Custom line spacing in a fillable text form field

[c kim]

My client has a word document with lines for applicants to print out and fill in, or "fill in digitally." Is there a way to create a text form field with "custom" line spacing? I know you can do it when you preview the document, but is there a way to actually "embed" that data in the text field so the user doesn't have to do it when filling out the form.

[Tariq Dar]

Hi ckim,

If you have attached picture or snapshot of the form. It could help us responding to your query.

I would suggest you may design a form using Microsoft word and then use prepare form mode of Acrobat. Using Acrobat you can place the field as required. 

Alternatively, you may use Adobe AEM designer formerly know LiveCycle Designer: http://tv.adobe.com/videos/livecycle-designer/

Let us know if you have further questions.

-Tariq Dar.

[ADplytdy]

Has this option been fixed? It seems to be a no brainer that Adobe would include type size so why not then let the designer choose a fixed leading for a multi line response field?  It seems unfathomable that one can't just have the option of saved specific line spacing in the PDF form to send out. Is this to sell us on the LiveCycle? We don't fit LiveCycle parameters. We have warranty forms for a small business.

[Thom Parker]

The PDF specification (not Adobe) provides default settings for the basic appearance parameters. Rich text is more complicated and I don't think it was part of the original PDF spec, so the defaults aren't there.

[ADplytdy]

Yes, my initial form is Rich Text in Illustrator and Acrobat DC.

I can't execute javascript. Neither Illustrator nor InDesign require me to know it in order to create and hold the leading I desire. The form leading was set in Illustrator CC 2017 holds. The issue is with the Acrobat fields created in Acrobat DC. I can not match the fields with the leading of the type created in Illustrator 2017 on the questionnaire. Also, the form has a paragraph field asking for customer input up to 750 words. Very difficult reading the responses with a decent size font but too tight leading as dictated by Acrobat's lack of allowing editable leading.

And if I understand you correctly, if someone is filling out our form and they delete their text and start over then the leading I set is gone???I have just not been able to set and stick with a preferred leading in the fillable fields of Acrobat DC. I searched the menus and find nothing. I was trying various possible work arounds to no avail.

Why have the developers of Acrobat not gotten in sync with the software engineers of Illustrator or InDesign on this as we are up to CC? I still find it unfathomable that the Adobe family of products is not consistent in allowing the  leading default to be changed by the form creator in Acrobat DC.

Many other great things about Acrobat Pro but this is on the level of novice software and another case of not actually having, or listening to feedback of it's users and what they need in their software.

I do thank you for responding and trying to help.

[Thom Parker]

Your guess is as good as mine. Rich text in form fields has been the same in PDF for over a decade, and I've never heard anything about updating it.

[Egbert Sousé]

I have the same issue. Leading is changed and tested in Acrobat Pro and when opened in Reader, the leading is back to single line default. Seems like a bug but is extremely frustrating.

[Thom Parker]

Yes, there are a couple of ways to do this.

First the field must be set to be Rich Text

1. Enter some text and set the line spacing. Then delete all the text but on space.  This space will hold the formatting. This method is not reliable because if the user deletes the space they loose formatting.

2. Use JavaScript to set to line space formatting after the user has finished entering the text. A validate event works for this.

[brucemcv]

I found the answer in another thread. How do I change the line spacing in a multi-line text field on a PDF form? (on MAC)

Works on Windows as well.

[ShannonReinholdt]

I'm having the same issue. The button text field options to modify fillable text field only allows the modification of font choice, font size and color (see image bottom right in button and forms section) but it doesn't allow leading options which is silly because that's a huge part of a document layout.

You'll see in Indesign my text field should allow for 4 lines of text to be filled in

Yet when a person is filling it out the leading does not match the lines I have laid out so that when it prints the text will be on the lines.

The other option is to have one text field and to carry it over like you would if you have two columns but that method also doesn't work because the text fields don't stay linked so upon export to pdf only the first line shows up as a typable field. 

[ShannonReinholdt · Accepted solution]

I figured it out, this can not be done in indesign which is something they need to work on because it defeats the idea of making a nice designed interactive pdf form.

In Acrobat

1. Choose Prepare Form > Select the text field and right click > Select Properties
2. Select "Options" tab and make sure Multi-Line and Allow Rich Text Formatting is selected > Close this window
3. Exit out of Prepare Form mode
4. Add some text in the text field > Highlight it and press CTRL + e > this will open up text field properties > select more... now you can edit your paragraph spacing.

NOTE: The only thing I noticed is that the text field might not hold onto those properties if the text is deleted, it seems to have reverted back to the default spacing.

2nd option, make multiple text boxes and link them together, again this can not be done in indesign and only done in Acrobat

1. Make multiple text boxes and name them properly. Example Text_1, Text_2, Text_#, etc
2. Right click on the first text box and open properties menu
3. In the "Options Tab" ensure "Scroll long text" is turned off
4. Next open up the format tab > Select Format Category : Custom > and open up the Custome Keystroke Script: by selecting "edit"
5. Enter this java script

if (event.willCommit || event.fieldFull) {

    this.getField("Text_2").setFocus();

}

Do this for all text boxes and make sure to write the name of next text field into the java script. This will tell the text fields that when one is full, to carry onto the next text field assigned.

[athompson@cemcosteel]

Thank you! This works like a charm, with one HUGE ISSUE ... it drops a "letter" from the word when it tabs from one line to the next. Has anyone found a way to avoid this issue?

I wish Adobe would just program in a line spacing tool to the Text Field Properties, it's 2019 ... come on now!

[zzillie]

AThompson3

Did you find a workaround on the dropped letter? I am having this problem too...

[phuongngk2708]

Hi Shannon, i would be appreciated if you can help provide custom code for wrapping text based on input string legnth instead of "event.Full" as stated above.

Thank you so much.

[BrittanyMayBee]

Has anyone been able figure out the orphan/widow fix on this script? I need to stop the missing letter when it drops to the next field and make it so the word isn't split between text fields. The following word below, "falling", is an example of what is happening when it drops to the next text field:

fall

ng

So I need it to just drop the whole word to the next field text when it runs out of space.

[Aguywhodoesntknowmuch]

This java script is a huge help, but like others I still have the issue of cutting off a letter when it fills and moves to the next field. Is there any way to fix this? Thanks for this solution so far but really hoping someone knows how to get it working perfectly.

[Thom Parker]

The answer it to use a script to capture the final keystroke and then transfer it to the next field. And there is no perfect setup for splitting text between fields.  In fact it's quite flawed.

The scripting model simply doesn't provide enough data, events, and controls to make text sharing between two fields work. For example, what happens when the user backspaces the second field to empty? You can't control how the cursor is placed in the text in a field, so you can't move the focus to the previous field without potentially destroying the current field text. What about deleting text from the first field, you can't reliably redistribute the text between the fields. And if the second field contains text, but you reenter text in the first field until it's full, you run the risk of overwritting the text in the second field. 

[Aguywhodoesntknowmuch]

Wow! Thanks for your answer Thom! Sounds like we'll just have to live with the cutoff and hope either the individual inputting data catches it and corrects it by deleting the cutoff from field 1 and then re-starting it on field 2, or we're able to just figure out what they meant if they don't correct it. Not the end of the world for our application so this 95% solution will work for now. Thanks again!

[Thom Parker]

Just for your information. When the "event.fieldFull" property becomes true. The "event.changeEx" property contains the entire string the user tried to enter, including the cutoff characters. The "event.change" property is the entry cropped to what fits into the box. So the difference is the chopped off characters. In the case where the user is typing, "event.change" will be empty and "event.changeEx" will be a single character.

[keirknight]

Hi Thom. It's been a few years since anyone replied or commeneted - do you guys have a solution to the split word/dropped character discussed here please? Thank you.

[Thom Parker]

Line Spacing is determined by the character height. I've been able to reliably place multililin text on a set of lines by setting the text size to a very specific value. But it only works for a few lines before it starts to drift. 

[Saugie53]

I think they were asking if there has been a solution to the issue discussed here years ago where it drops the last character when ending one line and paragraph one down to start the next line.

[Thom Parker]

Ahh, you are correct.

@keirknight , Do you have a test file where you've entered the scripts for automatically moving the the next field when the previous field is full? 

[maxwithdax]

VERY COOL! Unfortunate about the split words issues. 

[Jmhnath]

Hi Shannon, 

My version of adobe acrobat dc doesn't have a format tab. Trying to figure out how to tell the document to apply the javascipt  to line1 of the document.  I'm not at all familar with javascript.  What would I need to add to the script you provided? 

Many thanks,

Jenna