how do you auto number drop down names for instances in pdf form preparation

Question

I`m creating a lot of (over 100) drop down menu`s with the same items across multiple document pages (YES, NO, N/A as drop down options).

How do I auto name each instance with a different number append when I am copy and pasting them (to save time) (shift ctrl dragging each instance rather, below the other in the column).

If I dont name them with different names then they effectively act as one object and replicate the result chosen in one object menu to the other instances during preview.

In the sample below I am changing the number in the name for each instance that I CTRL-SHIFT dragged down to fill the next space in the column. This way each object acts independently of the other.

Any way to automate the numbering process?

ls_rbls · Accepted Answer

When using the Prepare Form tool, as shown in your screenshot, just right-click on the field object that you want to copy; and then select from the context menu "Create multiple copies".

This feature will append a suffix automatically to the parent name of the field object that you are copying.

The suffix consists of a period followed by a number (but you may customize more complex field names with prefixes which is handy when you are designing a form with many fields consisting of columns and rows, for example).

For instance, just rename the dropdown menu as Dropdown; then execute "Create multiple copies".

You'll notice that each copy will be automatically renamed to:

Dropdown.0

Dropdown.1

Dropdown.2

Dropdown.0 will be the original dropdown field that was used to make multiple copies.

And it is worth noting that when pages, field objects, and other PDF elements (such as comments or annotations, layers, digital signature fields, buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, etc ), the core JavaScript interpreter will always enumerate such items sequentially in the order that they are created.

That said, the first item on mostly everything that you work with Acrobat JavaScript, it will always starts witha number zero (0) rather than one (1).

Every other children dropdown menu that is renamed after Dropdown.0 will have a unique name in this fashion and will act independently from each other, and will retain the field properties that you created in the parent dropdown menu.

See more basic tips here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/ca/acrobat/using/pdf-form-field-basics.html

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