PDF Form fields

PDF files can include two kinds of forms: interactive and non-interactive. Interactive form is a PDF form with fields, which can be filled without any additional functions. Non-interactive form is just a file with text and lines to write your data over them. Master PDF Editor allows filling non-interactive forms with Insert Text tool.

Interactive forms can be filled with Hand Toolhand. You can print a filled document and save it.

Filling Interactive Forms

When opening a document that contains interactive PDF forms, the message «This document contains interactive form fields» pops up.

Popup message upon opening the document with forms in Master PDF Editor

Popup message

The message will appear if the software settings are not changed. To configure how Popup message is displayed when opening PDF with forms, choose Tools > Settings in the main menu, then navigate to the Forms tab. Check or uncheck the Always hide document message bar box.

Enable Hand Tool to fill in interactive PDF forms. To make forms more visible, choose Forms > Highlight Fields in the main menu or press Ctrl+H (or choose the Highlight Fields button on the popup message when opening the document). The form fields will be displayed on a color background set in Master PDF Editor Settings.

To change the settings, choose Tools > Settings in the main menu. Then navigate to the Forms tab and set the necessary color in the Highlight color field. The Required field highlight color option sets the color for required PDF forms that are highlighted.

When positioning mouse cursor over a form field, it will be changed to one of the following:

hand2 icon will appear when hovering the cursor over a checkbox, radio button, push button, list, or combo box. Depending on field kind, when filling a form you’ll have an option to choose an item or several items of predefined set. Left-click the field to fill it

Icontext cursorwill appear when hovering mouse cursor over Text Field. Position a cursor there by left-clicking the field. When you’ve finished typing text, press Tab or Shift+Tab to move to the next or previous field. You can also just mouse click a field you want to fill next.

To remove data from all document forms, use Reset Forms command in Forms menu. Please note, that forms data won’t be restored with “Undo” command.

P.SYou can edit a document with PDF forms just like any other PDF document, if the file’s author hasn’t restricted this ability.

Importing and Exporting Forms Data

This feature is designed for working with interactive PDF forms and allows you to save and restore form field values separately from the document itself. Like comment export, form data export helps reduce the volume of transmitted data when sharing completed forms.

P.SUnlike comments, only the values of interactive form fields are subject to export and import.

Supported formats:

  • Export: FDF, TXT, XML, JSON.
  • Import: FDF, XML, JSON.

Exporting form data

To export form data:

  1. Open the document containing a filled interactive form.
  2. In the main menu, select Forms > Export Form Data….
  3. In the save dialog, specify a filename and choose the desired format (FDF is selected by default).
  4. Click Save.

The exported file contains only the field values of the form and does not include the document layout or visual appearance.

Importing form data

To export form data:

  1. Open the PDF document into which you want to import the form data.
  2. In the main menu, select Forms > Import Form Data….
  3. In the file dialog, locate and select a file in FDF, XML, or JSON format.
  4. Click Open.

Form fields will be automatically populated with values from the file. The document structure and visual appearance remain unchanged.

Creating and Modifying Interactive PDF Forms

One of the most demanded functions of PDF editors is a possibility to create PDF forms. Master PDF Editor allows to place in documents any interactive forms, which later can be filled, signed with digital signature, printed, saved or sent via email.

More detailed information can be found in subsection Creating and Modifying Interactive PDF Forms

More like this:

Editing Objects in the PDF Document
Signing the PDF document with a certificate
Opening and Saving PDF Files