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Importing PDF Files

David King
-
May 31, 2022

When creating survey reports, you'll often want to embed a PDF file within the report.

For example...

When creating Asbestos Survey Reports, you may want to evidence the sample results by including a copy of the laboratory's Bulk Certificate PDF file within your Flow report.

The Old Way of Importing PDF Files

Before now, it wasn't possible to import PDF files into Flow Mobile Surveying directly.

The workaround was to manually convert your PDF files to JPG files first, then import each image file individually.

And while this process worked, it was a chore, especially if the PDF file ran onto lots of pages. Many of our users also complained that the free online conversion tools were littered with advertisements.

The New Way of Importing PDF Files

In the latest release of the Dashboard, you can import PDF files to any attachment section configured to use this new feature. If the section has this feature enabled, you'll see a new Import PDF button.

The new Import PDF button automatically converts your PDF files into images. And these images are instantly embedded within your report.

So you no longer need to rely on third-party file-conversion software tools.

How to Import PDF Files

1. Browse to the relevant attachments section.

2. Select Import PDF.

3. Browse to the PDF file on your computer.

4. Select Import PDF.

5. After the PDF has imported, complete any missing information

It's an "Experimental" Feature

We're calling the feature "experimental" as we're still looking for feedback on how it works. If you have anything you'd like to add, post a comment here.

There's currently one known issue in that images can't be rotated after being imported. We're currently investigating this and hope to have a fix soon.

Learn More

You can learn more about importing PDF files by heading over to our knowledgebase article below:

How to Import PDF Files

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