Button Indesign - Interactive pdf

Report · Nov 14, 2024

Hi, i made two buttons in indesign, one show the answers (on top of a text field) and the other hide the answers. Everything was fine and working very good. But i don't know what i did, that the file i save now (interactive pdf) it's showing the answers but also the text from text field, the answers are behind the text field, but in the layers they are positioned correctly.

Before was everything working fine, but i messed something that i can't find out, and the all document is like this now and i can't revert this. Could someone help me please? I'm sending a print screen for you guys to understand better.

Thanks in advance

Report · Nov 14, 2024

in the future, to find the best place to post your message, use the list here, https://community.adobe.com/

p.s. i don't think the adobe website, and forums in particular, are easy to navigate, so don't spend a lot of time searching that forum list. do your best and we'll move the post (like this one has already been moved) if it helps you get responses.

<"moved from cc desktop">

Report · Nov 14, 2024

thanks

Report · Nov 14, 2024

(you're welcome. your post is in the indesign forum, https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/button-indesign-interactive-pdf/m-p/14981067#M59...)

Report · Nov 14, 2024

Hi @Tiago266472508zeb,

Thank you for sharing the details. Could you let me know which version of InDesign you are using and the operating system (OS) details? This information will help me provide a more accurate solution.

From your description and screenshots, it seems that the issue may be with the button layer order or visibility settings. Could you:

1. Double-check the layer order in the 'Layers' panel. Ensure that the "SHOW answers" and "HIDE answers" buttons are on a layer above the text fields to control visibility.

2. Open the 'Buttons and Forms' panel (under 'Window > Interactive > Buttons and Forms') to review the actions for each button. Ensure that:
- The "SHOW answers" button has an action to display the answer text field.
- The "HIDE answers" button has an action to hide it.

3. Try re-exporting the PDF with interactive options selected. Go to 'File > Export', select 'Adobe PDF (Interactive)', and ensure the "Include Interactive Elements" option is checked.

If these steps don’t resolve the issue, feel free to share any additional details, and we’ll troubleshoot further.

Best,
Abhishek Rao

Report · Nov 14, 2024

Hi, thanks a lot for the answer. I'm using the last version of indesign 20.0 (it make me wonder if i did my file in previous version, and when i updated the software it messup ) , i have also windows 11

All the 3 steps you told me i did already, thats why the file was working fine before. Everything was fine, the pdf was working fine until certain point (i dont know when) , that i realise the problem in my pdf, and i still have a backup file (missing modifications) that is working fine. But i don't want to go back to the backup file, cause i did a lot of small text modifications. And i think its very weird this happend now. Do you think it could be the update to the 20.0 version?

Anyway thanks again

Report · Nov 14, 2024

Hi @Tiago266472508zeb,

Thanks for confirming the version and OS details! Since you’ve already tried the steps and the issue seems to have appeared after the update to InDesign 20.0, it’s possible that the update affected the interactive elements.

One approach you could try is:

Save a Copy of the current file as an IDML (File > Save As > InDesign CS4 or Later [IDML]). This can sometimes clear out any minor file corruption or version conflicts.
Reopen the IDML File and then re-export it as an interactive PDF.

Let me know how it goes or if you have other questions!

Best,
Abhishek Rao

Report · Nov 14, 2024

i tryed now this... it didn't work.

Sometimes in my compute the file is opening in indesign Beta, i don't know why... Maybe is something related ?

Report · Nov 14, 2024

Hi @Tiago266472508zeb,

Thanks for trying the IDML approach. Since the issue persists, and given that it sometimes opens in the InDesign Beta, that could indeed be affecting the file.

Could you please share both the current problematic file and the working backup file with us via Direct Message on the community? This will allow us to investigate the button functionality and see if there's any difference between the files.

Looking forward to your response so we can help troubleshoot further!

Best,
Abhishek Rao

Report · Nov 14, 2024

i really apreciate your help. Can i send direct to you? i don't want the files to be public. Thanks

Report · Nov 14, 2024

Acrobat or Reader should be used to view the interactive pdf, other viewers may not respect layers and may damage the interactive pdf (Apple Preview for example).

To fix the broken pdf, you can transfer the correct interactivity from your back up file to the file with the latest modifications in Acrobat using Tools> Organize Pages> Replace, use the original file as the base, use the modified file as the replacement, the content from the modified file will be used* and the interactivity from the original will be retained.

*I assume your modifications were done in Acrobat using text edit, and not with comments or stamps.

Report · Nov 15, 2024

hi Luke, all modifications in my files is always done with indesign, i use acrobat just to view the pdf. I need my indesign file to be correct.

Report · Nov 15, 2024

Buttons in interactive PDF have been wonky for a long, long time. And the more you use the worse it gets.

I cannot possibly recommend spending time on a project like this.

Yeah, I know it's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth.