Acrobat X Action Create Comment Summary
Actions are compatible with:
• AdobeAcrobatXPro
• AdobeAcrobatXProSuite
Process multiple PDF documents and export a list of comments to a file which may be
imported into a spreadsheet program.
Acrobat X Pro introduced Actions, a powerful way to standardize processes by automating routine,
multistep tasks. Since Actions may be extended via JavaScript, there are any number of additional
operations which can benefit from automation.
The Acrobat X Create Comment Summary Action processes multiple PDF documents and outputs:
• A Summary Document which reports on the files which were processed
• An attached Comma Separate Values (CSV) file listing all comments, by page, by document. This file
may be opened in a spreadsheet program
Document 1
Page 1
Document 1
Page 2
Document 1
Page 3
Document 1
Page 4
Document 2
Page 1
Document 2
Page 2
Document 2
Page 3
Document 2
Page 4
Document 3
Page 1
Document 3
Page 2
Document 3
Page 3
Document 3
Page 4
Document 4
Page 1
Document 4
Page 2
Document 4
Page 3
Document 4
Page 4
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APPROVED
Move
Logo Here
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Change to
“In the future”
Update Org
Chart. Wrong
Version
File Name Name Type Page Date Comment
Document 1.pdf Bill Smith Note 2 9/10/2010 Check gures in chart
Document 1.pdf Angela Poe Note 3 9/11/2010 Good change.
Document 1.pdf Bill Smith Note 4 9/10/2010 Update Org Chart. Wrong Version
Document 2.pdf Homer Dunn Note 3 9/22/2010 Update Numbers from 2009
Document 2.pdf Homer Dunn Stamp 4 9/22/2010 Approved
Document 3.pdf Angela Poe Note 2 9/5/2010 Check this fact.
Document 3.pdf Homer Dunn Callout 4 9/8/2010 Move logo here
Document 4.pdf Neil Davies Note 3 10/13/2010 Update the image
Document 4.pdf Bill Smith Note 4 10/12/2010 Change to “in the future”
Acrobat X Action: Create Comment Summary
®
Create a report of comments across multiple documents
Visit the Adobe Acrobat
User Community for more
Acrobat Actions
hp://acrobatusers.com/actions-exchange
2
Acrobat X Action Create Comment Summary
Who benets from creating
comment summaries?
• LifeScienceprofessionalswho
needtocreatereportsforasafety
review
• Aorneyswhoneedtocreatea
privilegelogfromredactionmarks
• Accountantswhoneedtoreport
onallofthelestheyhaveaudited
• Anyonewhoworkswithalarge
numberofcommentedlesand
wouldliketocreateaconsolidated
report
Extracting the Create Comment Summary Action
Before intsllaing the Action, you will need to extract it from this document.
1. In the Attachments Panel at left, select Create Comment Summary.sequ
2. Right-click and choose Save Attachment to your desktop or other convenient location
Installing the Create Comment Summary Action
To install the Create Comment Summary Action
1. Locate the Create Comment Summary.sequ file on your desktop (or other location)
2. Double-click the file and click the Import button.
The Edit Actions window will open and display the newly imported Action:
3
Acrobat X Action Create Comment Summary
Using the Create Comment Summary Action
Before using the Create Comment Summary Action, locate the files you wish to process. It’s easiest
if all of the files are in the same folder.
Run the Create Comment Summary Action
To run the Create Comment Summary Action, choose File> Action Wizard> Create Comment
Summary or open the Tools Pane and choose the Action Wizard to locate the Create Comment
Summary Action.
1. Acrobat will ask you to confirm that you wish to run the Action. Click the Next button.
2. The Select Files Window will open. Click the Add Files or Add Folders button and locate the
files you wish to process. When finished, click the Next button.
An easy way to access Actions is
through the Action Wizard Tool Panel
e Select Files window does not allow
you to reorder documents. Processing
order should not maer, however, since
you can always sort the consolidated
report in your spreadsheet program.
4
Acrobat X Action Create Comment Summary
3. The JavaScript Window for the Action opens. Click the Browse for Folder button to select the
location for the Comment Summary document which the Action will create. Click OK.
Working with the Summary Document
The Create Comment Summary Action creates a Summary Document offers a report of the
comment processing completed by the Action.
Comment Summary
(Subsequent Summary Actions will add to this file, it must be closed to start a new Summary)
Name: Comment Summary
Date: Tue Nov 09, 2010
Time: 06:11 pm
Files Processed: 11
Show Summary FileOpen Summary
#1: Event Security_review.pdf - No Annots
#2: Web Page Review.pdf - 39 Annots Found
#3: sandiego_Review.pdf - 4 Annots Found
#4: 1992_Cable_Act.pdf - 10 Annots Found
#5: 84pages.pdf - No Annots
#6: Message.pdf - No Annots
#7: model_a.pdf - No Annots
#8: multireply.pdf - 23 Annots Found
#9: Registered.pdf - No Annots
#10: SpecialOps.pdf - 185 Annots Found
#11: Visio107.pdf - No Annots
1. Click the Open Summary buon to launch the comma separated value (CSV) le generated by
the Action.
2. Click the Open Summary buon to view the Aachments Panel. You can export the CSV le
from the Aachments Panel if desired.
3. Files Processed
is area is a scrolling text eld. Scroll the eld to discover which les were processed and how
many comments were found.
e le location defaults to the location
of the last selected le or folder.
Security Warnings
You may receive a security warning
when you open the report from
Acrobat. You may also receive a
secondary warning about the le type.
Click OK for both messages.
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5
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and/or other countries. © 2010 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Questions and Answers
Can I edit the Create Comment Summary Action?
Since the Create Comment Summary Action writes to specific files and folders, you cannot add
operations after the report is run.
What’s the best way to view the CSV Report?
A spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft Excel, is the best way to view the exported report.
Can I open the report in Word?
Yes. You can open the CSV file in Word and convert it to a table, but you will need to spend some
time formatting the information. Choose File>Open in Word. Make sure the Open window is set to
All Files. Choose landscape orientation and set tabs for each column.
e Extract Commented Pages Action
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Excel Tip
Select all the cells, then double-click on
the area between Column A and B to
resize the columns to the cell contents.