard input to submit with the form. You can set limits as to its length, perform some sort of testing of the input, make some calculation based on the input, and again, perform some action with JavaScript.

Check Box

Image:Formcheckbox.png

Clicking on this will, in the PDF Form, make or unmake a checkmark of some sort, the type chosen from a list in Scribus. Some JavaScript action can be carried out here also – see the chapter, Emulating Radio ButtonsENDNOTE for one such use of JavaScript.

Combo Box

For a Combo Box, create a list in the frame Scribus (with Story Editor for example), this simply being a column of possible choices, which can be editable or not. Any blank lines will not appear in the PDF Form, and even if your frame height is much larger than the line spacing, only one choice appears at a time, until you click the right side feature to expand the list in a drop-down manner.

List Box

Image:Listbox.png

Like the Combo Box, a List Box is a simple text list of items. There is no drop-down feature like a Combo Box, but instead use these scrolling arrows as seen here – you need to click the box to bring the scrolling feature in view. In contrast to the Combo Box, a List Box will show as many choices as can be visible for the frame height chosen, with the actual choice to be submitted being highlighted.

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