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defaultrqi4hgj1zhvd
Participant
January 12, 2021
Question

Recover Legacy PDF Portfolios That Had Flash Based File List

  • January 12, 2021
  • 5 replies
  • 1411 views

I've discovered that all my pdf portfolios created in years past when the portfolio file list/structure was Flash based no longer have any file list or any way to navigate the file folder structure.  The files are still there as evidenced by search results when searching the entire portfolio but there seems no way to even click through to each individual file.  Any suggestions?  Is there a way to recreate these portfolios using Acrobat Pro DC or is it too late now that Flash is blocked?  Any easier way to resolve so I don't have to go through about 10 years of portfolios?

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5 replies

JR Boulay
Community Expert
JR BoulayCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 19, 2021

"I have the latest version of Acrobat Pro and it still doesn't work"

Flash Player must be uninstalled, otherwise it cannot works.

Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe
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    defaultrqi4hgj1zhvdAuthor
    Participant
    January 21, 2021

    Thanks!  It did not appear that Flash Player was installed but after running the uninstaller just to be sure I was able to recover all functionality again.  There is a major lag and pop up notification the first time the portfolio is open indicating that Flash is needed for certain features.  After this initial access though it seems to remember and not ask again.

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      defaultrqi4hgj1zhvdAuthor
      Participant
      January 21, 2021

      Seems I'm mistaken.  It keeps asking, which is annoying but manageable.  Thanks again all.

      B
      Brian27193
      Participant
      January 18, 2021

      I'm having the same problem (using Adobe Acrobat XI Pro) and would like to add an image of what I see when I open a portfolio.  In the screenshot below, the "fi" icon at the top was where the file directory was located.  Clicking the icon takes me to the "Adobe Flash Player EOL General Information Page."  Like the original poster stated, the other files in the portofolio are there because I get search results from those files.  However, only the initial file in the portfolio is displayed and I can't seem to figure out a way to navigate to any of the other files without the directory that used to be at the top.  Also like the original poster I have about 5 years of work saved this way so I'm really hoping there's a workaround.  Thanks!

       

      try67
      Community Expert
      try67Community Expert
      Community Expert
      January 18, 2021

      The options are:

      - Use the latest version of Acrobat or Reader to display the file.

      - Convert the file to a non-Flash based format using an external tool.

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      defaultrqi4hgj1zhvdAuthor
      Participant
      January 19, 2021

      I have the latest version of Acrobat Pro and it still doesn't work.  I did find that Bluebeam (an excellent alternative to Acrobat) opens the files with no trouble (with the exception of one 4GB+ portfolio unfortunately).

      If you are aware of an external tool that will strip out the flash please do share.

      Dave__M
      Community Expert
      Dave__MCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      January 14, 2021

      It's my understanding that all PDF Portfolios could/can be opened and displayed with an alternative format that is not Flash dependant and is also 508 compliance capable.  Below is a Portfolio I made a few years ago, and it still opens for me, but shows in the alternate view.  Double-clicking on the folders on the right shows their content.

      Right-clicking in the folders panel, and selecting Portfolio Properties allows you to customiz how it displays:

      I hope this is helpful.

      My best,

      Dave

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      Anonymous
      January 16, 2021

      I have Acrobat XI Pro.  How did you get the documents in your portfolio to display on the left?  When I open my portfolio containing 12 documents, it defaults to display only the first document with the pages thumbnails displaying on the left.  I know the other documents are there because if I search I can get other documents to display (one at a time).  My view is as follows:

       

       

       

       

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      defaultrqi4hgj1zhvdAuthor
      Participant
      January 14, 2021

      Unfortunately cannot share a sample file as they are business sensitive email archives.  It sounds like there may be a way to recover the individual files (including attachments) but is there any way to access the file structure that was created for the portfolio?  Really a shame that there is no transition plan for such a notable feature.

      try67
      Community Expert
      try67Community Expert
      Community Expert
      January 12, 2021

      Can you share a sample file with us?

      S
      shevteach
      Participant
      January 12, 2021

      I printed the portfolio to PDF which then created separate PDF files for each file in the portfolio. Unfortunatly I lost all my bookmarks.  

      try67
      Community Expert
      try67Community Expert
      Community Expert
      January 14, 2021

      I've just published a new (paid-for) tool I've created to convert Flash-based PDF Portfolios to normal PDF files (with the original files attached). It's bundled at no extra cost with this other similar tool I've created:

      https://www.try67.com/tool/convert-portfolio-pdf-to-normal-pdf

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