26 
Enable PDFs for user input
In the olden days of paper books, users
would dog-ear pages and scribble notes in the margin. But nowadays,
most technical documents are distributed electronically as PDFs.
In many cases, such PDFs are not printed (or some may even be
print-disabled), so users cannot add their own notes to the printed
copy using a pen or a highlighter, and may find themselves digging
through (or losing) notes written separately..
PDFs can provide similar mechanisms on-screen,
strengthening the bond between the user and the content, improving
user satisfaction due to the greater control, providing outlet
for frustration, and contributing to documentation quality (when
notes are sent to the author).
Adding electronic notes in a PDF document
is no less useful than writing notes in page margins in a book.
For example, users can highlight a step or add a note containing
information that they found especially useful, such as the time
it took to complete a step. They can add custom information,
such as different values needed when the procedure is performed
in a remote office. Perhaps content errors or inconsistencies
are identified, and these should be indicated for future use.
Users may also simply want to mark specific pages so that they
can easily get back to these later. In addition, notes inserted
in a PDF file can be searched or retrieved.
It is relatively easy to let users make
notes for themselves in your PDFs using the free Adobe Reader,
using different approaches:
- Commenting-Enabled PDFs (Acrobat/Reader 7 and later)
Any reader with the free Adobe Reader
can add comments to a PDF, if the PDF is enabled for commenting
in Reader (in Acrobat Professional 7 or later, open the PDF and
choose Comments > Enable for Commenting in Adobe Reader).
Using Adobe Reader, users can then add electronic versions of
"sticky notes", highlight text, mark with drawing tools,
attach files or record an audio note, and eventually save the
PDF so that all comments are stored in it for future use.
Comments can be located instantly using
the Search function. In addition, notes can be sorted, filtered,
or exported to a data file (FDF format) for future import. In
Acrobat Standard or Professional, comments can also be summarized,
printed out in context or together on a separate page, or exported
to additional formats.
When the PDF is opened in Reader, a Review
& Comment button is displayed in the task bar, providing
easy access to all commenting tools and related functions and
settings.
When enabling the PDF for commenting in
Reader, some functions normally available to users of Acrobat
-- such as editing document content or inserting/deleting pages
-- are blocked. This is not a consideration when PDFs are distributed.
In any case, we do not want users to modify content in the PDF
file, and may even specifically apply security settings which
prevent this.
Sample PDF (PDF: 376K)
- Using the Typewriter Tool
for Notes (Acrobat/Reader 7.0.5
and later)
If you cannot distribute comment-enabled
PDFs (for legal or other reasons), consider enabling the Typewriter
tool in your PDFs. The original purpose of the Typewriter tool
was to let users fill PDF forms which do not have real form fields
(for example, scanned forms). However, you can take advantage
of this functionality and enable your users to add notes on top
of any PDF document, anywhere on the page.
To enable a PDF so that notes can be added
with the Typewriter tool in Reader, select Tools > Typewriter
> Enable Typewriter tool in Adobe Reader. When you enable
the Typewriter tool in Reader, some functions normally available
to users of Acrobat are blocked, as is the case with PDFs enabled
for commenting. When the PDF is opened in Reader, a document
status bar shows up at the top of the screen: "This PDF
can be completed using the Typewriter Tool". The Typewriter
tool can be selected from the same bar. When using the Typewriter
tool, note the following:
Notes do not wrap, but multi-line notes
are supported (press Enter to start a new line). If you have
a note with a long line and adjust the note rectangle manually,
text will be split to multiple lines. The typewritten text can
be moved from one location to another in the document, and can
be copied and pasted.
Double click an existing note to edit it. When the text is selected,
you can increase or decrease the text size and line spacing;
the font is fixed as Courier.
Notes added with the Typewriter tool are also displayed in the
Comments panel, where they can be used for navigation, sorted
or exported (to FDF).
Typewriter-enabled PDFs can be saved in Reader.
Sample PDF (PDF: 178K)
- PDFs with Pre-Defined Notes
or Marks Fields (distilled
with TimeSavers+Form Assistant):
You can create a separate mechanism that
becomes part of the page design where users can simply mark pages
of interest, or add page notes in a pre-defined area. In both
cases, Acrobat 8 or later versions are required to enable Save
in Reader. Open the PDF, and choose Advanced > Enable Usage
Rights in Adobe Reader. (No need to enable commenting or the
Typewriter tool).
Page Marks:
With pre-defined Page Marks, users can mark pages of special
interest in Reader (and also mark/unmark all pages), and navigate
to the next/previous page mark. The insertion of fields and related
navigation controls can be automated using advanced techniques
or add-ons.
Page Notes:
Pre-defined Page Notes can be used to add text notes in specific
pages; a pre-defined button can be used to reset all notes. Notes
can be displayed in the Acrobat console (from where they can
be copied and pasted) or sent by e-mail.
The Find function (Acrobat/Reader) can
be used to search text in notes. In addition, navigation buttons
can be used to move to the next/previous non-empty note. Notes
can be set to be visible on screen (and not print), or as visible/printed.
Page Marks (PDF: 756K)
Page Notes (PDF: 756K)
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