Adobe Acrobat Cookbook

Most Popular Recipes

• Passing information/actions from the browser to an embedded PDF object
  • Tai Kedzierski 
  •   May 12, 2011
  • Avg. rating 5.00
  
  

  Problem

  When a PDF is opened in a browser, it cannot communicate with the web page that hosts it.

  Solution

  To pass information, we need to add what is called a Form Bridge, which presents an API to JavaScripts in the browser, and add to it our own functions. We then need to script the host page of the PDF container (which loads the Reader or Acrobat browser plugin) so that it pushes the data to the form. The result object of this operation allows us also to get data back from the form in the web page.

• Printing a PDF document from AIR without displaying it or the control bar (using PDF cross-scripting)
  • Adrian Parr 
  •   October 6, 2009
  • Avg. rating 5.00
  
  

  Problem

  You want to print a PDF file directly from AIR without displaying it to the user and using your own custom button (not the default PDF control bar).

  Solution

  Open the PDF document you want to print in Adobe Acrobat Pro. Add the JavaScript code to your document and save it. Create an HTML page that contains a JavaScript function and embed the PDF document. In your Flash (or Flex) file add a button that prompts the user to print the document. Add the ActionScript 3.0 code that communicates with the HTML page. Publish your AIR file (making sure you include the HTML and PDF files). Test your AIR app.

• I want to create a field for the user to add a photograph in a acrobat form field.
  • Joel Geraci 
  •   March 19, 2010
  • Avg. rating 5.00
  
  

  Problem

  I have a consent for I send as pdf for signatures and need to have a way to add a field to add the photo we want consented into it.

  Solution

  Create a button and use some JavaScript to set the button icon to the image that you want.

• Enforcing Required Fields
  • Joel Geraci 
  •   October 28, 2009
  • Avg. rating 5.00
  
  

  Problem

  Setting a form field to “Required” in the “General Properties” tab forces the user to fill in the selected form field. But there are cases when you need the user to fill out a particular field before moving on to the rest of the form. You could use JavaScript to dynamically enable or disable parts of the form but that can be cumbersome to keep track of. The ideal situation would be to, where appropriate, force the user to enter data into a required field before moving to another field.

  Solution

  Add the following code to the “On Blur” action of the field you want to be required.

• How do I change the "Email Submit" button so it will send the entire PDF form?
  • Thom Parker 
  •   November 20, 2009
  • Avg. rating 4.60
  
  

  Problem

  The standard "Email Submit" button in LiveCycle Designer only submits data as XML. And of course many users would like to submit the entire PDF, and modify other submission options.

  Solution

  There are at least 3 different ways to perform a submit action on a LiveCycle form. The Email Submit button is probably the worst, but the XML for this button can be easily modified so that it sends the entire PDF. A better solution is to use a regular form button. It's not widely known, but the regular button provides a greater range of submit options than the email button. And for the greatest flexibility the submit can be performed with JavaScript.