Setting up redundant form fields in Acrobat

Proper handling of redundant (repeated) form fields is required in WCAG 2.2, Success Criteria 3.3.7, and is a best practice.

The requirement is this:  If you have questions that are repeated multiple times in a form, when an answer is provided once, the repeated fields should be automatically populated.  (Technically, the requirement is that either the fields are automatically populated, or the user can select the field to copy and paste their answer, for example.  However, setting up fields so they auto-populate is very easy in Acrobat.)  

To set fields up to auto-populate

1. In Adobe Acrobat, with the PDF open, navigate to the “Prepare Form” tool.
2. Select the fields that need to auto-populate with the same information, open their “Properties,” and give them the same name in the “Name” field.  Note: You’ll need to do this to each field, individually.   

The screenshot below shows the “Text Field Properties” dialog box for a text field.  The “Name” field, in that dialog box, is highlighted. 

Didn't find what you're looking for? Navigate to our "Forms" section for more related articles that may help!