Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Acrobat -- Rename Duplicate Fields to Unique Fields


Direct purchase using PayPal ($50 only per license)!


Warning: Selecting fields from a list does NOT work in Acrobat DC due to a bug in the application itself, but the option to automatically rename all duplicate fields will work.

Update (07/08/2019): Added some screenshots of the tool in action.
Also, a warning in advance: Only the option to rename all (duplicate) fields automatically will work in Acrobat DC, due to a bug in that application that prevents the individual fields selection from functioning correctly.

When you use the built-in Duplicate Field command in Acrobat, or even when you just copy & paste a field in your PDF file, the result is a copy of the original, meaning that any changes made to any of the copies will also occur in all of the other ones. This can be useful, but sometimes you want each field to function on its own.
Until now you had to manually rename your duplicated fields in order to achieve this, but this script will do that automatically for you.

New Feature: The script will now maintain the groups of radio-buttons or check-boxes when renaming the fields, including the export values of each widget.
In addition, the script now allows you to easily select multiple fields for renaming, instead of doing it one-by-one.

The tool in action (click to enlarge all images):

The original file with the duplicate fields and the tool's button on the right

Clicking the button displays a pop-up menu with several options. We select to rename all fields.

The resulting file: The duplicated fields have been renamed


Important: When you use this script the renamed fields lost all format/validation/calculation settings that are attached to them.

For more information about this tool, you can contact me directly.

23 comments:

Unknown said...

You just saved me from having to rename manually 189 fields in a PDF... I'm just amazed by the ease of installation and use of your script! I'm so glad I didn't hesitate to trust you. It works! Merci mille fois :)

Unknown said...

You just saved me from having to rename manually 189 fields in a PDF... I'm just amazed by the ease of installation and use of your script! I'm so glad I didn't hesitate to trust you. It works! Merci mille fois :)

ZaxDad said...

Dude, what an amazing product. $50 was worth it just for one job. What else do you have?

Gilad D. (try67) said...

@ZaxDad

Thanks, and I have a lot of stuff! Feel free to browse the website or contact me privately (try6767@gmail.com) if you have any specific needs.

(Sorry about the delay in replying. The comment was stuck in a hidden moderation queue.)

Unknown said...

So I clicked the link and paid for the script but haven't received anything via email. Also, I saw no download link after purchasing either. Please advise as I need this for forms I'm working on right now for a deadline.

Gilad D. (try67) said...

@Unknown

The download email is sent automatically to the email address associated with your PayPal account. If you didn't get it check the Spam folder. If you still don't see it contact me privately (try6767@gmail.com) and I'll send it to you directly.

Unknown said...

Is it possible for the script to leave the fields in the order that they were in? I have a form with 200 fields that I want to duplicate 10 times (2000 fields) and I don't want to have to re-order them after using the tool. Is that possible?

Gilad D. (try67) said...

What order are you referring to, exactly? Tab order? Calculation order? Something else? Please clarify.

Unknown said...

I was referring to the tab order, sorry!

Gilad D. (try67) said...

Unfortunately, no. It can't be maintained.

RS said...

Hi, how will you be providing the licence/script?

Gilad D. (try67) said...

@RS
An email with the download link is automatically sent to you after payment.

RS said...

Hi Gilad, I haven't received the download link. Can you please check your email and confirm. Thanks RS

Gilad D. (try67) said...

Please contact me via email. I need to know what email address you used for the purchase.

Gilad D. (try67) said...

I didn't publish your last message because I didn't want your email address to be posted publicly. I sent you a private email with the download link, though. If you still didn't get it, post here once more, please.

David said...

Hi,
I just purchased, installed and ran the "Rename Duplicate Fields to Unique Fields" script. When I push 'continue' (the final line in your readme) Acrobat immediately exits, or crashes. I'm running current creative cloud version 2020.012.20048. Any ideas?
Thanks, David
david@nashfamily.net

Gilad D. (try67) said...

@David

Sorry to hear that, but with your version of Acrobat you have to select the option to automatically rename all fields, not the option to select them from a list. See the Warning at the top of the product page. If you need further help please contact me privately via try6767@gmail.com.

MC said...

Hello - will this script rename dropdown list fields? I have a form that has hundreds of dropdown fields in 3 columns. I am wondering this script will rename those and maintain all of the settings in terms of the choices that are offered in the drop down lists.

Gilad D. (try67) said...

@MC

Yes, this script will rename drop-downs, and yes, they will maintain all the items they previously had.

Anonymous said...

Is this still available?

Gilad D. (try67) said...

> Is this still available?

Yes.

Unknown said...

Still works great!

monique said...

Hi, I have just bought text box to check box. Works great, just wondering if I can try this before buying?