Cropping pages from VBA

Croping pages from a VB script using the JSO is possible, but the best way to do it is to put all the functionality into a folder level JavaScript, as a function. Test this script from Acrobat to make sure it works the way you want. Then use the JSO in VB to call the function. There are several data type differences between JavaScript and VB and I think this is what you are seeing. Putting all the functionality in an Acrobat JavaScript function gets around the problem.

However, there is already a crop function in the IAC (AcroExch.PDPage.CropPage). Why not use it instead of going to JavaScript.

Thom Parker
The source for PDF Scripting Info
[url=http://www.pdfScripting.com]pdfscripting.com[/url]

The Acrobat JavaScript Reference, Use it Early and Often
[url=http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/javascript.php]http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/javascript.php[/url]

(Warning: Serious acrobat newbie alert)

My instinct said to go with the javascript solution, but I couldn't figure out how to invoke it from JSO - can you point me appropriate docs? I have the Javascript guide (no version 9 yet?), but what doc talks about JSO?

If I go the AcroExch.PDPage.CropPage option - what doc should I be tapping for that? The object model for AcroExch is rather a mystery to me... I'm guessing at docs.

- Thanks

John

If you are going to be controling Acrobat from a VB application, then it's best to do what you can from the IAC. And for what you want to do you can do it all in the IAC. You'll find the IAC reference and the IAC Guide here:

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/interapplication.php

There are examples and explainations in both documents. Everything you need.

If you are more comfortable with a JavaScript solution then you should do the bulk of the solutions in pure JavaScript. Here's an article that will help to get you started.

http://www.acrobatusers.com/tutorials/2006/folder_level_scripts

Choose one. Look up the info and give it a try. Then ask more questions here if you get stuck.

Thom Parker
The source for PDF Scripting Info
[url=http://www.pdfScripting.com]pdfscripting.com[/url]

The Acrobat JavaScript Reference, Use it Early and Often
[url=http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/javascript.php]http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/javascript.php[/url]

(long delay - was waiting for client)

getting closer, but still no effect.
It seems VERY straightforward, the crop claims to succeed, but no visual indication that it did.

The code opens a file, ostensibly crops odd and even pages differently, deletes a page and saves.
Everything seems fine except the crop has no effect. The function returns true as though it has succeeded. Code below:


Sub acrobatTest()

Dim acApp As Acrobat.acroApp
Dim acDoc As Acrobat.AcroPDDoc
Dim cropRect As Acrobat.AcroRect

Dim cropSize As Integer
cropSize = 27 ' 0.375 inch

Set acApp = New acroApp
acApp.Show
acApp.Maximize 1

Set acDoc = New AcroPDDoc
acDoc.Open "C:\Test.pdf"
acDoc.OpenAVDoc "Working Doc"

Set cropRect = New AcroRect
cropRect.Top = 0
cropRect.Left = cropSize
cropRect.Right = 666
cropRect.bottom = 846
' Crop even pages
i = acDoc.CropPages(0, acDoc.GetNumPages, 2, cropRect)

cropRect.Top = 0
cropRect.Left = 0
cropRect.Right = 666 - cropSize
cropRect.bottom = 746
' Crop odd pages
i = acDoc.CropPages(0, acDoc.GetNumPages, 1, cropRect)

'delete the 2nd page
acDoc.DeletePages 1, 1
acDoc.Save PDSaveFull + PDSaveCollectGarbage, "C:\Test.pdf"
acDoc.Close
Set acDoc = Nothing

acApp.CloseAllDocs
acApp.Exit
Set acApp = Nothing

End Sub

There are a couple of things that I'm not sure will work, or at least might screw up the crop. First, the end page is (acDoc.GetNumPages-1), since the page numbers are zero based. Second, I'm not sure what this line will produce "cropSize = 27 ' 0.375 inch". Page Coords in PDF are measured from the bottom left corner, So the bottom and left sides are zero and increase to the top and right. I think you should get the page rectangle from the JavaScript function doc.getPageBox() first, before setting up the crop rectangle in the VB script.

I think what happened was that the code passed a valid rectangle object into the crop fucntion. But its coords and possibly the page numbers, were so far off from what was acceptable that Acrobat ignored the operation. Obviously Acrobat should have returned an error. So maybe this is a bug.

Here's an artile on Page Coordinates for JavaScript. I think the IAC page Corrds should be the same.

http://www.acrobatusers.com/tutorials/2006/page_bounds

Thom Parker
The source for PDF Scripting Info
[url=http://www.pdfScripting.com]pdfscripting.com[/url]

The Acrobat JavaScript Reference, Use it Early and Often
[url=http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/javascript.php]http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/javascript.php[/url]

Bingo.

Nonsensical coordinates - I was orienting myself at top right for the origin.
("Think Cartesian.") Agreed - it should at least whine that it failed. Probably, mathematically, it did what I asked - crop off nothing.

BTW This - cropSize = 27 ' 0.375 inch - is just the amount I want to crop off. I have facing pages (2-up) and need to remove the 3/8" bleed (27 points) on the inside edge - left edge for odd pages, right edge for even.