Select the Total Price box, go to Text Box Properties > Calculate, and select the third option.
To do that, we can use the Simplified Notation format. Unlike Total Quantity, we can’t simply sum up a set of fields. Next, we want to create a computation for our Total Price field. You’ll notice that your field’s value changed to 0. Select all the fields you want to include, then click OK. For this example, we’ll use the preset calculations and select “sum”.Ĭlick Pick, and you’ll be brought to a menu where you can select all the fields you want to sum together. From here, we can do one of two things: you can select the second option to pick one of the preset calculations, such as sum, product, or average or you can choose the third option to create a simplified field notation formula. Select the box, then go to Text Box Properties > Calculate. To make sure a field is fillable, double-click it, or right-click and go to Text Box Properties, and leave the Read-Only box unchecked.īecause all of our quantity boxes are fillable, we need to create a computation for our Total Quantity field. We want the five quantities to be fillable fields that users can input themselves, while the Total Quantity and Total Price fields are automatically computed. Above is a simple order form with seven fields: Quantity 1 to Quantity 5, where each field corresponds to different item quantities Total Quantity and Total Price.
To better understand how to make a calculated form, let’s start with an example. Whether or not you do this is unimportant, as you can always edit and create these fields later. Importing a file will give you the option to populate boxes with fillable fields automatically. From here, you can start a new form from scratch, or base it off of an existing PDF or document file that you already have. Click “Tools” on the upper right of the screen, scroll down, and select “Prepare Form”. To start, go into Acrobat, and create a form.
There are many potential use cases for a PDF with a calculated form, such as: However, the nature and formatting of spreadsheets make them unwieldy and impractical to use as a form that you distribute to people.įortunately, Adobe Acrobat, the top-of-the-line PDF creation suite, has several tools that allow you to make fields with automatic computations in them.
When it comes to software that can create files with formulas and automatic computations, you likely have a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets in mind. Here’s how to make simple calculations in a PDF file.
Aside from making clean printable documents, files made with Adobe Acrobat Pro can contain formulas that automatically compute your inputs.