Add an image field

Jan-gxplus

I have downloaded FormMaker Pro especially as it says in the feature list ‘Easily create an “Add an image” field’. I have been through the documentation and can find no mention of this feature. Its also isn’t self explanatory. Can anyone please tell me how I can achieve this?

Ariel

Hi Jan,
Good question. I've created a blog post just now to explain the procedure. Basically, create a button in InDesign and add a 1-line script to it with FormMaker.
Full details here: https://www.id-extras.com/how-to-create-an-add-an-image-form-field-in-indesign/
Thanks,
Ariel

Jan-gxplus

Hi Ariel,
Thanks for the quick reply! That seems to work fine. However. When I place an ‘Add an image’ field in Acrobat, in the resulting pdf an outlined box with an image icon will show up to prompt the user to add an image. When I do the same thing in FormMaker there is no such indication. Users will have no idea there is an image field there. Can you think of a solution or a workaround?

Also, when I import an image into the pdf field it will not be scaled but placed @ 100%. When I use the Acrobat version of the field any imported image will be scaled to fit.

Ariel

Hi Jan,

Jan-gxplus When I place an ‘Add an image’ field in Acrobat, in the resulting pdf an outlined box

If you add a stroke round the button in InDesign that should give you an outlined box.

Jan-gxplus an image icon will show

Just place a graphic in InDesign with that icon (or something similar), and turn the graphic into a button in InDesign. You can save the graphic somewhere convenient, or in the snippets collection of an InDesign library for quick access. (In fact, I would recommend saving the entire "add an image" button as a library item, that way you won't need to keep adding the 1-line script in FormMaker.

Jan-gxplus Also, when I import an image into the pdf field it will not be scaled but placed @ 100%. When I use the Acrobat version of the field any imported image will be scaled to fit.

This is a good point. I will try to fix this in an update. Meanwhile, add another line to the mouse-up script, so that the complete script looks as follows:

event.target.buttonImportIcon(); event.target.buttonScaleWhen = scaleWhen.always;

Does that help?

Jan-gxplus

Hi Ariel,
Thanks for your suggestions. Placing an icon in the graphic works fine if the user imports a jpeg, however when a png with transparent background is imported the placed icon remains partially visible. I’ll keep tinkering with that.

The extra script to scale to fit is excellent. Thanks for that. In any case FormMaker has already saved me hours of work. Fantastic!

Ariel

Hi Jan,
I tried playing around with this a little, and I'm not managing to reproduce an instance where selecting a png file, even when it has a transparent background, allows the original button icon to show through.
I created the necessary button icon vector art in Illustrator (i.e. a rectangle with a vector symbol in the middle), placed that into InDesign, turned it into a button, and after exporting with FormMaker, if I select a transparent png file, the original artwork disappears.