How to export all comments showing in Search?

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chrisjj
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How to export all comments showing in Search?

Post by chrisjj »

Since Support's email service seems overloaded right now (with queries unacknowledged for over a week), I'm hoping a user can help me here.

How can I export all comments showing in Search? I.e. I have run a Search for comments only, have the list of matching comments, and need to export just those in a single operation.

You'd think I could just select all and right-click Export, but no - neither command exists in Search results.

Thanks.
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Paul - Tracker Supp
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Re: How to export all comments showing in Search?

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi Chrisjj
Since Support's email service seems overloaded right now (with queries unacknowledged for over a week), I'm hoping a user can help me here.
This is a bity of a concern for me. Can you email me directly using paul@tracker-software.com with a reference to the email that was not answered? I am keen to follow this up. I have seen emails from you answered today so if we neglected to reply to one or more I am keen to know.

Regarding the search results, the only solution I have is actually more complicated than a right click on the results (which isn't available anyway). You would need to set the properties on the comments you want top export such that you can hide all the others before doing a "Summarize Comments" for only them. In the next build we will offer an option in Summarize Comments to only include comments not hidden. One way to do this would be to set a specific Author for the comments you want to export.

It's not simple and not really what you are asking for I know, but it is the closest we have I am afraid.
Best regards

Paul O'Rorke
Tracker Support North America
http://www.tracker-software.com
chrisjj
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Re: How to export all comments showing in Search?

Post by chrisjj »

> the email that was not answered?

Even better. I sent you three.

> You would need to set the properties on the comments you want top export such that you can hide all the others before doing a "Summarize Comments" for only them.

Thanks. How do I set that on multiple comments?
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Paul - Tracker Supp
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Re: How to export all comments showing in Search?

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi Chris,
thanks for that. Regarding the email, two of them went to trackersoftware@gmail.com and that address is not monitored. Please use support@pdf-xchange.com for your support needs.

The other one is being dealt with and I have reached out to the support staff who was dealing with it and I expect a follow up today.

Regarding the way to select only certain comments, you can manipulate their properties like Author and show only those:
FilterCommentsForSummary.gif
Another approach might be to select the search results, they will be highlighted in the Comments Pane where you can check their check box and display only checked items:
FilterCommentsForSummary3.gif
The animation goes on a bit long, but the idea is that the search results can be clicked so as to "check" the corresponding comment and from there "Show Checked" limits what you see. One can ignore the hidden comments on summarize comments, and I am told in the next release you will also be able to filter the summary by Author so if you use the Author instead of a check mark. It would be nice if we could also filter the summary by check or not. I will speak to the guys about the possibility of including that.

Does that help?
Best regards

Paul O'Rorke
Tracker Support North America
http://www.tracker-software.com
chrisjj
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Re: How to export all comments showing in Search?

Post by chrisjj »

> Does that help?

Not to answer the question, no.

Again: How do I set that on multiple comments?
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Paul - Tracker Supp
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Re: How to export all comments showing in Search?

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi Chris.
How do I set that on multiple comments?


Select all you want and change their properties in the properties pane:

Is that what you mean?
ModMultipleCommants.gif
Best regards

Paul O'Rorke
Tracker Support North America
http://www.tracker-software.com
chrisjj
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Re: How to export all comments showing in Search?

Post by chrisjj »

Paul - Tracker Supp wrote: Thu Jul 28, 2022 2:37 pmRegarding the email, two of them went to trackersoftware@gmail.com and that address is not monitored. Please use support@pdf-xchange.com for your support needs.
Should I resend?
chrisjj
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Re: How to export all comments showing in Search?

Post by chrisjj »

Paul - Tracker Supp wrote: Thu Jul 28, 2022 8:11 pm Is that what you mean?
Thanks but no, because that list is not Search results.
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Paul - Tracker Supp
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Re: How to export all comments showing in Search?

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi again Chrisjj,
Thanks but no, because that list is not Search results.
Sorry, I thought you understood that there is no way to directly export these search results. It is a multi-step process that involves:
  • Doing the search
  • Selecting each search result manually, one at a time then for each one, it will select the corresponding comment
  • Change the Author
  • Summarize comments filtered by Author
There is no way to automate this process and there is no way to directly export only the search results as anything other than a "search" result which is only useable to reload the search, it does not have any visual aspect to it that you could take advantage of.

Once you have your comments organized by Author you will be able to export to Word only those, and in the next build I am told you will also be able to Summarize Comments for a specific Author.

I appreciate it is not what you are asking for. I I understand your original request you want a simple "Export Comments" function available to your search results. Unfortunately the development team do not feel that this is something that would be of particular use top most people, that it is a rather specific "niche" request and as such they have rejected it.

At the end of the day it is at the development team' leader's discretion as to what feature requests to implement or not and with the best will in the world, this feature is not one that has support from them.

I am afraid you are stuck with that more complicated process of searching, modifying one at a time the comments, then exporting/summarizing based on that.

regards
Best regards

Paul O'Rorke
Tracker Support North America
http://www.tracker-software.com
chrisjj
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Re: How to export all comments showing in Search?

Post by chrisjj »

> Sorry, I thought you understood that there is no way to directly export these search results.

I thought your "is that what you mean" showed you didn't.

> [*] Change the Author

Unavailable on a read-only doc.

> There is no way ...

Thanks.

> the development team do not feel that this is something that would be of particular use top most people

That's really useful to know. Thanks.
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Sean - Tracker
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Re: How to export all comments showing in Search?

Post by Sean - Tracker »

Hi Chris,

As Paul indicated, the workaround detailed above is the best way to perform this operation, and unfortunately it will of course not be possible to do on read-only documents.

Best regards,
Sean Godley
Technical Writer
Tracker Software Products (Canada) LTD
Sales: +1 (250) 324-1621
Fax: +1 (250) 324-1623
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