How Do You Delete Buttons? 1

[jagger8]

Hi - I need to delete identical buttons I have created on each page of a number of multi page pdf documents. The buttons were created using the 'Button Tool' in Acrobat Professional Vesion 7. In Version 5 it was possible to right click on a button and select the option to delete all similar buttons in the document. Version 7 does not seem to have that facility and I can only delete each button individually. Does anyone know if it is possible to delete buttons easily from a multipage document.
Thanks

 

[samaba]

Yes you can!!

View, Navigation Tabs, Fields.

Select them all using shift or ctrl, and delete them.
Hope this helps.
Samaba

 

[jagger8]

That is most helpful thank you.

What about if all the buttons are locked though. Is there a simple way to unlock them all as this needs to be done before they can be deleted in view>navigation tabs>fields

thanks

 

[samaba]

Jagger 8,
I'm afraid I don't have a good answer for this one.

Acrobat seems to limit the Field Properties dialog box to multiple fields on the SAME PAGE. So, even though you can select them, you can't get to the properties of them at the same time.

How many pages are you talking about?
How many buttons per page?
Are other fields locked, that should remain locked?

If the quantity of pages & buttons are high, and other fields don't need to stay locked - it may be worth creating a command button to select all of the fields on each page, and open the properies, so you can unlock them. Then remove the command buttons created. . .

Anyone else have another idea???
Samaba

 

[jagger8]

Hi Samaba

I must have about 100000 scanned pages which need changing, split into individual files containing up to 500 pages each. Each page has 4 to 6 buttons.

In hindsight, it may have been a mistake in locking the buttons, when I could have provided the protection via the standard security settings. However too late!

It is not necessary for any buttons to stay locked as once unlocked I can readily delete the buttons and paste in new buttons, lock them and duplicate them or alternatively just leave them unlocked and protect them with a security setting.

What are you suggesting in the way of a command button. I can see how I can select and unlock the fields together on each individual page but I cannot see how I can automatically through the pages of each file and unlock all fileds in each file in one swoop.

Thanks for your help.

Jagger

 

[samaba]

Jagger,
Please make the document contains no additional fields you wish to maintain. The following javascript will remove all of them!!

Insert a command button, on the action - run a javascript:

for(var i = this.numFields - 1; i > -1; i--)
{
//Get the field name for i
var fieldName = this.getNthFieldName(i);

//Now delete the field
this.removeField(fieldName);
}

This will remove all fields from the document - working backwards from the end of the document for stability.

Another option would be to create a batch sequence to do this across a folder of PDF documents.

There are two products I am aware of that have this functionality - where you can create a button in Acrobat to do this for you. . .
AcroButtons -

http://www.windjack.com/

ARTS PDF Tools -

http://www.artspdf.com/

Please be very careful with this script. . . It will remove all fields from the document, including the button you created to run it.

Samaba

 

[jagger8]

Samaba thank you v v much.

That works a treat and will get me out of the fix.

jagger