Creating a Submittable Form

[Rjm7]

Hey there community,

The goal is to create a form through InDesign that can be opened up in any browser (ie outside of Adobe Reader, like Chrome or Safari) and be able to submit it upon completion. If the form could have a submit button and then have it routed off to a specific email address, showing the form's edited fields, even better!

I would really appreciate some help with this!

[Derek Cross]

Have a look at in5 to see if this facility can offer forms:

https://ajarproductions.com

[BobLevine]

Forget it. If it's going to be in a browser just use an HTML form on the website.

[Rjm7]

Hi Bob,

Thanks for your response. Any advice for someone who is working on a low budget and doesn't know how to code? 

[David Popham]

If you have a full Creative Cloud subscription, you have access to Dreamweaver, which allows you to create web pages without having to know code (although it's helpful to know how to code).

There is information on Adobe's support site at:

https://helpx.adobe.com/dreamweaver/using/develop-form-dreamweaver.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/dreamweaver/using/using-forms-collect-information-users.html

If you have access to Lynda content, there is a course specifically for building web forms - https://www.lynda.com/Dreamweaver-tutorials/Building-HTML5-Forms-Dreamweaver/606089-2.html. I'm sure you could find other guidance with an internet search.

[Rjm7]

Hi David,

Yes, I do have the Creative Cloud subscription. I will definitely try out Dreamweaver. Thanks for the links as well.

[Rjm7]

The Lynda link is such a great find! Much appreciated, cheers!

[BobLevine]

You don't need to and FWIW, I would completely ignore Dreamweaver. It is a developer tool that I used to learn to code but wouldn't touch again if you paid me.

How is the site you're planning on putting this on built? If it's Wordpress there are several high quality form plugins that require no coding at all.

[Rjm7]

Thanks for the advice. Yes, its through Wordpress. What are some of your best suggestions for plugins, Bob?

[BobLevine]

Best "freemium" plugins, IME, are Caldera and Formidable. Very easy to use.

Avoid Contact Form 7. Horribly overrated, if you ask me.

[Rjm7]

Thanks for the help.

[Test Screen Name]

Submitting a form by email is a doomed approach. Many users can’t sent email at all, even if their browser is willing. You need a web app running on a web server to get back the form info. HTML forms strongly recommended. 

[Rjm7]

Hello All,

Could I export my already made InDesign form as an html file, then input it to Dreamweaver? Also, if possible, how would I maintain the formatting style of the form (CSS)?

[BobLevine]

No, especially with a Wordpress site. Use one of the plugins I told you about earlier.

[BobLevine]

Not sure what happened here. Ignore this reply.

[Test Screen Name]

Make the form again. The form design is a tiny part of the whole process, which is much larger than you think.