creating multipage forms

[pspdfppdfxhd]

I'm in the process of trying to make a pdf for inputting jobs that we print here with about 7 columns and 20 rows down to input docket#, date, etc. and made a form in .indd then created text boxes in acrobat




The thing is I had to rename each box like text1, text2, text3 manually because  if you leave them all text1 then whatever you type in text1 appears in every text1 box in the document. So the boxes on each page go from text1 to text140. This works good for 1 page but if you create copies of this page in acrobat then if you fill in text22 for example on page 1 it will appear on every page in the text22 box. So if you enter data on page 1, then go to page 2 and enter more data, page 1 will change to page 2 etc. etc. Now I realize that this could be the basis for a really cruel practical joke but I'm not a cruel guy!

Has anyone else had this problem?

[jezza]

Almost the exact same. I can't remember what I was doing but encountered the same problem.

I made as many pages as I needed in Indy and did a lot of tedious text boxes in Acro, naming each on individually. In theory though, you do it all in indy, perhaps using a plug in and then just export a pdf as normal.

Can't be more help right now, but it may point you to another solution

[Joe]

I would try to do this in a database. FileMaker Pro would make this in a snap. Is there a reason why it needs to be done in ID/PDF?

[delooch]

i did this a while back, you probably just copied and pasted the one box over and over again.. the problem is that you are also copying the same attributes to all the other fields as well, so you end up with 50 boxes with all the same data. i think you have to go in and either change the label of the box on each instance..

of course im spouting this from memory from a 2 year old project, but its close.

we used to have to track our time, i created a form similar.  i chose the PDF because any idiot (and i work with many) can open a pdf here, and it seemed like a neat thing to learn at the time.

i replaced all that with access databases now, which arent as easy..

[pspdfppdfxhd]

yeah, that's why I wanted a pdf because it's kinda "idiot" proof and the form would be going around to many different people on different computers....macs and pcs.

I know you have to change the name on the text field in every box for the whole pdf but this thing could end up being 200 pages so that's kind of ridiculous....

[Joe]

The more you idiot proof something the world will make better idiots.