/t5/acrobat-discussions/summation-box-from-dropdowns/td-p/15077158Jan 08, 2025
Jan 08, 2025
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I have been using checkboxes and summation boxes from these checkboxes, but it's complicated and slowing down my document for several reasons. I would like to try using summations from dropdowns instead.
i.e. if "FOC" is selected in a dropdown, this value (1) is added to a summation box at the end of the document so you can see that 'FOC' was selected 30 times, 'LOC' was selected 12 times, etc.
Is this possible please? I have done a search of the forums as I did think I'd posted this already but can't find it anywhere and the other threads I have found don't answer my query.
I've hopefully clarified under the other post, but I have about 40 tasks to fill in. Each one is under a Chapter (LOC, SGH, etc.) and also has a Licence (B1, B2, B1/B2). I need to calculate both separately, and in combination.
That error means one of the fields in the loop doesn't exist. Ensure your fields are name "Task_dropdown.0" through "Task_dropdown.259" or change the script.
When I created copies, it started putting numbers and then other numbers after the dots. So for some reason I have fields named something like this: "Task_dropdown.25.9"
Despite the fact that my dropdown was only called Task_dropdown
Was this because I created multiple copies across, as well as down - as I need a heck of a lot of them?!
I will have several scripts adding up LOC B1-B2, LOC B1, LOC B2, TS B1-B2, etc but only using these fields. These are the only ones with Dropdown in the name.
Use the following custom calculation script in the text field:
var ttl=0;
for(var i = 0; i < this.numFields; i++)
{
var fieldName = this.getNthFieldName(i);
if(fieldName.split(".")[0]=="Dropdown")
{
var oFld=this.getField(fieldName);
if(oFld==null){continue}
if(oFld.value=="LOC B1-B2"){ttl++}
}
}
event.value=ttl;
var ttl=0; //set a counting variable to zero.
for(var i = 0; i < this.numFields; i++)//loop through all the fields
{
var fieldName = this.getNthFieldName(i);//get the nth field name
/*split the field name by periods into an array, get the first array element and test whether it is equal to "Dropdown"*/
if(fieldName.split(".")[0]=="Dropdown")
//if true:
{
/*get the field object with the field name*/
var oFld=this.getField(fieldName);
/*test whether field object is null (sometimes the fields are gone but the names remain, which will cause an error. If null, loop goes back to beginning.*/
if(oFld==null){continue}
/*test the field value for string in quotes. If true, increment the counting variable by 1.*/
if(oFld.value=="LOC B1-B2"){ttl++}
}
}
//set field value to the counting variable.
event.value=ttl;
If you are interested, message me privately for a discount code for my (paid) scripting course.
I will do, thank you. Apologies, had I known you offered a course I wouldn't have asked you for such info for free!
So the script works beautifully, but the document is now VERY slow. And my date fields keep reverting to being 'text' fields for some reason - I have no idea why that is happening. Do I just swallow the slowness as the price you pay for having it work well, or is there any way to speed it up please?
ETA I have turned it off while editing the document, which helps. I guess I can send instructions to the person who is filling in the form on how to turn it off and then turn it back on for calculations at the end. The article linked to earlier provides a script, but I can't get that to work.
What is ETA, and what is 'it' that you have turned off? Since that is a calculation script it is going to run every time any field value changes, along with any other calculations you have in your form. If this field is the issue you could speed up performance by moving the script to a mouse up action in a button that you label "Calculate" and it will only run when the user clicks the button. Keep in mind that you will have to change event to this.getField("ThefieldNameWhereTheCalculationIsNow"). Here's an article on form performance:
ETA means "edited to add". I turned off Javascript as the file simply kept crashing so I will try a button! Do I have to have Javascript on for that to work?
I read that article originally, but when I tried putting the calculation in that is mentioned in there it didn't work.
I wanted to use this as a template for other documents - but I tried copying fields across from another PDF and it didn't work. So it looks like I am not going to be able to do that, and that's soul destroying to be honest. 😄
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