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Known Participant
January 21, 2016
Answered

Display Export Value of dropdown instead of Item

  • January 21, 2016
  • 1 reply
  • 8165 views

I'm trying to show the Export Value of a dropdown instead of the selected option i.e. the user selects BLACK but the export value of BLK is actually displayed.  I can find lots of discussions on how to pull the export value and display it or use it to trigger another response in another field and I can usually tweak my existing JavaScripts when I need something new but I cannot seem to wrap my head around this!

This is my latest (failed) attempt

var f = this.getField("eyes");

if (event.value == "Black - BLK")

f.value = "BLK"

I'm using Acrobat PRO DC.

Any help is appreciated,

Thanks

Meabh


This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer George_Johnson

I've been doing this a long time, and have never heard of anyone wanting something like this, so it's interesting. Remove your current script and try the following as the custom Format script of the eyes dropdown:

// Custom Format script for dropdown

event.value = event.target.getItemAt(event.target.currentValueIndices, true);

This sets what's displayed in the dropdown to the export value of the selected item. Select the "Commit selected value immediately" option for the dropdown for the smoothest operation.

1 reply

Inspiring
January 21, 2016

Where did you place that script? What field and what event?

NHJB MHPAuthor
Known Participant
January 21, 2016

In the Custom Calculation Script of the "eyes" dropdown field.  I'm trying to get the Export Value to display in the dropdown field, not in a separate field. I can only assume I'm making this harder than it needs to be.

Meabh

Known Participant
May 12, 2019

The only reasons for the code not to work is that

1) Its not actually saved in the PDF

2) The PDF viewer does not support the particular JavaScript properties/functions.

#2 would be true for any native browser viewer or mobile viewer (Android and IOS), including the mobile Acrobat Reader


Why wouldn't it be saved in the PDF?  What good would any code be if it weren't?
A person on Reddit gave me this suggested code;

"event.value = event.value.substring(0,2);"

which effectively formats the output to truncate everything after the first two characters.  That code does save into the document.  I am able to send it to myself and it operates exactly as expected when I open the document in Acrobat Reader.
However, this suggestion comes with some issues as there are some codes that are going to be more than 2 digits long.