Can't check multiple checkboxes in ID form

[Kore_Group]

I'm trying to create a ID form with 6 checkboxes. Problem is, when I export an interactive pdf, the checkboxes act like radio buttons ie, I can't check more than one box. I did the obvious and made sure each box has a unique name - they do - but I still have an issue. The form also has radio buttons, and those act as expected.

I thought a simple workaround would be to open the pdf in Acrobat DC and just add the checkboxes there. Here's the weird thing, it happens in that program too. Even with different names, the boxes act like radio buttons in Acrobat.

Anyone have a clue what's going on?

[Willi Adelberger]

As it is happening with Acrobat made check boxes too I suppose the problem is withing Acrobat, not InDesign. Did you try to reset preferences in Acrobat?

[Kore_Group]

Good suggestion, but no luck. The problem is still there.

[Laubender]

Hi,

what is your exact version of InDesign you are seeing this? On what OS?

There are some bugs with formfields that were introduced with InDesign CC 2015.4.

If you are seeing this with CC 2017 you could install CC 2015.3—not CC 2015.4—side by side with CC 2017 and work from CC 2015.3.

If you are using InDesign CC 2015.4 you could uninstall CC 2015 and re-install CC 2015.0 to CC 2015.3 and work from that.

Read the following thread here in this forum:

Check boxes disappear on export to interactive PDF. Is this happening to anyone else?

Here my answer in the same thread with installer links for CC 2015.0 and CC 2015.3:

Re: Check boxes disappear on export to interactive PDF. Is this happening to anyone else?

Some other links to threads that discuss the issues as well:

Has the ability to have multiple fields with the same name been removed?

Linking Checkboxes to "mark" at the same time

Regards,
Uwe

[Barb Binder]

Will you share a couple of screen shots? We may as well start in InDesign to see if we can fix it there, and if not, we can move on to Acrobat.

Show the frame selected and the Buttons & Forms panel open for two (or three) of the misbehaving checkboxes.

[macpawel]

Check boxex can't use the same name - please check it. If you copied tchem it's easy to make mistake

Pawel

[Laubender]

Hi Pawel,

they can use the same base name.

But with CC 2015.4 and CC 2017 there is a problem. Read on here for details:

Re: Check boxes disappear on export to interactive PDF. Is this happening to anyone else?

With CC 2015.3 and before it is working as expected.

Example:

Base name Check with a group of e.g. 4 check boxes should result after PDF Export to:

Check#0

Check#1

Check#2

Check#3

But with CC 2015.4 and CC 2017 the result is this:

Check1

Check2

Check3

Check4

A bug that I reported, is acknowledged and still not resolved.

Regards,
Uwe

[Kore_Group]

I forgot to include the software versions. ID CC 2017 and Acrobat DC. Everything is up to date as of 2/20/17. I've also tried in CC 2015.0 & 2015.4.

Here are a couple screen shots. You can see the check boxes have different names but if there's anything I'm missing, please let me know. Kind of hard to tell in the Acrobat image, but both boxes should be checked on the right.

For what it's worth, the problem is the same in Acrobat Pro and Reader.

[Laubender]

Hi Kore_Group,

please download this sample that I made with InDesign CC v9.3.0 on Mac OSX 10.10.5.

CheckBoxes-SameBaseName-CC-v9.3.0.zip

   CheckBoxes-SameBaseName-CC-v9.3.0-INTERACTIVE.idml

   CheckBoxes-SameBaseName-CC-v9.3.0-INTERACTIVE.pdf

Dropbox - CheckBoxes-SameBaseName-CC-v9.3.0.zip

Four check boxes with the same base name working as intended.

I cannot test with CC 2015.0, still have CC 2015.4 and CC 2017 installed…

If CC 2015.0 is not working, try with CC 2014.2 or CC v9.3.0.

Regards,
Uwe

[Laubender]

Added:

The trick is to use the same name for the check boxes with InDesign that should function as a group.

In my sample the same name is simply Check. I duplicated the left most checkbox three times. Don't think it's necessary to group the four in inDesign, however I did.

And that should work with:

CC v9.3.0, CC 2014.2, CC 2015.0, CC 2015.1, CC 2015.2 and CC 2015.3.

Not with CC 2015.4 and CC 2017.0

Regards,
Uwe

[Barb Binder]

Added:

The trick is to use the same name for the check boxes with InDesign that should function as a group.

Now I'm confused, Uwe. The should have different names to be allowed to turn on/off independently.

Plus I'm checking one of my forms from InDesign, which works as intended. It looks just like your settings, Kore_Group. I did not group the frames. I am InDesign CC 2017 and Adobe Acrobat DC.

InDesign:

Acrobat in Forms Editing Mode:

Acrobat in Preview Mode:

[Sandee Cohen]

Uwe,

There may be a language problem here.

Check Boxes must have different names in order for multiple ones to be checked.

Radio Buttons must have the same name in InDesign which becomes the same "GROUP NAME" in Acrobat. Then there is a separate name for "Choice 1" "Choice 2" etc within each group.

[Laubender]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Sandee+Cohen  wrote

Uwe,

There may be a language problem here.

Check Boxes must have different names in order for multiple ones to be checked.

Radio Buttons must have the same name in InDesign which becomes the same "GROUP NAME" in Acrobat. Then there is a separate name for "Choice 1" "Choice 2" etc within each group.

Hi Sandee,

yes, that I really understand.

However there was this "feature"—maybe a hack—with check boxes and InDesign where check boxes that were duplicated and where no individual names were applied, act as if they had individual names when grouped. At least I can show this with InDesign CC to CC 2015.3. That "feature" was broken with CC 2015.4 and CC 2017. I filed a bug report and the bug was acknowledged.

Download my zip file and test the pdf:

CheckBoxes-SameBaseName-CC-v9.3.0.zip

   CheckBoxes-SameBaseName-CC-v9.3.0-INTERACTIVE.idml

   CheckBoxes-SameBaseName-CC-v9.3.0-INTERACTIVE.pdf

Dropbox - CheckBoxes-SameBaseName-CC-v9.3.0.zip

Then open the idml file and inspect the check boxes names. Do that with InDesign CC or CC 2014. I'm not exactly sure when this "feature" was broken. At least it is broken with CC 2015.4 and CC 2017. The names of the check boxes are all the same and react as they should. Not like radio buttons where you can only select one of a group, but you can select some of them and they stay all checked. Clicking a checked one will uncheck the clicked one. Not all that share the same name in InDesign.

However I was on the wrong track with the OP's problem.

The OP is using fifferent names for different check boxes. That should be ok. I have no problem on Mac OSX with his exported PDF. And I have no problem with his InDesign document—that's from InDesign CC 2015.4.1—to export a working interactive PDF with CC 2017.

Obviously it's not the bug I described above that is hitting here, but a problem with Acrobat.

Maybe only on his machine?

Regards,
Uwe

[Kore_Group]

Hmm. You created that in CC 2017 and you can check all 4 boxes at the same time? It doesn't work on my end. I opened your INDL file and don't see anything different than my INDD file.

I've uploaded it to my Dropbox. I'd be curious if my pdf is working for other people.

Dropbox - NonWorkingCheckBoxes.zip

[Sandee Cohen]

Your PDF is working fine for me. And your ID document is set correctly.

[Sandee Cohen]

When you say it doesn't work on your end, what exactly is happening? Does anything get checked? Do they switch? Explain.

[Kore_Group]

They act like radio buttons. Only one stays checked.

[Jeffrey_Smith]

When you create and add the check boxes in Acrobat, are you sure you are not creating additional options for the existing Radio Buttons? To verify whether there are separate radio and checkbox fields, view the Field List.

[Kore_Group]

I tested that by adding two new check boxes to a blank pdf. The only items in the Fields list were Check Box1 and Check Box2. Same result. I can't check them both at the same time.

[Jeffrey_Smith]

Can you post the problematic test PDF?

[Barb Binder]

Yours work correctly.

[Kore_Group]

Arg. What's happening on my end then?

I'm running Acrobat Pro 2015.023.20056 and InDesign 2017.0. The only difference I see from BarbBinder is I'm on a PC.

I might have to contact Adobe support to straighten this out.

[Laubender]

Hi Kore_Group,

hm. Downloaded and tested your sample on OSX 10.10.5 and it is working as expected.

Just like Barb…

Adobe Reader DC 2015.23.20056.

Acrobat Pro DC 2015.23.20056.

CC subscription model.

Not the perpetual one.

Regards,
Uwe

[Barb Binder]

Yes, and I have both installed. The earlier Mac screen shots were:

On Windows, I have:

And it works there, too.

Reboot? Check for updates? Reinstall?

[Barb Binder]

I'm thinking you should ask this question over on the PDF Forms forum. It would be awesome if you can come back and let us know what you discover. I used/taught Acrobat forms forever and I've sure never seen it.