The directions this section explain how to add form elements to a document that was created in another application (e.g. Microsoft Word), then converted to PDF.

1. Open the PDF file in Power PDF.

2. Click the Forms tab in the top menu. Tools for creating a PDF form will appear in the top ribbon, in the Form Elements section.

3. Select one of the Form Element tools from the top ribbon. A brief description of each form element is provided below.

• Button - A clickable button with colors, text, and icons that can be customized.

• Radio Button - A circular button that can be filled in by clicking.

• Check Box - A check box that can be checked by clicking.

• Text Field - A text box that people can type in. The allowed format for responses (e.g. a date in the format of mm/dd/yy) can be determined ahead of time. 

• List Box - A list of options for users to pick from. The ability to make multiple selections can be enabled. Selected items will be highlighted in the list.

• Combo Box - An expandable menu of options for users to pick from. Once a selection is made, it will be displayed in the box.

• Digital Signature - A predetermined location for users to place digital signatures.

4. Click and drag across the area on the form where you would like to leave the form element.

5. A window will appear where you can manage the properties of the form element, including colors, allowed formats, action triggers, and more. Click Close to save your changes.

6. Continue adding form elements as necessary.

7. Save the form when you are done.

It is important to check the tab order of a form you create so users can tab from one field to the next in proper order.

Setting the Tab Order

1. Open the PDF form in Power PDF. The form should already contain form elements. If it doesn't, follow the directions in the previous section to add form elements to the PDF.

2. Click the Forms tab in the top menu. Tools for creating and editing PDF forms will appear in the top ribbon.

3. Select Set Tab Order, located in the Fields section. Numbered text boxes will appear within each of the fields in the form. This numbering indicates the order in which boxes will become accessible as someone tabs through the form. (If the Set Tab Order button is not clickable, follow the directions in the Setting Unspecified Tab Order section below.)

4. Double-click on the field that you would like to make accessible first. This field should now be labeled with a number '1'.

5. Determine the tab order of the remaining fields by clicking on each one in succession. The numbers labeling each field will change to reflect the new tab order

6. When you are done, click on an area outside of the form fields. The new tab order will be saved.

Setting Unspecified Tab Order

1. Click on the Pages icon in the left-hand toolbar to open the Pages panel.

2. Right-click on one of the page thumbnail images.

3. Select Page Properties.

4. In the Page Properties window, select Unspecified, then click Close.

After people have filled out a PDF form, Power PDF can be used to quickly aggregate all of their responses into a single spreadsheet. Aggregating form data in this way requires that:

• Interactive form elements (e.g. text fields, check boxes, etc.) have been built into the form. For more information on how to do this, see the above section on Adding Form Elements to a PDF.
• Users have completed the form electronically, as opposed to doing it on paper.
• You have access to the completed forms wherever they have been saved (e.g. a Box folder). 

It is also recommended that, when creating the form, each form element be given a very specific field name so that the exported data makes more sense. 

Exporting Data from Completed Forms

1. Click the Forms tab in the top menu. Tools for creating and managing PDF form elements will appear in the top ribbon.

2. Click Import/Export Data. A dropdown menu will appear. 

3. Select Export Data from Multiple Forms. A window will appear where you can specify which files to export data from.

4. Click the Add Files button.

5. Select the files that you would like to export data from and click Open. 

6. Once all of the desired files are listed, click the Export button. A file manager window will appear.

7. The exported form data will be aggregated into a .csv file. Give the file a name and choose a location to save it to.

8. Click Save. The data will begin to export. This may take a few minutes.

9. To view the data, find the file wherever it was saved to. Right-click on the file and select Open with > Excel. The file will open in Excel, where you can edit and analyze it as necessary.