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December 18, 2025
Answered

Turn on/off layout elements within a one page PDF

  • December 18, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 143 views

I have a sneaking suspicion I know what the answer is going to be to this, but here goes anyway....

 

I need to create a form (in Indesign) that is ideally only one page, but will contain 6 versions of a particular table at the same location on the form (with editable form fields just to complicate things...). But only one version of the table being visible at any one time. (i.e. click a checkbox and Table 1 appears, click the next check box, Table 1 disappears and Table 2 appears in exactly the same position).

I realise this may be way beyond the capabilities of a static PDF, but I thought I'd check if anyone may have come across this sitution before. I'm trying to avoid having to give my client a 6 page form and tell them to delete the various pages they don't need each time it's used.

Correct answer PDF Automation Station

This is an Acrobat forum, not In Design.  This can be done in Acrobat with layers or template pages.  Here's a couple tutorials:

https://pdfautomationstation.substack.com/p/check-boxes-that-show-and-hide-pdf-c81

https://pdfautomationstation.substack.com/p/check-boxes-that-show-and-hide-pdf

 

 

2 replies

Thom Parker
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 18, 2025

I don't know how it is done, but I do know that you can create "PDF Layers" in InDesign.  Once created, layers (called Optional Content Groups, or OCGs) can be shown/hidden with a script, but there are also several built-in methods that do not require scripts, such as zoom level. And there is a layers control panel in Acrobat for manually turning them on and off. 

 

 

Thom Parker - Software Developer at PDFScriptingUse the Acrobat JavaScript Reference early and often
PDF Automation Station
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 18, 2025

This is an Acrobat forum, not In Design.  This can be done in Acrobat with layers or template pages.  Here's a couple tutorials:

https://pdfautomationstation.substack.com/p/check-boxes-that-show-and-hide-pdf-c81

https://pdfautomationstation.substack.com/p/check-boxes-that-show-and-hide-pdf