How to Use Action Buttons for PDFs in Adobe Acrobat

Ever wondered if there’s more you can do with your PDF files? PDFs are excellent for preserving the formatting of your documents, but they can incorporate more than just text. Despite their reputation, PDF documents can be interactive.

Action buttons are a way to achieve this. You can customize these buttons to perform various tasks and suit the look and feel of your document perfectly. Adobe Acrobat makes working with action buttons straightforward. Let’s explore how you can enhance your PDF files with action buttons.

What Are Action Buttons in PDF?

PDF files are generally static. When you save a document as a PDF, it ensures that your audience views it exactly as intended. However, this doesn’t mean that PDFs have to be entirely static. You can add dynamic features to make them more interactive.

An excellent example is action buttons. These are similar to internal links but are represented graphically instead of textually. A PDF action button can trigger a specific action when clicked. They can perform various tasks such as navigating to a different page, opening another document, playing multimedia files, or even running JavaScript code.

Most PDF reader apps, including Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Reader, and built-in browser PDF viewers, can display action buttons. Hence, you likely don’t need to worry about the app your reader will use to view your file.

However, to create and modify action buttons, you will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat. Any desktop version, including Acrobat Standard, Acrobat Pro, and Acrobat Pro DC, can create action buttons. Although you can edit PDFs with the Adobe Acrobat browser extension, you can’t create action buttons through it.

How to Create Action Buttons in Adobe Acrobat

In Adobe Acrobat, action buttons are defined by two main parameters: the trigger and the action. You can also customize the button’s appearance. Creating the action button is a matter of a few clicks.

1. Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
2. Select the Tools tab.
3. Click on Rich Media. This will return you to your PDF document.
4. Select Add Button.
5. Click anywhere in your document to place the button there.
6. Input a name for the button in the Field Name box.
7. Press Enter.

The name you assign to the button is different from the display text. You can use the button’s name to refer to it when needed.

Now you have an action button in your document. Currently, it does nothing and has no visible label. To see your button in its actual form, close the Button Properties window and then click Close in the Rich Media toolbar.

There are numerous things you can do with action buttons in PDFs. As an example, let’s create a button that navigates the reader to the last page.

1. Go to the Tools tab and select Rich Media.
2. In your document, click Select Object in the Rich Media toolbar.
3. Right-click your button and select Properties from the context menu.

This will open the Button Properties window, where you can modify the button’s settings and behavior. You can add an action in the Actions tab by selecting a trigger and an action. You can edit the action after adding it.

There are several triggers available. Although each has its use, the Mouse Up trigger is sufficient for a simple button. With this trigger, the action occurs when the user clicks and releases the button. It won’t activate if the user clicks the button but releases it outside the button area.

With the trigger set, let’s assign an action:

1. Click on the drop-down menu next to Select Action.
2. Select Execute a menu item.
3. Click Add.
4. In the dialog box, select View > Page Navigation > Last Page.
5. Click OK.
6. Close the Button Properties window.

Now your button has an action. To test it, close the Rich Media toolbar and click the button. If it works as expected, you can then edit the button to add a label.

To add a label:

1. Go to Rich Media, then right-click the button to open the properties.
2. Go to the Options tab.
3. Under Icon and Label, type the display text in the Label box.
4. Go to the Appearance tab.
5. Adjust the font size and other visual attributes.

Alternatively, you can add an icon instead of a label. To do this, change the layout in the Options tab from Label only to one that includes an icon. Then under Icon and Label, click Choose Icon.

You now have an action button that will take you to the last page of the document when clicked. Test it by closing the Rich Media toolbar. If you find any issues with the button, you now know how to make adjustments.

If others will use your document, test your button on various PDF viewers to ensure compatibility. If it doesn’t work in certain viewers, consider adding a note to inform readers to avoid using those specific viewers.

That’s it! Your PDF file is now interactive, and you can share it online for everyone to enjoy.

Make Your PDF Interactive With Action Buttons

Adding action buttons to your PDFs significantly enhances their interactivity and functionality. With Adobe Acrobat, creating these buttons is a simple process.

By choosing the right triggers and actions, you can create buttons that navigate within the document, play multimedia files, or execute JavaScript code.

You can further improve the usability and aesthetics of the buttons by adding labels or icons and tweaking their appearance. There’s a lot you can do with PDF action buttons, so give it a try!