Is using Adobe javascript a good solution for ....

Question

Given a library of about 200 pdf documents that are informational only, text sections of these documents are to be stored in a database for tracking. A plan is to use a web appliction to allow a user to select document sections in a browser , and store those sections in the database.

The first idea was to use pdf hilighting to select the text, capture the event, display a small menu and then use ajax / server code to save the highlighted text in the database.

Whats the best way to accomplish this?

What are potential problems?

Thom Parker · Answer

If the Acrobat Preferences are setup for it, the highlight annotation and the Rectangle annotation will capture page text. So that part or your plan will work. But to actually move the text you'll need an event to trigger the code. The easiest solution is to make an automation script triggered from a toolbar button.

A more sophisticated solution is to write an automation tool that places a transparent button on every page of the document. Then use MouseUp/Down actions to capture mouse clicks to draw rectangles, capture text, and send it off to the server.

There isn't any Ajax for the Acrobat JavaScript model. There is however an HTTP object that performs simple versions of all the HTTP ops.

You can find out more about these operations here:

https://www.pdfscripting.com/public/Automating-Acrobat.cfm

https://www.pdfscripting.com/public/HTTP-Access-Tester-Description.cfm

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