Copy PDF Form Fields to multiple other PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Pro (Action Wizard & Javascript) 

This is exactly what the action is doing, you don't have to do it manually.

I'm so glad you figured it out :D

Depends on what you mean by „source file“. There are 3 paths/files that need to be defined: 1. Empty PDF Files that need the Fields to be pasted on - this is the topmost field in the action editor when editing the action - but can also be changed when running the action 2. „Template File“ that contains the Fields - this needs to be defined in the first module „Insert Pages“ of the action 3. Then you need to define the „Save to local Folder“ in the last module of the action - this is where the final files are being saved to - and I think this can also be overwritten when running the action If you still need help, contact me on insta ;)

Hi. Just wanted to leave a quick update here. Thanks for the fast reply by the way. I just had to edit the action in a way that it asks for a file on the "Insert Page" step, because otherwise it showed an error that it couldn't find the file (I'm also running on an older version). But now it works perfectly!@@SiLiDNB

You're welcome :) so you used it to duplicate image boxes but the duplicated boxes are bugged?

Hi and thanks! I think what you're refering to is the fact that because we're duplicating the same fields across all pages of the new document, when you then input something into the field on page one it will also be filled in on the other pages, right? That's because the fields on the other pages are treated as linked "widgets" of the fields on the first page. You can unlink them and I think it's just as easy as giving them a different name ... but I'll have to check. Maybe I'll have some time this week to check it. Will send you the answer in another comment.

I'm glad it helps. I've never encoutered that problem. Are you talking about Text Input Fields or just regular Text Fields?

As mentioned, the version from the video is not guaranteed to copy over all field types. But I can look into that as soon as I have time for it!

Sure no prob, I wish I could help on the javascript side but I'm clueless there. Thank you!@@SiLiDNB

ikr! catJAM

You can use this action but you will have to adjust the code to work with multiple pages. Because the way this is set up is that it duplicates the content from the first page onto the rest of the pages. So you would have to paste in all of the pages that are the "template" that you want to copy from, in the beginning of the pdf, let the script copy each field onto each according page (I am assuming that each page has different input fields...) and then delete the pages that were copied in from the template again. If you want me to set this up for you, please contact me on my socials but I will only do this commercially.

You can use the same method, just without having to paste in a different page beforehand, and then you have to adjust the code such that it only copies over the specific fields that you want to copy.

What exactly is the problem? The action and the js are still working.

Just saw your message on insta, will get back to you there.

I tried to explain it the best I could. Thanks for your help and video.

11:batch:exec TypeError: new field is null

You might even be able to do that without JS and just the Action Wizard Tools default actions. But you should look at the indivitual actions in the Action that you're using. Sometimes there's a "Prompt user" checkbox that you can disable.

@@SiLiDNB that works, thanks!; If I want to save the document with an ocr scan once the page is selected, can I also do it through the action wizard tools or have to use JS code?

@@TheNymek Yes you can do that. You can use the [Recognize Text > Recognize Text using OCR] on the left side, when you're editing/creating a new Action.

@@SiLiDNB Sili, sorry to bother you again, I have been trying for a couple of weeks to solve this problem with information from the internet and I have not been able to. I have thousands of documents of which I would like to scan only the first page of each one and then save that single page as a separate document renamed with "OCR_" + "original name". I have found the following javascript code to save only the first page of a document: this.extractPages(0, 0, this.path.replace(/\.pdf$/i, "_p1.pdf")); but I can't manage to add the step of scanning only that page before saving it. I don't know if you could provide me some site where I can find the information I need to solve it, Thanks again for everything

Hey there, I tried to get more info about the problem from @rfielding, but he wouldn't respond to my comment. So you're copying an image form field and then in the duplicated version it's not active?

Yes that's possible using python and other high level languages. You could start with this for example: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TcBX2kb6g3o.html

@@SiLiDNB Thank you very much for all your hard work!

You need to fill out the date field with the same date on multiple documents/files, am I understanding this right? Do you have access to acrobat pro?

@@SiLiDNB correct, also my name and title but I guess it would be the same steps for all if there is any correct? Yes, I do have acrobat pro

I added another link in the description with just the JS Code :)

I don't fully understand what you are trying to achieve yet. Do you mean you want to fill the same form using data from a table and then save each row as it's own pdf? If that's the case there are many good tutorials using python for that.

@@SiLiDNB Actually when I submit a whole form that has 3pages with inputs, it has to generate three PDFs with same data I gave as inputs

@@Dictionaryspeaks I still don't understand. You have to be very precise with your words, there are too many scenarios that I could imagine you're trying to describe here. What do you mean by submit? What do you mean by generate? Does it have to fill the pdf fields with pre-existing data or generate a fillable form? How is the data given that you "give as inputs"?

What code are you using inside the javascript?

Indeed my solution is not intended for a multi-page pdf. But I will try to find a solution for that! Keep an eye on your comment in the next few days, as I might post a solution for it here.

Awesome thanks! I thought it might just be some JavaScript modification. For what it’s worth my use case is always copying and pasting from the last page so if there is a short term solution for that specific case I would greatly appreciate it!

@@aeromillerMT So you have to copy fields from the last page of a multi-page pdf to the last page of multiple other multi-page pdfs?

Yes

Obviously having the option to choose like you have for picking, would be a good long term flexible solution, but for now if it was just last page to last page or page 2 to page 2 that would work

Could you elaborate on this? Do you want to be able to do this using Acrobat pro? My interpretation is that you have a filled form and you want to then use the data to fill a form on a different document?

@@SiLiDNB Sorry for the long msg, but I'm going to try and explain my entire process. I'm a musician agent and thus handle their bookings. Step one: The potential client completes a google form with necessary info that I require to formulate quote etcetera. Step two: I then type the info from the google sheet over to a word doc (This is already frustrating) Step three: I then complete a quotation form which includes some information received from that google form and the rest I complete because the amount/flights etcetera changes per booking. This form has a field where the client then completes their Invoice information if they accept the quote. Step four: I know need to compile the actual contract with the client, which means currently I am manually completing the fields of the contract from information gathered from the other forms. Ideally I would like the information to systematically pull through to contract stage as it's completed on the other docs. Maybe I hoping for to much?

Thanks for explaining your situation more clearly. I'm still not completely sure, why you do certain steps. For example, why are you typing the info from the google sheet over to a word doc? At what point are you using PDF's if at all? Nowadays you can automate pretty much anything using python or any other programming language , as long as the data is accessible somehow.

I might do another tutorial for this, since so many people are asking for it. I know this can be easily done with python code, but I also want to try if I can do it with just acrobat pro.

A quick and easy solution for this could be: 1. Open the PDF with the form data in Acrobat Pro. 2. Choose Tools > Prepare Form. 3. Choose More > Export Data. 4. Choose a name and location for the Form Data file (.fdf). Click Save. 5. Open the PDF to which you want to import the form data. 6. Choose Tools > Prepare Form. 7. Choose More > Import Data.

@@SiLiDNB Thanks a lot. I will try it out now.

That sounds like you haven't changed the file and/or folder paths that are defined by default in the action after you've imported it. Make sure you adjust the parameters as described from 2:45 on. Let me know if that fixes your problem.

Also - it isn't copying over one of the smaller form fields

Hi, I will try to recreate your situation and see if I can find a solution for that today!

okay I am working on it, and I can most definitely do this, just give me another hour or so ;)@@alonzobarahona7221

Ok so there seems to be a bug regarding setting the rotation of fields... for some reason it won't let me set the rotation of fields in the same action as duplicating the fields over, even when using multiple "Execute Javascript" modules. But what you can do, if all of the fields are oriented 90 degrees let's say, you can create a new action and use the following code to change the orientation of all fields of a document (or multiple documents ... you can set up your own action for that, it's very easy!): for (var f = 0; f < numFields; f ++) { var name = getNthFieldName(f); var field = getField(name); field.rotation=90; } If it's only a few fields, you would have to filter them by using the number or the name of the fields. I could give you different code for that. @@alonzobarahona7221

I don't know when the Action Wizard was implemented. But whatever version of Acrobat Pro it was implemented on, it should work from that point on is what I'm guessing.

What should I have done differently? Please be more specific. Do you need any help?