adobe javascript how to refer to another pdf

Question

This is a basic question but I can't find the answer. I am running a script from one pdf and want to change a field in another pdf. To refer to the main pdf, I used something like

var mainDoc=this;

How do I set a variable to refer to the other pdf?

Originally, I used :

var otherDoc = app.openDoc("second.pdf", mainDoc);

This all worked well but it doesn't work on Reader XI, possibly because protected mode is on and I can't turn it off because it's a computer network at my workplace. I'm trying to work around it by opening the second pdf manually and having it open while I trigger the script from the main pdf. But it's not doing anything.

Thanks!

try67 · Accepted Answer

I tried it again. It wasn't quite doing what I thought it was -

To test the concept, I used :

var d=app.activeDocs;

for (var i=0;i<d.length;i++){

app.alert(d.info.Title);}

Two PDFs were open - the main.pdf and second.pdf

The alert output was "Microsoft Word - second.docx", which is the name of the original Word document that I created and then saved as a PDF. Any other PDF I open results in a blank alert.

Is there a way of just saying

var otherDoc="second.pdf";

That doesn't work because it thinks that "second.pdf" is a string. But is there something like that that would work?

BTW, thanks very much for taking the time to look at this

Ah OK, the title is not really important. Look at the path property.
If the activeDocs method is returning your document then you can access it like this, for example:
var otherDoc = activeDocs[1];
A better way would be to search the array for the document that has the file-name you're interested in, though.

try67 · Answer

From the documentation of the openDoc method:ReturnsA Doc object or null:● In Acrobat 5.0, this method returns a Doc object.● In Acrobat 5.0.5, the method returns the Doc object unless the disclosed property of the targetdocument is not true, in which case it returns null.● Beginning with the Acrobat 5.0.5 Accessibility and Forms Patch and continuing with Acrobat 6.0 andlater, openDoc behaves as follows:● During a batch, console or menu event, openDoc ignores the disclosed property and returns theDoc object of the file specified by cPath.● During any other event, openDoc returns the Doc, if disclosed is true, and null, otherwise.In other words, the file has to be disclosed for this method to return a reference to it.

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