Applescript equivalent of Automator's "Combine PDF"?

Folks -
I'm starting to learn Applescript, and working to use it to help automate some workflows in a prepress department.
I'm trying to write a script that (among other things) will combine a folder full of PDFs into one file before passing it along to the next step. This is easy using Automator, but the only Applescript equivalent that I've found calls for Acrobat to launch and combine the files - this seems to run more slowly than the Automator version, which doesn't appear to call Acrobat at all. I thought I'd try scripting Preview to do the same thing, but I didn't realize that Preview isn't scriptable.
Is there a way I can accomplish this without combining Automator and Applescript, or am I out of luck? (I have a sneaking suspicion that this may involve a shell script, which would mean that I'm out of my depth.)
Thanks for any ides on this one..
-Andy Gill

Hi Andy,
I thought I'd try scripting Preview to do the same thing, but I didn't realize that Preview isn't scriptable.
Using [GUI Scripting|http://www.macosxautomation.com/applescript/uiscripting/index.html], it should be relatively easy to write a script that will do what you are asking for. The drawback, however, is that such a script would have to open Preview.app and so could not run inconspicuously in the background.
Maybe you might want to have a look at these two Mac OS X Hints articles:
[10.5: Use Preview to merge or create multi-page PDFs|http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071114191806624]
[10.6: Combining documents in Snow Leopard's Preview|http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20090915223224601]
Hope it can help.

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Getting File Name in Automator workflow - combine PDF

I am using Automator to combine 2 PDF files.
I would like to inherit one of the file names in the new PDF and append a standard text to the front of the file name.
I am not sure how to do this. I can combine the PDFs the way I would like, but I am not sure how to plick the file name.
my workflow is as follows.
Folder Action targets folder where 1st PDF is added(I want this FILE NAME).
Ger Specified finder item selects 2nd PDF to be combined.
Sort Finder Items makes sure the new PDF pages are ordered properly.
Combine PDF Pages combines the pages.
Move Finder Items saves the files where i want it.
Name single item is whre i thought to add my standard text plus the variable of FILE NAME.
Open File in mail to set up my email.
Anyone can help with this?
thanks,
Aaron

Here is an automator workflow that does something similar so I believe you can adapt to your needs. This workflow is setup as a service workflow. It will combine PDFs in the order in which they are selected/clicked via the Shift key. The default name of the combined output file will be the name of the first file clicked. Automator can be activated by CTRL clicking any of the selected PDFs.
1. Service receives PDF files in Finder
2. Automator Action: Run AppleScript
on run {input, parameters}
          display dialog "Files will be combined in the order selected via the Shift key" as text
          return input
end run
3.. Automator Action: Trim input items
keep the first one
you will need to download and install this autotmator action from here:
http://www.menace-enterprises.com/Files/Automator/Actions/Trim%20Input%20Items.d mg
4. Automator Action: Run AppleScript
(* Note & Definitions
This Applescript extracts the basename of the first selected file without its .pdf extension
"path_basename_ext" is full path and name, e.g. User/desktop/file.pdf
"NmExt" is filename with extension, e.g. file.pdf
"baseName" is the base filename without extension, e.g. file
"Ext" is the file's extension, e.g. pdf
on run {input, parameters}
          set path_basename_ext to input
          tell (info for path_basename_ext) to set {NmExt, Ext} to {name, name extension}
          set baseName to text 1 thru ((get offset of "." & Ext in NmExt) - 1) of NmExt
baseName
          return baseName
end run
5. Automator Action: Set Value of Variable
define baseName as the variable
6. Automator Action: Get selected finder items
Options: check ignore input
7. Automator Action: Combine PDF pages
choose Combine by appending
8. Automator Action: Move Finder Items
choose To: Desktop
Options: check show this action when workflow runs
9. Name Single Items
choose Basename only to: baseName
Options: check show this action when workflow runs
10. Open Finder Items

Automator Service: Combine PDFs Then Delete Originals

Hello All,
I've managed to create a service using Automator that combines PDF files, renames the newly created file, and moves it (http://www.documentsnap.com/how-to-combine-pdf-files-in-mac-osx-using-automator- to-make-a-service/).
What I am now trying to figure out is how I could have automator prompt me at the end to ask if I'd like to move the original files (PDFs) to the trash, and then do so upon confirmation. I haven't had any luck figuring this out on my own.
Does anyone out there know if this is possible?
Thanks!

sure, it's possible. what you need to do is:
add in a Set Value of Variable action right at the beginning
at the end, add in an Ask for Confirmation action that asks if they want to delete the original files.
after that add in a Get Value of Variable action for the variable in step 1
then add a Move Finder Items to Trash action
first step stores the passed-in file references in a variable for later use, and passes them on to your script. the second step gets user input, stopping the workflow if the user cancels. the third step recovers the file references stored at the first step, and the last step deletes the files.

Bug in Automator's Combine PDF Pages action?

Hi guys,
I've been playing around with 10.6's new Automator and Services. I decided to make an Automator Service so that if I have some PDFs selected in Finder, I can combine all the pages into one PDF and save it to a location. So I created the following service:
* Get Selected Finder Items
* Combine PDF Pages (appending pages)
* Move Finder Items (to Desktop by default, show this action when the workflow runs)
* Rename file (comes up as Name Single Item in Finder Item Names, show this action when the workflow runs)
I tested this in Automator by selecting some PDFs on my desktop and hitting the Run button; everything worked out well. So I saved it as an Automator Service, only available for PDF files but in all applications (drop down lists at the top of the Automator window).
I noticed however when I ran this workflow as a service, the pages in the resulting PDF file is actually duplicated. For example, if I had page 1 in page1.pdf, and page 2 in page2.pdf, running the service on these two files will produce a PDF with the following pages: page 1, page 2, page 1, page 2.
Does this happen to anyone else in here, or is it just me? I tried saving the workflow as an application, placed it in the Dock, and then dropped my test files on it and it does the same thing. And this happens with other PDF files too.
Is this a bug? Can someone confirm that it happens on their machine too?
Thanks.

Anyone? It doesn't take long to create an Automator workflow with the 4 actions above. Probably 2 minutes max. Can someone test on their machine?
I tried to do the same with my MBP, which I also upgraded to Snow Leopard, and it does the same thing there. For some reason, it works perfectly when the workflow is run within Automator, but when it's exported as an Application or a Service, it duplicates pages.
I tried to submit a bug report to Apple, but I couldn't log in with my current Apple ID -- it shows me an error page to submit a bug report! That's what I've been trying to do in the first place, but it seems the bug report process has bugs that they want you to report on. Chicken and egg scenario methinks.

"Combine PDFs" Places New File In /private/var/folders/0Q etc. WHERE?

I have just used Automator to combine .pdfs.
Apparently it has put the combined file in ....
/private/var/folders/0Q/0QlZ-reFFvSsYn6CVY8VXk+Ti/-Tmp-/ftqdhY.pdf
So where on earth is that?
I can summon up the new file by double-clicking it in the Automator "Results" window and save it somewhere convenient, but I would like to be able to drag the original from where it is hiding and put it in a place of my choosing.

Thanks! The nearest I could find to your suggested action was "New Folder", which I didn't hold out much hope for, but it worked!
Any idea how to access the weird place my original attempts were put into?

Combine PDF Pages automator step strips annotations

Oh, I was so excited when I noticed the Combine PDF Pages command in Automator.
Then I was less excited when I discovered that if any of the pages has annotations created in Acrobat Pro, those annotations are removed from the newly combined PDF.
Since Preview, for some strange reason, is not AppleScript-able, Automator is the only way I see to do this.
Acrobat is somewhat scriptable to a degree but does not have a combine PDFs command in the dictionary.
So, has anyone figured out a way to automate the merging of PDFs via a script, workflow, app, etc -- while RETAINING the annotations? I am triggering this from FileMaker as part of a work process we're developing, so manually merging the PDFs kind of defeats the purpose.
Anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Jeff

Found It!
Ok, so it seems "insert pages" is in the Acrobat dictionary; I was looking for an equivelant of "Combine Files into Single PDF". Anyway, here's draft one of the script. I'll probably make it less clunky next week, but this is basically how it works:
set nFile to ""
set pCount to 0
set pdfList to {}
set pdfNameList to {}
set sourcePath to "SL:Users:joeuser:Desktop:fix ccd:Source:"
set targetPath to "SL:Users:joeuser:Desktop:fix ccd:Target:"
set coverFileName to "cover.pdf"
tell application "Finder"
move file (sourcePath & coverFileName) to folder targetPath
          set my pdfList to every file in folder sourcePath
          repeat with f in pdfList
                    set pdfNameList to pdfNameList & (name of f)
          end repeat
end tell
tell application "Adobe Acrobat Pro"
--activate
open (my targetPath & my coverFileName) with invisible
          set targetDoc to last document
          set my pCount to (number of pages) of targetDoc
          get my pdfNameList
          repeat with f in my pdfNameList
                    set c to number of documents
                    open (sourcePath & f) with invisible
                    repeat until c < (number of documents)
                    end repeat
                    set newDoc to last document
                    set nPages to (number of pages) of newDoc
insert pages targetDoc after my pCount from newDoc starting with 1 number of pages nPages
                    set my pCount to (my pCount) + nPages
close newDoc
          end repeat
save targetDoc
close targetDoc
end tell
tell application "Finder"
          set f to file (my targetPath & my coverFileName)
          set name of f to "New Merges PDF.pdf"
end tell

Combine PDF trough Automator

How do I combine PDF's trough the Automator - Step for Step.... thx alot
Greets Simon

Simply double-click or drag the "Combine PDF Pages" action from the "PDF" action library into your workflow. Then do the same for Finder's "Open Finder Items" action. Click File > Save As Plug-in, give it a name, confirm that it's a plug-in for Finder, and click Save.
Now whenever you control-click on a selected group of PDFs in Finder, you can click Automator > [your workflow] and it will open them as a combined document.

Applescript Acrobat combine pdfs

Hi,
I've tried and failed to create a script that takes two PDF files I've selected in the finder, open Acrobat Pro and use the Combine feature (File > Combine > Merge Files into a Single PDF...), saving them out with the filename taken from the clipboard.
The Automator combine pdfs application and other off-the-shelf products are no good to me as they rely upon choosing files from a dialog box, and the fonts in the resulting pdf can also become corrupted.
So if I go to the Finder and select a file, copy its name, then select a second file, I want a script to combine these two selected PDFs into one, using Acrobat. The filename becomes the name of the first file I copied.
Can anyone help? Many, many thanks if you can: I have a few hundred of these to do.

JustinR wrote:
So if I go to the Finder and select a file, copy its name, then select a second file, I want a script to combine these two selected PDFs into one, using Acrobat. The filename becomes the name of the first file I copied.
Can anyone help?
I don't use Acrobat. Nevertheless, the following script should do exactly what you are asking for using Preview.app. instead.
set theTitle to (the clipboard) & "*" -- remove the asterisk if you wish
set theApp to POSIX file "/Applications/Preview.app" as alias
tell application "Finder"
    set S to selection
    if S is {} then return
    repeat with thisItem in items of S
        if not (name extension of thisItem is "pdf") then return
    end repeat
    open S using theApp
end tell
tell application "Preview" to activate
tell application "System Events" to tell process "Preview"
    set windowName to name of window 1
    tell menu 1 of menu item "Sidebar" of menu 1 of menu bar item "View" of menu bar 1
        if menu item "Hide Sidebar" exists then click menu item "Hide Sidebar"
        click menu item "Show Sidebar"
    end tell
    keystroke "a" using {command down} -- Select All
    keystroke "p" using {option down, command down} -- Print Selected Pages…
    repeat until sheet 1 of window 1 exists
        delay 0.1
    end repeat
    click menu button "PDF" of sheet 1 of window 1
    click menu item "Save as PDF…" of menu 1 of menu button "PDF" of sheet 1 of window 1
    keystroke theTitle
    keystroke "d" using command down
    keystroke return
    if button "Replace" of sheet 1 of window "Save" exists then
        click button "Replace" of sheet 1 of window "Save"
    end if
    repeat while sheet 1 of window windowName exists
        delay 0.1
    end repeat
    keystroke "w" using {command down}
    set destinationFolder to choose folder with prompt "Where to put the merge PDF ?" default location (path to home folder)
end tell
tell application "Finder" to move file theTitle of desktop to destinationFolder with replacing
Hope it can help.
Message was edited by: Pierre L.

Trying to create a "Combine PDF" that also has a "save as" dialog box

I am able to get the Combine PDF to work but it just saves them as randomly named files on the desktop that I then need to rename manually. Is there some way to make a "save as" dialog box pop up after combining the files? So if I had a bunch of PDFs it would go:
Right Click on selected files > Automator > Combine PDF > Save As
Is this possible?

Set up you worflow as:
Get Selected Finder Items
Combine PDF Pages
Open Images in Preview
Run Applescript
+copy this into the Applescript box+
tell app "System Events"
keystroke "s" using {command down, shift down}
keystroke "d" using {command down}
end tell
I also like to add a Sort Finder Items after the Get Selected Finder Items.

2Sided Original 1Sided ADF Scanner -Combine PDF Pages - Data Error?

I just purchased a scanner with an Auto Document Feeder, ADF, of 25 pages after trying to use it I found out through the company that it only scans one side. I have another ADF scanner where the software allows the user to flip the pages over and then reinserts them for the final PDF file. Instead of spending more on a double sided scanner I figured I would create a program using Automator.
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The log reads before and at the point of error;
Conversion from Files/Folders (com.apple.applescript.alias-object) to PDF files com.apple.applescript.alias-object.pdf) completed.
. ! The action "Combine PDF Pages" was not supplied with the required data.
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? What I need to do to correct this error because it seemed to work earlier by using variables?
The script would be useful for any type of ADF scanner that outputs one-sided to PDFs and the originals are two-sided.
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KGz
Message was edited by: KGz

Red
I have been working in Automator for this program and saved it as an Applescript plug-in for the Scripts Menu. I don't have to have it as a script I just need it to work.
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Combine PDFs using Preview in Mountain Lion (other threads read)

I have reviewed several threads about combining PDFs in Mountain Lion. I will ultimately learn Automator but for now, I have a relatively simple question:
1) I open multiple PDFs in Preview, one window per PDF
2) I drag thumbnail pages from documents 2 through n onto document 1 so that it makes one long document. ie. one unbroken string of pages and not sections within a PDF
Question: How do I save this combined document without deleting or affecting the first document?
Duplicate causes one of the uncombined documents to pop up with the filename highlighted. I don't see how to give the combined document a new filename for saning
Rename gives me a file of the three combined documents but the first document disappears
Save overwrites the first document with the combined document
I must be missing something simple. I recognize that the lack of "Save As" is a sensitive issue but ultimately, that's what I want to do: Save the combined document with its own filename and have the individual documents intact.

ncasey88 and Old Toad:
Thank you for your quick responses. Unfortunately, with both methods, the first PDF gets updated.
e.g. Files are 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, each is one page long, and I open each in its own Preview window. I drop thumbnails of 2.pdf and 3.pdf onto the thumbnail area of 1.pdf. I export or print into a file called 123.pdf
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Combine PDFs with a script

I want to create a script, either AppleScript or JavaScript, that automatically combines all PDFs that are open in Acrobat Pro, then saves and closes the new binder. I'd also like to specify location of the saved binder.
If that is possible, it may be possible to do it without opening any PDFs, just specifying which files to combine. That would save time not having to open any PDFs

Consider using an external script, especially since I don't know how you'd do this with batch processing (aka Action) within Acrobat. For example, a VBScript/JScript could loop through the files in a directory, determine which files need to be combined, and use IAC (InterApplication Communications) with Acrobat to do the combining. Then save each new file to the appropriate directory. For more information on IAC, download the Acrobat SDK. There is an Acrobat SDK forum here where you can ask more questions.

Combining PDF's in Adobe Standard Xi

When I combine PDF files with Standard Xi, the new combined PDF is missing text all of the place.
Any suggestions?

Just wanted to say Thank You to Jeffery for his post which solved my Problem!! One thing to note however: The show file result window in this action for some reason is not visible, so allthough the action does work you cant find your File!
After some more looking in the Automator forum I found the answer from
Alan Pearson.
The combined file is hiding in : /private/tmp
Thanks again all

Combine PDF files into one document?

Hi, does anyone know if there is a way to take several PDF documents that are the same size and orientation and combine them into one file?
Thank you,

Hi,
there's sadly no such function in Mac OS, but you can do it for free with Automator. There's a "Combine PDFs" function. I saved it as an application. If you can't figure it out, I can upload you the app, but Automator is really straightforward.
Björn

Need help creating applescript to perform automator actions.

Hi,
I am looking for help with an applescript the will tell automator to execute the steps of a workflow. I'm aware that I coud just run a workflow or even tell applescript to instruct automator to run the workflow, however, I am looking to make this part of a larger workflow and this method would save the hassel of having to create a new workflow outside of applescript each time.
I would like automator to "get folder contents" then "extract pdf text" to a "new file" with the "same name as original file" in the "same location as original" and "save as txt". This doesnt seem to difficult to me, however, I have limited knowledge of scripting at this time.
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Hi,
I'd say on a difficulty scale of 1-10, what you're asking for is a seven.
Automator is scriptable, but when you run a basic AppleScript like
tell application "Automator" to make new workflow
you immediately get taken to the dialog asking you to choose a type for your document (app, calendar plugin etc). So that's going to stop the AppleScript dead in its tracks. It might be possible to move on with GUI scripting (using AppleScript to click the buttons) but it would be a ferocious cludge.
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It all sounds a bit too complicated
HD

Applescript equivalent of Automator's "Combine PDF"?

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