Creating Interactive Icon Buttons 5. Click the Appearance tab.
Uncheck border How to copy an interactive button:
Once you have created a PDF document, you
can add interactive navigation buttons which
are helpful to those reading your document.
You can create buttons made up of icons, text
or a combination of both.
Create a Custom Icon
If you want to use a custom icon as an
interactive button, first create the icon in a
graphics application. You can use source
images saved in a variety of formats, such as
GIF, JPEG and TIFF.
To convert an image to PDF in Acrobat 5:
1. Select File > Open as Adobe PDF.
2. Set Files of Type to All Files.
3. Navigate to the file folder location of the
image that you want to use as an icon. Click
one time on the file name, then click the Open
button. The Open As PDF window appears.
4. Select Create New Document and click OK.
A new PDF document is created from the
selected image file.
5. Select File > Save. The File Save As window
is displayed.
6. Navigate to the file folder location that you
want to save the PDF and click the Save
button. Notice that the PDF file name is the
same as the image file name.
Adding an Interactive Button
Once youve created a PDF icon file, youre
ready to add the button to your Acrobat
document. For this exercise, we create a Next
Page button.
TIP Turn on grid lines for accurate image
placement. Select View > Grid or Ctrl + U.
How to create a button with the Form tool:
1. Click one time on the Form tool in the
Menu Bar or press the letter F. The
cursor changes to crosshairs.
2. Click, hold and drag the crosshairs at the
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location that you want to place the button. A
box is created and the Field Properties window
appears.
3. Type the button name, Next Page in the
Name field.
4. Select Button from the Type pull-down
menu.
options if you are using a custom icon.
6. Click the Options tab to display its settings.
Select Invert from the Highlight pull-down
menu to invert the colors of the button when
clicked.
7. Select Icon Only from the Layout pull-down
menu. Then click the Select Icon button. The
Select Appearance window is displayed.
8. Click the Browse button.
Navigate the file folders to
find the icon PDF file that
you want to use as a button.
Click one time on the file
name, then click Select. The Field Properties
icon appears in the Select
Appearance window. Click OK to return to the
Field Properties window.
9. Click the Actions tab. Actions is where you
will set the button to go to the next page when
clicked.
10. Select Mouse Up to set the button action
when the mouse button is released.
11. Click the Add button. The Add an Action
window appears. Select Execute Menu Item
from the Type pull-down menu. This selection
displays the Edit Menu Item button.
12. Click the Edit Menu Item button. The Menu
Item Selection window appears. Select
Document > Next Page, then click OK. You are
retuned to the Add an Action window. Click OK
to return to the Field Properties window.
13. Click OK to return to the document
window. Notice the icon appears as an outline
box.
Test the Interactive Button
Before you can test out the new button,
select the Hand Tool from the Menu Bar or
press the letter H on your keyboard. The
button changes from an outline box to the icon.
Hover the mouse cursor over the button. The
cursor changes to a pointing finger. Click one
time to activate the button.
Copy the Button to Other Pages
Once you have created and placed an
interactive button, you can save lots of time by
duplicating the button, along with its settings,
to other pages in a PDF document. The button
is placed in exactly the same location on each
specified page.
1. Click one time on the Form tool in the
Menu Bar or press the letter F. The icon
is displayed as an outline box and the
cursor changes to crosshairs.
2. Hover the mouse cursor over the box. The
cursor changes to an arrow. Click one time to
select the box.
3. Click the right mouse button to display the
floating menu. Select Duplicate. The Duplicate
Field window appears.
4. Select All to duplicate the button on all
pages, or select a range of pages in the From
field. Keep in mind that when creating a Next
Page button, you dont need to include it on
the last page of the document.
5. Click OK when you have finished. The
button is duplicated on the specified pages in
the document. Congratulations!
TIP To select a tool temporarily from the Menu
bar, use Control + click tool.
Creating Interactive Text Buttons
If you dont have an icon handy you can easily
create a text button instead.
How to create a text button:
1. Follow steps 1 - 5 in the exercise, How to
create a button with the Form tool.
2. Click the Options tab. Select Text Only from
the Layout pull-down menu.
3. Type the text (Next Page) that you want to
appear as a button in the Button Face
Attributes > Text field.
4. Follow steps 9 - 12 the exercise, How to
create a button with the Form tool to add an
action to this button.
5. Click the Appearance tab. Select the font
face, style and size in the Text pane. This
determines the appearance of the text button.
6. Click OK. You are returned to the document
window. Test your new text button. You can
copy this button by following the previous
steps, How to copy an interactive button.
TIP To set the button action to link to a web
page, select World Wide Web link from the
Action Type pull-down menu. Click Edit URL and
type the complete URL of the web site you want
the button to link to.
 Creating Links Using Thumbnails Efficiently ADOBE ACROBAT 5
Links in PDF documents enable a reader to Thumbnails are a miniature view of each page
jump to another location in the same in a PDF document. You can view thumbnails in CREATING BUTTONS & LINKS
document, to another document or a web page. large or small sizes. With the thumbnail palette
A link is different than a button in that links are in view, right-click anywhere in the palette win-
placed over existing graphics or text and dow and select either Small Thumbnails or
cannot be duplicated throughout the document. Large Thumbnails from the floating menu.
QUICK REFERENCE
Create a link over text or graphics:
1. Select the Link tool or press the TIP To access the Thumbnails palette, select
Window > Thumbnails or press the F4 key. The
BASIC & EDITING TOOLBARS
letter L. The cursor changes to cross
hairs. thumbnails palette is displayed on the left side a b c d e f g h i j
2. Draw a square over a text or graphic area. of the window.
The Link Properties window is displayed.
3. Select the Type and Highlight settings you The thumbnails palette, enables you to activate
want to use in the Appearance pane. a variety of controls that you would normally
activate from a menu with a document page in BASIC EDITING
4. Select the link action from the Action >
view. Heres a few commonly used features:
Type pull-down menu. To set the action to go
to a web page when the button is clicked, Navigate with Thumbnails a Hand Tool (H) f Link Tool (L)
select World Wide Web Link, then click Edit Click any thumbnail to jump to that page in the b Zoom In (Z) g Article Tool (A)
URL and type the full URL of the web page. To document. Notice that each page number is
c Text Select h Crop (C)
set the action to go to another PDF, select displayed under its page icon.
Open File, then click the Select File button and d Graphics Select i Form (F)
Move Pages with Thumbnails
navigate to the PDF file you want to open e Movie Tool (M) j Touch Up Text (T)
You can move pages to other locations in the
when the link is clicked.
document using thumbnails. Just click, hold
5. When you have made your selections, click
and drag on a thumbnail icon, move it to a new
Set Link. You are returned to the document location and release the mouse button. TIP To select a command from the toolbar,
window. click one time on the button, or press the short-
If you are using toolbars as floating palettes,
cut letter on the keyboard. For example, to
drag a second toolbar on top of the first toolbar
TIP To draw a more exact size link box over select the Hand Tool, press the letter H.
to combine frequently used commands.
text, select the Link tool, then hold down Ctrl +
Cmd keys and select the text. Print Pages from Thumbnails
You can print all, one or selected pages right
Keyboard Shortcuts Action
from the thumbnail palette. Click one time on a
Edit a link over text or graphics:
thumbnail or Ctrl + click on multiple Ctrl + L Full Screen
1. Select the Link tool or press the letter L.
thumbnails, right-click the mouse button and
The cursor changes to cross hairs. All existing Esc Exit Full Screen
select Print Pages from the floating menu. The
links are displayed with boxes.
Print window appears. Ctrl + + Zoom In
2. Click one time on a link box to select it.
3. Click the right mouse button to display the Ctrl + - Zoom Out
floating menu. Select Properties. The Link This Quick Reference card written and provided Ctrl + M Zoom To
Properties window is displayed. by Lisa Jahred, author of FrameMaker 6: Beyond
4. Modify existing selections in the window. the Basics, New Riders Publishing, Ctrl + 0 Fit in Window
Click the Set Link button when you have www.newriders.com, ISBN 0-7357-1108-9. Ctrl + 1 Actual Size
finished.
lisajahred.com

Learn even more about Adobe FrameMaker 6 or

Ctrl + 2 Fit Width
Acrobat 5 by visiting www.InformIT.com, where
TIP To underline linked text, youll find Lisa Jahreds articles. Ctrl + 3 Fit Visible
select the Underline tool from Find Lisa at www.jahredonline.com or F9 Show/Hide Menu Bar
the Menu bar, then select the E-mail jahred@attglobal.net.
text that you want to underline. F5 Bookmarks
Copyright 2001 - 2002 Lisa Jahred. All rights
reserved. All other brand or product names are F4 Thumbnails
trademarks of their respective companies or
organizations.