Adobe Acrobat DC

Forms
Course objectives:
• Create interactive forms
• Manage form fields and properties
• Use forms in Adobe Reader
• Use PDF Actions
• Digital Signatures

This course does not cover LiveCycle.

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Reproduced or adapted from original content provided under Creative Commons license by
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Staff and Student I.T. Training

Table of Contents

Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Creating Forms ............................................................................................................................... 3
Exercise 1. Create a form........................................................................................................ 3
Customising Forms ......................................................................................................................... 4
Exercise 2. Remove form fields ............................................................................................... 4
Exercise 3. Add form fields...................................................................................................... 5
Exercise 4. Modify fields and properties .................................................................................. 6
Exercise 5. Save and close form ............................................................................................. 8
Exercise 6. Open and edit form ............................................................................................... 8
Exercise 7. Create interactive buttons ..................................................................................... 9
Exercise 8. Preview a form.................................................................................................... 11
Security and Protection ................................................................................................................. 12
Exercise 9. Restricting user activities .................................................................................... 12
Signing and Certifying ................................................................................................................... 14
Exercise 10. Create a digital signature .................................................................................... 14
Distribute and Collate Forms ......................................................................................................... 22
Exercise 11. Reader Extended PDF ........................................................................................ 22
Exercise 12. Distribute, complete and track forms ................................................................... 23
Exercise 13. Export form results for analysis ........................................................................... 27
Reviewing PDF’s........................................................................................................................... 28
Exercise 14. Reviewing PDF documents................................................................................. 28

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Prior to commencing training, it is recommended staff open Microsoft Outlook to make

use of their email client during the session.

Overview
Open Adobe Acrobat DC from desktop
1. Click Windows icon in taskbar

2. Select Adobe Acrobat DC icon

Creating Forms
You can create a form by converting an existing electronic document. Acrobat will detect fields in
the document and add interactive forms fields to the form. The placement of automatic form fields
may need to be examined to ensure accuracy.

Exercise 1. Create a form

1. Click on Prepare Form from the Tools

Toolbar

2. Click on Select a file

3. Select Adobe Word Form.docx

4. Select Adobe Word Form.docx

5. Click on Open
6. Click on Start

A message box will display to indicate progress.

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If your form is in a table with no borders Acrobat may not

be able to recognise spaces for form fields. Add cells
borders to assist with the automatic conversion process

If your document is recognised as a form, fields will be automatically added to the file and you enter Form Editing
Mode

The Forms Tasks panel will open to the top

Your form will be displayed with some form fields already

in place, although some modifications may be required.

Customising Forms
The form toolbar opens at the top of the screen whilst Form Editing is active. Form fields
available for use include:
Text Field Lets the user enter text responses

Check Box Provides yes or no choices

Radio Button Allows users to select one item from a selection

List Box List of options to choose from. Can be set to allow multiple
items using CTRL button
Dropdown Allows user to choose an item or enter a response

Button Initiates an action such as submitting a form

Digital Signature Uses a digital signature to sign a PDF

Barcode Encodes data that people type into a form

Exercise 2. Remove form fields

1. Click on Investors in Education field

2. Press delete

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3. Repeat for Time field

4. Right click on Class Registration Form field

5. Select delete

Form Field Properties

The properties displayed when working with form

fields will vary between field types but the following
are examples of the types you could see:
General – Name, Tooltip, Common Properties
Appearance – Borders and colours, Text size
Options – Alignment, default value, character limit
Actions – Set triggers and actions
Format – Various formatting categories to control how
text appears e.g. number, percentage, dates and time
Validate – allow validation of entries to prevent
incorrect data being entered e.g. number range
Calculate – Use field to perform simple calculations

Exercise 3. Add form fields

1) Add a Radio form field

1. Click the Radio field button on the

toolbar
2. Click to add form field beside “am”
3. Change choice name to Time AM
4. Click Add Another Button

5. Click to add form field beside “pm”

6. Change choice name to Time PM
Ensure radio buttons belong to the same group.

7. Click in document to close properties box

2) Add a Dropdown list field

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1. Delete the Venue field

2. Select the Add drop down list button

on the toolbar
3. Click and drag to add form field beside
“Venue”
4. Change Field Name to Venue
5. Click All Properties
6. Choose the Options tab
7. Select the Item field:
• Type eZone 1 – Click the Add button
• Type eZone 2 – Click the Add button
• Type eZone 3 – Click the Add button
• Type Meeting room – Click the Add button
• Type Choose a venue – Click the Add button

8. Select Meeting room – Click the Up button

to move entry to the top
9. Select Choose a venue
Doing this makes it the default choice

10. Click the Up button to move entry to the top

11. Click the Close button

Exercise 4. Modify fields and properties

1) Edit Date field

To create a date field you place a text field and

change the format to recognise dates.

1. Double click the Date field

2. Check Required box on General tab

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3. Select the Format tab

4. Choose Date format
5. Custom format
6. Enter: dd/mm/yy
Entering yyyy will force user to enter the full year as part of a
date entry

7. Click Close
Required fields will display in red in “edit form “ mode.

2) Editing field properties

1. Double click the field next to Member
Number

2. Go to the Options tab

3. Clear Scroll long text
4. Clear Check spelling
5. Check Comb of and use 8 characters
6. Click on Close

3) Preview form fields

1. Click on Preview button to see live form as

users

2. Click Edit button to return to form editing

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Exercise 5. Save and close form

1. Click on File in menu bar

2. Select Save As

3. Specify a location and filename

"Adobe Word Form.pdf”
4. Click on Save

5. Click on File
6. Select Close

Exercise 6. Open and edit form

1) Access edit forms mode

1. Click on File in menu bar

2. Select Open
3. Navigate to Adobe Word Form.PDF
4. Click on Open
Your file is presented in fill-in form mode.

5. Select Prepare Form on the tools pane

This will activate form editing mode

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2) Add Signature field

1. Delete the undefined field beside Signature

2. Click on the Digital Signature button

3. Click and drag to add form field beside
Signature

4. Double click on signature field

5. Got to Signed tab
6. Select Mark as read-only
When the signature is added to the form, nothing can be
changed

Exercise 7. Create interactive buttons

1) New button to Print
1. Select the Add a ‘print’ or ‘clear’

button on the toolbar

2. Click and drag to draw a button field
3. Change the Field Name to Print
4. Click All Properties

5. Choose the Options tab

6. In the Icon and Label section click in
the Label area
7. Enter Print as the label

8. Select the Actions tab

9. Choose Mouse UP for Select Trigger
10. Choose Execute a menu item for
Select Action
11. Click the Add… button

12. Select File > Print… from list

13. Click on OK
14. Click on Close

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2) New button to Submit

1. Select the Add a ‘print’ or ‘clear’ or other
kind of button button on the toolbar
2. Click and drag to draw a button field
3. Change the Field Name to Submit
4. Click All Properties

5. Choose the Options tab

6. In the Icon and Label section click in the
Label area
7. Enter Submit as the label

8. Select the Actions tab

9. Choose Mouse Down for Select Trigger
10. Choose Submit a form for Select Action
11. Click the Add… button

12. In the Enter a URL for this link type

mailto:’[email protected]’
13. Select PDF The complete document
The email address link on the button is the email address you
want the results mailed to

14. Click OK

The selected action will appear in the Actions section

15. Click Close

The Submit button will appear

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Exercise 8. Preview a form

1. On the toolbar at the top of Acrobat

find and press the Preview button
Your editing options will ‘grey out’ and the preview
button will turn into an Edit button.

Hover over the submit button and a tooltip for sending

the data to the designated email address will appear.

The form has become active even in Preview mode

2. Click the Edit button to return to Edit

mode

3. Click More in the tools panel

4. Select Clear Form
This should also be done before the form is distributed

5. Click on Save

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Security and Protection

Exercise 9. Restricting user activities

1. Click File menu

2. Choose Properties

3. Select the Security tab

4. Click the drop down arrow next to Security

Method
5. Choose Password Security

6. Go to the Permissions area. Place a tick in

Restrict editing and printing
7. Enter the following settings
• Change permissions password a
• Printing allowed None
• Change allowed None
• Clear Enable copying if necessary
• Check Enable Text Access
• Click on OK

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Permissions disclaimer

8. Click on OK

Confirm password

9. Re-enter the password a

10. Click on OK

Permissions aren’t officially set until the file is saved.

11. Click on OK

12. Save as Adobe Word Form 2.pdf

13. Press ctrl+w
14. Open Adobe Word Form 2.pdf
The security restrictions will not apply until document is closed

Check Security

15. Check title bar for (Secured)

16. Click the File menu
17. Choose Properties
18. Select the Security tab to check
Document Restrictions
Notice most restrictions are now Not Allowed

19. Click on OK

Repeat protection with the following settings

• Change permissions password a
• Printing allowed None
• Change allowed Fill in Forms
• Clear Enable copying if necessary
• Check Enable Text Access
• Click on OK

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Signing and Certifying

There are two ways of electronically signing a pdf. Signing and Certifying. Signing a pdf means
that you agree with the contents e.g. a contract. Certifying a document means that the
document can be verified as having come from you. The processes involved in signing and
certifying pdf’s are the same.
Signing and certifying a pdf file allows for a verifiable way of proving a document in its current form
up to that point.
The ability to sign or certify a pdf requires the creation of a digital ID and a Certificate.

There are 4 steps involved in comprehensively signing and certifying PDF documentation.
1. Create a digital ID
2. Create a certificate from that ID
3. Send certificate, to colleagues, for importing to recognise you as a trusted identity
(The presence of a trusted identity allows acrobat to verify the identify the signer of a PDF document)
4. Sign a document and send

Exercise 10. Create a digital signature

1) Create a digital ID
A digital ID is collection of data that electronically identifies a person. This data is embedded in a
signed document to identify the signer.

1. Click Edit > Preferences…

2. Select the Signatures category

3. Click More… button under

Identities & Trusted Certificates

4. Click Digital ID’s

5. Click on Add ID

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6. Select A new digital ID I want to

create now
7. Click on Next

8. Select New PKCS#12 digital ID file

Digital ID is preferable as a cross-platform industry
standard

9. Click on Next

10. Complete as much information as

required
11. Click on Next

12. Accept default storage location and

file name
Password needs to be supplied every time you sign a
document and must be at least 6 characters long
For training purposes the password ‘abcdef’ is
acceptable but please note this is not a good idea in
real life.

13. Click on Finish

You will be returned to the Security Settings dialog

box and your digital ID is created and stored

14. Close the Security Settings box

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Exercise 11. Digitally sign a document

1. Open Terms of Service.pdf

2. Search in the Tools panel for Certificates
3. Select Certificates

4. Click Digitally Sign from the Certificates

menu at the top of your document
5. Click on OK
6. Click and drag to add signature location

7. Select a digital ID
8. Enter the appropriate password
9. Click Sign

10. Add filename “Terms of Service

Signed.pdf”
11. Click on Save

12. Digital signature appears on the document

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A banner will display after digital signature is placed

Clicking the signature also shows if the signature is valid

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2) Create a certificate
Once you have created a digital ID you can then create a certificate that contains the digital ID
information. The certificate can be sent to others, who then imports it into their copy of Acrobat as
a trusted identity.

1. Click Edit > Preferences…

2. Select the Signatures category
3. Select More… under Identities &
Trusted Certificates

4. Click Digital ID’s

5. Select ID
6. Click Export button

7. Select Save the data to a file

8. Click on Next

9. Specify a name and location for the file

The file is saved in an Acrobat FDF format

10. Click on Save

Save message appears

11. Click on OK

12. Repeat step 6 and select Email the

data to someone.

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Send Certificate

• Send the certificate as an attachment

to recipients who need to verify your
signature
• This will have to be imported by
recipient to recognise your signed
documents as a trusted identity

3) Trusted Identities
When you receive a certificate from another person you must import the certificate into Acrobat as
a trusted identity. This will allow Acrobat to recognise signed or certified documents from the
person whose certificate you have imported. This can be done from the attachment received or via
Acrobat Pro.

1. Click Edit > Preferences…

2. Select the Signatures category
3. Select More… under Identities &
Trusted Certificates

4. Click on Trusted Certificates…

5. Click on Import

Navigate to where the certificate is stored

6. Click Browse

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7. Select the ID file to import

8. Click on Open
You are returned to Choose Contacts to Import dialog
box

9. Choose Import

Presented with an Import Complete dialog box

10. Choose OK

Returned to Manage Trusted Identities dialog box. You

will need to specify what the new trusted identity can do.

11. Click Edit Trust

12. Tick Use this certificate as a trusted

root box
13. Tick Certified documents box
You should NOT tick the dynamic content, embedded
Java script and privileged system operations check
boxes. Doing so would potentially allow validation of
documents that may change after they have been signed.

14. Click OK to return to Edit Contacts

15. Close Digital ID and Trusted
Certificate Settings
16. Click OK to complete

4) Sign document

17. Open Terms of Service.pdf

18. Search in the Tools panel for
Certificates
19. Select Certificates

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20. Click Digitally Sign from the

Certificates menu at the top of your
document
21. Click on OK
22. Click and drag to add signature location

23. Select a digital ID

24. Enter the appropriate password
25. Click Sign

26. Add filename “Terms of Service

Signed.pdf”
27. Click on Save

28. Digital signature appears on the

document

A banner will display after digital signature is placed

Clicking the signature also shows if the signature is valid

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Distribute and Collate Forms

There are 3 main steps in dealing with Acrobat forms successfully
1) Distribute – send form to recipients
2) Respond – complete PDF form via Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader
3) Collate – collect and track responses

Exercise 12. Reader Extended PDF

Without a copy of Acrobat Pro, ordinarily it is not possible to save filled in form information.
However, it is possible to extend this functionality to people with a copy of Acrobat Reader 8 or
later by saving the form as a reader extended PDF

1. Open Adobe Word Form.pdf

2. Click Edit PDF from the Tools pane
3. Enter password
4. File > Save As Other> Reader
Extended PDF > Enable More
Tools (includes form fill-in &
save)….

Enable usage rights in Adobe Reader opens

5. Click Save Now

6. Save as Adobe Word Form
Extended.pdf

7. Click File > Properties to see what

restrictions have been added
8. Click on Ok
9. Click File > Close

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Exercise 13. Distribute, complete and track forms

1) Distribute via email

1. Open Adobe Word Form.pdf

2. Select Prepare Form on the Tools
pane
3. Click Distribute in the bottom right of
the window
You may be prompted to save your form prior to
distributing

4. Select “Email”
5. Click on Continue

6. Select “Send it using Adobe Acrobat”

7. Click on Next

8. Enter the recipients addresses

9. Ensure the box “Collect name and
email from recipients to provide
optimal tracking” is checked
10. Click on Send

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Tracker dialogue box opens when form has been sent

successfully. It also allows the sender to see if recipients
have responded to a form

11. Close Tracker box

2) Respond to a form request

A Recipient will receive an email with the form as an
attachment.

1. Go to email inbox
2. Open email attachment
Recipients open the form with instructions to complete the
form and use the submit button

When distributed, Acrobat scans the form and if no submit

button is found a submit button appears at the top right of the
form

3. Complete All form fields

Complete the signature field last as adding it can make the
document read-only. If a required field is empty you will be
locked out and unable to submit or make any other changes

4. Add Digital Signature

• Click Signature field
• Select Signature at Sign As
• Enter password
• Click on Sign

5. Save file as Adobe Word

Form_Distributed_Signed.pdf
6. Click on Save

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7. Click on Submit button

Dialogue box opens to confirm response and return details

Indicate how you would like to send the response

8. Click on OK

A message box will pop up to acknowledge response has

been sent. Check message has gone as you may need to
send it manually.

3) Track Responses from recipients

1. Go to email inbox

2. Open email and attachment

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3. Choose a response file

Adobe should find the original file if you are the one who sent
it out originally

You may be presented with a welcome screen

4. Click on Get Started

Responses are shown in a table style layout.

Response file gives several options for managing responses

Update can only be used on server based forms

Add is used for email based forms

4) View and manipulate responses

1. Click on Filter
2. Select class title field
3. Enter “forms”
4. Click on - Clear All
5. Click on Done

6. Click Tracker link

The tracker will allow you to view other details from
responses and contact recipients who haven’t yet
responded.

7. Close Tracker Dialogue box

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Exercise 14. Export form results for analysis

1. Click on Export in responses file

2. Select Export all …

CSV format is default and can be easily read by

Microsoft Excel

3. Choose destination
4. Click Save
A message appears to indicate success

5. Press CTRL +W to close response file

You may be prompted to save responses.pdf

If you accidentally try to add a response more than once

a message will display.

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Reviewing PDF’s

Exercise 15. Reviewing PDF documents

1) Send invite for review

1. Open AdobeReviewFile.pdf
2. Open the Tools Panel
3. Click Send for Comments
4. Select Send for Comments by Email

5. Fill out details before clicking on

Complete
6. Click Next

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7. Enter email addresses of recipient for

review
8. Click on Next

A sample review email is displayed

9. Click on Send Invitation

2) Respond to a review request

A Recipient will receive an email with the PDF file as an
attachment.

1. Go to email inbox

2. Open email message and attachment

A message box may display.

3. Click on OK

The review document will open and a message banner will

display to click Merge comments after editing

4. Open Comments panel

5. Use Annotations to add comments

6. Click on Merge Comments in banner

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A message box will confirm successful merge

3) Track reviewers

1. Open AdobeReviewFile.pdf
2. Open the Tools Panel
3. Click Send for Comments
4. Select Track Comments

Tracker window opens with details of each reviewer

5. Click on AdobeReviewFile under the

Sent Reviews
6. Click on View Comments to see merged
comments in PDF file

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7. Click on Options button

8. Select Create Comment Summary

9. Click on Create Content Summary

The document summary will be created for printing or

saving

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