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Level 10

Hi Ian,

I am using Acrobat 9 Pro as well.

First of all here are some files:

Now what I have discovered is that not all XDP files are the same!!!

If you open the last four files in an XML editor or TextPad, then you will see the following:

  1. Exporting data from the menu and select XDP data package exports the rawData BUT NOT the ink tool annotations. This explains why your annotations were not exporting. It appears that my annotations became hard wired into the form - this is why I have uploaded a blank, for testing purposes;
  2. Clicking submit button creates an XDP file (as scripted to do), BUT this time the XDP includes the rawData AND ALSO the annotations, as gestures. This seems OK. BUT when you Form > Manage Form Data > Import Data, the rawData comes in BUT NOT the annotations ????
  3. The FDF file exports the comments as objects and when these are imported by Comments > Import Comments - the annotations come in OK, but as expected not the rawData.

Now I just think this is a bit buggy. If an XDP file is created that includes the gestures (via the submit button), then why are they not being imported? In addition why are the two methods of generating an XDP Data Package giving different results (1) menu export without the annotations and (2) submit XDP with the annotations?

The behaviour is not what a user would expect.

OK, all is not lost.

If simply drag ANY of the three XDP files onto Acrobat then the rawData AND annotations are there (????). Good news, but why?

  • While the export XDP does not include the annotations, it does include a file reference to the original PDF from where it came. This is OK if the exported XDP AND the original PDF are in the same folder or on the same PC. Otherwise you get this error:

Acrobat.png

  • On the other hand the XDP created by clicking the submit button fair much better, because they have the annotations in the XDP file as gestures. So if these are dragged onto Acrobat from any location or on a PC that does not have the original PDF they will open correctly and with the rawData AND annotations.

Phew...

So lessons learnt - if you want to export annotations and rawData use a submit button set to submit XDP data packages. These will work. Exporting from the menu to XDP data packages will not work.

Hope that helps. I will be away from the desk today, but will get emails. Good luck,

Niall