Designing and Creating a Form
First, you should design your form.  Begin with the concept in your head, then put it down on paper, perhaps by hand.  Type the form in MS Word, naming the fields of information and allowing space for the boxes where users will enter data, called form fields.  Then create a .PDF file out of the Word document (File, Print, to PDFMaker).  Open the .PDF file you just above in Adobe Acrobat.

It is perhaps easier to create the form fields with the “Snap-to-grid” feature on.  To set this feature on, click View, Snap to Forms Grid to place a check.  Also, you may choose to view the gridlines themselves, by clicking View, Show Forms Grid.

You can set grid preferences by choosing File, Preferences, Forms Grid.  Subdividing lines display as dotted lines between the solid major lines.

Creating Form Fields
There are several types of form fields:  text boxes, buttons, check boxes, combo boxes, list boxes, and radio buttons.  Each type has its own attributes, features and possibilities associated with it.

• You can use a text box to allow a user to fill in text such as name, address, and phone number.
• You can use check boxes for lists of items in which more than one item can be selected. For a list of items in which only one item can be selected, you should use related radio buttons, combo boxes, or list boxes.
• You can use combo boxes and list boxes to present a list of items on your form.  Users can select only one item in either a combo box or list box. The shape of the display area for these boxes is determined by their content.
• Use a combo box to present a list of items in a pop-up menu (uses less space on a form).
• Use the list box to display the entire list and allow the user to scroll through it.
• You can use related radio button fields to ensure that a user selects only one item from a list of choices. Note:  when you create related radio button fields, field names must be the same, and export values must be different. The export value is the information used by a CGI application on a Web server to identify the selected field.
• You can use buttons in your forms to specify an action, such as opening a file, playing a sound, or submitting data.

Immediately after you draw a form field’s box, the Field Properties dialog box appears, where you can set options, such as giving the field a unique “Name”, setting the “Type” of field, etc.  The make-up of the tabs (Appearance, Options, etc.) is different for each of the types.  Fill in the information on each of the tabs as appropriate and/or desired.  More information is provided below.

Setting appearance options
You can set appearance properties for each field type by clicking the Appearance tab in the Field Properties dialog box:  The Border panel sets the border color, background color, width, and style.  Click a color box to select a color from the Color dialog box. To specify a custom color, see Setting the custom color option.  The Text panel sets the text color, font, and size for text typed into the form field. The Auto option under Size specifies a font’s vertical size on a text line, button, radio button, check box, or combo box. List boxes automatically adjust the text to fit the form field. If there are multiple lines of text in a field, resize the text (using anywhere from 12- to 4-point text), so all text in the string is visible.  Read Only specifies whether or not the text field can be modified by the user.  Required specifies that the user must fill in this field before data can be submitted.  Form Field Is specifies whether the field is visible, hidden, visible but doesn’t print, or hidden but printable. The hidden but printable option can be used to create a watermark on a document that prints (when the document is printed), but otherwise is not visible.

Setting action options
You can specify different actions to occur for a form field, depending on the behavior of the mouse over the field. Acrobat also lets you assign a custom action that is activated when a user changes selections in a list box. For example, you can play a sound or display an image as the user switches between items.

To specify action options:
1 Click the Actions tab in the Field properties dialog box.

2 Select a mouse behavior that will trigger an action:

Mouse Up specifies releasing the mouse button. This is the most common button action, because it gives the user one last chance to drag the cursor off the button and not register the selection.  Mouse Down specifies pressing the mouse button.
Mouse Enter specifies moving the mouse into the field boundaries.  Mouse Exit specifies moving the mouse out of the field boundaries.

3 Click Add, and select an action Type in the Add an Action dialog box. For a description of the actions, see Using actions for special effects.

4 Click Set Action. Actions are executed in the order they appear in the Do the Following window.

5 If you defined more than one action for a behavior, and if you want to reorder the actions, select the action, and then select the Up or Down button.

6 To edit a field action, select the action item, click Edit, and make the necessary changes.

7 To delete a field action, select the action item, and click Delete.

Setting format options
You can specify a format for data entered in text and combo box fields, such as the number of decimal places for numbers. You can also create new data formats and keystroke validation scripts with your own custom JavaScripts, such as defining a new currency format or limiting the form field entry to specific keystroke characters. For more information, see Using custom JavaS-cripts in forms.

Formatting is optional and available only for the text and combo box form fields. The default format is None.

To specify format options:
1 Click the Format tab in the Field properties dialog box.

2 For Category, select a data type and desired formatting options.

3 If you select Custom, do one or both of the following:  Click Edit, next to Custom Format Script. Copy and paste a predefined custom format script, or type the script in the text box provided. Then click OK.  Click Edit, next to Custom Keystroke Script. Copy and paste a predefined custom keystroke script, or type the script in the text box provided. Then click OK.

For more information, see Using custom JavaScripts in forms, or choose

Help -> Forms JavaScript Guide to display the Acrobat Forms JavaScript

Object Specification.

Setting validation options
You use validation options to restrict entries to specified ranges, values, or characters. By setting validation properties, you can ensure that users enter the appropriate data for a specified form field. You can also use custom JavaScripts to define other types of validation, such as allowing only numeric entries in a form field. Validation is available only for text and combo box fields.

To specify validation options:
1 Select either Text or Combo Box in the Field properties dialog box, and click the Validate tab.

2 Do one of the following:
To validate that the form field entry is within a numeric range, select Value Must Be, and enter the lower and upper bounds of the desired range (the bounds themselves are included in the range of valid entries).  Range validation is available only for form fields that use number or percentage formats. See Setting format options.  To use a custom validation script, select Custom Validate Script, and click Edit.  Copy and paste a predefined script into the editing area, or enter the script directly; then click OK.  You must click Edit in the Field Properties dialog box to enter or modify the script; you cannot edit the script that appears in the preview area. For more information, see Using custom JavaScripts in forms.

Setting calculation options
The calculation options let you perform mathematical operations on two or more existing form field entries and display the result. You can use the common operations predefined in the Field Properties dialog box, or you can define more complex operations using a custom JavaScript. For more infor-mation, see Using custom JavaScripts in forms, or choose Help -> Forms JavaScript Guide to display the Acrobat Forms JavaScript Object Specification.

When you define two or more calculations in a form, the order in which these calculations are carried out is the same as the form fields’ tab order. In some cases, you may need to change this default calculation order to obtain the correct results. For example, if you wanted to use the result obtained from calculating two form fields to calculate the value of a third form field, the first two form fields must be calculated first to obtain the correct final results.  Acrobat automatically performs all assigned field calculations when you are creating and testing your form fields. For convenience, you can turn off this automatic calculation while you work.

To specify form field calculation options:
1 Select either Text or Combo Box in the Field properties dialog box, and click the Calculate tab.

2 Do one of the following:
To define the form field without calculation properties, select Value Is Not Calculated (default).

To define the form field as a simple calculation result, select Value Is the <operation> of the Following Fields, and select an operation from the menu.

Click Pick to bring up the Select a Field dialog box, and select the form fields you want to calculate. Click Done when you have finished selecting form fields.  You can also enter the case-sensitive form field names directly in the text box (beneath the Value Is The radio button), separating the names with commas.  Simple calculations are available only for form fields that use number or percentage formats. See Setting format options.

To use a custom calculation script, select Custom Calculation Script, and click Edit. Copy and paste a predefined script into the editing area, or enter the script directly; then click OK.  You must click Edit in the Field Properties dialog box to enter or modify the script; you cannot edit the script that appears in the preview area. For more information, see Using custom JavaScripts in forms.

To set the calculation order:
1 Choose Tools > Forms > Set Field Calculation Order.

2 Select the desired form field name or form field names, and select Up or Down to move their position in the list. Then click OK.

To turn calculations off and on:
Choose Tools > Forms > Auto Calculate Field Values to toggle the feature off and on. A check mark appears next to the command when Auto Calculate is turned on.

Note: The Auto Calculate command does not affect calculations when you are using the form tool. Form fields defined with calculation properties are always calculated in Acrobat

Setting tabbing order
You can determine the order that a user tabs through form fields on a single page. The default tab order is the order in which the form fields were created.

To set tabbing order:
1 Select the form tool .

2 Choose Tools > Forms > Fields > Set Tab Order.

3 The form fields display the tab order currently set. Select from the following:
To reorder the tabs, click the form fields in the order that they shouldbe numbered.  To start at a number other than 1, press Ctrl (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click the form field numbered one less than you want to start with. Then click the form field you want to renumber.

4 Click outside a form field, or switch tools to exit Set Tab Order.