PDF Text Distances not being honoured

[MGD4me]

I created an Application form (ver 1.62) for our hobby club, requesting some of the usual personal details, like name, email, phone, etc.

The form has labels, followed by a text field for data entry, something like this"

Name:  [         ]
Email: [               ]
etc,

In the text field, in Content Properties >> Columns and Text Distances, I set the Left spacing to 0.125 in, so that any text entered would not be "slammed" hard against the left hand side of the field.

I can see the that there is a visible vertical "mark" in the text field, confirming that this is where any entered txt will be placed. I have also have set the field with a coloured background, so that the field is more apparent.

However, when I export the Application form as a PDF, the offset, or Left spacing is lost when viewing on a computer screen. When text is entered into any of the fields on my laptop, it is hard-justified to the left, losing the 0.125 in space.

Is this normal, or is there any workaround?

Thanks.

[Nermander]

I suspect that the Scribus settings for text fields are not included in the PDF. The PDF form fields are handled by the PDF viewer and as such they most likely have limitations to the formatting.

[MGD4me]

I kind of suspect the same thing. 

I will have a look through some PDF documentation to see if I can do any further editing once Scribus has created my form.

The downside of course, is that each time further changes are made by Scribus, it will necessitate  this post-processing routine.

Thanks.

[Nermander]

Looking at the Adobe instructions for Acrobat, you only seem to be able to set:
    Border Color: Choose a color for the field frame or opt for no frame.
    Line Thickness: Determine the thickness of the field frame (Thin, Medium, or Thick).
    Fill Color: Select a background color for the field or keep it transparent.
    Line Style: Alter the appearance of the frame with options like Solid, Dashed, or Underline.
    Font Size: Set the size of entered text or selection markers, with an Auto option for dynamic resizing.
    Text Color: Choose a color for the text or selection marker.
    Font: Select from available fonts on your system (not applicable for non-text displaying fields).
and
    Alignment: Aligns text left, right, or center.
    Default Value: Initial text in the field.
    Multi-line: Allows multiple-line entries.
    Scroll Long Text: Compensates for extended text.
    Allow Rich Text Formatting: Enables text styling.
    Limit Of Characters: Sets character limit.
    Password: Displays entered text as asterisks.
    Comb of characters: Spreads the user-entered text evenly across the width of the text field. If a border color is specified in the Appearance tab, each character entered in the field is separated by lines of that color. This option is available only when no other check box is selected.

https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/pdf-form-field-properties.html

[MGD4me]

Re:  Looking at the Adobe instructions for Acrobat, you only seem to be able to set:
    Alignment: Aligns text left, right, or center.


I found similar information as well, so it looks like I might just have to accept that margins or padding is not an option for me.

Too bad...

Thanks for your help!