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Patricia5FA5
Participating Frequently
September 10, 2021
Answered

Math Calculation Help

  • September 10, 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 843 views

Hello,

 

I've been having trouble making certain calculations work. I was working on this form a few months ago, and thought this particular calculation was working, but it's not now, and I can't figure out what's wrong with it. When I compare it to other fields with similar expressions that do work, I can't see the difference. Perhaps "new eyes" will help.

 

var f = Math.ceil(this.getField("1 - Total Output Current" + "2 - Total Output Current" + "3 - Total Output Current").value / 5) * 5;

event.value = util.printf("%.0f", f);

Correct answer Nesa Nurani

Try it like this:

var a = Number(this.getField("1 - Total Output Current").valueAsString);
var b = Number(this.getField("2 - Total Output Current").valueAsString);
var c = Number(this.getField("3 - Total Output Current").valueAsString);
var x = Math.ceil((a+b+c)/5)*5;
event.value = util.printf("%.0f", x);

 

2 replies

S
SofiaJone
Participant
July 12, 2025

Hi Patricia,

I've run into similar issues with JavaScript calculations in forms. First, make sure that each "Total Output Current" field is actually returning a numeric value. If any of them are empty or returning text, it can silently break the calculation.

I faced the same problem while working on a simple online calculator where I had to handle rounding and decimal formatting. What helped was checking each value step by step using console.log to catch where things were going wrong.

If you’d like to see how I approached it, here’s the tool I built: https://lacalculadaradealicia.es

Hope this helps — good luck!

Nesa Nurani
Community Expert
Nesa NuraniCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
September 10, 2021

Try it like this:

var a = Number(this.getField("1 - Total Output Current").valueAsString);
var b = Number(this.getField("2 - Total Output Current").valueAsString);
var c = Number(this.getField("3 - Total Output Current").valueAsString);
var x = Math.ceil((a+b+c)/5)*5;
event.value = util.printf("%.0f", x);

 

    P
    Patricia5FA5Author
    Participating Frequently
    September 10, 2021

    That worked perfect! I think I got the original script from try67, and he seems to create extremely succinct scripts. Was there anything wrong with what I had, or is Acrobat just finicky?

    Bernd Alheit
    Community Expert
    Bernd AlheitCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 10, 2021

    Following is wrong:

    this.getField("1 - Total Output Current" + "2 - Total Output Current" + "3 - Total Output Current").value

     

    You must use getField for every field.

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