How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

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chrisjj
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How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by chrisjj »

The Comments pane often shows the comments out of the order in which they appear in the document.

How do I get this to show them in document (occurrence) order, as Acrobat X does?

There's no Sort By I can see.

Thanks.
Last edited by chrisjj on Fri Jul 29, 2022 10:25 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Paul - Tracker Supp
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi Chrisjj,

I think "Group By": is what you are after here:
image.png
Does that give you what you are looking for?
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by chrisjj »

Paul - Tracker Supp wrote: Wed Jul 27, 2022 9:37 pm I think "Group By": is what you are after here
Thanks but I can't imagine why. Group != Sort. And Creation Date != occurrence order.
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PHK
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by PHK »

Maybe "Group by page" would work better.
All best,

FringePhil
chrisjj
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by chrisjj »

PHK wrote: Thu Jul 28, 2022 8:16 am Maybe "Group by page" would work better.
But fails to sort within page.

Please pass on my suggestion that Sort be added.
Last edited by chrisjj on Thu Jul 28, 2022 6:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by Tracker Supp-Stefan »

Hello chrisjj,

You can create comment 1 at the bottom right corner, then comment 2 at the top left, and then fill in the other two corners in a zig-zag pattern. Then your "Creation date" will obviously not match e.g. left to right, top to bottom reading order on that page.

Group by page will separate (sort) your comments by the page they are on, and then for that it will then sort them by creation date per page.

I will check with our devs if a "reading order" arrangement can be implemented, but am not making any promises here.

Kind regards,
Stefan
chrisjj
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by chrisjj »

Tracker Supp-Stefan wrote: Thu Jul 28, 2022 10:39 amthen for that it will then sort them by creation date
Yes and that's not what this question is about.
Tracker Supp-Stefan wrote: Thu Jul 28, 2022 10:39 amI will check with our devs if a "reading order" arrangement can be implemented
I hate to think what a mess guessing reading order would make.

I suggested occurrence order. Thanks.
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by Tracker Supp-Stefan »

Hello chrisjj,

I will pass this "occurrence order" suggestion to our devs, but can you please share a sample file and a screenshot of how the comments from that sample file are ordered in Adobe, so that we can look at implementing the same?

Kind regards,
Stefan
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by chrisjj »

Do you mean Adobe Acrobat?

And what is "that sample file"?
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

I think what he is looking for is a PDF with various annotations per page in different order of application, perhaps one you are working with that already has such a collection of annotations.

If we are referring to the same document it will make the discussion with the devs easier.

And I think he means whatever version of Acrobat you are comparing the behaviour to. It's not something I love, but we do tend to mimic Adobe's behaviour when there is debate or uncertainty about how to handle things. Many consider them the "defacto default" to reference.
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chrisjj
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by chrisjj »

> I think what he is looking for is a PDF with various annotations per page in different order of application

Odd, since that would take less time to create than to request.

> And I think he means whatever version of Acrobat you are comparing the behaviour to.

Any will do TMK.
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by Sean - Tracker »

Hi Chris,

What Stefan and Paul are asking to see is a sample document in Adobe Acrobat where comments are listed in "occurrence" order in the comment pane, so that we can take a look and compare how the document and comments operate in PDF-XChange Editor. It would be ideal if you could share a screenshot of Adobe Acrobat that shows what you would like to see in PDF-XChange Editor.

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chrisjj
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by chrisjj »

Sean - Tracker wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 7:02 pm What Stefan and Paul are asking to see is a sample document in Adobe Acrobat where comments are listed in "occurrence" order in the comment pane
Really?? That's any commented PDF.
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by Sean - Tracker »

Hi Chris,

Okay thanks - we will take a look at this internally then.

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chrisjj
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by chrisjj »

Thanks.
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi Chris,

no need for a sample, the dev team have rejected the request. The order of the comments on the page can be set for tabbing through them visually on the page, but this will not be extended to the presentation in the comments pane because it has the potential to have unexpected results if a comment is moved. It was also determined that the feature does not have broad support and is somewhat of a "niche" market.

I am afraid the way this works will not change.
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chrisjj
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by chrisjj »

Paul - Tracker Supp wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 8:38 pm The order of the comments on the page can be set for tabbing through them visually on the page
Wait, you can tab through them visually on the page in occurrence order ?? What key, please?? Else what command? Neither of the two Next Comment commands does that for me.
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi Chris
Wait, you can tab through them visually on the page in occurrence order ??
yes, there are several options that can be set per page on the page properties:
CommentTabOrder.gif
What key, please?? Else what command? Neither of the two Next Comment commands does that for me.
The default is simply Tab and Shift Tab.
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chrisjj
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by chrisjj »

> CommentTabOrder.gif

I see shapes. No comments.

> The default is simply Tab and Shift Tab.

Not reproduced here. Tab simply inserts a tab:
image.png
image.png (24.29 KiB) Viewed 1101 times
->
image(1).png
image(1).png (11.02 KiB) Viewed 1101 times
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by Sean - Tracker »

Hi Chris,

Shape annotations are also classified as comments in the ISO PDF specification.

Once you have specified the "Use Row Order" option in the page properties, as detailed in Paul O'Rorke's post above, then selected a comment in the document using the Select Comments tool, you can then use Tab or Shift+Tab to move through the comments on the page in their row order, which is the same as their occurrence order on the page.

In your image you appear to be entering text in the pop-up note for a highlight comment. The operations detailed above will of course not work if the focus of the software is within the pop-up note of a comment. You need to close the pop-up, then use the Select Comments tool to select a comment - and you can then use Tab or Shift+Tab to move through the comments on the page (assuming you have already set the 'Use Row Order" for the page properties).

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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by chrisjj »

> Shape annotations are also classified as comments in the ISO PDF specification.

We're in your program. Not a specification.

> Once you have specified the "Use Row Order" option in the page properties

There is no such property in my PDF:
image.png
Please pass the devs the thought that the user should not have modify the document in order to get tabbing through comments to work.

> The operations detailed above will of course not work if the focus of the software is within the pop-up note of a comment.

Thanks anyway for the thought.

> You need to close the pop-up

No thanks. I'm in the pop-up because I'm editing the content.

What's the name of this command to go to the next comment? That would let me workaround the above fail by assigning my own key. I've tried both (!) of "Next comment" and neither works. Thanks.
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi Chris,
> Shape annotations are also classified as comments in the ISO PDF specification.

We're in your program. Not a specification.
To be fair to Sean, it is relevant because our program adheres to that standard, strictly. He was simply letting you know that these shapes are annotations and will work the same way as other annotation objects.
> Once you have specified the "Use Row Order" option in the page properties

There is no such property in my PDF:
This property is available on the page properties, not the annotation properties. Select the page itself in the Thumbnails Pane and you should see it:
CommentPropertiesVsPageProperties.gif
> The operations detailed above will of course not work if the focus of the software is within the pop-up note of a comment.

Thanks anyway for the thought.

> You need to close the pop-up

No thanks. I'm in the pop-up because I'm editing the content.
It simply won't work while the focus in on the text. There is nothing that can be done to change that I am afraid. Why not just hit the "Escape" key while there? That will close the pop-up and apply focus to the annotation object and Tab and Shift+Tab will just work.

I believe the command is comments.next, but I just assigned CTRL:+PageDown to it and it's not working for me.
Tab and Shift Tab do however. Do these definitely not work for you even after selecting a comment on the document page? I see that it isn't working to tab through them when selecting the comments on the Comments Pane, only after selecting a comment on the page itself.

It is summer and people take holidays here. The fellow I wish to consult around this is away. I would ask your indulgence to let me get an answer from him about that comamnd not working.

I hope this helps.
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chrisjj
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by chrisjj »

> He was simply letting you know that these shapes are annotations and will work the same way as other annotation objects.

As you can see, he didn't let me know that, then my thanks to him for the thought.

> This property is available on the page properties, not the annotation properties. Select the page itself in the Thumbnails Pane and you should see it

Thanks. Got it.
image.png
> It simply won't work while the focus in on the text.

Thanks.

> Why not just hit the "Escape" key while there? That will close the pop-up

Why not? Because it will close the pop-up. Preventing me reading the content.

> There is nothing that can be done to change that I am afraid.

Thanks.

> I believe the command is comments.next, but I just assigned CTRL:+PageDown to it and it's not working for me.

Here, on CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+Q it moves the document focus from to the next comment. (But removes the pop-up note focus.)

By the way, the document pages focus indicator goes missing when I click in a comment reply.

> Tab and Shift Tab do however. Do these definitely not work for you even after selecting a comment on the document page?

They definitely do - after selecting on the page. Just not in a pop-up, which is what I was hoping for.

> I see that it isn't working to tab through them when selecting the comments on the Comments Pane

Same here.
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi Chris,

OK - well I will follow up on the assigned keys not working, I am pleased that Tab and Shift Tab are working for you, even if the way it works is not to your liking.

I don't think we are going to be able to make it so that you can tab through the comments while the popups are open I am afraid you are stuck with the current behaviour. Same with the fact that it doesn't tab through the comments pane, though I am seeing some inconsistencies here when I test so I'll do a little more, consult the dev responsible and get back to you here with what I find.

cheers
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chrisjj
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by chrisjj »

Thanks.
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Re: How to get Comments to show comments in occurrence order?

Post by Sean - Tracker »

:)
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