Free Video Content & Full Listing of Available Videos
The Full Video Library
Nearly all of the videos in our PDF Scripting library are listed below. They are divided into functional groups, each group having a few that are free to the public. The free videos have live links. All of the others are available to members only.- Featured Videos
- PDF Stamps
- Creating Custom JavaScript Dialog Boxes
- The Core JavaScript Language
- Introduction to Acrobat JavaScript
- PDF Forms Concepts
- How to Create an Interactive PDF Form
- PDF Form Scripting
Featured Videos
- PDF Stamps Gone Wild!! (10:51) - What is a PDF Stamp and how far can you take it? The answers are here, from the simple static stamps built into Acrobat to advanced interactive stamps and stamp automation. Stamps are simply the best way to markup and move documents through a process.
- About Acrobat Automation (Video)
PDF Stamps
PDF Stamp annotations, and in particular Dynamic Stamps, are powerful tools for marking up PDF documents. This becomes especially apparent when you have the ability to create your own custom dynamic stamps. This video covers the basic concepts behind creating a custom dynamic stamp by copying dynamic features from an existing stamp. Topics include creating an ordinary stamp, finding stamp files, the layout of a stamp file, and modifying stamp properties by modifying the stamp file.
Also see the Stamps Department
- How to Apply Stamps Fast and Efficiently - Selecting stamps from the stamp menu is inefficient if a stamp needs to be applied more that once, or used in conjunction with an automation tool. There is a better way.
- How to Find the Stamp Name - The stamp name is required for stamp scripting, but the real name of a stamp is hidden. This video covers method for finding and changing the stamp name.
- PDF Stamps Gone Wild!! (Introductory Video) What's a PDF Stamp and How Far Can You Take It?
- How to Connect a Custom Dialog to a Dynamic Stamp Script (9:49)
- How to Install a PDF Stamp into Acrobat/Reader on Windows
- Copying Dynamic Features Between Stamps (8:23)
- Change the Background Text and Graphics of a Stamp (9:19)
Custom Dialog Boxes in Acrobat Scripts
Dialog boxes are a must have feature for any Acrobat Script where complex user input is needed, such as dynamic stamp scripts and folder level automation tools. It's a good thing for us then, that Acrobat provides a way to create custom dialogs. However, this is not an easy task. These 3 video tutorials will give you the tools to start creating and using Custom Popup Dialog Boxes in your own Acrobat JavaScripts.
- Introducing Acrobat Custom Dialogs (Available for Members)
- Using a Custom Dialog in a Script (Available for Members)
- Custom Dialog Layout (Available for Members)
Visually design a dialog with this drag and drop editor, and the JavaScript code is automatically generated
- Introduction to AcroDialogs(3:28)
- AcroDialogs Basic Operation(6:03)
- Introduction to Dialog Element Properties(12:10)
Core JavaScript Language Basics
These videos provide lite coverage of the Core JavaScript Language. Just enough to get you going. Each topic is independent and while each relies to a certain extent on information presented in the others, they do not need to be viewed in order.
- Basic Concepts
- Language Basics (10:38)
- Control Flow (19:24)
- Strings (24:56)
- Arrays (17:35)
- Objects (19:30)
- Functions (9:13)
- Example: Using a Function in a PDF (14:19)
- Sample Files: Code re-use examples
Introduction to Scripting in Acrobat
To perform just about any kind of interactive, sophisticated, and/or useful feature in a PDF form or workflow solution requires scripting. How many times have your heard "You need a script for that". But how do you even get started using JavaScript in Acrobat? There are always a few little things you have to understand before starting any activity and Acrobat JavaScript is no different. What menu items and toolbar buttons are for JavaScript? What do they do? How does it all work? What are the core concepts?
Acrobat JavaScript is really two different things- the Core JavaScript Language and a set of objects that connect Core JavaScript to Acrobat. This is an important point and every JavaScript programmer should understand the difference. However, to use Acrobat JavaScript it is not necessary to be a Core JavaScript expert; a reasonable familiarity with JavaScript and some basic programming concepts are all that's required. The really important stuff to know and understand is the Acrobat Scripting environment, the object structure, and how to use the Acrobat scripting objects (called the DOM for Document Object Model).
This set of videos will ease you into the world of Acrobat JavaScript so you can say, "I get it!!"
- Basic Concepts
- What's JavaScript (4:41)
- JavaScript in Acrobat and PDF (6:20)
- Setting Up for Developing Scripts in Acrobat (7:22)
- The Acrobat JavaScript Console (Your New Best Friend) (12:01)
- Understanding the Document Object Model (11:02)
- Using the Acrobat JavaScript API Reference (18:48)
- Where do the Scripts Go?
- Finding Scripts in Acrobat (14:45)
- Finding Scripts in PDFs (15:45)
- Finding Scripts in Form Fields (17:25)
- Example: Looking at a Real Form (18:49)
- Sample File: Finding Scripts on a Form
PDF Form Concepts
- General concepts of electronic forms, PDF, and Acrobat
- The Back Story (or What eForms are all About) (6:50)
- PDF vs HTML (8:00)
- AcroForms vs LiveCycle Forms (12:37)
- Reader vs Acrobat (15:42)
- PDF Ecosystem (12:45)
- What's PDF? (13:29)
How to Create an PDF Interactive Form
- 1 - Create a Static Form
- Form Creation Overview (13:52)
- Designing the Form (11:53)
- Converting to PDF (7:10)
- 2 - Add Form Fields
- Introduction to the Form Tools (10:00)
- The Helper Tools - Rulers, Guides, and Grid (2:33)
- Manually Adding Form Fields (11:28)
- Duplicating/Copying Form Fields (5:42)
- Selecting Form Fields (5:15)
- The How and Why of Form Field Names (8:33)
- Setting Form Field Names (5:42)
- Aligning and Sizing Form Fields (7:48)
- Setting Form Field Properties (Dialog) (13:23)
- Setting and Using Field Property Defaults (7:12)
- Automatic Form Field Detection (15:16)
- Quick Form Field Fixups (4:27)
- Changing the Design After Fields were Added (6:41)
- Setting the Tab Order (5:27)
Form Scripting:
Form Scripting is probably the most common and familiar use of Acrobat JavaScript. Within a form, JavaScript is used to provide basic form functionality like calculations, and to implement interactive features like showing and hiding parts of the form. But JavaScript is not just for forms; it can be used in many different types of PDF documents for navigation, controlling multimedia, and many other kinds of specialized interactive features.- Form Scripting Basics
- Introduction to Form Scripting (9:22)
- Adding Fields to a Form and Setting Field Properties (8:09)
- Form Scripting Basics (16:16)
- Setting and Getting Field Properties with JavaScript
- JavaScript Events, or How to Enter Scripts
- Introduction to Document Events (12:49)
- The Event Object (4:03)
- Order of Event Execution (19:15)
- Event Order Test Example
- Entering Field Widget (mouse and focus) Events (14:49)
- Widget Script Examples
- Entering Calculation Scripts (9:21)
- Example: Calculations in an Order Form (13:52)
- Order Form Example File
- Entering Validation Scripts (7:19)
- Example: Basic and Alternate Uses of Validation Scripts (12:12)
- Example File: Validation Event Scripts
- Entering Format Scripts (13:39)
- Format Script Examples
- Entering KeyStroke Scripts
- Part 1: The Proper KeyStroke Script (16:52)
- Example: Basic and Alternate Uses of Proper keystroke Scripts (14:13)
- Proper Keystroke Example PDF
- Part 2: The WillCommit KeyStroke Script (15:00)
- Examples Part1: WillCommit/Complete Keystroke Scripts (14:54)
- Examples Part1: WillCommit/Complete Keystroke Scripts (13:57)
- WillCommit/Complete Keystroke Script Examples File
- Part 1: The Proper KeyStroke Script (16:52)
- Entering and Using Document Level Scripts (11:55)
- Document Level Script Examples (7:45)
- Doc Level Example - Order Form
- Entering and Using Document Action Scripts (7:47)
- WillSave Document Action Examples (18:27)
- WillSave Sample Files
- WillPrint/DidPrint Document Action Examples (8:14)
- WillPrint/DidPrint Sample File
- WillClose Document Action Examples (10:05)
- WillClose Sample File
