Adobe ACROBAT FORMS JAVASCRIPT OBJECT User manual

b
c
Acrobat Forms JavaScript
Object Specification
Version 4.0
Adobe®Acrobat®
Revised: January 27, 1999
Technical Note # 5186

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 2
© 1999 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
The information in this document is furnished for informational use only, is subject t change
without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Adobe Systems Incorporated assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccura-
cies that may appear in this document. The software described in this document is furnished
under license and may only be used or copied in accordance with the terms of such license.
Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, Acrobat Capture, Acrobat Exchange, and Distiller are trade-
marks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks and
ActiveX is a trademark of Microsoft in the U.S. and other countries. Macintosh is a trademark
of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. PowerPC is a trademark of
International Business Machines Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark in the U.S. and
other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Co. Ltd. All other products or name
brands are trademarks of their respective holders.

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification iii
Table Of Contents
Introduction . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Other useful documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Document Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
What’s New for 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Acrobat Forms JavaScript Object Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 10
App Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
App Object Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
calculate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 10
formsVersion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 10
fullscreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 10
language . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 11
numPlugIns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 11
openInPlace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 12
toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 12
toolbarHorizontal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 12
toolbarVertical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 12
viewerType . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
viewerVersion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 12
App Object Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 13
alert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
beep . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
execMenuItem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
getNthPlugInName. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 14
goBack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 15
goForward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
hideMenuItem . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 15
hideToolbarButton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
mailMsg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. 15
response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Color Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 17
Color Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 17
Color Properties . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 18
Console Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Console Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 19
hide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 19
println . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 19
clear . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 19

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification iv
Doc Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Doc Access from JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 20
Doc Object Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
calculate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
creator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
creationDate . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 21
delay. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
dirty . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 21
external. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 21
filesize .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 21
keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 22
modDate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 22
numFields. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
numPages . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 22
numTemplates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 22
pageNum . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 22
producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 23
zoomType . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 24
Doc Object Methods . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
calculateNow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
exportAsFDF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 24
getField . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
getNthFieldName . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
getNthTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 26
getURL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
gotoNamedDest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 26
importAnFDF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 26
mailDoc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 26
mailForm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 27
print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 28
resetForm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 28
scroll . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
spawnPageFromTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
submitForm . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 29
Event Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 31
Event Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 31
Mouse Enter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Mouse Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Mouse Up . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Mouse Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification v
Keystroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Validate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 32
Calculate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 32
Event Object Properties . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 33
change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 33
commitKey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 33
rc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 33
selEnd .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 34
selStart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
shift . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 34
value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 34
willCommit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 35
Field Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 36
Field Access from JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 36
Field Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
borderStyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 38
calcOrderIndex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 38
charLimit . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 39
defaultValue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 39
delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
display .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
doc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 40
editable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 40
fillColor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 40
hidden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 41
highlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
lineWidth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
multiline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 42
name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 42
numItems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 43
password . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 43
readonly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 43
required . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
strokeColor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 44
style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 44
textColor . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 45
textFont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 45
textSize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. 46
type . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
userName . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification vi
value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 46
Field Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
buttonImportIcon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 47
clearItems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
deleteItemAt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
getArray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 47
getItemAt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
insertItemAt . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 48
setItems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. 48
Global Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 50
Global Object Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 50
setPersistent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 50
this Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 52
Variable and Function Name Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Util Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 53
Util Object Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 53
printf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 53
printx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 53
printd .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 54
scand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 55
Implementation Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
JavaScript Locations and Loading . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 56
Plug-in folder level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Document level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 56
Field level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Form Field Hierarchies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Form Field Hierarchies with JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 57
Working With The Date Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 58
Converting a Date to a String . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 58
Converting a String to a Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Date Arithmetic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 60
Acrobat Forms and Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 61
Restricting Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Restricting Permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 62
Digital Signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Working with Signature Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 63

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 7
JavaScript Object
Specification
Introduction
JavaScript, the scripting language developed by Netscape Communications, enables you to
easily create interactive Web pages.
JavaScript v1.2 comes with six predefined classes: Boolean, Number, Date, Math, String,and
Array. As part of the integration with Adobe® Acrobat® Forms, we have defined additional
classes and objects to allow access to portions of the PDF file.
This document describes these classes, as well as details the load and execution of JavaScripts
in the Adobe Acrobat environment. Of particular note is the Field Object section which handles
all processing of Acrobat Form fields including their formatting, calculation, and validation.
The intended audience of this document is assumed to be familiar with Adobe Acrobat, the
Acrobat Forms plug-in and the Adobe Acrobat plug-in API.
Other useful documents
For more information on JavaScript, please see Netscape’s JavaScript Reference Manual for
details on JavaScript objects and on language syntax.
Portable Document Format Reference Manual, version 1.2 or later, describes the PDF
representation of a form and its fields. Appendix H, describes the Forms Data Format, which is
one of the formats of data exported from an Acrobat form. This document is available with the
Adobe Acrobat Plug-ins SDK CD-ROM or on the Adobe Web site http://www.adobe.com/
supportservice/devrelations/PDFS/TN/PDFSPEC.PDF.
Technical Note #5166, Acrobat Viewer plug-in API Overview. Gives an overview of the objects
and methods provided by the Acrobat viewers’ plug-in API. This document is available with
the Adobe Acrobat Plug-ins SDK CD-ROM or on the Adobe Web site http://beta1.adobe.com/
ada/acrosdk/DOCS/VWRPIOVR.PDF.
Technical Note #5167, Acrobat Viewer plug-in API Development. Tells how to develop
Acrobat viewer plug-ins on the various platforms available. This document is available with
the Adobe Acrobat Plug-ins SDK CD-ROM or on the Adobe Web site http://beta1.adobe.com/
ada/acrosdk/DOCS/VWRPIDEV.PDF
Technical Note #5168, Acrobat Viewer plug-in API On-Line Reference. Describes in detail the
objects and methods provided by the Acrobat viewer’s plug-in API. This document is available

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 8
with the Adobe Acrobat Plug-ins SDK CD-ROM or on the Adobe Web site http://
beta1.adobe.com/ada/acrosdk/DOCS/VWRPIREF.PDF.
Document Conventions
As this document pertains to Acrobat Forms version 3.5 and greater, there exists some
compatibility issues with older versions of the software. If a property, method, or object is
marked with a symbol, then it is available only in versions of the Acrobat Forms software
greater than or equal to #.#. Before accessing this object, property, or method, the script should
check that the application version is greater than or equal to #.# if backwards compatibility is
desired.
Example:
if (typeof app.formsVersion != "undefined" && app.formsVersion >= 4.0) {
// Perform version specific operations.
}
As the JavaScript extensions to Acrobat Forms have evolved, some properties or methods have
been superseded by other, more flexible or appropriate properties or methods. The use of these
older methods are discouraged and marked by Mr. Unhappy.
#.#

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 9
What’s New for 4.0
Note: Items shown in italics are not new to this release but they have been
modified or added to.
New sections of the documentation for 4.0:
Object Properties Methods
AppObject formsVersion,
numPlugIns,
openInPlace,
toolbarHorizontal,
toolbarVertical,
viewerVersion
getNthPlugInName(),
hideMenuItem(),
hideToolbarButton(), mailMsg()
ColorObject dkGray, gray, ltGray
DocObject calculate, delay,
external, numFields exportAsFDF(), getNthFieldName(),getURL(),
importAnFDF(), mailDoc(),
mailForm(),
spawnPageFromTemplate(),
submitForm()
FieldObject display setItems(), deleteItemAt()
Util Object scand()
New Section Description
Working With The
Date Object Describes the proper methods forformatting
and parsing dates and performing date
arithmetic.
Acrobat Forms
andSecurity Showshowto properlydefinesecuritysettings
in a form so that it cannot betampered with.
Working with
Signature Fields Detailsthe proper usage of scripts when
signing documents including inverse
operations upon form reset

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 10
Acrobat Forms JavaScript Object Model
Acrobat Forms defines an object model on top of JavaScript 1.2. These objects are only
defined within the Adobe Acrobat realm and are specific to Acrobat Forms. They basically
mirror the Acrobat Forms components and give the forms developer a way to access these
components programmatically in order to query and change their properties. In addition to
defining forms specific objects, there are additional generic objects that allows the developer
to access the underlying document and perform certain actions on it.
App Object
The App object is a static JavaScript object that defines a number of Acrobat specific functions
plus a variety of utility routines and convenience functions.
App Object Properties
calculate
Type: Boolean Access: R/W
If this property is set to true, it will allow calculations to be performed. If set to false,this
property prevents all calculations in all documents from happening. Its default value is true.
See also the document calculate property which supersedes this property in later versions.
formsVersion
Type: Number Access: R
This property indicates the version number of the forms software running inside the viewer.
Use this method to determine whether objects, properties, or methods in newer versions of the
software are available if you wish to maintain backwards compatibility in your scripts. See
DocumentConventions for more details.
Example:
if (typeof app.formsVersion != "undefined" && app.formsVersion >= 4.5) {
// Perform version specific operations here.
}
fullscreen
Type: Boolean Access: R/W
4.0

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 11
This property puts the Acrobat viewer in fullscreen mode vs. regular viewing mode.
Example:
// on mouse up, set to fullscreen mode
app.fullscreen = true;
In the above example, the Adobe Acrobat viewer is set to fullscreen mode when app.fullscreen
is set to true.Ifapp.fullscreen was false then default viewing mode would be set. The default
viewing mode is defined as the original mode the Acrobat application was in before full screen
mode was initiated.
language
Type: String Access: R
This property defines the language of the running Acrobat Viewer. It returns the following
strings:
numPlugIns
Type: Number Access: R
This property indicates the number of plug-ins that have been loaded by Acrobat. See also the
getNthPlugInName method.
openInPlace
Type: Number Access: R/W
This property determines whether cross-document links are opened in the same window or
opened in a new window.
String Language, Country
DEU German, Germany
ENU English, The United States of America
ESP Spanish, Spain
FRA French, France
ITA Italian, Italy
JPN Japanese, Japan
NLD Dutch, The Netherlands
SVE Swedish, Sweden
4.0
4.0

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 12
platform
Type: String Access: R
This property returns the platform that the script is currently executing on. Valid values
include “WIN”, “MAC”, and “UNIX”.
toolbar
Type: Boolean Access: R/W
This property allows a script to show or hide both the horizontal and vertical Acrobat tool bars.
It does not hide the tool bar in external windows (i.e. in an Acrobat window within a Web
browser).
Example:
// Opened the document, now remove the toolbar.
app.toolbar = false;
toolbarHorizontal
Type: Boolean Access: R/W
This property allows a script to show or hide the Acrobat horizontal tool bar. It does not hide
the tool bar in external windows (i.e. in an Acrobat window within a Web browser).
toolbarVertical
Type: Boolean Access: R/W
This property allows a script to show or hide the Acrobat vertical tool bar. It does not hide the
tool bar in external windows (i.e. in an Acrobat window within a Web browser).
viewerType
Type: String Access: R
This property determines if the running Acrobat Viewer is the Reader vs. Exchange. Its value
is “Reader” or “Exchange” respectively.
viewerVersion
Type: Number Access: R
This property indicates the version number of the current viewer (i.e. Reader or Exchange).
4.0
4.0
4.0

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 13
App Object Methods
alert
Parameters: cMessage, [nIcon], [nType]
Returns: nButton
This method displays an alert dialog on the screen. The minimum required parameter is a string
containing the message to be displayed. Optionally, an icon type can be specified by using the
nIcon parameter. The following is a list of icons and their associated values:
Additionally, a button group type can be specified:
This method returns the type of the button that was pressed by the user:
beep
Parameters: [nType]
Returns: none
Icon Value
Error (default) 0
Warning 1
Question 2
Status 3
Button Group Value
OK (default) 0
OK, Cancel 1
Yes, No 2
Yes, No, Cancel 3
Button Type Value
Error 0
OK 1
Cancel 2
No 3
Yes 4

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 14
This method causes the system to play a sound. The various sounds and the values used are as
follows:
On Apple Macintosh and UNIX systems the beep type is ignored.
execMenuItem
Parameters: cMenuItem
Returns: nothing
This method executes the specified menu item. To find out the exact menu item name, see the
Acrobat Viewer Plug-in API On-line Reference under § Lists:Menu item names. The menu
item name is case sensitive and has to exactly match strings in the list.
Example:
/* This example executes File->Open menu item. It will display a dialog to the
user asking for the file to be opened. */
app.execMenuItem("Open");
Note: For security reasons, we will not allow the script to execute the SaveAs and
Close menu items. If either of those two menu items is passed as cMenuItem,
this function will do nothing.
getNthPlugInName
Parameters: nIndex
Returns: cName
This method returns the name of the Nth plug-in that has been loaded by the viewer. See also
the numPlugIns property.
Message Type Value
Error (default) 0
Warning 1
Question 2
Status 3
Default 4
4.0
4.0

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 15
goBack
Parameters: None
Returns: nothing
Use this function to go to the previous view on the view stack. This is equivalent to pressing
the go back button on the Acrobat tool bar.
goForward
Parameters: None
Returns: nothing
Use this function to go to the next view on the view stack. This is equivalent to pressing the go
forward button on the Acrobat tool bar.
hideMenuItem
Parameters: cName
Returns: nothing
This method only works in the Config.js Plug-in folder level script. It allows a forms integrator
to customize the look of the Acrobat viewer by removing the menu item specified by cName.
Language independent names for toolbar buttons can be obtained from the Acrobat Viewer
Plug-In API On-line Reference (Technical Note #5168).SeeOther useful documents for more
details.
hideToolbarButton
Parameters: cName
Returns: nothing
This method only works in the Config.js Plug-in folder level script. It allows a forms integrator
to customize the look of the Acrobat viewer by removing the toolbar button specified by
cName. Language independent names for toolbar buttons can be obtained from the Acrobat
Viewer Plug-In API On-line Reference (Technical Note #5168).SeeOther useful documents for
more details.
mailMsg
Parameters: bUI, cTo, [cCc], [cBcc], [cSubject], [cMsgBody]
Returns: nothing
This method sends out an e-mail message with or without user interaction depending on the
value of bUI. If it is set to true then the rest parameters are used to seed the compose new
message window that is displayed to the user.
4.0
4.0
4.0

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 16
If bUI is set to false, the cTo parameter is required and others are optional. You must use a
semicolon “;” to separate multiple recipients in cTo,cCc,cBcc parameters. The length limit for
cSubject and cMsgBody is 64k bytes.
Example:
/* This will pop up the compose new message window */
app.mailMsg(true);
/* This will send out the mail to [email protected] and [email protected] */
app.mailMsg(false, "[email protected]; fu[email protected]","","","This is the subject",
"This is the body of the mail.");
Note: This is a Windows-only feature. In addition, the client machine must have its
default mail program configured to be MAPI enabled in order to use this
method.
response
Parameters: cQuestion [cTitle], [cOldValue]
Returns: cResponse or null on cancel
This method displays a dialog box containing a question and an entry field for the user to reply
to the question. Optionally, the dialog may have a title or a default value for the answer to the
question. The return value is a string containing the user’s response. If the user presses the
cancel button on the dialog the response is the null object.

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 17
Color Arrays
A color is represented in JavaScript as an array containing 1, 2, 4, or 5 elements corresponding
to a transparent, gray, RGB, or CMYK color space, respectively. The first element in the array
is a string denoting the color space type. The subsequent elements are numbers that range
between zero and one inclusive. The following table illustrates this:
For example, the color red can be represented as [“RGB” 1 0 0].
Invalid strings or insufficient elements in a color array cause the color to be interpreted as the
color black.
Atransparent color space indicates a complete absence of color and will allow those portions
of the document underlying the current field to show through.
Colors in the gray color space are represented by a single value—the intensity of achromatic
light. In this color space, 0 is black, 1 is white, and intermediate values represent shades of
gray (i.e. “.5”, “.7” etc.).
Colors in the RGB color space are represented by three values: the intensity of the red, green,
and blue components in the output. RGB is commonly used for video displays because they are
generally based on red, green, and blue phosphors.
Colors in the CMYK color space are represented by four values. These values are the amounts
of the cyan, magenta, yellow, and black components in the output. This color space is
commonly used for color printers, where they are the colors of the inks traditionally used in
four-color printing. Only cyan, magenta, and yellow are necessary, but black is generally used
in printing because black ink produces a better black than a mixture of cyan, magenta, and
yellow inks, and because black ink is less expensive than the other inks.
Color Object
The color object is a convenience static object that defines the basic colors. These colors are
accessed in JavaScripts via the color object. Use this object whenever you want to set a
property or call a method that require a color array. The color object is defined in AForm.js.
Color Space String # of Additional
Elements
Transparent “T” 0
Gray “G” 1
RGB “RGB” 3
CMYK “CMYK” 4

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 18
Color Properties
The color object defines the following colors and there associated keywords:
Example:
// This example sets the text color of the field to red
// if the value of the field is negative, else it sets it
// to black.
var f = event.target; /* field that the event occurs at */
if (event.value < 0)
f.textColor = color.red;
else
f.textColor = color.black;
Color Object Keyword Version
Transparent color.transparent
Black color.black
White color.white
Red color.red
Green color.green
Blue color.blue
Cyan color.cyan
Magenta color.magenta
Yellow color.yellow
Dark Gray color.dkGray
Gray color.gray
Light Gray color.ltGray
4.0
4.0
4.0

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 19
Console Object
The Console object is a static object to access the JavaScript console for displaying debug
messages. It functions only within Acrobat Exchange.
Console Methods
show
Parameters: none
Returns: none
This method shows the console window.
hide
Parameters: none
Returns: none
This method closes the console window.
println
Parameters: cMessage
Returns: none
This method prints the string value of cMessage to the console window with an accompanying
carriage return.
Example:
// This example prints the value of a field to the console window
var f = event.target;
console.println("Field value="+f.value);
clear
Parameters: none
Returns: nothing
This method clears the console windows buffer of any output.

Acrobat Forms - JavaScript Object Specification 20
Doc Object
The JavaScript Doc object provides the interfaces between a PDF document open in the viewer
and the JavaScript interpreter. It provides methods and properties of the PDF document.
Doc Access from JavaScript
Accessing the Doc object from JavaScript can be done either through the this Object, which
usually points to the Doc object of the underlying document. The target event property points
to the field that initiated the event for all mouse, calculate, validate, and format events. For all
other events, it directly points to the Doc object. The examples below illustrates the use of the
Event object to access the Doc object of the underlying document.
// In Mouse, calculate, validate, format events
var doc = event.target.doc;
// In all other events
var doc = event.target;
Doc Object Properties
author
Type: String Access: R/W
This property defines the author of the document.
this.author = "Robert Frost";
calculate
Type: Boolean Access: R/W
If this property is set to true, it will allow calculations to be performed for this document. If
set to false, this property prevents all calculations from happening for this document. Its
default value is true. This property supersedes the application level calculate property whose
use is now discouraged.
creator
Type: String Access: R
This property defines the creator of the document (e.g. “Adobe FrameMaker”,“Adobe
PageMaker”, etc.).
4.0