Search Orientation

[SoccerRocks]

I have problem I am hoping someone can answer. I have an Adobe document that prints in Landscape mode. When I try to search the document however, it searches in portrait mode. In other words if I search for "123" in a document with the following text:

xyz
a123
b234
c345

Adobe does not return a result of Row "a", it returns a result of Column "x". It is searching vertically on the document rather than horizontally!

Is this a setting that can be fixed?

Any help is appreciated...

 

[GordonIt]

Sorry to be a joy killer but it could most probably not be fixed.
PDF search in order of the drawing sequence as send by the apps which generate it, but at any time during drawing the display can be anywhere on the page. for exmple the end of a drawing sequence (called a "content stream" in PDF terminology) you can ask to draw a word top left.

Generally apps save it sequencially and it works, but if you cut text then replace, or pas a box with an other box, or move a sequence of texte acrosse pages, you modify the positioning but it doesn't imply that your apps did also a change in the order you use the texte.

That's a main drawback of PDF and there is even worst case as a word can be cut in 2 section drawn at different time. Then you see it but you can't find it with search!

I don't know if it help but go on PDFZone.com for various product around PDF
you can see product like

http://www.bcltechnologies.com/document/products/drake/samples/samples.htm

That at least show you that there is really an issue with text flowing in PDF.

 

[SoccerRocks]

Thank You for your explanation. That makes sense. Actually I used to print the report on a line printer years ago. I then had a programmer who wrote a "patch" which allowed me to send the report to a laser printer or the line printer. Reading your response brings back a memory... When he originally programmed the "patch" the horizontal printing was printed on a vertical page, cutting off the right side of the document. His reponse was, "I'll send it by columns instead of rows..." At the time, I didn't care how he sent it, I just needed it.

Now, I am sending that same print queue to a program which is converting the "printed document" into a PDF. So now, I completely understand why it is doing what it is...

I found a way around my "problem". I printed the PDF file to a PDF file printer. I got a "New" PDF file that looks just like the one I "printed", however I can search it just fine. Again, knowing what you just shared, now I understand why this works!!!

Thanks Again...

 

[GordonIt]

Pleasure