change the format of several fields in one step

[Celentano Fabio]

I have a problem: i generate many pdf-formulars for many companies. I often have to change the format for over 50 fields at the same time. 50 fields will change from standard to integer format. Sometimes i have to change 50 fields from integer format with two decimal places to one decimal place. 

How can i do that for several fields at the same time? Currently i change one filed by another. And that is no clean solution!

Best regards and thanks for your help

[JR Boulay]

Paste this script in the JS Console, select all, and hit the Enter key:

for (var i = 0 ; i < this.numFields ; i++) {
var oFld = this.getField(this.getNthFieldName(i));
if ((oFld.type == "text") && (/total/.test(oFld.name))) {
oFld.setAction("Format","event.value = util.printf(\"%,2.0f\",event.value) ;");
}
}

It will change the Format of all text fields whose name contains total like this:

You can assign the format you want by setting printf:

https://opensource.adobe.com/dc-acrobat-sdk-docs/acrobatsdk/html2015/Acro12_MasterBook/JS_API_AcroJS...

[Daphne5C23]

I am trying to use the code above to change multiple text boxes at the same time from integer to 1 decimal point but it doesn't seem to work.  The code I am using is below and all I have changed is for the file name to contain 'TestCPL' and the format from '%,2.0f' to %,2.1f (1 decimal point).

I have then selected all the fields on the page and hit enter but nothing seems to change in the field names that contain TestCPL.  Can you please tell me what I am doing wrong?

[try67]

You don't need to select the fields. You need to select the code in the JS Console and press Ctrl+Enter to execute it.

[Daphne5C23]

Thank you for responding. 

I now seem to get the message 'undefined' under the code after I execute it

You can see the field names in the screenshot below and there are definitely a number of them in the first two rows that contain 'TestCPL' as part of the name.

[try67]

"undefined" is not an error, the opposite, actually.

Check if the fields were actually edited.

[Daphne5C23]

They didn't change.  My fields are currently set to zero decimal points and I am trying to set them to 1 decimal point.  After executing that code they still remain at zero decimal points.

[JR Boulay]

Daphne5C23 since it's a grid of fields you don't need to use a script.

Remove all fields except the first one, set the Format, then right-clic on the field and use "Create multiple copies".

This should take about 30 seconds.

[Daphne5C23]

Thanks for your suggestion.  I do use the 'Create Multiple Copies' function when starting a form from scratch but sadly that is not an option for me on this occassion. 

I actually have several existing forms to amend, each one with many fields in a grid pattern.  Almost all of those fields contain individual validation scripts checking target values against actual values and formatting the text colour accordingly so if I used the create multiple copies method I would then have to amend all those validation scripts individually instead so it would actually take several hours.

[try67]

That's because the code you got will not set the built-in Number option of the Format tab.

Try this:

oFld.setAction("Format", "AFNumber_Format(1, 0, 0, 0, \"\", false)");
oFld.setAction("Keystroke", "AFNumber_Keystroke(1, 0, 0, 0, \"\", false)");

[Daphne5C23]

That works perfectly!  Thank you so much for all your help. 

[flxmarketing]

I have used the script below to edit multiple formats at once, but specified them with the name of the fields it needs to change, but sadly, it doesn't work. Am I doing something wrong? I have the newest version, but I did make the form in Indesign (also newest version) before exporting it to an interactive pdf. In adobe Acrobat i added the script, because otherwise I needed to edit the format of all the fields by hand.

var names = this.getFieldNames();
var kostenCount = 0;
var datumCount = 0;

for(var i=0; i<names.length; i++){
var f = this.getField(names[i]);
if(!f || f.type !== "text") continue;

// ===== KOSTENVELDEN =====
if(f.name.indexOf("Kosten_") === 0 ||
f.name === "Totaal-kosten-alles" ||
f.name.indexOf("Prijs-stuk_") === 0){
if(f.value === "") f.value = 0; // dummy waarde
f.setAction("Format", "AFNumber_Format(2,1,0,0,'€');");
f.setAction("Keystroke", "AFNumber_Keystroke(2,1,0,0,'€');");
f.value = f.value; // trigger format
kostenCount++;
}

// ===== DATUMVELDEN =====
if(f.name.indexOf("Deadline_") === 0 ||
f.name.indexOf("Start-datum_") === 0 ||
f.name.indexOf("Crew_Geboortedatum_") === 0){
if(f.value === "") f.value = "01/01/2000"; // dummy datum
f.setAction("Format", "AFDate_FormatEx('dd/mm/yyyy');");
f.setAction("Keystroke", "AFDate_KeystrokeEx('dd/mm/yyyy');");
f.value = f.value; // trigger format
datumCount++;
}
}

// Bevestigingspopup
app.alert("Formatting applied!\nKostenvelden: " + kostenCount + "\nDatumvelden: " + datumCount);

[Bernd Alheit]

Check the JavaScript console for errors . 

[flxmarketing]

I do not get an error, just the undefined, but it still doesn't work as it should i guess

[try67]

What are the names of the fields you're trying to edit?

Can you share the file?

[flxmarketing]

I have attached the file, please note that it is in Dutch. I want to do the following:

• The fields with names that match-up with one of the names below to be formatted like this example: €1.234,56
  • Fields starting with: Kosten_
  • Fields starting with: Prijs-stuk_
  • Field with name: Totaal-kosten-alles
• I want the fields that match up to at least one of the names below to format like a date like this: dd/mm/yyyy
  • Fields that start with: Deadline_
  • Fields that start with: Start-datum_
  • Fields that start with: Crew_Geboortedatum_
• Furthermore (if possible) I want the fields that start with the text below to be formatted as a phonenumber
  • Crew_Telefoonnummer_

Is this possible?

[try67]

Ja, dat is geen probleem! 🙂

There's no such method as getFieldNames, though. You probably got it off some kind of AI model that invented it. To access all the fields in a file use the following:

for (var i=0; i<this.numFields; i++) {
var fname = this.getNthFieldName(i);
var f = this.getField(fname);
if (f==null) continue;

// do something with this field
}

I did that, and it worked fine. It edited 192 "Kosten" fields and 140 "Datum" fields. I would recommend adding a command to switch off calculations before running it, though.

Add this before your code:

this.calculate = false;

And this at the end of it:

this.calculate = true;

[try67]

You should have, because (as I wrote below above) getFieldNames doesn't exist, so the first line of code would generate this error:

TypeError: this.getFieldNames is not a function
1:Console:Exec

[flxmarketing]

I added the fnction as you said it and for me it didn't change anything it seems. Although it did give the note "True" after i did ctrl + enter. Am I doing something wrong? The full script should be as below, right? I only needed to change the top part of my original script.

this.calculate = false;

for (var i=0; i<this.numFields; i++) {
var fname = this.getNthFieldName(i);
var f = this.getField(fname);
if (f==null) continue;

// do something with this field
}

// ===== KOSTENVELDEN =====
if(f.name.indexOf("Kosten_") === 0 ||
f.name === "Totaal-kosten-alles" ||
f.name.indexOf("Prijs-stuk_") === 0){
if(f.value === "") f.value = 0; // dummy waarde
f.setAction("Format", "AFNumber_Format(2,1,0,0,'€');");
f.setAction("Keystroke", "AFNumber_Keystroke(2,1,0,0,'€');");
f.value = f.value; // trigger format
kostenCount++;
}

// ===== DATUMVELDEN =====
if(f.name.indexOf("Deadline_") === 0 ||
f.name.indexOf("Start-datum_") === 0 ||
f.name.indexOf("Crew_Geboortedatum_") === 0){
if(f.value === "") f.value = "01/01/2000"; // dummy datum
f.setAction("Format", "AFDate_FormatEx('dd/mm/yyyy');");
f.setAction("Keystroke", "AFDate_KeystrokeEx('dd/mm/yyyy');");
f.value = f.value; // trigger format
datumCount++;
}
}

// Bevestigingspopup
app.alert("Formatting applied!\nKostenvelden: " + kostenCount + "\nDatumvelden: " + datumCount);

this.calculate = true;

[Bernd Alheit]

Select the whole script before you execute it. 

[flxmarketing]

I used the code below, selected it al before I "Ctrl+enter"ed, but now I got a "SyntaxError: syntax error

31:Console:Exec
undefined"

What am I not seeing and/or doing wrong?

this.calculate = false;

for (var i=0; i<this.numFields;i++){
var fname = this.getNthFieldName(i);
var f = this.getField(fname);
if (f=nul) continue;
// Do something with this field
}

// Kostenvelden
if(fname.indexOf("Kosten_") === 0||
fname === "Totaal-kosten-alles" ||
fname.indexOf("Prijs-stuk_") === 0){
if(f.value === "")f.value=0;
f.setAction("Format","AFNumber_Format(2,1,0,0,'€');");
f.setAction("Keystroke", "AFNumber_Keystroke(2,1,0,0,'€');");
f.value = f.value
kostenCount++;
}

// Datumvelden
if(fname.indexOf("Deadline_") === 0||
fname.indexOf("Start-datum_") === 0||
fname.indexOf("Crew_Geboortedatum_") === 0){
if(f.value === "") f.value = "01/01/2000";
f.setAction("Format","AFDate_FormatEx('dd/mm/yyyy');");
f.setAction("Keystroke","AFDate_KeystrokeEx('dd/mm/yyyy');");
f.value = f.value
datumCount++;
}
}

//Bevestigings pop-up
app.alert("Formatting applied!\Kostenvelden: " + kostenCount + "\nDatumvelden: " + datumCount);

this.calculate = true

[try67]

You have one curly bracket too many, after this line:

// Do something with this field

Use the code I provided below.

[try67]

No, it needs to be this:

this.calculate = false;
var kostenCount = 0;
var datumCount = 0;

for (var i=0; i<this.numFields; i++) {
	var fname = this.getNthFieldName(i);
	var f = this.getField(fname);
	if (f==null) continue;
	if(!f || f.type !== "text") continue;

	// ===== KOSTENVELDEN =====
	if(f.name.indexOf("Kosten_") === 0 ||
	f.name === "Totaal-kosten-alles" ||
	f.name.indexOf("Prijs-stuk_") === 0){
	if(f.value === "") f.value = 0; // dummy waarde
	f.setAction("Format", "AFNumber_Format(2,1,0,0,'€');");
	f.setAction("Keystroke", "AFNumber_Keystroke(2,1,0,0,'€');");
	f.value = f.value; // trigger format
	kostenCount++;
	}

	// ===== DATUMVELDEN =====
	if(f.name.indexOf("Deadline_") === 0 ||
	f.name.indexOf("Start-datum_") === 0 ||
	f.name.indexOf("Crew_Geboortedatum_") === 0){
	if(f.value === "") f.value = "01/01/2000"; // dummy datum
	f.setAction("Format", "AFDate_FormatEx('dd/mm/yyyy');");
	f.setAction("Keystroke", "AFDate_KeystrokeEx('dd/mm/yyyy');");
	f.value = f.value; // trigger format
	datumCount++;
	}
}

// Bevestigingspopup
app.alert("Formatting applied!\nKostenvelden: " + kostenCount + "\nDatumvelden: " + datumCount);
this.calculate = true;

[flxmarketing]

Thank you! It works now! Last two questions

1.  Is it possible to leave the date field empty instead of adding the "dummy"value?
2. Is it possible to add the "€" i front of the number?

I am new at making these scripts, really want to become better at it and I really appriciate the help! Thanks a lot

[try67]

1. Yes, there's no need to do that.

2. Yes. After '€' in both function calls, add a "true" parameter (without the quotes).