Search within Dropdown

[Tanjen]

Hello community, 

Here is my issue: I have a combobox/dropdown within Adobe Acrobat 2017 that has several hundred options contained within it. I would like to make this field "Searchable" if possible. I am not sure if I am running into search keyword issues as I look or if this is not something that can be done period within Adobe. I AM open to changing the type of field if that is what is needed. This form also needs to be sent out to my co-workers so this isn't something that I can just allow the auto-complete function within adobe to start picking up on my end.

Any guidance would be appreciated!

[ls_rbls]

This is something that can be done with Acrobat  and pretty much with every computer application.

Let's say that you click once on the dropdown menu with your mouse pointer. It will expand the menu showing some items; all you have to do is use your keyboard.

In my slide below I tap on letter "w" a few to times and it will cycle through all the items (or strings of text in that combo box)  that start with "w".  

Keeping that keyboard key pressed, will cycle through the items super fast, for example.

[Tanjen]

Except that isn't happening here? Is there a back end setting that would need to be changed?

[ls_rbls]

When you right-click on that field (using Prepare Form tool (some people call it  "edit mode"), select Properties from the context menu, and then go to the "Options" tab.

Untick the box " Allow users to enter custom text" and tick "Commit selected value immediately".

This is what is working on my end. 

[ls_rbls]

++Edited reply; I forgot to add an important detail

just remember, only click once on that field and tap a single letter in the keyboard. Typing a full word is not necessary, but it also works if you type in three letters of a long word that your trying to search.

Like, for example, if I had many entries that have words that are spelled beginning with "ext", it will hit all words in alphabetical order listed like:

exterminator

extremely

extroverted

etc, etc...

NOTE: This particular method will work if in the field properties -->> Options tab, you've enabled "Allow user to enter custom text".  I normally don't enable this option in my PDFs if selecting a face value from my  comboboxes are used with calculated fields. This is to avoid users messing with that. 

[ls_rbls]

I forgot to clarify that if you click inside the field you tap a letter in the keyboard and it will cycle through the list of  words whose first letter match with what you're tapping on your keyboard; it will not expand the pulldown menu.

However if you click with your mouse pointer exactly on the dropdown "arrow" icon it will expand and once you tap on a letter in your keyboard the matches found will be displayed in a sorted fasion. 

[try67]

Not quite true. It only works like that if you enable the option for the user to enter custom text. Then it filters the list based on the text you entered. If you don't enable that option then the list doesn't get filtered, and only the first letter you type is considered. If you Type "E" it will jump to the first item that starts with "E", but if you then type "X" it will not jump to the first item that starts with "EX", but to the first one that starts with "X"...

[Tanjen]

Thanks for the current answers all a few notes:

• I still have to allow users to enter their own text, there is no practical way to enter EVERY possibility into this dropdown.
  • Even if not there are enough entries that typing P to go to that section doesn't really do that much. Between Portland and Provicnece there are about 20 entries. I have tired this option but again only works if I don't let people enter their own text.

I have found the auto-complete option in Preferneces but this seems to be user based and not form based. I would go through and enter everything again if I thought it would save to the auto-complete option in Acrobat itself.

[try67]

If you're interested, I've developed a (paid-for) tool that allows you to filter the contents of a drop-down field (or a list-box) based on the text entered in a separate text field. That way you can enter any part of a word and it will only show those options that match it in the list. If you clear the filter field it will revert to the full list.

You can find it here: http://try67.blogspot.com/2012/11/acrobat-create-live-filtered-list.html

[Tanjen]

Thank you friend, I have seen your response several times on other posts, however the cost of the tool is not practical for our potentially one time use thanks.