How to right-align the text in a dropdown list?

[dianed97898145]

Hi!

I need to right-align the text in the dropdown list but I'd like to set it as a field-level function if that makes sense (so that they don't all align right, just the ones I want to align right). I can't find the option to do so in the properties box.

I'd also like to know how to center-align the date when using a "date field".

Is that possible?

Thank you so much!!

Diane

[JR Boulay]

It is not possible to change the alignment of a dropdown list, either via the UI or via JavaScript.

Wrong assertion, see below

[JR Boulay · Accepted solution]

Got it!

You don't need to use Acrobat in Hebrew or in Arabic (RTL languages), just use the appropriate option in the Preferences.

[dianed97898145]

YES!! THANK YOU, JR!! It worked! I had to climb out of bed, put my contacts in, and come to my computer to check this out, thank you SO, SO MUCH!! 🙂

hmmm, now to figure out to remove my wish from the wish list since it exists already...

Thank you so much!

Diane

[try67]

 Nice find!

[Thom Parker]

Excellent Find JR!!  

So this does mean that it is likely a registry setting 😉

[JR Boulay]

hmmm, now to figure out to remove my wish from the wish list since it exists already...

No, leave it because it's not really an obvious option.
It took 3 internationally renowned experts a week to come up with the trick, I think a company like Adobe that claims expertise in user experience could do better.

😉

[dianed97898145]

Will do and again thank you so much! I realize that you spent time to figure it out and I do truly appreciate you doing that! 🙂  Have a great weekend! And you guys are definitely experts in my book! 🙂

[JR Boulay]

I don't like not understanding and this has aroused my curiosity.

[Thom Parker]

Of course this doesn't actually help the poster, cause it's an Acrobat setting, not a PDF property.  

[dianed97898145]

It did help me though. I needed to set the dropdown list to align to the right and it did. Am I not understanding? Does this mean that even though I right-aligned it, it's only in my version of Acrobat and when others open the form it won't be right-aligned?

Thank you!!

[Thom Parker]

Does this mean that even though I right-aligned it, it's only in my version of Acrobat and when others open the form it won't be right-aligned?

Yes and No. I did some analysis and in fact there is a never before seen (at least by me) entry in the field dictionary for the direction.  This entry is not referernced in the latest PDF specification (ISO 32000-2:2020(E)), or in the 2005 spec. So I suspect this is something Adobe did for themselves. Which probably means there is no hope of it working in any viewer other than somthing made by Adobe.    

To be clear, if your users open this document in Acrobat Pro, Acrobat Reader, or one of the Adobe online PDF viewers, then it should display correctly. But if it is opened by any other viewer, then you may see some inconsistent operation.

I tested the Chrome viewer and it initailly shows the text in the "R2L" dropdown correctly right aligned, but all text is left aligned after you click on the field. This is because the initial field appearance was set when I made the original selection in Acrobat, but this appearance is recreated when the selection is made.  I also tested in BlueBeam.  It completely ignores this option and draw all text left aligned from the start.  

[dianed97898145]

Lucky for me! Anytime I can arouse the curiousity of a world-renowned expert I know I'm in for some good help! 😉 lol, thank you so much! 🙂

[JR Boulay]

See this great tip to force a PDF to be opened with Acrobat:

https://www.abracadabrapdf.net/ressources-et-tutos/js-et-formulaires-ressources/forcer-utilisation-p...

(Google Translate is your friend)

[Thom Parker]

Very clever!!

[dianed97898145]

THAT is VERY cool, thank you, JR!

I've run into that problem a few times now. Someone will contact me, angry that their PDF won't work properly. I finally realized that they're using Soda or Nitro even though I say "Use Adobe".

Those two don't always play nice with Adobe PDFs.

Thank you again!!

[cb4232021]

Hello! I followed these directions and it worked!
However it also moved the first numbers of an address to the end of the address (screenshot below).

The validation script does not have it like that (screenshot). How do I fix this?

[Tariq Ahmad]

Hi @cb4232021, 

Thanks for reaching out. 

The “Enable right-to-left language options” setting in Acrobat preferences allows the application to properly support languages that are written from right to left, such as Arabic, Hebrew, or Persian semantic language support.

Here’s what it means in practice:

• Text Direction: It enables correct text flow for right-to-left scripts in comments, form fields, and editing tools.
• UI Adjustments: Some interface elements (like alignment options) adapt to accommodate right-to-left reading order.
• Document Handling: This option ensures proper display and editing behaviour when working with PDFs that contain right-to-left content.

What kind of Form you have it is XFA form? 

Best regards,
Tariq | Adobe Community Team