How to Save, Compress, and Email a PDF Form Using an Acrobat Button
Question details
The user needs an Acrobat form button to automatically compress/optimize a PDF file before saving and emailing it, circumventing JavaScript security restrictions.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat XI Pro
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Automating document workflows within an interactive PDF form to ensure files are reduced in size before being sent to recipients.
- Observed behavior
- The current button successfully saves and emails the PDF, but cannot execute file compression directly due to Acrobat JavaScript limitations without a trusted context.
Before modifying your PDF, ensure you have administrative access to Acrobat Pro to create application-level JavaScripts and a basic understanding of Acrobat's Preflight tools.
Use a Custom Preflight Profile and Application-Level Script
Configure a custom Preflight profile to handle the optimization, and execute it via an application-level trusted script to bypass security prompts for saving and emailing.
Standard document-level JavaScript cannot perform silent saves or file optimizations due to inherent security protocols. To accomplish this, the optimization must be handled by Acrobat's Preflight tool, and the script triggering it must be elevated to a 'trusted context' by placing it in the application's JavaScripts folder.
Navigate to 'Tools' > 'Print Production' > 'Preflight' in Acrobat Pro. Create a new custom profile specifically designed to optimize and compress PDF files, and note its exact name.
Create a new .js file in the Acrobat application JavaScripts directory (e.g., C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat\Acrobat\JavaScripts). Define a function using 'app.trustedFunction' to elevate its privileges.
Inside your trusted function, use the Document object's 'preflight' method to call the custom profile you created, applying the optimization to the active document.
Add commands within the trusted function to silently save the file using the 'saveAs' method, followed by the 'mailDoc' method to attach the newly compressed file to an email draft.
Open your PDF form in Edit mode, right-click the button, select 'Properties', go to the 'Actions' tab, and add a 'Run a JavaScript' action that simply calls the trusted function you defined.
Compress and Share PDFs Instantly with WPS Office
If setting up application-level scripts and trusted functions is too complex, WPS Office provides built-in tools to easily compress your PDFs and share them via email without writing a single line of code.
- 1. Open your PDF: Launch WPS Office and open the PDF document you want to compress and send.
- 2. Compress the Document: Navigate to the 'Tools' tab on the top ribbon and click on 'Compress' to easily reduce the file size.
- 3. Share via Email: Click the 'Menu' icon in the top left corner, hover over 'Share', and select 'Email' to instantly attach your optimized PDF to a new message.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't a standard PDF button script automatically compress files?
Acrobat's JavaScript security model restricts actions like silent saving and system-level file optimization to protect users from malicious code execution. These actions require a 'trusted context' to bypass user prompts.
Where do I place a trusted application-level script in Acrobat?
Application-level scripts must be saved as a .js file and placed in the application's root JavaScripts folder, typically located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat\Acrobat\JavaScripts on Windows.
Can I email a PDF without saving it first?
You can email the current unsaved state of a PDF using standard mailDoc scripts. However, if you need to apply Preflight optimization, you must save the document to lock in the compression before attaching it.
How do I reduce PDF file size manually without scripting?
You can manually reduce file size in Acrobat by navigating to 'File' > 'Save As Other' > 'Reduced Size PDF', or by using the intuitive 'Compress' tool found in the Tools tab of WPS Office.
