How to Create a PDF Comment Summary Without Signatures
Question details
The user wants to extract only comments from a PDF document, explicitly excluding signatures and potentially removing metadata like dates and times without manually copying each note.
- Product
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Extracting and summarizing comments for document review while filtering out form signatures and unwanted system metadata.
- Observed behavior
- Standard built-in PDF summary tools do not offer granular filtering to exclude signatures or remove date and time metadata from the exported summary.
Always create a backup copy of your original PDF document before running custom scripts or permanently altering comment properties to prevent unintended data loss.
Use a Custom JavaScript Tool to Filter Annotations
Since standard tools lack granular filtering, using a custom script is the most effective way to export only specific comment types while ignoring signatures and metadata.
Built-in summary tools treat many form fields and signatures as annotations, causing them to appear in exports. A custom JavaScript action can parse the document, filter out signature types, and extract only text comments to a new PDF or text file.
Obtain a custom JavaScript tool or Acrobat action specifically designed to create comment summaries. Third-party tools or community scripts (like a custom txt/pdf export script) are often required for this level of metadata control.
Load the JavaScript file into your PDF application's Action Wizard or custom tools folder, depending on the software's specific instructions for adding custom scripts.
Execute the script on your copied PDF. Select the options provided by the script to exclude signatures and strip out metadata like date and time.
Save the generated output, which will now contain only the filtered comments you need.
Bulk Edit Comment Properties to Hide Metadata
If you cannot use scripts but need to anonymize comments before generating a standard summary, you can manually override the author names in bulk.
Extract and Manage PDF Comments Easily with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a highly capable PDF reader and editor that makes handling comments, annotations, and notes straightforward. You can easily view, filter, and manage comments across your document.
- 1. Open your PDF in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office and open your target PDF document.
- 2. Access the Comment tools: Click on the 'Comment' tab located in the top ribbon to reveal all annotation tools.
- 3. Open the Comment Panel: Click the 'Comment' icon on the left sidebar to open the comprehensive comments list.
- 4. Review and extract notes: Use the panel to quickly navigate through textual comments, ignoring visual signatures in the document body, and easily copy necessary feedback.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I natively remove the date and time from standard PDF comment summaries?
Most standard PDF editors, including Adobe Acrobat, do not natively allow the removal of date and time stamps in their default summary exports. Custom JavaScript tools are usually required to strip this metadata.
Why do signatures appear in my PDF comment summaries?
Many PDF applications process form fields, digital signatures, and stamps as standard annotations. When you generate a general comment summary, the software pulls all annotation layers, inadvertently including the signatures.
How do I hide the author's name on PDF comments?
You can hide or change the author's name by selecting all comments in your Comment list, right-clicking to access Properties, and manually editing the Author field under the General tab to a generic name.
