Using buttons

If you want users to initiate actions such as submitting data, executing a web service operation, or executing a database query, you can add a button to the form. With the help of Designer’s built-in support for client-server communications and scripting, forms can support these kinds of actions through buttons:

  • Execute a calculation

  • Process and manipulate data through a script

  • Submit data (including optional attachments) to a server

  • Sign submitted form content

  • Encrypt submitted form content

  • Open a connection to a host

  • Submit client requests to a server

  • Invoke a web service operation

  • Query a data source

The actions associated with the button are initiated when the user clicks the button.

After you add a button object to the form design, you can edit the caption text and manipulate the object’s properties in the Field, Submit, and Execute tabs of the Object palette. You can define these properties:

  • Change the caption for the button

  • Set a border style for the button

  • Specify the highlight style for the button

  • Define the button as visible, invisible, or hidden

  • Specify a locale for the button

  • Specify run-time behavior

Designer also includes four additional buttons that are preconfigured to provide specific functions. They include an email submit button, an HTTP submit button, a print button, and a reset button.

Email submit buttons

The email submit button is a standard button that has certain properties already set and a specialized Object palette. This object makes it easier for you to create buttons that users can click to return their form data by email. Because Adobe Reader does not save changes to PDF files, including form data, it is a good idea to include an email submit button on forms that users may fill in Adobe Reader.

The email submit button operates like a standard button object with these settings:

  • Control Type set to Submit

  • Submit Format set to XML Data

  • Submit To URL set to use the mailto: protocol, such as mailto:name@adobe.com

  • Encoding set to UTF-8

If you use the New Form Assistant to create a form and select one of the Submit return methods, an email submit button will be included on the form automatically.

After you add a button to the form design, you can edit the caption text, and you can manipulate the object’s properties in the Field tab of the Object palette. You can define these properties:

  • Change the caption for the button

  • Set a border style for the button

  • Specify the highlight style for the button

  • Set the To address and the Subject of the email message

  • Sign submitted form content

  • Encrypt submitted form content

  • Define the button as visible, invisible, or hidden

  • Specify a locale for the button

You can also change the button name in the Hierarchy palette and set a style for the caption in the Font and Paragraph palettes.

To configure the email submit button

You can specify the e-mail address that the form data will be sent to and the subject line of the email that will be sent.

  1. Add an email submit button to the form design. See To add objects to a form design.

  2. In the Object palette, click the Field tab.

  3. In the Email Address box, type the e-mail address you want to send the submission to.

  4. (Optional) In the Email Subject box, type a subject line for the e-mail.

  5. (Optional) To apply a data signature to the submitted data, select Sign Submission and then click Settings to configure optional signature settings.

  6. (Optional) To apply XML encryption to the form content, select Encrypt Submission and then click Settings to configure optional encryption settings.

HTTP submit buttons

The HTTP submit button is a standard button that has certain properties already set and a specialized Object palette. This object makes it easier for you to create buttons that users can click to return their form data by HTTP post.

The HTTP submit button operates like a standard button object with these settings:

  • Control Type set to Submit

  • Submit Format set to URL-Encoded Data

  • Submit To URL set to use the http: protocol

If your data needs to be returned through the secure https: protocol, you can also use the standard button object.

After you add a button to the form design, you can edit the caption text, and you can manipulate the object’s properties in the Field tab of the Object palette. You can define these properties:

  • Change the caption for the button

  • Set a border style for the button

  • Select the highlight style for the button

  • Specify the URL that the data will be sent to

  • Sign submitted form content

  • Encrypt submitted form content

  • Define the button as visible, invisible, or hidden

  • Specify a locale for the button

You can also change the button name in the Hierarchy palette and set a style for the caption in the Font and Paragraph palettes.

To configure the HTTP submit button

  1. Add an HTTP submit button to the form design. See To add objects to a form design.

  2. In the Object palette, click the Field tab and type the URL protocol in the URL box.

    To

    Use this URL protocol

    Example

    Submit the package to an ftp site

    ftp

    ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/GPL

    Submit the package to a web server

    http

    http://myserver/cgi-bin/

    Submit the package to a secure web server

    https

    https://myserver/cgi-bin/

    Submit the package to an email address

    mailto

    mailto:username@domain.com
    Note: When submitting data to a URL, it is recommended that you specify an absolute target. Relative targets are interpreted relative to the user environment, which can vary from one user to the next at run time.

  3. (Optional) To apply a data signature to the submitted data, select Sign Submission and then click Settings to configure optional signature settings.

  4. (Optional) To apply XML encryption to the form content, select Encrypt Submission and then click Settings to configure optional encryption settings.

Print buttons

The print button opens a Print dialog box so that the user can print the form. A Print button is a standard button object that has the Control Type set to Regular and a script included in the button’s click event that prints the form when the button is clicked.

In the stand-alone version of Designer, if you use the New Form Assistant to create a form and select one of the Print return methods, a print button will be included on the form automatically.

Reset buttons

A reset button resets all fields on the form to their default values. The Reset button object is a standard button object that has the Control Type set to Regular and a script included in the button’s click event that resets the field values when the button is clicked.

To insert a standard button that runs a calculation or script

  1. Add the button to a form design. See To add objects to a form design.

  2. In the Object palette, click the Field tab.

  3. Select an event from the Show box. For example, if you want the button to perform a calculation, select Click.

  4. In the Script Editor, select a language from the Language list.

  5. Type the calculation or script in the Script Editor.

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