Can I copy Drop Down lists in a PDF excel style form?

[BluJayInYourWindow]

Hello community,

I created a PDF form from an excel spreadsheet.  I would like to make all the fields in a colum a dropdown box with the same choices (each has about 12 choices).  I created the first field as a drop down and populated it with the choices I wanted it to display.  With the "Keep tool selected" option active I then

• chose the option to "Use current properties as new defaults".  I then went to paste the dropdown in the next few fields but when I went back into document view the newer boxes have an arrow on the right side as if it is a drop down box but there is no list and it just gives me an audible error ding when I click in the box (top boxes in column 4)
• Next I tried the option to "Make multiple copies" but it will only allow me to copy right 1 field (can not set that to zero) and down 4 fields at a time.  Going down it copied correctly and allowed unique choices from the drop down in each copied box (see column 4 last 2 boxes) but
  • when I get to the next page I have to create the list over and
  • I also have to delete all the entires it created on the right of the cell
  • Plus, since I tested in the bottom cell I can't copy up

Is there a way to fix this?  Unlike in a spreadsheet, the verbiage does not repeat when you start typing so I wanted to create a drop down to ensure consistancy.

Same goes with the date field.  If I set a field to be a date and chose the option to "Use current properties as new defaults" then input text boxes in the next fields the newer boxes are just boxes with no calendar and I can't figure out a way to format the boxes as a group vs individually.

I use these spreadsheets often in Excel but I really would like to create them in PDF forms format because it would be easier in my opinion to control the security on the form.

HELP!  and Thank you so much!!

[Bernd Alheit]

blujayinyourwindow  wrote

...

• Next I tried the option to "Make multiple copies" but it will only allow me to copy right 1 field (can not set that to zero) and down 4 fields at a time. 

...

Zero doesn't make any sense.

[BluJayInYourWindow]

Hi and sorry for the confusion.  I wanted to choose 0 to the left or right because I did not want to duplicate across only down.  Looking at my example above I want the entire third colum top to bottom to have the same drop down list in each field.  In the next column I want a different drop down list to appear in every field of that column.  Hope that clears it up. 

[Bernd Alheit]

Use the value 1. Did you try this?

[BluJayInYourWindow]

Yes I did and it copied everything  to the current cells as well as to one column to the right (which I had to delete).  AND I was only able to duplicate it 4 down max vs the whole column.  Is there a way to copy my list and write a code to input it in other cells somewhere in the background?   

[Bernd Alheit]

What version of Adobe Acrobat do you use?

[BluJayInYourWindow]

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC 2018.011.20038

[Bernd Alheit · Accepted solution]

It works for me:

[BluJayInYourWindow]

I realize now that if I had started at the top I can copy all the way down.  It only allowed me to copy down 4 cells because I was 4 from the bottom.  BUT as stated in my question I don't want to copy across only down.  Thats why I wanted to put zero in the across box.

[Bernd Alheit]

When you want copy across you must increase the value to 2 or more.

[BluJayInYourWindow]

My point it that I don't want to copy across at all as the second colum has  different drop down entries.

I am beginning to think there is no way to do this

[BluJayInYourWindow]

I don't understand the logic in forcing one to copy in two directions.  It would be nice to be able to do so in some circumstances but not all...like in my case.

[try67]

You can only duplicate fields down and to the right. If you have to start from the top left corner of the area where you want to place the fields, therefore.

[BluJayInYourWindow]

ok I tried it again and used 1 in the across field and it only duplicated down for each column.  YES!  I am not sure what I did the first time but it is working now.  Thank you!

[BluJayInYourWindow]

Just in case someone searching for a solution does not know how this was done I right clicked on the first drop down box I created  in prepare form mode and selected create multiple copies.

On thing to note is that your spreaseet boxes should be the same height before you convert the spreadsheet to PDF and if you need to change the height of your dropdown box to make it fit you can change the properties of the box before pasting it.

One thing I would like to do is print the selected item in the drop down to print in the field and if I did not select anything then the drop down box does not even print.  Is that possible?  Right now when I go to print I get this

which shows the correct selections in the first 3 boxes.  I did not select anything in the other boxes and it is printing the default.

Thank you a million!!

[Bernd Alheit]

Look at the image of my posting. It creates 9 copies down and no copy across.

[gkaiseril]

You have selected 1 or more fields to copy. A copy implies you will make at least one more copy of the field either down, to the right or both down and to the right. If you select 0 or none then you are not going to make a copy. Also not that this action will rename the original field(s) as well as create a unique name for each copy of the the field. The fields will be renamed using a "." and a number to represent the down or across occurrence starting at 0 and increment by 1 for each occurrence This naming structure is referred to as hierarchical field naming..This approach allows one to use JavaScript to access all fields in the group by the use of one name and also computer the string name for individual rows or columns within scripts.

If you save your form before starting this action, you can try various values and observe what happens. If you do not like the result, just close the form and do not save. You can then reopen the form and none of the changes you have observed will be present. You cannot break your form if you do not save the broken or unwanted changes.