Create an interactive calculator in InDesign that works in PDF

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
March 1, 2019
4 replies
15781 views

I have created an interactive calculator for a few of our price list documents. To do so, I have to copy/paste the calculator created in PDF to the PDF documents. I would like to see if there is a way to do it directly from the InDesign document so it will save me time. I have 9 documents to do this to. Here is a link to what we are using: https://logiflex.ca/medias/documents/graphics-test-calculator.pdf

Correct answer Jeffrey_Smith

Indesign's form fields are basic and can not include a calculation script.

One thing you could do is create the content in Indesign. Keep a master PDF with form fields and calculation scripts. In Acrobat, merge the 2 by replacing the page in the master PDF.

TᴀW

Legend

Calculation, validation and formatting scripts, as well as keyboard and mouse-event-triggered scripts, can all be added to interactive PDFs directly in InDesign with our FormMaker add-ons: https://www.id-extras.com/products/formmaker/

For short forms there is a free version as well.

Ariel

June Rabbit

Known Participant

This looked like the solution I needed, but while watching the tutorial video in the link posted, it seems that this add-on will only work when the end user also has it installed.

Is my understanding correct, or can auto-calculating fillable PDF forms be created with this add-on so that the PDFs can be sent off and filled in (with auto calculations) by other users who don't have the add-on installed?

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

@BobLevine the conversation with my customer around this piece started as a simple update to an existing hard-copy order form he had been using, but it quickly grew to become a multi-page order form to include photos of some of the products being offered.

At some point, I mentioned the ability to have it be a digital version with the possibility of on-the-fly calculations and he really liked that idea. So, down the rabbit hole I went in search a solution OUTSIDE of Acrobat to setup those form fields with calculations, which led me to this thread.

While I have no doubt that it would be easier and more reliable as a form on a website - especially when you consider the dream of integrating the output of the form directly into a Quickbooks invoice, the exectuion of that becomes a little more difficult, as it falls FAR outside my capabilities and knowledge base to execute such a task, and unfortunately, one that I'm not sure my clent is willing to pay for.

@Ryan_Park

Are you looking for something like the attached PDF - that let customer order unique configuration of the product?

There is no calc right now - there was no need for it - but it would be easy to add total cost of the order.

This PDF has been exported from an INDD file that has been generated from a database - and then was automatically injected with custom JS in Acrobat - 100% automated process.

AXX_1.pdf

J

Jeffrey_Smith

Correct answer

Community Expert

Indesign's form fields are basic and can not include a calculation script.

One thing you could do is create the content in Indesign. Keep a master PDF with form fields and calculation scripts. In Acrobat, merge the 2 by replacing the page in the master PDF.

B

blaurie2Author

Inspiring

Thanks, that is what I have been doing, but was hoping for a way to streamline operations. This calculator is popular where I work and there are 3 versions, US, Canda English and Canada French and it is in 3 different price lists, so an automation would have been a real time saver.