PDF Forms created with Adobe InDesign

[martinh64976442]

Hi, I am trying to find a solution of where to paste or use javascripts in PDF forms created with Adobe InDesign. At the moment I am pasting the javascripts in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. But each time I need to apply a change to the indesign files I am loosing all the javascripts applied to the pdf, therefore I have to re apply them, which takes large amount of time. I have forms which have over 100 fields using javascript codes to help with calculations. Is there a way I can add these javascripts right in the indesign software rather than adobe acrobat? If so, how? Thanks for any help or recommendations

[Derek Cross]

I think you can't do what you want – once you've committed your InDesign PDF to Acrobat, and added scripts, you can't go back to InDesign.

Not sure if FormMagic has anything to help: https://www.id-extras.com/products/formmagic

[TᴀW]

Hi Derek,

Thanks for the mention! If Javascripts need to be added, then FormMaker rather than FormMagic is the product to use. It includes everything that FormMagic has + Javascript validation, formatting, calculation and more...

Ariel

[Doug A Roberts]

what do you need to change in Indesign that necessitates these updates? if it's just visual, output PDFs from Indesign without the form fields and use Replace Pages in Acrobat. The fields you've made will be unaffected.

[Bill Silbert · Accepted solution]

I've never worked with javascripts before but I have done the following method to preserve editable forms that were added to a pdf in Acrobat which had been originally exported from InDesign. Whenever I have to later make a change to the InDesign file I will create a new pdf from the altered version with a different name so that I can keep the original pdf which has the forms already created. Then I will open the pdf with the already created forms and using the Organize Pages tools I will choose the "Replace" function and replace any page that has been edited in InDesign with its corresponding page from the new pdf that I made. At least for editable forms this works. The forms remain even though the page has been replaced with its updated counterpart.

See the screen shot from Acrobat:

[TᴀW]

The problem with this approach is "accessibility."

By switching pages in this way, you are destroying the form's accessibility for people who use screen readers. Form accessibility is a federal requirement, and increasingly so in countries outside the US as well, so if this is a concern, this workaround isn't advisable.

Damian Sian, senior web accessibility advisor for Princeton University, and a big fan of our FormMagic and FormMaker products, gave a talk about this a while back: Building an Accessible Document Workflow - YouTube

Ariel

[John Mensinger]

Yes, I do a lot of what you're describing, and both Doug and Bill have it right. Use Acrobat's Replace Pages feature to update the layout while preserving the form fields and their functions; javascripted and otherwise.

[martinh64976442]

thanks both Doug and Bill. The solution is not ideal but still really helpful in meantime until hopefully Adobe adds formulas calculations etc. into the InDesign.

[Bill Silbert]

Happy to help.

[BobLevine]

I would not count on anything approaching that. The forms tools are for simple form creation, just as the drawing tools are for simple functions. No professional should be counting on a single tool for anything.

[John Mensinger]

Bob's right; I doubt InDesign's form features will be expanded anytime soon. Not a fan of InDesign's limitations myself, I actually use it only for layout and add all the fields and their functions in Acrobat.

[TᴀW]

Hi Martin,

Our subscription product FormMaker does exactly that: You can add validation, calculation, formatting, and keyboard and mouse event scripts, as well as set fonts, alignment, color and more, all directly inside InDesign. No more of the crazy InDesign > Acrobat > InDesign dance!

Check it out, and get in touch if you would like a live demo: FormMagic | Id-Extras.com

HTH,

Ariel

[AndyQ]

This is ridiculous, there has got to be a need for a sophisticated design package that can output complex forms with all formatting and coding in place so the original can be edited easily. Adobe have done sweet-FA on forms support in Indesign. You can add fields but that's just about it. They now let you define the font for a text field, but you have to do it on a per-field basis, you can't apply attributes to multiple fields at the same time. Editing form fields in Acrobat is obviously a terrible way of doing things - what client isn't going to change things? This is all becoming apparant to me at the moment because I've got a job making promotional brochures that contain order forms. These are knocked out on a monthly basis, but undergo numerous edits before publication. They contain lots of graphics and layout complexity around the form areas so some sort of layout package is required. Frankly, I'm surprised by the lack of support as I would have thought Adobe wants to encourage PDF usage for business applications, and encourage sales of their products as part of that workflow.

[BobLevine]

Your rant has nothing to do with the topic at hand...adding javascript to forms. If your issue is about design, it's a matter of simply replacing the page in Acrobat. Organize Pages > Replace. The form fields will be untouched.

If you happen to be looking for one tool to do it all, keep looking. As nice as that would be, it's a fantasy. No professional would depend on only one tool.

[AndyQ]

It's an extension of the topic; I was looking for scripting abilities (for totalling amounts on order forms), but it was on this quest that I discovered how limited Indesigns support for PDF forms is. You may say "no professional relies on one tool', and I have more software apps than you can imagine; however it's quite reasonable to expect what I'm requesting here. Editing the output in a second app with no "round-trip" capability is just a hack. Imagine if Indesign only supported RGB colour? Or only measurements in inches? There is a logical need for an integrated tool that can handle complex graphic layout and publishing with interactivity, and Adobe have all the technology and resources to achieve this. 

[BobLevine]

I'm not saying it can't be done but all that bloat for something very few people need is not a good use of the limited resources InDesign has.
Again, it's a simple matter to replace the layout in Acrobat while keeping all of the form fields intact. You could have done it in less time than it took for you to write one of these posts here.
That said, if you think it's such a valuable addition to InDesign, this is the place to ask: https://indesign.uservoice.com/

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

It does not appear that Adobe has any plans to improve or increase form tools in InDesign.

Also, during the past couple of years, they have discontinued LiveCycle Designer which is heavily used by the forms industry to create dynamic forms.

Instead, Adobe appears to be focusing its R&D on AEM Forms, an online SAAS (software as a service) geared to business and government that creates and processes a gazillion forms a year. In spite of its total control of the form, distribution, and data collection (and data mining), it can be a worthwhile tool for large enterprises.  But it doesn't appear to be fully accessible for  government and other industries that need that feature.

AEM Forms is expensive and 100% overkill for the small forms business. Essentially, by ditching LifeCycle Designer and neglecting InDesign forms, Adobe is forcing individual designers and small design shops out of the forms business. It's tossing away this portion of its loyal customer base.

The only solution for us individual InDesign users is to look to 3rd party developrs to give us the tools that Adobe has not provided.

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

You can also copy/paste form fields and their scripts from one PDF to another.

That's my shop's preferred method because it preserves the form's accessibility. Copying pages often breaks the accessibility.

But if accessibility isn't required for your brochures' forms, then use whichever method works best for you.