Authoring PDF Forms in Adobe FrameMaker with FrameMaker-to-Acrobat TimeSavers + Form Assistant
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The document discusses enhancing PDF forms using FrameMaker and Acrobat, detailing a less labor-intensive approach for incorporating features through the use of custom hypertext markers. It outlines the benefits of various form field types and the functionality enabled by the FrameMaker-to-Acrobat Timesavers and Form Assistant, which streamline the process of creating and managing PDF forms. Additionally, it introduces tools for marker management and highlights new features in Form Assistant version 3.
Authoring PDF Forms in Adobe FrameMaker with FrameMaker-to-Acrobat TimeSavers + Form Assistant
- 1. Authoring PDF Forms in FrameMaker With FrameMaker-to-Acrobat TimeSavers + Form Assistant Shlomo Perets microtype.com
- 2. 1 Enhancing PDFs in Acrobat ■ ■ Labor-intensive, repetitive process Features added in Acrobat “disappear” next time you distill / Save as PDF and must be recreated and tested again
- 3. 2 With TS: define once, use many! ■ All features described in this webinar can be defined in your source FM files using custom hypertext markers ■ Upon distilling with FM-to-Acrobat TimeSavers + Form Asst, corresponding features are automatically present in the PDFs produced ■ Update FrameMaker source as required
- 4. 3 Additional info and examples ■ “36 Ways to Improve Your PDFs with TimeSavers/Assistants” microtype.com/ImprovePDF.html ■ TimeSavers/Assistants Showcase (where all PDFs demonstrated in this webinar are available) microtype.com/showcase.html ■ TimeSavers info, order form microtype.com/TimeSavers.html
- 5. 4 Overview: uses of form fields ■ Forms (optionally integrated in docs) ● ● ■ Display of additional information ● ● ■ Checklists / surveys Evaluation / feedback Tooltips/rollovers (e.g. home page, diagrams) Watermarks: print + no display or vice versa On-screen user interaction ● ● ● Buttons Page marks/notes Search
- 6. 5 Benefits of PDF forms ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Electronic fields (input/output) Supports “print and complete” or “on-screen fill-in” (and save/submit; online or offline) Intelligence (e.g. validation, calculations) Accessibility (tool tips, vocalize, zoom) With Reader XI, forms can be saved without having to be enabled first
- 7. 6 Form field types ■ Text field ● ● ● Single or multiple lines Scroll Long Text option can be used for non-printed forms Can be set to calculate ■ Check box ■ Radio button (option) A
- 8. 7 Form field types ■ Buttons ● ● For example: Submit, Reset Form, Print Can be visible on-screen but hidden when printing ■ List box ■ Combo box ■ Digital signature B
- 9. 8 Example: text field alert ~TFM (Field Name) /FieldAppearance (ToolTip) (value) /Q alert ~TFM (Txt.A) /cAms-bHc-vr (type answer) () /L alert ~TFM (*) TSF2 (type answer) () /L Field Appearance legend: / c b w s – c f s – s r border background width style color color color font size state+ rotate+ readonly required Border Text Common Properties
- 10. 9 Field area ■ ■ Form fields are created using FrameMaker’s “active area” size To efficiently control this size, place field markers in: ● ● ■ Empty table cells Empty text frames (in an anchored frame) To see the active area in FrameMaker: Ctrl+Alt+Click, without releasing the mouse button (release outside the area)
- 11. 10 New in Form Asst version 3 ■ ■ ■ ■ Marker Builder dialog boxes (implemented via Extendscript, FM10+) New field shortcuts Automatic field highlighting for the current field Custom control of tabbing order
- 12. 11 Marker management techniques ■ Edit > Find > Marker Text ● ● ■ View > Pods > Markers (FM9+) ● ● ■ Open marker dialog box first to view markers Take advantage of Use Wildcards or Regular Expressions (FM12) Sort by type, text Search for specific markers Index/List of Markers ● Hypertext markers, useful for navigation