Merge PDF Files

The Merge PDF Files Input task (formerly named "Concatenate PDF Files") captures all PDF files in a given folder and merges them into a single PDF file.

This task is put into effect in the following example process: Example: Daily sales report from PDF files.

Input

This task captures all of the PDF files present in a specific folder, in one operation.

The Merge PDF Files Input task performs just like any other Input task: once the process has completed, control is transferred back to the Input task one last time to check if new files meeting the mask have come in. This means that the merging of PDF files that are not all present at the start of the process may take several passes, which may have an adverse effect on the overall performance and the size of the resulting PDF.

Processing

Once all PDF files are captured, their original copies are deleted from the input folder (or tagged as Archive if this option is selected) and they are merged into a single PDF. This is done in a single operation, not incrementally, meaning the file is built once and, if the option is chosen, optimized once.

Output

A single PDF containing as many pages as all the combined input PDFs is generated. If the option is selected, this PDF is optimized. An optional Metadata file is also created, containing information about the PDFs. This Metadata is divided in such a way that each PDF file is its own document, which can contain multiple data pages.

Task properties

General Tab

  • Folder: Enter the full path of the folder from which the input files are to be taken.
  • Masks: Enter a single or multiple file names or use file name masks. See Masks. Since this task only supports PDF files, make sure your extension remains .PDF for all your masks.
  • Sort files by: Select a given sorting method to prompt PlanetPress Workflow to sort the files in the source folder before taking them (and thus to take them in a specific order). Select None to let PlanetPress Workflow take the files without sorting them first.
  • Sort order: If you selected a sorting method in the Sort files by box, select the order in which you want the files to be sorted.
  • Use archive attribute: Select to turn on the archive attribute of the data files found in the source folder and to leave them in their original location (i.e. to take copies of the source files). Note that PlanetPress Workflow never takes source files that have their archive attribute turned on (so the source files will not be taken again and again). When this option is turned off, PlanetPress Workflow removes data files from the source location.
  • Capture files in sub-directories also: Select to capture files from child folders of the source folder as well. When this option is selected, the chosen Sort order is applied to each separate folder, not across folders. The subfolders themselves are always processed in alphabetical order, regardless of the sort order.
  • Sort directories first: If you selected a sorting method in the Sort files by box, and if you want the folders present in the source folder to be sorted first, select this option.
  • Optimize resulting PDF: Select to specify whether the resulting PDF should be optimized. Optimization can lead to a significant reduction in the size of the PDF, but it may also add a certain amount of time to the process. This option should only be unchecked if the timing of the process is critical and needs to be done quickly, but keep in mind that the resulting PDF may be much larger than it should be and may even be too large for PlanetPress Workflow to handle.
  • Create Metadata: Select to specify that a basic metadata structure should be created for the resulting PDF file. The metadata structure created will contain a single Job separated by one Document per captured PDF file. Within each Document, one Data Page containing a single Page is created for each page of the PDF file.

Note: Metadata can be manipulated with Metadata tasks; see Metadata tasks.

"Other" Tab

  • Job Information group
    • Information elements: Indicates what Job Info variables are automatically created by the input task.
    • Add lines before first data page: Using the arrows keys you can add any job information directly at the beginning of your data file.
  • Backup input files: Check this to save a copy of each data file that is captured by your input. These files are saved in the PlanetPress Workflow Tools working folders under the "Backup" folder.
    To navigate quickly to the Workflow working folders, press the keyboard shortcut CTRL+ALT+Shift+F4 from within the Workflow configuration tool.
    The number of days to keep backups of jobs processed by input tasks is set per process; see Process properties.
  • Backup filename: Enter the file name that you wish the input data file backup to be saved under.
  • Delete Existing Metadata: Check to remove any Metadata from memory. This option is disabled on initial input tasks, and is checked by default on secondary input tasks.

Job Information definitions

  • %1 - PDF Directory: Contains the folder from which the data was captured.

On Error Tab

For a description of the options on the On Error tab see Using the On Error tab.

Miscellaneous Tab

The Miscellaneous tab is common to all tasks.

It contains a text area (Task comments) that lets you write comments about the task. These comments are saved when the dialog is closed with the OK button and are displayed in The Task Comments Pane.

Check the option Use as step description to display the text next to the icon of the plugin in the Process area.

The tab also provides an option to highlight the task in The Process area with the default color, set in the Preferences (see Colors), or the color selected or defined under Highlight color on this tab.
To revert the selected highlight color to the default color, open this tab, turn the Highlight option off and close the dialog with the OK button; then turn highlighting back on.
Highlighting can also be turned on and off via the task's contextual menu and with the Highlight button on the View ribbon.