PDF Forms Using Acrobat® and LiveCycle® Designer Bible

Chapter 16. Introducing JavaScript

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Getting familiar with the basics of JavaScript

• Knowing how to learn JavaScript

• Organizing scripts

In Chapter 15, we introduced field calculations using preset formulas and Simplified Field Notation (SFN). If you read Chapter 15, you'll notice we didn't devote much time to SFN. When you compare the flexibility of SFN to JavaScript, SFN is child's play. JavaScript opens a world of possibilities when creating PDF forms, and some of the dynamic characteristics you find with LiveCycle Designer forms can be applied to Acrobat forms through the use of JavaScript.

If you're not a programmer, don't be concerned about the mere mention of programming or scripting. As we explain in this chapter and the remaining chapters in Part V, you can duplicate many scripts we use in this book and those you find on forms on the book's CD-ROM.

What's most important for non-programmers is knowing that you can write scripts, modify scripts, and implement them in your forms. You may not be interested in becoming a JavaScript programmer, but you can add some scripts to forms quite easily with a little help—and, that's what we hope to do for you in this chapter.

We start this chapter by informing you where to find JavaScripts on forms. You might acquire forms from others that contain scripts, or you might download forms from the Internet that contain scripts. Where to look for scripts to copy and paste into your own forms is the beginning of your JavaScript education. ...