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).
If you are using pdfaPilot as an Acrobat plug-in, open the switchboard via Plug-Ins > pdfaPilot <version number> Switchboard.
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.
- 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
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
The Embedded files group offers a range of Actions for embedding and extracting files.
“Office” group
The actions in the Office group let you convert Office files and emails into PDF/A format.
“Explore” group
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
The Document group includes Actions used to change the properties of a document.
“Pages” group
The Pages group provides Actions used to change the page layout or order.
“Arrange” group
The Arrange group contains Actions used for imposition.
“Decorate” group
The Decorate group contains Actions used to add additional content to PDF files.
“Tagged PDF” group
The Tagged PDF group provides Actions for exporting other file formats from structured PDFs or for optimizing structured PDFs.
“Metadata” group
The Metadata group includes Actions used to work with XMP metadata.
“Get in touch” group
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
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.