While Vault gives you the ability to index and search for specified document properties in Vault, you may also have the need to search for additional information within the body of various documents types within Vault too.
While Vault also gives you this ability to do contextual searching within documents like Word and Excel, it doesn’t do a great job with PDF files. Vault files requires some additional configuration to give you the ability to search for any text within a PDF file.
Here is a proven method that uses an alternative to Adobe Acrobat products to search text in PDFs stored in Autodesk Vault.
A Simple Guide
- Uninstall any other/previous PDF IFilters that may have been installed.
- Download and install PDF X-Change Viewer application for your ADMS server version.
a. http://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-viewer
b. Install with all options.
c. Install on each Vault server.
- Verify that the PDF X-Change IFilter was installed.
a. Start Indexing Options in the Control Panel.
b. Select Advanced.
c. Select File Types.
d. Select PDF and verify that it’s using PDF-XChange PDF IFilter Handler.
e. Select OK, Close.
Note: You must have PDF files that are searchable (i.e. PDF files that you can open and use the find and find any piece of text you want to find). If the PDF is not searchable, content indexing will not work for those files.
At this point searchable PDF should be searchable via the Windows Search feature. Also RMB select Properties will now display a new tab called PDF Information. With the standard properties displayed and mappable into Vault properties.
4. From the ADMS Console, turn on the Content Indexing Services
a. Start ADMS Console.
b. Select your Vault.
c. RMB select Content Indexing Service…
d. Select Yes, enable the Content Indexing Service.
e. Select OK.
5. From the ADMS Console, Rebuild all Search Indexes.
a. Start ADMS Console.
b. Select Tools à Rebuild all Search Indexes.
c. Check, Clear indexes before rebuilding.
d. Select Yes.
Note: This process will take a long time, so immediate contextual searching may not work until the system has had enough time to index all the files and their contents.
6. You may also have to Re-Index File Properties for your desired Vaults.
a. Start ADMS Console.
b. Select your Vault.
c. RMB select Re-Index File Properties…
d. Select Re-Index all files.
e. Select Force Re-Index.
f. Select OK.
Note: This process will take a long time, so immediate file properties searching may not work until the system has had enough time to index all the files and their properties.
7. After Vault has rebuilt its search indexes, you may test the contextual searching within Vault.
a. With searchable PDF files in Vault, use your basic find command.
b. Be sure to select Search File Contents before beginning your search.
c. Enter your text to search for results.
d. Select the Search button.
e. Verify your results.
8. How to make a PDF searchable.
a. Open Adobe Acrobat (full version).
b. Open a PDF file.
c. Select View à Tools à Recognize Text.
d. Select In This File.
e. Select All pages.
f. Select Edit…
g. Select OK.
h. Save the PDF file.
References:
About the Author: John Dow
John Dow is a Sr. Solutions Consultant and Project Manager with IMAGINiT Technologies who specializes in the manufacturing space with PDM/PLM products and 3D CAD tools. He has more than 20 years of experience working in many industries, including Agriculture Equipment, Automotive, Aerospace, Construction Equipment, Consumer Products, and custom designed machinery. John has been working with PDM/PLM products since 2000, and 3D CAD tools since 1994, beginning with AutoCAD R9. Throughout his career he has been involved with and has managed many large, successful CAD, PDM/PLM implementations of various complexities, including custom developed design automation software. John specializes in working across multiple business areas to streamline business processes and adapt them to a PDM/PLM environment. John especially enjoys the challenges of working with companies working through the problems faced by trying to streamline their design data processes in engineering and other departments.
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