Combo Box provides recipients with list of options to choose from in the form of drop-down menu and they can only select one option. You can add menu items to the item list in Options of the Combo Box Properties dialog box. In addition to the list of options to choose from, recipients are also allowed to enter their own text if Allow user to enter custom text is selected. Combo box can also calculate values of specified text fields and display the calculation result. See Calculate field data for more information.

To add a combo box field

  1. Open a PDF file and choose Form > Form > Combo Box .

  2. On the page, drag a rectangle where you want the field to appear.

  3. To call out the Combo Box Properties dialog box, do any of the following:

    • The dialog box appears automatically right after the field is created.

    • On the Sidebar Navigation pane or choose Basic > Basic Tools, click Select and use it to double-click the field.

  1. In General, name the field and set its box attributes. To make it a required item, check Required at the bottom. You can then use Highlight Fields to outline the required item with the color specified at Required fields highlight color in Forms Preferences to draw more attention to it. See Form preferences.

  2. The Options tab offers the following settings:

    • Item. Define the options to appear in the drop-down menu. Click the Item field, enter a menu item, and click the button to add it to the Item List to the right. Repeat this step to add more items.

    • Item List. Display the items that will appear in the Combo Box.

    • Export Value. Specify the value the represents the chosen item if the form data will be exported. Only the value of the selected item from the Combo Box menu will be exported and appear in the resulting data file.

    • Sort Items. Sort the items in the List Box numerically and alphabetically. If Sort Items is not selected, you can use the Up/Down buttons to rearrange the items in the list.

    • Allow user to enter custom text. Check to allow users to enter their text in the combo box if there isn’t a suitable option.

    • Commit selected value immediately. Select to save the selected value as soon as you make a selection. If this option is deselected, the selected value will be saved only when you tab out of the current field or click another form field.

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