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No1UCFfan97
Participant
July 5, 2017
Answered

Auto detect fields & Duplicating fields across pages

  • July 5, 2017
  • 1 reply
  • 1210 views

I am working with a large PDF ~ 200 pages. This bulk pdf is generated from our ERP system, so access to the source file isn't an option for me. When the pdf is generated it is just a flat file, with no forms, or fields of any kinda. When this form was initially implemented way back when, it was designed to be printed and filled out by hand. That being said I'm running into a problem filling the form out electronically.

I am able to use the auto detect forms feature to generate the fields with 1 small problem. One of the locations I want a form has a $ already there, so Adobe doesn't see that one box as needing a field, and it puts the box below the line. I have a script to delete these fields and that works well. The issue I am having now is when I manually add the field in the correct location, and duplicate it across all pages it takes a very long time to do this. Upwards of 20-25 minutes or longer.

Each of these 200 pages has ~ 120 fields on them and adding this one is just taking forever, and of course I can't do anything else with PDF's while this is running.

I attempted to add the one field before auto detecting, but doing so seems to prevent adobe from being able to auto detect the fields.

Is there anything I can do to lessen the time it takes to add this one text box to these 200 pages? Is there a way to have Adobe auto detect the fields after I have added a field manually? Do I need to get into a new line of work?

I am working in Acrobat Pro 11.0.20 on Windows 10 Enterprise

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer try67

That should be the most efficient way of doing it... One thing you can try, though, is to disable the automatic redrawing of the document while adding the new fields. To do that run this code from the JS Console before duplicating the fields:

this.delay = true;

When done, execute this code:

this.delay = false;

1 reply

try67
Community Expert
try67Community Expert
Community Expert
July 5, 2017

Are you using the Duplicate Across Pages command to duplicate the field? Are you adding it using a script? Manually?

At any rate, you can't add it before running the Fields Detection Wizard (if you want to be able to use it, that is).

N
No1UCFfan97Author
Participant
July 5, 2017

I am using the Duplicate Across Pages command.

try67
Community Expert
try67Community ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
July 5, 2017

That should be the most efficient way of doing it... One thing you can try, though, is to disable the automatic redrawing of the document while adding the new fields. To do that run this code from the JS Console before duplicating the fields:

this.delay = true;

When done, execute this code:

this.delay = false;

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