Re: widget woes (input fields)

Hi Pablo,

thanks for following up.

I honestly didn't realize that fields were such a mess when I originally
posted a request for help, and that different PDF viewers act so
differently on this.

Thanks for your information, I appreciate you passing it on.

                                Jim

On Tue, Jun 16, 2026 at 12:19 (+0200), Pablo Rodriguez via ntg-context wrote:


> On 6/6/26 18:51, Jim via ntg-context wrote:
>> On Fri, Jun  5, 2026 at 19:58 (+0200), Hans Hagen via ntg-context
>> wrote: […]
>>> so didn't follow this thread but normally Pablo comments on it

>> I believe Pablo has been silent on this particular topic.  Unless JP
>> was pinch-hitting for him (JP did offer some insights, but, sadly,
>> not a solution).

> Hi Hans and Jim,

> I avoided commenting this thread since the structure fields + widgets
> seems to be a problematic one for “Acrobat”.

> This isn’t just my impression, but something I discovered when I
> proposed a fix for (unsigned) signature fields in ConTeXt:
> https://github.com/pdf-association/pdf-issues/
> issues/714#issuecomment-3758866240.

> The patch for (unsigned) signature fields is a compromise solution: it
> works with “Acrobat” (I have only current “Reader DC” available), but
> (almost?) everything else needs fixing. Just as an example, MuPDF needs
> that to be fixed (https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=709076).

>>> ... widgets are a bit of a pain (ended up in the pdf spec before 
>>> supported, bugs that became features - esp defaults - parent/kid
>>> issues and differences between viewers, appearance streams, etc).
>>> The same for some annotations that basicaly got dropped. It has
>>> always been about adapting to observations.

>> As you may have noticed, Ulrike followed up with some analysis of
>> the PDF internals, which may help to get ConTeXt's implementation
>> onto the straight and narrow.

> Sorry, but I didn’t analyze this particular issue (no time for that
> now), but when I provided the patch to `lpdf-fld.lmt` (for signature
> fields), I tested all other fields.

> “Acrobat” is happy with (unsigned) signature fields with a parent
> dictionary for only the field and a child dictionary for a pure widget.

> “Acrobat” would also allow a single dictionary of field and widget, but
> `lpdf-fld.lmt` needs to make a two distinct dictionaries (parent and
> child) for fields.

> I tested that with other fields (parent field-only dictionary and pure
> widget child dictionary). But although this is techically right (it is
> conformant to Arlington), “Acrobat” isn’t happy with the output.

> “Acrobat” prompted for file saving when closing the documents (with two
> distinct dictionaries, one for the field and another for the widget).
> The saved document was mixed the two dictionaries and Arlington complained.

> At the end of May, (at work) we had to send a document with both text
> fields and a signature field (all to be filled-in). Partially thanks to
> having not used “Acrobat” for signing (and also avoiding the already-
> available signature field), we got a document which “Acrobat” only
> displays the signature and its signature annotation, but no text from
> the text fields; “Edge” displayed all text from the text fields, but not
> the signature.

> This is the first time I experience this such level of dissonance by PDF
> viewers displaying a document.

> I don’t know (well, I have no idea about) what is wrong here. Sorry, but
> it will take some time before I can invest some time investigating this.

> I’m afraid this is all I can do for now.

> Best wishes,

> Pablo

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