Can I catch "Document Properties" editing events?

[RamonHerrera@adobeforums.com]

My PDF files are all programmatically generated and I add some custom attributes at creation time. The end users, however, can always use the "Control-D | Custom" command to modify those attributes and/or add new ones. This is perfectly legitimate and allowed EXCEPT that they may input dates, and that's when there can be trouble.

My system always displays PDF dates in the typical standard US format:

mm/dd/yyyy

However, following Adobe conventions the dates are internally stored as follows:

CreationDate: D:20050412204711-05'00'

So... What I would like to do is catch the event in which the user types a date, change it to the D:nnn-'nn' format before it gets written to disk.

Can that sort of event be caught by a plugin??

I guess I will need to place some sort of hook in the "Add" and "Change" buttons?

TIA,

-Ramon

[Leonard_Rosenthol@adobeforums.com]

I'm confused...

What UI would the user be using in Adobe Acrobat that would enable them to enter their own metadata dates? Are you talking about the Advanced or Custom panels?

[RamonHerrera@adobeforums.com]

[Ramon wrote:]

use the "Control-D | Custom" command to modify those attributes




[Leonard asked:]

Are you talking about the Advanced or Custom panels?




I am talking about the "Custom" panel.

AFAIK, anything that the user types in that panel, ends up being inserted in the PDF file literally, as a string.

I would hate having to tell my users:

"Oh guys, BTW, whenever you type a date, you have to type it like this:

D:20050424100720-04'30'

In my apps, I have my own interfaces to enter metadata dates into my PDF files:

(1) Programmatically, at file creation, the obscure format is irrelevant.

(2) During GUI interaction, I use a date picker.

In fact, what I really would prefer to do is adding a date picker to the Acrobat "Custom Panel".

Thanks,

-Ramon

[Leonard_Rosenthol@adobeforums.com]

So this is the reason that over 10 years ago(!) we moved from the old style "Document Information" metadata to XML-based metadata (called XMP). If you use XMP, then there is an associated schema for the data and it KNOWS when something is a date and can help you (and validate your information).

PLEASE use XMP...

[RamonHerrera@adobeforums.com]

PLEASE use XMP...




Leonard:

My universe of PDF forms are created programmatically, by a server program that I wrote myself. Therefore, I have the ability to decide which type(s) of metadata to insert.

I am currently following the implicit recommendation given to user by Acrobat 8. Such version inserts metadata items both in the "Info" dictionary and in the XMP tree.

As you probably know Acrobat 9 only inserts metadata in XMP format.

I guess at some point my file-creating software will follow Acrobat 9's lead.

-Ramon