How to Fix an Acrobat Dynamic Stamp Showing the Wrong Date
Question details
The user needs to fix a custom Acrobat dynamic stamp that continues to display its creation date instead of updating to the current date when applied.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Applying a custom-created dynamic date stamp to a PDF document.
- Observed behavior
- The dynamic stamp displays a static creation date rather than dynamically pulling the current system date.
Ensure you have access to the original source PDF file used to create your custom dynamic stamp, as you will need to edit its internal form field properties.
Move JavaScript to the Text Field Calculation Script
Fix the static date issue by relocating your JavaScript from the document level to the dynamic text field's calculation properties.
When a custom dynamic stamp shows its creation date instead of the current date, the JavaScript is likely placed at the document level. This causes the script to execute only once when the stamp is initialized. To resolve this, Acrobat requires the date-generation script to be placed inside the calculation properties of the specific text field so it runs dynamically every time the stamp is applied.
Locate and open the original PDF file that you used as the template to create your custom dynamic stamp in Adobe Acrobat.
Enter the 'Prepare Form' tool mode. Right-click on the dynamic text field meant for the date and select 'Properties' from the context menu.
Navigate to the 'Calculate' tab within the Properties window. Select 'Custom calculation script' and click the 'Edit' button. Enter the correct expression: event.value = util.printd("dd.mm.yyyy", new Date());
Save the changes to your source PDF. Open a new PDF document, apply your updated custom stamp from the stamps menu, and verify that it correctly shows today's date.
Add Dynamic Date Stamps Without Coding in WPS Office
Skip the complex JavaScript troubleshooting entirely. WPS Office includes a powerful built-in PDF editor that offers ready-to-use dynamic stamps, automatically applying the current date and time to your documents right out of the box.
- 1. Open Your PDF: Launch WPS Office and open the PDF document where you want to add a dynamic date stamp.
- 2. Navigate to the Comment Tab: Click on the 'Comment' tab located on the top navigation ribbon to access the markup and annotation tools.
- 3. Select the Stamp Tool: Click the 'Stamp' icon and choose one of the pre-configured dynamic stamps from the drop-down menu.
- 4. Place the Stamp: Click anywhere on your PDF page to place the stamp. The current system date and time will instantly appear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my dynamic stamp script work in the JavaScript console but not on the stamp?
If placed as a document-level script, the code only executes when the stamp file is first initialized by Acrobat. Moving the script into the text field's 'Custom calculation script' tab ensures it is triggered dynamically each time the stamp is placed on a page.
Where are custom stamp source files saved in Adobe Acrobat?
Custom stamp source PDFs are usually stored in your system's AppData roaming folder. On Windows, you can typically find them under Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\[Version]\Stamps. You can open these files directly to modify the calculation scripts.
Do I need to recreate my entire stamp if it shows the wrong date?
No, you do not need to start over. You can simply locate the source PDF file of your custom stamp, update the script placement on the date text field, and save the file. Acrobat will use the updated logic for all future stamp applications.
