Snapshot PDFs at import

asked on January 9, 2019

Hi there, we have a serious issue. We use Laserfiche Forms to allow people to apply for various permits, which require uploading a drawing or sketch. We typically get PDFs, and they are entirely out of our control into how they create these. So when Forms imports the PDF, it generates pages per options settings, but not with snapshot. The image we get loses all stamps (by design Laserfiche will not import PDF stamps as annotation stamps), and various other issues occur. For example:

When that same image is snapshot it looks like this:

Top all of that with an inability to snapshot or generate pages from workflow. If workflow was able to generate pages I could set it to snapshot PDFs in the repository, and all would be well.

Does anyone have any idea how to get my PDF's Laserfiche pages to be generated from Snapshot AT IMPORT?

If not, does anyone have an automated solution to snap shot pdfs in a repository?

I can't be the only person who needs to generate pages from pdfs. I also know that stamps, form fields, layers are in PDFs all over the world. They are only getting more and more complicated. If we can't directly deal with these issues, we have to be able to at least capture the image as it would be printed, and there needs to be an automated solution for this. There has to be better options than generate the random images from the pdf, or manually snapshot items imported to the repository. Thanks very much in advance for any assistance!

If no assistance is possible, THIS IS A FEATURE REQUEST TO HAVE MORE OPTIONS FOR IMPORTING PDFS AND RELATED PAGE GENERATION.

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replied on January 10, 2019

Hi John

This may be a workaround but you will need to test. If you do a test and import the image through Import Agent, can you get a page generated correctly of your PDF in LF.

The workaround would be that the uploaded PDF with the form would need to use workflow to export the document to a server side folder monitored by Import agent which would then process and import the document back to the repository.

You have to play some games to track your files so you can associate back to the original form. In my case I had to add the Instance ID to the filename when the file was saved into the repository and then use workflow with a script to export the File. When the file came back in from Import Agent, I use workflow with Pattern Matching to extract the Instance ID from the file name and find the original Form submission (where I store the Instance ID as a metadata field) to associate the files back together. It's not clean by any stretch of the imagination but worked in my case.

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replied on January 10, 2019

Unfortunately, we do not have import agent, and my organization isn't particularly interested in purchasing any more modules. I guess the cost is just that of an additional license, so maybe it is something I can convince people to pay for. I am curious, though, if the import agent would resolve the issue anyway. Here is a file with a stamp ('approved' at the top of the page) that won't convert at import. I'd love to know if import agent can handle that. Before I start seeing if the costs are approachable. Please excuse my ignorance if import agent is just a configuration issue!

PLAN.pdf (20.28 KB)

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replied on January 10, 2019

Hi John

If I just import the PDF as a PDF without generating pages, the PDF looks like the original.

If I convert your file to Laserfiche Pages, the Approved Stamp disappears from the page even though I had set Import Agent to Preserve PDF Annotations.

So unfortunately, no luck here

PLAN as LF Pages.pdf (498.13 KB)

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PLAN as PDF.pdf (20.28 KB)

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replied on January 10, 2019

Thanks for trying! I wish I could just keep the pdf as is, but I have to generate the pages because its the only way to combine it with other information that is required to do the permit review.

So, in this case, unless Laserfiche folks have any ideas...feature request it is! I'll work with my VAR for some kind of script solution.

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replied on January 6, 2023 • Show version history

Preserve PDF annotations has been supported with Forms 11 Update 3(but stamps are still not supported):

When saving PDF files to repository, Forms will follow all the sub options for generate Laserfiche pages.

You can see other changes of Forms 11 Update 3 from https://support.laserfiche.com/kb/1014413/list-of-changes-for-laserfiche-forms-11-update-3 and get Forms 11 Update 3 from Laserfiche 11 package https://support.laserfiche.com/kb/1014263/software-versions-and-fixes-included-in-the-laserfiche-11-download-package.

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replied on February 2, 2023

Hi - Do you know if Version 11 also includes a fix for the more general (and original) problem of losing the stamps when importing PDF documents and generating pages from them into Laserfiche?

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replied on February 5, 2023 • Show version history

Sorry, the stamps annotation still can be not kept when generate images from PDFs if the user configured in save to repository profile has "Preserve PDF annotations on Laserfiche pages" selected in the options from repository.

The supported annotation types are listed at this help page: https://doc.laserfiche.com/laserfiche.documentation/11/userguide/en-us/Default.htm#../Subsystems/client_wa/Content/AppearanceFunctionality/Options/New_Document_Options_Dialog.htm#Settings

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replied on February 22

Not sure if this applies to Forms, but when importing PDF's using the Windows Client and Import Agent 11 at least, you can add and set as True this Attribute to the user doing the importing [Settings]BurnPDFAnnotationsOnLFImage

See: https://doc.laserfiche.com/laserfiche.documentation/11/administration/en-us/Default.htm#../Subsystems/Default/Content/B_Feature%20Topics/TextAndPageGeneration.htm?Highlight=burn

You would then turn off the option to "Preserve PDF annotations on Laserfiche pages" for that same user. When importing it will do the same thing as Snapshot and burn PDF annotations including stamps to the LF pages.

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