How to turn off Highlight Existing Fields

[Schurgers1982]

Hi,

I am making a PDF with Radio Buttons, with an image background, and when I display the PDF in Acrobat Pro X it looks fine. I have switched off Highlight Existing Fields in the Form menu. But when I open the document on another computer, large grey boxes are shown around the Radio Buttons. Does Acrobat automatically switch on Highlight Existing Fields?

How can I export the PDF so that on other computers the grey boxes are not shown??

Thanks very much for your help!

Fabian

[try67 · Accepted solution]

This is a setting of the application, not of the document.

You can switch it off by going to Edit - Prefs. - Forms, and tick off "Show

border hover color for fields".

It is also possible to switch this setting off using a script, but I would

advise against doing that because this would affect not just your file but

all the files opened on the user's computer. If you want to implement it

you should at least inform the user of the change and preferably get their

confirmation to doing so.

[Chan5C73]

Where is that EDIT button? I'm using PDF Professional.

[try67]

Adobe doesn't have such a product. Do you mean Adobe Acrobat Pro? If not, post your question in the forum of the company that developed the application you're using.

[Schurgers1982]

Thanks for your reply!

[MSR1306]

In the above answer it said as below,

This is a setting of the application, not of the document.

You can switch it off by going to Edit - Prefs. - Forms, and tick off "Show

border hover color for fields".

I saved a copy of PDF, which is I developed via LC. In that saved copy I did as MENU -- EDIT -- PREFERENCES -- Disabled the chk box. Then, I opened the another form on browser, but, still button is turn ON by default

Pls. guide me where I have to do this setting, is it when I am developing my_form in LC or opening any PDF on my desktop & do setting on this PDF?

Pls. let me know where I hv to to do this seetings?

Thank you

[fineline_dan]

does anyone know where I can fins said javascript? ....

[try67]

Right here:

app.runtimeHighlight = false;

[fineline_dan]

thanks man! where do I add this? I can't find an add java script for the whole forms jut for the individual boxes..... Do I have to add it to each field?

[try67]

Insert it under Tools - JavaScript - Document JavaScripts. Create a new item (call it "scripts", for example) and then paste the code into the editor window, overwriting any pre-existing code that's there. Save the file and you're done.

[fineline_dan]

you have done in 5 mins what adobe couldn't do for me in 2 hours of chat and phone. thanks!

[try67]

That's both shocking and not at all surprising...

[magnetic_Bee98A7]

Has there been any update on this. For the life of me I cannot seem to get this working now in 2021. Is there a tutorial on how to add Document JavaScripts? I'ts greyed out when I open Javascript tool, and when going throught the Action Wizard I doesn't execute the command. Any advise would be so helpful thank you. I really wish Acrobat didn't have this hightlight fields as default, it's causing so much frustration right now..

[try67]

Do you have Acrobat Pro? What do you see, exactly? Is the file otherwise editable?

[S4NCH32]

Thank you for this. You absolute legend!

[JR Boulay]

A few months ago in a topic of this forum a nice guy named try67 gave me this script to put in a button.

It allows the user to choose directly by clicking on the button, without having to go to Preferences.

I just added French support to the original script, which can be replaced by any other language.

if (app.language == "FRA") {
var item1 = "Surbrillance";
var item2 = "Oui";
var item3 = "Non";
}
else {
var item1 = "Highlight";
var item2 = "On";
var item3 = "Off";
}
var aMen = {cName: item1, oSubMenu: [{cName: item2, bMarked: app.runtimeHighlight}, {cName: item3, bMarked: !app.runtimeHighlight}]};
var cRtn = app.popUpMenuEx(aMen);
if(cRtn != null) {
if (cRtn == item2) {app.runtimeHighlight = true;}
else if (cRtn == item3) {app.runtimeHighlight = false;}
}

[Creative Kath]

Hello again!

Similar to the person in 2021, I am trying to turn the highlight off in Chrome, Firefox and MS Edge. I have followed the instructions above to add the script in the Document Javascript area and it does not seem to work. What am I doing wrong: I am adding this code exact code: app.runtimeHighlight = false;

I am a novice at Javascript as I am a designer who is being asked to ensure the look of a fillable PDF form across platforms (Adobe Reader, Chrome, MS Edge & Firefox) - which includes not having the default highlight on. I do not really understand the longer javascript posted above in Feb 2021.

Any thoughts would be appreciated? 

[try67]

You're not doing anything wrong, but there's no guarantee this script (or any other script, for that matter), will work in any non-Adobe PDF viewer.

[Creative Kath]

Okay. Thanks so much for such a quick reply. Thus, I can conclude that the only way we can guarantee the PDF Form will function using any added scripts is to view it in an Adobe PDF Reader like Adobe Acrobat Reader.

I have another question: These PDFs are digital brochures being provided to sales people for passing on to their end customers. When provided to the sales person, each brochure includes a CONTACT form portion (with several fields) where the sales person needs to add their contact information in the appropriate field (ie name. title, phone, email). Once the sales person has filled out the contact form, they no longer want the fields to be editable. They want the PDF to now be a static document they can send to their customers. How do they save the PDF so that it is no longer a form?

[try67]

The best way is to digitally sign the form, which will lock its contents.

[JR Boulay]

"I can conclude that the only way we can guarantee the PDF Form will function using any added scripts is to view it in an Adobe PDF Reader like Adobe Acrobat Reader."

Yes and no.

JavaScript is supported in some other "real" PDF readers too, like Foxit or PDF Studio.

[mram51252]

In case this helps anyone, I'm using Adobe Acrobat Pro 2023 and was able to add the "Highlight Existing Fields" button without any scripting or workarounds. 

Right-click on the toolbar above the document, below the document tabs > Customize Quick Tools > in the Prepare Form group select More Form Options > click the + up arrow button to the right to add this button to the toolbar > Save > then in that top toolbar area you will now have a toolbox button with drop down menu that cotains the Hightlight Existing Fields button.

[Renee26453004ul1e]

Remove Red Required Field.   The commenter who provided the script - THANKS!  Not being able to make the RED REQUIRED transparent can make a document look horrible.  Especially when you have a lot of fields.  I attached the visual pathway to turn them off globally.