Enhancing PDFs with Form Fields (using FrameMaker-to-Acrobat TimeSavers + Form Assistant)
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The document discusses enhancing PDFs using Adobe Acrobat through the implementation of form fields and various features enabled by FrameMaker to Acrobat Timesavers and Form Assistant. It outlines the benefits of PDF forms, including improved usability and accessibility, and details different form field types and interactive elements. Additional resources and examples for improving PDFs are provided through links to related content.
Enhancing PDFs with Form Fields (using FrameMaker-to-Acrobat TimeSavers + Form Assistant)
- 1. Enhancing PDFs with Form Fields Using 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 ■ “32 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) ● Checklists / surveys ● Evaluation / feedback ■ Display of additional information ● Tooltips/rollovers (eg home page, diagrams) ● Watermarks: print + no display or vice versa ■ On-screen user interaction ● Buttons ● Page marks/notes ● Search
- 6. 5 Forms
- 7. 6 Benefits of PDF forms ■ Fillable fields – help with legibility, validation and error reduction ■ Accessibility (tool tips, vocalize, zoom) ■ “Intelligence” (e.g. calculations) ■ Supports “print and complete” or “on-screen fill-in” (and save/submit; online or offline) ■ Can enable Reader save (Acrobat 8 or later)
- 8. 7 Form field types A ■ Text field ● Single or multiple lines ● “Scroll Long Text” option can be used for non-printed forms ● Can be set to calculate ■ Check box ■ List box ■ Combo box
- 9. 8 Form field types B ■ Radio button (option) ■ Buttons ● For example: Submit, Reset Form, Print ● Can be visible on-screen but hidden when printing ■ Digital signature
- 10. 9 Selective Display of Information
- 11. 10 Tooltips ■ Provide brief information on ● Buttons or text fields ● Icons ● Image elements ■ Note: cannot control font/size
- 12. 11 Pop-ups/rollovers ■ Can display additional information, helping the reader make sure that this is indeed the item being looked for, without being forced to leave current page ■ Reduce clutter when there is a lot of information to display for various items that are in close proximity to each other ■ Font/size can be controlled
- 13. 12 Form + Presentation Assistants The combination of Form + Presentation Assistants enables: ■ Conditional image display, based on selection of option / list item ■ Image flipping ■ Image rollover ■ Image sequences ● Can include image number display
- 14. 13 Form + Multimedia Assistants The combination of Form + Multimedia Assistants enables media activation through form fields: ■ Video / audio / image ■ Play, Stop, Pause, Resume, Restart
- 15. 14 On-screen User Interaction
- 16. 15 Buttons Enable advanced interactivity: ■ Enhanced visual style ■ Multiple triggers (enter/exit area, click) ■ Can specify “no print” ■ Can use symbols from fonts ■ Audio options
- 17. 16 Enhanced search Custom search forms: ■ Predefined search phrases ■ Save search queries, with control over all search parameters (useful when repeatedly performing the same search operations)
- 18. 17 Page marks / notes A ■ Users can mark pages of special interest ● Navigate to next/previous page mark ● Mark/unmark all pages ■ Users can add text notes in specific pages ● Navigate to next/previous page note; directly access a specific note ● Generate e-mail message with all notes ● Display note text in Acrobat console ● Reset all notes
- 19. 18 Page marks / notes B ■ Page marks/notes can be set to be visible on screen (and not print), or as visible & printing ■ Find function (Acrobat/Reader) can be used to search text in notes