adobe javascript how to refer to another pdf

[doobeedoobee]

This is a basic question but I can't find the answer. I am running a script from one pdf and want to change a field in another pdf. To refer to the main pdf, I used something like

var mainDoc=this; 

How do I set a variable to refer to the other pdf?

Originally, I used :

var otherDoc = app.openDoc("second.pdf", mainDoc);

This all worked well but it doesn't work on Reader XI, possibly because protected mode is on and I can't turn it off because it's a computer network at my workplace. I'm trying to work around it by opening the second pdf manually and having it open while I trigger the script from the main pdf. But it's not doing anything.

Thanks!

[try67]

From the documentation of the openDoc method:

Returns

A Doc object or null:

● In Acrobat 5.0, this method returns a Doc object.

● In Acrobat 5.0.5, the method returns the Doc object unless the disclosed property of the target

document is not true, in which case it returns null.

● Beginning with the Acrobat 5.0.5 Accessibility and Forms Patch and continuing with Acrobat 6.0 and

later, openDoc behaves as follows:

● During a batch, console or menu event, openDoc ignores the disclosed property and returns the

Doc object of the file specified by cPath.

● During any other event, openDoc returns the Doc, if disclosed is true, and null, otherwise.

In other words, the file has to be disclosed for this method to return a reference to it.

[try67]

PS. I moved your question to the JavaScript forum.

[doobeedoobee]

Thanks for the reply but I have disclosed the file. This was all working on an older version of Reader

[try67]

Then it's probably caused by the Protected Mode, yes. The only way I can think of around that (possibly) is to access the document via the app.activeDocs array. Have you tried that?

[doobeedoobee]

Yes. For some reason, it doesn't see the two PDF files that are open but it does recognise a Word document that isn't open. ?!?

[try67]

That's impossible. You need to provide more details as it seems we're talking about two very different things here...

[doobeedoobee]

I tried it again. It wasn't quite doing what I thought it was -

To test the concept, I used :

var d=app.activeDocs;

for (var i=0;i<d.length;i++){

    app.alert(d.info.Title);}

Two PDFs were open - the main.pdf and second.pdf

The alert output was "Microsoft Word - second.docx", which is the name of the original Word document that I created and then saved as a PDF. Any other PDF I open results in a blank alert.

Is there a way of just saying

var otherDoc="second.pdf";

That doesn't work because it thinks that "second.pdf" is a string. But is there something like that that would work?

BTW, thanks very much for taking the time to look at this

[try67 · Accepted solution]

Ah OK, the title is not really important. Look at the path property.

If the activeDocs method is returning your document then you can access it like this, for example:

var otherDoc = activeDocs[1];

A better way would be to search the array for the document that has the file-name you're interested in, though.

[doobeedoobee]

Great! That's what I needed. Thanks very much

[Test Screen Name]

The title isn’t really the problem but if you want to see what is happening you need to realise that the title is just a string and not the file name. File > Properties will show you the title, which must be the string ending .docx.