How to set Combo Box to allow user to enter custom text in InDesign/FormMaker

[KeltexanParticipant]

Hello,

I have imported a list into a combo box using an embedded script (Combo Mambo) in InDesign. I now want to enable the combo box to allow the user to enter custom text to search the list of over 900 items. I have yet to find a way to enable it in InDesign’s Buttons and Forms or FormMaker, only in Acrobat under Options. Is there a setting elsewhere in InDesign that I am missing or a script I could implement to allow the user to search a long dropdown list? I appreciate any help. Thank you!

[ArielKeymaster]

While there’s no directly equivalent option in FormMaker (yet — I do hope to add it in a future update), the simple workaround is to add the following line as a document script in FormMaker in InDesign:

this.getField("Combo Box 1").editable = true;

(Obviously, change the text “Combo Box 1” to whatever the combo box is called in InDesign.

This will turn on the option in Acrobat “Allow user to enter custom text” (which I think is what you’re referring to, if I’ve understood correctly).

Now when you run FormMaker in Acrobat, the option will be on.

Before distributing the final PDF, after having run FormMaker on the PDF, you may want to delete that document script as it is no longer needed.

• This reply was modified 6 months, 1 week ago by Ariel.

[KeltexanParticipant]

Thank you, Ariel! That should work for the aspect of making the combo box editable. I am still researching and testing how to make it more searchable with a custom keystroke script. I did see your response in the forum for combo box export values, which I may need to use in the future. Again, thank you for your help!

– Teagan

[ArielKeymaster]

Ah, I thought that once the “editable” option is switched on, Acrobat would be smart enough to make the list searchable by typing a few letters. I don’t have much experience with this, and you’re saying it doesn’t.

So the question is can it be scripted. Obviously a keystroke script could search the combo box list of entries, but I’m not sure that it would be able to control the results that pop up.

It might be worth asking on the Adobe Acrobat forum for this one…

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