This article explains how you can change the appearance properties of your form fields.
- Click into Edit Mode.
- Select your form field.
- Click the Properties icon.
- Open the Appearance Tab.
Form
There are a few options available to make sure the field border matches your document:
Line Style
- Click the first dropdown to change the Width.
- Increase the number to make it thicker; you can hide the border by setting it to Hairline.
You can update the style or pattern of the border of the form field.
- Click the second dropdown to change the Style.
- Choose a new one from the list.
Border and background color
- Click the circle next to the Border color and Background color.
- Click on the color you want to use.
- Click here for more information about custom colors.
Arrange
- Select the mode in the Arrange section if you have several overlapping objects.
Highlight
These font settings can be set for Action Button, Radio Button, and Check Box. This option impacts what happens when a user interacts with a form field. As an example, choosing Invert will invert any colors as the field is selected:
- Click the dropdown next to Highlight.
- Choose an option from the list.
Text
These are features that impact any text related to your form fields. Whether it's the value options in a dropdown menu or the text a user enters into your field.
Text Alignment
- Open the Text settings.
- Choose one of the alignment options.
Multiline - Text Field Only
By default, text fields will only allow a user to enter a single line of text. If you want your form recipient to add paragraphs, you need to enable multiline.
- Toggle the switch next to Multiline.
Password Mode
This feature will hide anything entered in the text field, showing stars instead of the characters they enter.
- Toggle the switch next to Password.
Maximum Character Numbers
While working with text fields, you can limit the number of characters that can be entered into the field.
- Choose the character limit.
Font
These font settings can be set for Text Fields, Combo Boxes (Dropdown Menus), List Boxes, and Signatures.
Change font
- Choose the font you want from the list.
Font size
- Choose a new font size from the list.
Font color
- Click the circle next to Font Color.
- Click on the color you want to use.
- Click here for more information about custom colors.
Font styling
You can apply Bold or Italics to the text.
- Click the option you want to use.
Rotate
- Open the dropdown Rotate.
- Choose a rotation option from the list.
Caption/Symbol
There is a caption option available for Check Boxes and Radio Buttons, and this updates the icon you see when a user selects the field. There is also a caption option available for Push Buttons, which updates the text on the button.
You are also able to change the size and color of this caption.
Caption for Radio Buttons/Check Boxes
- Click the dropdown next to Caption.
- Choose one from the list.
Caption/symbol color
- Click the circle next to Font Color.
- Click on the color you want to use.
- Click here for more information about custom colors.
Caption/symbol size
This will change the size of the symbol in a check box or radio button. It will change the size of the font in a Push Button.
Action Button Caption
- Click next to Caption.
- Type the new caption into the box.
- Hit the Enter key to confirm your choice.
Set/Reset Appearance Default
Once you make any changes to a form field's appearance, you can set the new appearance as default. This default will only be set for that specific field type.
If you set the appearance of a Radio Button, you will not see those changes made to a Check Box.
These defaults will stay in effect when you add these fields to any PDF document.
Set as default
You need to make a change before you can choose this option.
- Click MAKE DEFAULT.
Reset default
Resetting a default will reset any appearance changes back to Soda PDF's default settings.
- Select any field.
- Open the properties.
- Click RESET DEFAULT.
We have two additional modules. The OCR module allows you to recognize and edit text within any scanned document or image. We also have the E-Sign module that allows you to electronically sign PDFs and track and manage e-signatures in real-time. If those modules are not available for you, you can purchase them here.