Exporting Comments/Attributes - XFDF or FDF

[alexisk62261201]

I'd like to utilize the data within comments for reporting - preferably using MS Access 2013. I know I can change the file extension of the xfdf format and get to the data, but it doesn't appear to have all the attributes I'd like.

1. Does anyone know of a way I can get to the data?

2. How can I get to reviewer, pageno, etc?

Thanks

[George_Johnson]

What I would do is create code in a folder-level JavaScript routine that gathers exactly what you want from a document's comments and returns it in a form that you can more easily use with Access.

[alexisk62261201]

Hey, George! You are my first response on this newsgroup! I REALLY appreciate your taking the time to answer. Can you give any specific (or references to) examples that do that (or close)? I had java about 15 years ago, and I've never written any code embedded within Acrobat.

Thanks

[George_Johnson]

Before we discuss that, do you know how to control Acrobat from VB code within Access or have you been working with XFDFs that have been manually exported?

[George_Johnson]

Also, discuss a bit what you had planned for the workflow and what an ideal workflow might be.

[alexisk62261201]

So basically, comments are put into Acrobat by many individuals. What Acrobat holds is draft contract documents for construction (many different plans, specs, etc). I am tasked with reporting on these comments.

I'd like to append the current data (hoping I can get ReviewDate, ReviewerName, pdfPageNo, etc) with things like JobNumber, SpecName, SpecDate, FunctionalArea, Importance, etc. so that I can create reports.

Thanks again!

[George_Johnson · Accepted solution]

Here's a link to a previous discussion that includes a script that generates a PDF report using JavaScript: Print comments only

You might not want the same type of output, but the code should give you a good place to start. It demonstrates accessing the comments, sorting, and picking out the specific comment properties that are of interest.

Instead of generating a PDF report like the script does, you could instead write to the JavaScript console and then copy & paste, or write the data to a text file and save it as an attachment that you can then export. It's also possible to control Acrobat through Visual Basic code in Access, which can lead to a more automated workflow if you intend to save the data to a database.

[alexisk62261201]

I'll see if I can figure it out from that.

Thanks