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Answered

Deleting pages stopped working

Forum|Forum|11 months ago
April 28, 2025
3 replies
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I have a quite elaborate Acrobat form. This includes several configuration pages that the customer should never see. To make this work in Reader, these pages are converted to templates and then instances spwned by the build routine. This was all working fine, but has now stopped wroking and is generating the srror message:This operation is not permitted.

Is this something that's changed in Reader?
No security is applied, everything set to "allowed"

Debuggging this is not helped by Adobe now makinn it difficult to have Acrobat DC and Reader installed on the same computer and Reader's limited debugging capabilities.
Any help much appreciated.

Correct answer JR Boulay

"Is this something that's changed in Reader?"

No, Acrobat Reader is still able to delete spawned pages. The true is elsewhere.

"Debuggging this is not helped by Adobe now makinn it difficult to have Acrobat DC and Reader installed on the same computer and Reader's limited debugging capabilities."

You can use Acrobat Pro and Foxit Reader, it works just as well as Acrobat Reader but is more demanding in terms of script quality as it does not support deprecated JavaScript functions. So you need to pay close attention to your scripts.

JR Boulay

Correct answer

Community Expert

"Is this something that's changed in Reader?"

No, Acrobat Reader is still able to delete spawned pages. The true is elsewhere.

"Debuggging this is not helped by Adobe now makinn it difficult to have Acrobat DC and Reader installed on the same computer and Reader's limited debugging capabilities."

You can use Acrobat Pro and Foxit Reader, it works just as well as Acrobat Reader but is more demanding in terms of script quality as it does not support deprecated JavaScript functions. So you need to pay close attention to your scripts.

Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe

T

Tariq Dar

Legend

Hi @john_jj,

Thank you for bringing this up, and I understand how frustrating it can be when previously working functionality suddenly breaks, especially with more complex form workflows.

The error message “This operation is not permitted” typically indicates a permission or execution context restriction in Adobe Reader, especially when working with template pages and scripting.

Here are a few things to consider:

Reader Restrictions

While Adobe Reader allows certain form interactivity and scripting, it still restricts privileged JavaScript operations unless:
- The file is Reader-extended with usage rights (via Acrobat or LiveCycle/AEM Forms).
- Certain methods (like spawning templates) are invoked in trusted contexts (usually tied to user interaction, e.g., a button click).
Recent Reader Changes

You’re right—recent Reader/Acrobat releases have included security and sandboxing updates that may have tightened JavaScript execution, particularly around spawning templates or manipulating form structure.
Acrobat and Reader Co-Installation

We recognize the challenges developers face due to changes in side-by-side installation behavior for Acrobat and Reader. While it’s possible, it’s not officially supported on all configurations and can be unstable. Using virtual machines or separate test environments is the safest workaround for now

Try:

Ensure template spawning is triggered by user actions (like clicking a button), not automatically on load.
If you’re using Reader, apply usage rights to the PDF via:
- Acrobat Pro: File > Save As Other > Reader Extended PDF > Enable More Tools
- Or, via server-side rights (AEM/LiveCycle)
Check if your JavaScript console (Ctrl+J) in Acrobat throws more detailed messages — these can be helpful for debugging.
Test with the latest versions of Reader and Acrobat in a clean environment, ideally on a fresh profile or VM.

~Tariq

john_jjAuthor

Participant

@10372047 Thanks for the reply.

The spawning of pages, data entry and proposal generation all still work fine. Spawning happens on load but there isn't a problem. It's only the deletion of the spawned pages that has stopped working.

The deletion is initiated by a button to prepare the proposal for sending to the client—form fields are are replace by text boxes, buttons deleted, stuff like that before the configuration pages are deleted.

There is no error in Arobat DC, deleting pages is allowed, so the JavaScript console doesn't help.

Bernd Alheit

Community Expert

Acrobat Reader can only delete spawned pages.

john_jjAuthor

Participant

Thanks, but as my post explained, the pages are spawned from templates. Deleting them used to work fine in Reader, it's just stopped working.

Here are a few things to consider:

Try:

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