Using Bates numbers for Page Numbering in PDF Table of Contents

AutoBookmark plug-in for Adobe® Acrobat®

Introduction

In this tutorial, we will look at how to create a table of contents (TOC) that references pages using Bates numbers. To demonstrate this, we will create a TOC from bookmarks, which is numbered using Bates numbers located on each corresponding page of the PDF. The hierarchical table of contents can either be inserted as a new page or saved as a separate PDF document. All TOC entries have the same hyperlink as their corresponding bookmark.

See this list of bookmarking tutorials for help with creating PDF bookmarks using the AutoBookmark™ plug-in.

What are Bates Numbers?

Bates numbering (also known as Bates stamping) is a method of indexing legal documents for identification and retrieval. During the discovery phase of litigation, a large number of documents often require the use of unique identifiers for each page of each document for easy reference. Each page of each document in a "batch" of documents is assigned a unique Bates number that also indicates its relationship to other Bates-numbered documents. Bates numbers appear as headers or footers on the PDF pages. Please see the following page on Adobe's website for instructions on how to add them to PDF documents.

The input PDF used in the tutorial steps below features Bates numbering on each page - the plug-in will automatically identify them, and insert them under TOC records instead of using conventional page numbers.

Batch Processing Support

Automate this operation with Acrobat's batch processing tool (Action Wizard) to process similar files using the same configuration with only one click. For example, if each monthly report has an identical format, use a batch processing 'action' to quickly add a TOC page using the same settings. Note that AutoBookmark Pro is required for batch processing support - see section 2 of this separate tutorial for help with creating a TOC with Action Wizard.

Prerequisites

You need a copy of Adobe® Acrobat® along with the AutoBookmark™ plug-in installed on your computer in order to use this tutorial. Both are available as trial versions.

Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1 - Open "Create TOC from Bookmarks" Tool

Open PDF document and make sure it contains bookmarks (necessary for TOC generation). Verify that document has digital Bates numbers generated in Adobe Acrobat. If document does not have Bates numbers, use Acrobat's standard functionality to add them (Adobe Acrobat web site tutorial).

Select "Plug-Ins > Table of Contents > Create TOC From Bookmarks…" to open the "Table Of Contents Settings" dialog.

[⚡ How to locate Plugins menu ⚡].

Locating "Create TOC From Bookmarks..." menu in "New" Acrobat interface:

Locating "Create TOC From Bookmarks..." menu in "Classic" Acrobat interface:

Step 2 - Configure TOC Settings

Use this dialog to configure the TOC appearance. Click here to view a more detailed tutorial on how these settings can be configured.

Next, open the "Page Numbering" tab:

Use the dropdown list to output page numbers as Bates numbers.

Press "OK" to proceed.

A report box displays the number of TOC items added. Press "OK" to close it.

Step 3 - Inspect the Results

A TOC page has been inserted at the beginning of the document - Bates numbers have been extracted from each page and used to number the TOC entries.

You can find a list of other step-by-step bookmarking tutorials by clicking here.