Getting Form Field Information
Introduction
Form fields include text boxes, multi-line text boxes, check boxes, combo boxes, list boxes, buttons, radio buttons, and signatures. In this chapter, you will learn how to retrieve a list of form fields using the -formfield option.
The figure below shows the form fields on the third page of the ApUtilsSample.pdf file supplied with APGetInfo.
Retrieving a Simple List of Form Fields
Use the -formfield option to list all of the form fields in a PDF document.
Command
$apgetinfo -formfield inPDFFile
Windows Example
$apgetinfo -formfield C:\Appligent\APGetInfo\samples\ApUtilsSample.pdf
UNIX/Macintosh Example
$./apgetinfo -formfield /Appligent/APGetInfo/samples/ApUtilsSample.pdf
Result
The figure below shows the results of running apgetinfo with the -formfield option on the ApUtilsSample.pdf file. For each form field, the following information is returned: field name, field type, field value, and alternative name (tool tip text), if one exists. Note that the button field does not have a value. It is also the only field that has an alternative name.
The following table describes the value returned for each field type.
Field Type | Common Name | Value |
---|---|---|
Push Button | Button | None. |
Radio Button | Radio Button | The export value of the button. In a group of radio buttons, the export value of the selected button. |
Check Box | Check Box | The export value, if the box is checked. |
Text | Text Box | The text in the box. |
MultiLine Text | Multi-line Text Box | The text in the box. |
ListBox | List Box | The export value of the selected item. |
ComboBox | Combo Box | The export value of the selected item. |
Signature | Signature | None. |