Working with pdfs

You will need access to Adobe Acrobat Pro to be able to prepare PDFs.

Prepare PDF

1. To prepare PDFs for mapping, you first have to convert your file into PDF format.

• To convert a Microsoft Word document into PDF, you should utilize the 'Create and Share Adobe PDF' feature in Microsoft Word which will allow you to convert and utilize Adobe to auto-create text boxes and inputs.

2. Once you have a PDF ready, go to 'Tools' and then 'Prepare Form'. Click 'Start' on the next page.

3. Once the PDF ready, you will get a document that will have various options. If you don't get these options next to your inputs you can also add them by clicking the menu options below.

Text Input

The text input fills in text to a text field. The set up is very simple.

1. Click on the text input on the PDF to open the properties pop up. Give the text input a unique 'Name'. Make sure that it is a unique name, because inputs with the same name will be mapped together.

2. Drag and drop the input to the desired height and width, specify formatting, and that's it!

Yes/No

Yes/No inputs are similar to select options and radio buttons, for when answers are mutually exclusive (only one answer can be selected). All the options in this group must have the same label.

Follow these instructions to prepare Yes/No inputs.

1. Let's start with the 'Yes' option first. Click on the checkbox for 'Yes'.

2. You should see the properties pop up. Click on the 'Options' tab.

3. In the 'Export Value' field, enter 'yes' in all lowercase. Close the properties pop up.

4. Click on the checkbox for 'No' to open the properties pop up. Make sure the 'Name' is the same for both the 'No' option and the 'Yes' option.

5. Similar to the last one, enter 'no' in all lowercase in the 'Export Value' field. And you're done!

Dropdown

For dropdown inputs, you can use these with checkboxes or radio buttons on the PDF.

Similar to yes/no and radio buttons, you will need to make sure all the options in this group have the same label.

You also need to make sure that you match the options in the form builder exactly so Adobe knows which option to select.

1. Click on the input on the PDF to open the properties pop up. Make sure the label is the same for the first option as the second option to group them together.

2. Check that the 'Export Value' in the properties pop up matches the 'Choices' exactly (case sensitive). You're all set!

Radio Buttons

Radio buttons are also compatible with checkboxes or radio buttons on the PDF.

Similar to the dropdown input, you need to make sure all the options in this group have the same label and that the values match the options in the form builder exactly, so Adobe knows which option to select.

1. Click on the input on the PDF to open the properties pop up. Make sure the label is the same for the first option as the second option to group them together.

2. Check that the 'Export Value' in the properties pop up matches the 'Choices' exactly (case sensitive).

Checkboxes

Checkboxes are compatible with checkboxes or radio buttons on the PDF.

You will want all the options to have a unique name since this is the only input type that allows selecting more than one option.

Make sure that all the options are set to "true" which is only selected when you click on a box in the form. A common mistake is to try to set the value similar to the input label instead of "true" for a checkbox option.

1. Click on the input on the PDF to open the properties pop up. Give each checkbox a unique 'Name'.

2. The 'Export Value' should be set as 'true' for all checkbox options and you're done.