Filling in PDF forms on your PC
Form fields are tinted so they stand out, and required empty ones are outlined in red. Type, tick and choose, while number and date formats are applied.
Application forms, tax returns, booking sheets and school reply slips often arrive as PDFs with fields to fill in, and doing it on screen is quicker and neater than printing, writing and scanning. PDF by Zaweba makes it straightforward.
Form fields are tinted so they stand out. Required fields that are still empty are outlined in red. Form > Highlight fields turns the tint off when you want to see the page plainly. Click a field to type, tick check boxes, choose radio buttons and open drop-downs and lists. Tab and Shift+Tab move between fields.
Moving through a form
The quickest way through a form is the keyboard. Click the first field, type, press Tab to move to the next, and carry on. Shift+Tab goes back one. Check boxes and radio buttons can be ticked as you go, and drop-downs and lists open to show their choices.
The tint makes it obvious where you can type, so you do not waste time clicking on printed labels that are not fields.
Required fields
Fields the form marks as required, and that are still empty, are outlined in red. Before you send a form, scroll through and look for red outlines. Each one is something the person receiving the form expects you to fill in.
Formats and calculations
Many forms format what you type. A number field might show thousands separators, a currency field a currency sign, a percentage field a percent sign, and a date field might expect a particular layout. PDF by Zaweba carries out these number, currency, percentage, date and time formats.
Ranges are checked too, so a field that expects a value within limits will hold you to them. Calculations are carried out, so a total that adds up the lines above it updates as you type.
Other scripts in a form do not run. That keeps forms predictable and safe. Most forms rely only on the formats and calculations above, so they work as intended.
Getting it right
Read the whole form before you start. Some answers depend on others, and it is easier to fill in a form when you know where it is heading.
Watch the formats. If a date field rejects what you type, try the layout shown in its label or example.
Save as you go on a long form, and save under a new name if you want to keep a blank copy for next time.
When there are no fields
Some PDFs look like forms but are just pictures of paper forms with no fields. Clicking does nothing, and there is no tint. For those, Type on the page lets you click and type text anywhere, so you can still fill them in neatly.
After filling in
If the form needs a signature, PDF by Zaweba can sign digitally. Then save it under a clear name and send it the way the form asks.
Combining forms keeps fields interactive, so a pack of several forms can still be completed after joining them.
With clear tints, red outlines on missing answers and working calculations, PDF by Zaweba makes filling in forms a quick, offline job.
