The Switchboard: An overview
As well as the automatic Fixups applied by pdfaPilot when converting files to PDF/A, the software also offers a wide range of other actions for manipulating a PDF file. Many of these can be accessed via the Switchboard.
In pdfaPilot’s standalone edition, you can open the Switchboard via Tools > Switchboard in the menu or use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+2 (Windows: Ctrl+2).
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If you are using pdfaPilot as an Acrobat plug-in, open the switchboard via Plug-Ins > pdfaPilot <version number> Switchboard.
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The pdfaPilot Switchboard window will be displayed.
The Switchboard - Structure
The Switchboard has a very simple, clear user interface, letting you get straight to work.
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- The arrow button will always take you back to the previous section.
- The home symbol opens the main window.
- The central drop-down menu at the top lets you choose between a range of libraries (such as PDF standards and Prepress.)
- The magnifying glass opens the search tool for when you want to find a specific Action by name.
- The button in the top right can be used to manage libraries.
- The main section contains the various groups for different types of tasks.
The groups
The main window shows the various groups of Actions.
Each group, in turn, contains a range of Actions. These can be accessed by clicking on the group's symbol.
“PDF/A & PDF/UA” group
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The Actions in this group are used to convert and optimize the PDF/A (long-term archiving) and PDF/UA (universally accessible PDF) standards.
“Embedded files” group
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The Embedded files group offers a range of Actions for embedding and extracting files.
“Office” group
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The actions in the Office group let you convert Office files and emails into PDF/A format.
“Explore” group
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The Explore group provides a range of actions used to create different types of reports based on your files. Other actions involve layers and comments.
“Document” group
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The Document group includes Actions used to change the properties of a document.
“Pages” group
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The Pages group provides Actions used to change the page layout or order.
“Arrange” group
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The Arrange group contains Actions used for imposition.
“Decorate” group
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The Decorate group contains Actions used to add additional content to PDF files.
“Tagged PDF” group
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The Tagged PDF group provides Actions for exporting other file formats from structured PDFs or for optimizing structured PDFs.
“Metadata” group
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The Metadata group includes Actions used to work with XMP metadata.
“Get in touch” group
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The Get in touch group provides Actions used to contact callas support, report bugs or suggest improvements. It also provides access to various tutorials.
“Workspace” group
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The Workspace group lets you collect your most frequently used Actions together in one place.
To add a Switchboard Action to the Workspace, click on the menu located in the bottom-left corner of the Action window.
An example of an action in use: Create Booklet
Click on an Action to open the relevant settings used to execute the Action.
Example: In the Arrange group, you will find the Booklet Action, which you can use to turn a multi-page file into a booklet.
You can specify the set size and the horizontal/vertical offset, as well as specifying whether cut marks should be added to each resulting page.