How to create text fields dynamically?

Want to create a locked PDF with editable fields to be filled in?

• Hi, I can create locked PDFs, but I would like to leave some fields editable for people to fill in before they print the document. How and what sort of fields? Meaning, text, date, picklists and so on. Assume that I've got the Adobe Acrobat creation package. Thank you. /Lizardnation

• Answer:

  Hi there. The first step is to create the basic PDF document with no fields (e.g. by printing from Microsoft Word, etc. to Adobe Acrobat Distiller). Then, you should go into Adobe Acrobat to view the file. Make sure that the "editing" toolbar is visible by the other tools at the top (it's the toolbar that shows, in order, the following tools: "movie tool", "link tool", "article tool", "crop tool", "form tool", and "touch-up text tool".) If this toolbar is not visible, right-click in a blank section of the toolbar area and click "Editing" -- this should make it appear. Click the "form tool" button. Then, in your document, click and drag to draw the size of your field. When you let up with the mouse, an options window will pop up allowing you to set what type of field it is (textbox, checkbox, list, etc.), the fonts used in it, and other details. Once you have created all of these fields and dragged them to where you like, you should click File: Document Security. Choose "Acrobat Standard Security" and a pop-up window should appear. If you want a document that is generally uneditable and prohibits "extraction" (e.g. copying and pasting from it), check the middle two boxes at the bottom that mention these two concerns. It is imperative that "No Printing" and "No Adding or Changing Comments or Form Fields" are both left UNCHECKED for your purposes. Enter a password in the second box above ("Master Password") if you'll want to change these settings later (this I recommend.) Take care, and please let me know if I can be of further assistance. --Joey Search strategy: personal experience