Show comment replies in ascending date order?

Report · Nov 15, 2021

The default order of comment replies in both Acrobat Pro and Adobe Reader is driving my team crazy. [Team: a magazine's proofreader (Reader), designer (me: Acrobat), and managing editor (Reader), who all have input on the same set of PDFs.] From what I can tell, the original comment is first, then the latest reply by someone else, then earlier replies by others, then finally whatever the current person just wrote. And sometimes even that order isn't consistent, mysteriously putting the newest comment somewhere in the middle of the list. It's maddening! What we all would like is for the replies to be in ascending date order, so we can read it like a transcript of a conversation - the initial comment, then the first reply, then the second reply, and so on. Is there any way to do that? Yes, I'm open to a plugin or other customization, especially if it can be added to both Acrobat and Reader.

Report · Nov 16, 2021

Hello,

Thank you for rraching out.

As you wish to change the order of the comments added in the PDF as per the date it was added, you may use the sort option to Date for the comments.

- In the application, open the PDF and go to the Comment PDF.

- In the comment pane at the right, click on the Sort Comments options as shown in the screenshot below:

- Then select Date from the list of the options.

Check if that works.

Let us know if you are referring to something else.

Thanks,

Meenakshi

Report · Nov 16, 2021

Thanks for the reply. But I am indeed referring to something else. I'm happy to have the comments sorted by "Page" (location on the page). What I want to fix is the sorting order of the replies under each comment.

Report · Dec 01, 2021

Hello!

Sorry for the delay in response.

As you wish to sort the comments replies as per the date, it will be in sequence if you use the reply tab in the comment box. You do not need to create a new comment to reply to one. Please check the screenshot below:

If you add a reply in the box, it will add up to the main comment in the sequence of the reply added.

Hope the information helps.

If you are referring to some other issue, please share some sample files so we can check.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Meenakshi

Report · Dec 01, 2021

We're already using replies - that's the whole point of the question. I can sort comments, but I can't sort replies.

Okay, attached is a recent real-world example. In even just this one file there are two different ways that multiple replies are ordered, for some mysterious reason. The first person to look at the file was our proofreader, KPR - he highlighted six spots in the text and wrote about each one. (He seems to never write his comment directly with his highlight, but highlights the text and then writes a reply to himself. I've tried to explain, but he keeps doing it this way - that's fine.) The next person to look at it was our managing editor Wendy Marshall, who replied to four of them. Then I (Karen) added a reply to two of them, and Wendy responded to me with her final decision.

The first two comments (in Page order - highlighted text was "Lots of" and "sung") have replies ordered the way I would like them all to be - first KPR, then each additional reply in order. That's actually unusual - most of the time the order is more like the last two comments in this file. In particular, notice the one about "JOEEjoee.jp" (next to last in Page order) - If I were to number the replies in the order they were written, they would be 2, 3, 4, 1 - that is common in these PDFs, and it drives me crazy! The last one only has two replies, but is also that way: 2, 1.

Now do you understand my question?

Report · Feb 28, 2022

Thank you for point this out. I noticed exactly the same thing and this is indeed very stupid. The order could not be any more random.

Report · Feb 28, 2022

Here is the very hidden solution: Check "Allow nested replies to sticky notes*" in Comment Preferences.

This solution was proposed here: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/sort-order-for-pdf-reply-under-a-comment/td-p/888...

Cheers!

Report · Dec 13, 2022

This solution does not work!!

The default positioning of the comments is still as described in the first question.

"The default order of comment replies in both Acrobat Pro and Adobe Reader is driving my team crazy."

Do adobe techs know how a converstion works?

One person speaks then another and the comments are listed in descending order. Why is this so hard to understand?

re-ordering a conversation is ridiculous.

Report · Dec 13, 2022

put this comment at the top to get the idea - then slide others around in random order and you see Adobe Logic at work.

Report · Apr 29, 2024

The issue still occurs in 2024, I have Acrobat Pro 2023.001.20143 and I already had the "Allow nested replies to sticky notes*" option selectyed nad still get the same issue where hte replies do not make sense because they are out of the order in which they were written.

THis is not fixed!

Report · Jul 02, 2024

It is July 2024 and the Adobe Pro on my work laptop has the SAME "problem". Clicking the "allow nested replies..." setting, then closing Adobe and reopening with the setting turned on, made no difference. Replies are still ordered all "out of order".

Report · Dec 15, 2024

Thanks for the in-depth list of suggestions...

1. I have no interest in changing the order of comments - ordered by location within the document is perfectly fine.

2. Way too much work. These documents are for proofreading a magazine, not kept for posterity.

3. I was hoping someone who already knows scripting might have done it - I don't have the skills to try that.

4. It shouldn't be necessary to ask our whole team to learn a new tool just because of this one annoyance - I suspect that abandoning Adobe would have downsides also.

5. Okay, I wrote a request - please vote for it here: https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/49219289-list-re...

Report · Dec 15, 2024

Hi OsakaWebbie, I understand how frustrating the comment order can be. Unfortunately, there isn't a built-in way to sort comment replies in ascending date order in Acrobat Pro or Adobe Reader. You might want to check the ticket for any updates or look for third-party plugins that could help with this customization. If you find any solutions, it would be great to share them with the team!