How to Make a Web Form in Acrobat 8

Create interactive forms with Adobe Arcobat.

Why mail a form when you can email it? Web forms created in Acrobat 8 can be sent out by email, CD or on a website. Forms in Acrobat 8 may be created from an existing PDF, by scanning in a paper to a PDF file format or by converting an InDesign, Word or Excel file to PDF. Creating forms in Acrobat is just a click on the form tools and a drag of your mouse. The steps below will get you started.

Instructions

Create 

1. Click on "File" from the main menu and click on "Open" from the pull out menu. Browse to your PDF file and then click "Open."

2. Click on "Tools" and then "Forms" from the pull out menu. Then click on "Text Field Tool" from the pull out menu. Click where you want the text field and while holding down your mouse drag across the area.

3. Click on the "General" tab in properties panel that pops ups; type in a "Name." Create accessibility by typing in a description in the "Tooltip" text field.

4. Click on the "Appearance" tab and click on the "Border Color," click on "Black" for a color.

5. Click on the "Options" tab and click on "Center" on the pull out menu for "Alignment." Click on the "Close" button to accept changes.

Modify Forms

1. Click on "View" from the main menu and then click "Toolbars" and from the pull out menu click on "Forms."

2. Click on "Edit Layout" from forms panel. Right click on area you want to edit and click on "Properties" from the "Text Field Properties" panel that pops up.

3. Adjust your setting under each tab as needed. Click "Close" to apply the changes.

eMail

1. Click on "Button" in forms panel. Double click where you want to place the button on the form.

2. Click on the "General" tab in properties panel that pops ups; type in a "Submit" for the button name. Create accessibility by typing in a description in the "Tooltip" text field.

3. Click on the "Actions" tab and type in "mailto:" and then the email address you want the form to be email to. Click on the option box for how the form will be returned. Click "FDF" to return the user information without the PDF.

4. Click on "HTML" for the form to be returned in hypertext markup language. Click on "XFDF" for the form to be returned as an XML file and click on "PDF" to return the original PDF with the users information.

Distribution

1. Click "Distribute" on the form's toolbar. Click on the option to either "Save" or "Email" your form. Click "OK."

2. Click "Next" to accept the email address, then click next to accept the file for data collection. Type in the recipients emails addresses and click "Next."

3. Click "Done" to accept the default message being sent to the recipients.

References

• Adobe Acrobat: About Web Forms
• IT Center Training: Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional Forms

Resources

• Layers Magazine: Getting into Form with Acrobat 8