PDF Viewer and Mover

March 1, 2017 11:15 AM

We have a new process at work that requires manual sorting of a large number of PDFs on a daily basis. I'm wondering if there is an existing program that does what I need.

We have a new process at work that requires manual sorting of a large number of PDFs on a daily basis.

Basically it's a manual check on some shipping documents before electronic filing. We need to flag some for follow up while letting the majority go through the electronic filing workflow.

Here is the process that I am envisioning such a program would handle.

• Viewer would show list of PDFs in source folder
• Contents of PDF would be visible in viewer window
• Buttons are available for Approve and Reject
• User would review each PDF and click either Approve or Reject
• Approve would send file to folder A and delete file from source folder
• Reject would send file to folder B and delete file from source folder

I'm wondering if a program like this exists. If not, how hard would it be to have something like this custom built for Windows 7/10. I realize that this could mostly be done through the Windows interface, but it leaves too much room for error, so I want something that will take out all the guess work and give the user a simple interface.

posted by slogger to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

I used to program in Visual Studio doing client-server applications, not internet, I.e. browser based, applications. The bare bones you describe would have taken about a day to add to an existing application. Take a second day for testing by you, feedback and changes. I would expect an expanded wish to follow within a couple weeks once you came to understand the use and utility better.

By the way, it gets a lot harder if you want two users working with the program at the same time because they start tripping over each other.
posted by SemiSalt at 11:40 AM on March 1, 2017

What characteristics cause a PDF to be flagged? Possibly you can have the computer detect the "bad" PDFs and eliminate entirely the need for a human to look at them. I have developed scripts to do similar things in Python: I have a testing framework that subjects our product documentation to a battery of tests, including comparing particular image to "master" images I have previously designated as correct, checking that particular text exists on specific pages, and checking that particular bookmarks exist... stuff like that. If it can be automated then the number of mistakes will go way down.

Going further back in the process, if you can automate the preparation of these PDFs (assuming they are created manually) you may not need to check them at all, although this is never a bad idea.

I agree with SemiSalt that the PDF sorting program as you describe it would be relatively straightforward. It'd probably take me 2-3 days to develop and that is largely because I'd probably do it using .NET and my C# is kinda rusty.
posted by kindall at 12:15 PM on March 1, 2017

Response by poster: There are several reasons why a PDF in this workflow would need to be flagged. Unfortunately, it really needs to be done manually (believe me, we've tried to automate it).

I should've clarified: this would be a standalone program, not web-based, run by a single user on a single PC. We may need to have multiple instances of the program for redundancy, but they would never be running simultaneously.
posted by slogger at 12:21 PM on March 1, 2017

If I had to do something quick and dirty for this I would build the following batch file (writing in pseudocode). The file would have to be dropped into the directory or have the path passed or inputted into it.

code:
----------------------------------

get listing of the pdf files

start loop: i= 0 to length of file array

thisFile = file[i];
run adobe.exe this file #at this point the patch pauses until you close adobe

take an input of "Good Y/N"

if(Y)
move to good directory
else if(N)
move to bad directory
else #on anything else (in case they don't know)
skip this file

end loop

----------------------------------------------------------------

So you run the file, it'll open each file one by one, then when you close the file it'll ask you to sort it.

Let me know if you have questions.
posted by pyro979 at 12:48 PM on March 1, 2017

Have you tried searching for "macro automation" or "file workflow automation" software? This is actually a fairly well developed space.
posted by rada at 2:04 PM on March 1, 2017

Pending a better answer, and the time it would take to implement it, I would modify the workflow a bit as follows:

Install and do the review under Xplorer2, a dual-pane file browser
Use the viewer to view each file
Then move it to the proper folder, Accept or Reject
Then manually check the field after it has been moved
posted by megatherium at 4:30 AM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

I had a thought overnight. One of the features that might be added after a bit of experience is a transaction log, which is to say, a list of what files were processed with the who, what, where, when, why type information. The purpose is to answer the "did we ever get that" question.

As you probably know, even if you have not realized it, is that in IT, everything is logged.
posted by SemiSalt at 9:02 AM on March 2, 2017