Participant

Answered

Find and replace text in multiple PDFs

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
April 26, 2023
4 replies
4021 views

Hi folks!
I'm got a few hundred PDF forms that I need to replace the first and last name of a retired co worker to mine. I'm using Adobe Acrobat Standard.

I've tried using edit - advanced search - search folder for keyword - then find and replace

However this gives me an error saying that it cannot be done because it's an XFA form.

Does anyone know of any way I can do this? Perhaps some sort of script I can copy/paste into notepad or if there is another feature I can take advantage of in Acrobat DC?

Thank you kindly for your time,

Syl

PDF forms

Correct answer Thom Parker

If it is a XFA form, then a script using the XFA JavaScript model can be used to modify field values. But, as noted by try67, you'll have to do this one form at a time, or upgrade to Acrobat DC Pro so it can be done in a batch process.

For the script, you'll need to know the field path for the first and last name fields. Identifying these fields will require AEM designer, or a separate script to print out the form tree.

Ask this question on the AEM forum.

L

Luiz30280974xcjy

Participant

2023 and Acrobat still can't batch replace texts. What gives?

D

Dave22384896ez5w

Participating Frequently

2025 in the meantime, and still no batch find and replce in multiple PDF's. It is a crime!

Also the Acrobat now, crashes all the time on macos. Can't even press save. and it goes poof.

Meenakshi_Negi

Legend

Hi Dave22384896ez5w,

Thank you for reaching out.

Please share your suggestions about the feature via the following page: https://adobe.ly/4hov9rH.

As the application crashes, please try the troubleshooting steps suggested in the following help document: https://adobe.ly/4ihF3g5. If that does not help, please share the crash logs with the Acrobat Diagnostics tool: https://adobe.ly/4hnjglN.

Let us know how it goes.

Thanks,

Meenakshi

F

Ffyfbgrf29733414d3f7

Participant

Hey there! It sounds like you're trying to replace the first and last name of a retired co-worker with your own on a few hundred PDF forms using Adobe Acrobat Standard. Unfortunately, the edit - advanced search - search folder for keyword - then find and replace method isn't working because it's an XFA form.

Have you tried using the "Replace Pages" feature in Acrobat DC? You can select the pages you want to replace and choose the new PDF file to Replaced them with. It's worth giving it a try to see if it works for your specific use case. Alternatively, you could try reaching out to Adobe's customer support for further assistance. I hope this helps!

[Spam link removed]

try67

Community Expert

That won't work with an XFA form. Or was your reply just an excuse to post a spam link?

Thom Parker

Correct answer

Community Expert

If it is a XFA form, then a script using the XFA JavaScript model can be used to modify field values. But, as noted by try67, you'll have to do this one form at a time, or upgrade to Acrobat DC Pro so it can be done in a batch process.

For the script, you'll need to know the field path for the first and last name fields. Identifying these fields will require AEM designer, or a separate script to print out the form tree.

Ask this question on the AEM forum.

Thom Parker - Software Developer at PDFScriptingUse the Acrobat JavaScript Reference early and often

try67

Community Expert

Not possible, certainly not on Acrobat Standard, which doesn't have batch processing capabilities at all.

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