Create, test, and edit barcode fields, Add a barcode field, Test a barcode field – Adobe Acrobat 9 PRO Extended User Manual
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USING ACROBAT 9 PRO EXTENDED
Forms
Last updated 9/30/2011
Create, test, and edit barcode fields
One of the ways in which you can improve a PDF form barcode is by creating custom scripts. Writing such scripts
requires a basic competency with JavaScript and a familiarity with Acrobat-specific JavaScript. For more information,
see Developing Acrobat® Applications Using JavaScript™ on
(PDF, English
only). For information about basic JavaScript, refer to any of the many resources available on that subject.
After inserting a barcode of maximum size, changing the cell size or decode condition may cause the barcode to cross
the page borders. Avoid this behavior by selecting the appropriate cell size and decode conditions for the barcode.
More Help topics
Manage custom barcode settings
Value tab for form field properties
Options tab for form field properties
Add a barcode field
1 Open the form in Acrobat, open the Preferences dialog box, and select Forms on the left. Then select Automatically
Calculate Field Values.
2 Select Forms > Add or Edit Form Field.
3 Click the Barcode tool
in the Forms toolbar, or choose Forms > Form Tools > Barcode.
4 Drag a rectangle to define the barcode area, and then double-click the barcode field to open the Properties dialog box.
5 In the Value tab, do one of the following:
•
Select Encode Using, and then select a format (XML or Tab Delimited). Click the Pick button and select the fields
that you want to be encoded in the barcode field. If you don’t want to include the field names in the barcode data,
deselect Include Field Names.
•
Select Custom Calculation Script, click Edit, and then enter your custom JavaScript code in the JavaScript Editor
dialog box.
6 In the Options tab, do all of the following:
•
Select a Symbology option: PDF417, QR Code, or Data Matrix.
•
Select Compress Data Before Encoding To Barcode if you want to apply this compression. Do not select this option
if a handheld scanner is used to capture data from returned forms.
•
In Decode Condition, choose the type of hardware to process returned forms: Handheld Barcode Scanner, Fax
Server, Document Scanner, or Custom.
•
If necessary, click Custom and enter values for X Dimension, Y/X Ratio, and Error Correction Level.
7 Make any other changes in the General and Actions tabs. Then close the Barcode Field Properties dialog box.
JavaScript code is generated automatically to encode the selected fields in the XML or Tab Delimited format. The
Barcode Field Properties dialog box closes, and the barcode for which you specified values appears on the form.
Note: If you add a new field to a form after you have created the barcode, it is not automatically included in the data for
existing barcodes. However, you can manually include additional data fields in the barcode.
Test a barcode field
1 Choose Forms > Close Form Editing, or click the Preview button in the Forms toolbar.