Adding Bates Numbers To PDF Files via Control File

Functionality Description

The AutoPortfolio plug-in for Adobe Acrobat provides a way to add custom Bates numbers to a set of PDF files via a control file. This method allows specifying Bates numbers individually for each PDF file. This is a key difference from regular Bates numbering function provided by Adobe Acrobat®. The control file uses plain text CSV (comma-separated values) file format to specify processing instructions. For example, a control file can be used to add Bates numbers to 50 different PDF documents while using different numbering settings for each file.

Control File Format

The control file is organized as a set of records (text lines) – one record per text line. Each record is a collection of the data fields that provide processing settings for a single input PDF file. Use Microsoft Excel or any other spreadsheet application to create and edit control files. Alternatively, it can be also created and edited using any plain text editor such as Notepad. Every processing records needs to specify the path to a PDF file and Bates numbering parameters.

Here is a screenshot of the sample control file created in Microsoft Excel:

Bates Numbering Parameters

Every control records should contain at least the following data fields:

Path to the folder where the input PDF file is located.
Name of the input PDF file including extension.
Output file name to save PDF document into after adding Bates numbers.
Suffix for the Bates number. This field can be blank.
Prefix for the Bates number.This field can be blank.
Number of digits used by the Bates number.
Starting number for the first page of the document.

Here is a list of optional parameters that can be specified in the control file:

Vertical alignment where to place a number on each page (top, middle, bottom).
Horizontal alignment where to place a number on each page (left, center, right).
Name of the font to use for displaying Bates numbers. Default font is "Courier".
Size of the font to use. Default font size is 10.
Color of the text. The color is specified as hexadecinal HTML color code.
Page margins for placing text (top, left, right, bottom).
Option to remove existing Bates numbers before adding new ones.

Processing Report

The detailed processing report is produced in HTML format by listing all input/output files and errors encountered. It can help to troubleshot all proccessing issues and record file changes.

System Requirements

This functionality is provided in Adobe Acrobat® version 9 and up.