Combine 2 PDF files into 1 using applescript

glasses wont help - you need a microscope for this one:

insert pagesdocRefAafter 1 fromdocRefbstarting with 1 number of pages (countof pages of docRefb)

'after 1' means after page 1. I assume he's trying to keep a title page and insert a block of pages (table of contents, or something like that) immediately after.

Ok, that's good, but you didn't answer most of my questions. so once more:

1. Which version of Acrobat Pro are you using?
2. Do you have any third-party scripting additions installed?
3. Is this block of code embedded in an application tell block, a script handler, a script object, or etc.

This isn't idle curiosity. Any of these things can change script dynamics and generate errors.

However, reading over the description of your process flow I think you'd get better results downloading and installing the pdftk command line utility. Follow the install pdftk link on that page and look for the OS X dmg download (it says Snow Leopard, but they meant SL and later), put the utility in /usr/local/bin/ as per instructions. Pdftk will give you more control over the process, faster processing, and a less flakey scripting environment than Acrobat Pro.

The way this would work using pdftk (after you've installed the package) is as follows. First, keep references from the beginning of the script to the two PDF files you saved. I haven't looked at Illustrator's dictionary, but generally save commands return an alias to the saved file. so you'd want to modify those lines to say something like:

set firstFilePath to POSIX path of (save ...)

the script segment you'd use to combine the files is this:

-- assuming the saved posix paths are in the variables firstFilePath and secondFilePath

set {oldTID, my text item delimiters} to {my text item delimiters, "/"}

set outputFilePath to (text items 1 thru -2 of firstFilePath & "combined_output.pdf") as text

set my text item delimiters to oldTID

(*

build the pdftk command: sets the references A and B to the file paths, then

cat A1 B A2-end

combines the first page of file A, all of file B, then the remainder of file A

*)

set cmd to "/usr/local/bin/pdftk A=" & quoted form of firstFilePath & " B=" & quoted form of secondFilePath & " cat A1 B A2-end output " & quoted form of outputFilePath

do shell scriptcmd

Hello

Does something simple like the following script work?

Assuming there are two documents named "1.pdf" and "2.pdf" already open.

--TEST SCRIPT

tell application "Adobe Acrobat Pro"

insert pages document "1.pdf" after 1 from document "2.pdf" starting with 1 number of pages 1

end tell

--END OF TEST SCRIPT

If it fails, I'd think something basic is wrong in your environment.

H

Hello

Well, then you may try javascript instead.

Something like script below.

(If the second document always has the same number of pages, you don't have to open it at all.

Just specify its last page number (0-based) as the nEnd value.)

Good luck,

H

--SCRIPT (part)

tell application "Finder"

try

set a1 to (document file 1 of container of file_path whose name ends with ".pdf") as alias

set a2 to (document file 1 of container of container of file_path whose name ends with ".pdf") as alias

on error

display dialog "no PDF file located"

end try

end tell

set js to "// combine pdfs

var path1 = \"" & a1's POSIX path & "\";

var path2 = \"" & a2's POSIX path & "\";

var doc1 = app.openDoc(path1);

var doc2 = app.openDoc(path2);

doc1.bringToFront();

doc1.insertPages ({

nPage: 0,

cPath: path2,

nStart: 0,

nEnd: doc2.numPages - 1

});

doc2.closeDoc();"

tell application "Adobe Acrobat Pro"

activate

do script js

end tell

--END OF SCRIPT

1. ok, you're using a version of AP one later than mine. That shouldn't be a problem, but it might account for differences in execution if nothing else makes sense. Let's keep that in mind for later.

2. Illustrator (for some reason) returns a reference to the illustrator document from the save command, not to the saved file. But documents have a file path property, so you can retain the file path for later use this way:

set doc1 to save docRef as pdf in file (dest_folder & save_name) with options {class:PDF save options, PDF preset:"•Alternate_PDF_v1"}

set firstFilePath to POSIX path of ((file path of doc1) as alias)

3. You can save the script as a script bundle and package the pdftk utility within it - that would keep it self-contained. To do that, do the following:

1. open your script in the AppleScript editor, and save it as a script bundle.
2. extract the files from the installer on the dmg. you can do that in two ways: install the utility on one machine and copy the installed folder, or use Pacifist to extract it to the desktop. If you install it, it will be the folder pdftk in /opt/pdflabs. Pacifist is shareware, but allows free usage with a nag screen. It's well worth buying it, though - comes in handy more than you'd think.
3. in the applescript editor, click the Bundle Contents toolbar button to open the bundle drawer, then drag the entire pdftk folder you extracted into the drawer. That saves it in the bundle. Make sure it's named "pdftk" (Pacifist may add 'Folder' to the name; right click in the drawer to rename)

Now you can set up a variable with the utility path and use it like so:

set pdftkUtilityPath to quoted form of POSIX path of (path to resource "pdftk" in directory "pdftk/bin")

-- …

set cmd to pdftkUtilityPath & " A=" & quoted form of firstFilePath & " B=" & quoted form of secondFilePath & " cat A1 B A2-end output " & quoted form of outputFilePath

do shell scriptcmd

you can use the script bundle exactly the way you would use a normal script. The only difference is that the utility is contained within it for portability.

Acrobat Pro has an insert pages command in its applescript dictionary. GUI scripting is last resort - it's difficult to get right and prone to breakage with updates. Always use applescript commands if they are available.

Hi,

big_murph wrote:

1. I am using Adobe Acrobat pro X (10.0.0)

2. No scripting additions are installed.

3. The end part of the script is this:

------------------- start of PDF combine script

tell application "Adobe Acrobat Pro"

set docRefb to the active doc

bring to front docRefA

insert pages docRefA after 1 from docRefb starting with 1

end tell

Hi,

For me, if I don't use the property "number of pages", I get an error.

Did you try using "number of pages" in your command?

Like this

tell application "Adobe AcrobatPro"

setdocRefbtotheactive doc

--bring to front docRefA

insert pagesdocRefAafter 1 fromdocRefbstarting with 1 number of pages 1

endtell