Export Bookmarks From PDF

[JD@SNHU]

Hi All:

I have a PDF of my Information Security Manual that I created from InDesign which has a fully indexed set of bookmarks. However, I need to use those individual bookmark links in other documents. For example, I'm creating a training on specific policies, and in that training I need to have links in it that will jump the learner to the policy in my  handbook i.e., in the Acceptable Use Policy section, at the end of it I need to ask the learner to read the Acceptable Use Policy, and I want them to be able to jump specifically to that policy in the manual, not jump to the ToC and them jump again. Essentially, what I need are the hyperlinks from each policy that I can embed into my training. Can anyone help?

[S. S]

Hi JD@SNHU,

Hope you are doing well. Per your description, I understand that you want to export bookmarks from the PDF.

This option is available with the use of JavaScript. 

You may take reference from the given thread which has answers to a question similar to yours: Solved: Export bookmarks as csv file

Let us know if this helps.

-Souvik.

[JD@SNHU]

Hi, I stumbled up on this when I looking for help. The use of java script is prevented by the SecOps team. I'm hoping to use the tools Adobe has available. Is there an Adobe tool?

[Thom Parker]

Hi JD@SNHU,

Hope you are doing well. Per your description, I understand that you want to export bookmarks from the PDF.

This option is available with the use of JavaScript. 

You may take reference from the given thread which has answers to a question similar to yours: Solved: Export bookmarks as csv file

Let us know if this helps.

-Souvik.

By @S. S

The poster asked about exporting bookmarks in the context of using them in other documents. The post you linked is about collecting the names of the bookmarks. So not an appropiate response. 

[Thom Parker]

There is no good (easy) way to implement the navigation feature you're asking for.  Especially if these documents are viewed on anything other than the desktop Acrobat/Reader.    

To do this manually you'd add a link or button to the PDF page and add the "Go to a page view" Action to the button. The destination would then be set to the target location.  This method does not use the bookmarks or links in the TOC, but creates a whole new destination.  And this method creates links that are compatible with the widest range of PDF viewers.   Automating the creation of these links would require a plug-in, since destinations cannot be created through JavaScript.

There are several other methods for creating navigation links/buttons in a PDF.  For example, with a JavaScript action.  But using JS limits the usability of the links to a small set of PDF viewers. 

[S. S]

JD@SNHU The other option could be exporting the file as XML. 

You will be able to generate bookmarks that will result in to links getting created for you to jump to the content.

You can view the given article for more information: File format options for PDF export, Adobe Acrobat and use the feature if it suits your requirement.

-Souvik.

[JD@SNHU]

So would you create these buttons in InDesign when creating the document or in the PDF? Do you have a step-by-step of how to do this? A plug-in I can get for Adobe. I can't use JS. 

[S. S]

JD@SNHU There are 3rd-party plugins available for Acrobat which can be used to extract bookmarks.

You can search over the web to install the plugin which best suits your criteria.

-Souvik.

[Thom Parker]

I know that InDesign provides a range of features for document navigation (when converted to PDF), but I don't know the specifics of how you'd setup "cross-document" links. I'm sure someone on the InDesign forum would know this. Its a good question to ask. 

I was refering to the method used in Acrobat to add links. 

I don't know if any 3rd party plug-in would help you with this issue, but links are a huge deal for documents, so it wouldn't surprise me if there was something out there that would help. For example, Evermap makes a bookmarking and linking tool.

https://evermap.com/AutoBookmark.asp

[try67]

Are the bookmarks pointing to pages, or to web-pages, or something else?

If they point to pages, there's no easy solution for this. If they point to web-pages you can create a blank template file with those bookmarks and merge it with your other files by dragging and dropping them into the Pages panel. That will preserver the bookmarks from the original. Then you'll have to delete the blank page of the template file, and make sure to save the file under a new name, so you don't overwrite the template (you can set it as a read-only file, to prevent yourself from doing that accidentally).

[JD@SNHU]

The document will be published to a web site. 

[try67]

How is that related?

[Thom Parker]

In order for cross document linking to work, the "other" PDFs will need to be downloaded at the same time as the main PDF. To develop a strategy I would suggest manually creating small test set with cross-document links. Set them up on the server and a link on a web page.  See how it all works. I think you'll find that in order for this to work the related documents will need to be part of the same package. Consider using a PDF Portfolio.