How to Display French Month Names in Adobe Acrobat Date Fields
Question details
The user wants to format a date field in an Adobe Acrobat PDF form so that the month names appear in French, particularly for long date formats.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Creating or editing an interactive PDF form that requires localized French date inputs.
- Observed behavior
- Adobe Acrobat defaults to displaying day and month names based on the application's current interface language, rather than the specific field requirements.
Ensure you have permission to edit the PDF form fields. If you plan to use a custom format script, verify that you have access to the 'Prepare Form' tools in Acrobat.
Change the Acrobat Interface Language to French
Since Acrobat automatically formats day and month names based on the application's active user interface language, changing the application language will resolve the issue globally.
This is the simplest solution if you are the primary user of the document and prefer the entire application to run in French. The date fields will automatically adapt to standard French naming conventions.
Launch Adobe Acrobat, click on 'Edit' in the top menu bar (or 'Acrobat' on a Mac), and select 'Preferences'.
In the Preferences window, select 'Language' from the left-hand category list.
Under the Application Language section, select 'Choose at application startup' or directly select French if the language pack is installed.
Click 'OK' to save your changes, then completely close and restart Acrobat. The interface and the date fields will now display in French.
Apply a Custom JavaScript Format for Dates
If you cannot change the application language or only need a specific field to be in French, you can use a Custom Format Script to force the localized display.
Edit and Manage PDF Forms Easily with WPS Office
WPS Office offers a comprehensive PDF Editor that allows you to seamlessly edit, fill, and manage interactive PDF forms without complex configurations.
- 1. Open your PDF: Launch WPS Office and open the PDF form you need to modify or fill.
- 2. Access the Form Tools: Navigate to the 'Form' tab on the top ribbon to view all interactive fields.
- 3. Edit Field Properties: Double-click the desired text or date field to adjust its formatting, appearance, and input rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my PDF date field show English months instead of French?
By default, Adobe Acrobat renders day and month names based on the language of the application's user interface. If your Acrobat is installed or running in English, the dates will default to English.
Can I format different date fields in different languages within the same PDF?
Yes. By using the Custom Format Script method in the field properties, you can apply distinct JavaScript codes to individual fields, forcing one to display in French and another in English or Spanish.
What does the 'date(fr)' parameter do in the Acrobat script?
The 'date(fr)' parameter within the util.printd function tells Adobe Acrobat's JavaScript engine to override the default system language and format the resulting date output explicitly in French.
