How to create interactive questionnaire PDF (not ePub) with buttons from InDesign

[relle des]

Hi, I'm trying to create a PDF of an interactive questionnaire in INDD which has multiple choice answers that generate different responses. I've managed to successfully generate an ePub version of this, but my client wants a PDF version instead and the button functions don't work properly in this format even when I substitute the Object State functions with the Show/Hide Buttons and Forms function.

About my document, you could say this is a 2-tier approach, so bear with me here:

• Each page of the document has 2 questions (4 pages in total).
• Tier 1 - Each question has 5 answers (buttons) to choose from (strongly agree / agree / neither agree or disagree / disagree / strongly disagree). Once clicked, the button changes colour and a text box appears relating to the relevant answer button.
• Tier 2 - Text box appears based on answer (different text copy for each answer).

My biggest problem here is trying to get everything to coordinate and work without using the Object States function. The ePub preview window doesn't help here as it generates different results than a PDF so I've had to wing it at this stage and it's starting to get a little confusing.

Would love to learn if there is a good tutorial out there or solution on how to create this for PDF output as my search results only seem to give ePub tutorial results, leaving a lot of the comments on these pages asking for PDF outputs and responses which only seem to suggest it's not possible or to use the Show/Hide Buttons and Forms but with no real instruction beyond that.

Thanks.

[BobLevine]

The idea of getting this to work in PDF is one that should be removed from your mind immediately.

The fact that your client wants it doesn't mean he/she can have it. Show/hide buttons are wonky at best even with Acrobat/Reader and the more of them you try to use the wonkier it will get. Add the multitude of substandard PDF readers, browsers, and mobile devices and attempting this is nothing but a fool's errand.

BTW, there are applications that are specifically made for this purpose, especially if it's to be used online.

[relle des]

Hi again Bob, thanks for your reply. Yes, my attempt at using the Show/hide buttons ended in what I can only describe as a version of designers' 'whac-a-mole' - one button fixes, another breaks! I don't suppose you can recommend any particular apps that work for this that I can suggest to my client? 

[BobLevine]

Have you looked at Survey Monkey?

[Frans v.d. Geest]

Educate your client: this is not going to work as you can not be sure on which device nor reader the PDF is shown. Forget PDF.

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

Agree with @Frans v.d. Geest and @BobLevine .

Regular PDF forms (called AcroForms) can't do this.

However, there is another type of PDF form, dynamic XFA forms, that can expand a question based on an answer.

The traditional InDesign-to-PDF route can't produce a dynamic form, but another program, Adobe LiveCycle Designer, can.  But Adobe discontinued LC a few years back and now encourages people to use their online forms-building tool, Adobe Experience Manager (which may or may not have the capabilities you need).

Suggestion: this type of form is not for InDesign nor for an average user. It requires significant knowledge of XML and scripting.

Re-post your question in the Acrobat forum where a small and talented bunch Acrobat programmers hang out. They help a lot of people there with dynamic forms, and can also give you some guidance on if and how it can be done.

Advise your client that this type of Acrobat programming for dynamic PDF forms is time-consuming and expensive...and beyond your capabilities. With a bit of research on the Acrobat Forums, you can get some solid suggestions to feed back to your client.  Acrobat Forum

If this were my project, I'd stick with only HTML and EPUB (which is a variation of HTML). HTML5 was designed with dynamic content in mind.

[Joel Cherney]

AEM certainly has the capacity to generate form design in this way - as does AEM Forms Designer, which is what Livecycle Designer is called these days. However the PDF output from Livecycle is of limited use, as it can only really be used in Acrobat when running on Windows. Some of this kind of interactivity can be achieved with AcroForms, but I would agree with Bob here - the more forms-functionality you try to implement in Acrobat, the more it falls apart in edge cases. You can do a great deal with Javascript in Acrobat, but you can't always expect your users to look at their PDFs in the same PDF viewer with the same functionality. 

There are many ways, these days, to generate dynamic forms and questionnaires such as the ones the OP's clients  seek, but so far as I know, all of them wind up either locking you into a walled garden, or generating interactive HTML content.  

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

Good points, @Joel Cherney.

Traditionally, dynamic forms work best with Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.

Our firm hasn't tested the latest non-Adobe brands of PDF reading software and one or more could have improved their forms capabilities, but I wouldn't bet on that.

But as Joel said:

...you can't always expect your users to look at their PDFs in the same PDF viewer with the same functionality. 

Forcing end-users to use only Adobe-brand software is like herding cats.

[relle des]

Thanks @BobLevine @Dave Creamer of IDEAS @Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com @Joel Cherney , I apreciate all of your replies.

Yes my findings have to be telling me the same thing, it just doesn't look like PDF is the way to go, there was a glimmer of hope there might've been a solution lying somewhere I hadn't yet found but no luck. Not knowing which device/app/output the users will be using this in also poses risk to the functionality I'm thinking. I would also imagine with using the ePub version they might at least be able to source analytics from the results which might persuade the client to move into an online outlet?

Thanks all once again!

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Is this what you are looking to do (see attached PDF)?

I tested the form in Acrobat Pro and CutePDF. 

EDIT/UPDATE: The form did not work on my iPhone; I assume it would not work on an iPad either. 

Notes: 

• The multiple Hide/Show was 20 times faster in InDesign than in Acrobat.
• The Default value text (answer) had to be set in Acrobat, hence the offset in Acrobat. I aligned them after I entered the text. 
• I put an invisible reset button in the upper-right corner of the page.

[relle des]

Thank you as well David for that set up, that might also work as well. I've made many forms and interactive features in Acrobat but haven't thought to apply it to this particular project. My only reservation would be in using both both apps to complete edits which might result in more hours spent, but it look's to be a possible solution should the client agree to the extra time required. Appreciate your help here in any case.

[TᴀW]

To avoid having to use 2 apps to complete edits, there's my (not free) https://www.id-extras.com/products/formmaker/ which lets you do it all in InDesign.