How to 'Add an image' form field in InDesign?

Question

Hi all, I am creating an interactive pdf form in InDesign. I want to add an image field, so the end user can add an image from Acrobat. The only way I have found to do this is to first, export the InDesign document as an Interactive pdf, and then add the image field button in Acrobat.

I have seen people asking the same question in this forum, but that was several years ago so I was wondering if there was now a way to create the ‘add an image’ field directly in InDesign?

Many thanks for your help!

TᴀW · Answer

As Bob says, it can't be done natively in InDesign.

But it can be done in InDesign with FormMaker (https://www.id-extras.com/products/formmaker/)

A free version of FormMaker is available for short, 1-page PDF forms.

Instructions:

It's important to realize that an "add an image" field in Acrobat is just a plain old button field, to which Acrobat automatically adds a 1-line Action script which is triggered on Mouse Up:

So, to do the same with FormMaker in InDesign:

(1) Draw a rectangle and turn it into a button field (in the Button and Forms panel):

(2) Select the button field, and, in FormMaker, go to the Actions tab and tell it to "Run a JavaScript on Mouse Up".

(3) Click on the Edit button, and add this one-line script. It is exactly the same script as Acrobat adds to turn a button into a "select-an-image" field:

event.target.buttonImportIcon();

That's it! Export the interactive PDF with FormMaker, run the FormMaker command in Acrobat (it's available at the bottom of the Edit menu), and you will have an add-an-image field in your PDF, created in InDesign!

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