Object styles lost when exporting to pdf

[default7k10xbi3igax]

I have several interactive text fields in a form that I have as inline text, and have applied Object Style to so the interactive text lines up (alignment bottom). It works perfectly in InDesign, but when I export to PDF, the text fields loose the style and I get top aligned text in a different font. What am I doing wrong?

[Nancy OShea]

[Moderator moved from Using the Community (forums) to InDesign.]

[BobLevine]

Are you expecting InDesign to be able to set alignment in an form field? If so, that's what you're doing wrong.

You're going to have to do that in Acrobat or take a look at this: FormMagic – Id-Extras.com

[default7k10xbi3igax]

Wow. It make zero sense to me that Adobe would not build this functionality into their software. It looks like FormMagic would provide the solution, but if it is a choice of me spending an extra 15 minutes reformatting in Acrobat, or my company spending money on an annual subscription of a third party software, I'm pretty sure I know which way my start-up company will go. I hope Adobe is working on fixing this.

[BobLevine]

AFAIC, there's nothing to fix. Most users simply don't need to take this any further than InDesign does.

Your complaint is like a carpenter moaning about needing to use a saw and a screwdriver!

You have all the tools you need to get this done.

[default7k10xbi3igax]

Ha! Bad analogy, Bob. It's like a carpenter complaining that everytime he uses a screwdriver to screw in the screws to build a wall, then stands the wall up, the heads pop out and he has to use the saw to cut off the heads of the screws. InDesign DOES have the ability to set alignment in the form field. I've done it and it works perfectly. But when I export to pdf (stand up the wall), I lose the formatting in the form fields (and now have to cut off the heads of the screws...in Acrobat). I'm married to a carpenter. I know the frustrations! (of working with screws, not of being married to a carpenter).

[BobLevine]

Okay, I'll bite. How are you setting text formatting in a form field in InDesign?

Of course, you can do that in a text frame but once you convert it to a field all of that is lost including any text you have in it. Is it intuitive? Hell no. Would it be nice if you could do it all? Sure, but you can't and given that these tools have seen practically no attention since CS5 or so, you really need to get used to using InDesign for what it does and Acrobat to finish it up.

Either that or pay for the plugin.

[Creamer Training]

I agree--it a format can happen in Acrobat after-the-fact there is no reason it can't be done in InDesign in the first place. Some items will always need to be completed or fine-tuned in Acrobat, but the basic formatting options should be there. 

You can list the feature request here: https://indesign.uservoice.com/

[manal shanableh]

what do you mean by text field, is a fillable form? can we have a screenshot?

[JR Boulay]

You're not doing anything wrong, it's just that InDesign programmers ignore some characteristics of PDF form fields.