Adobe PDFs

[Intercity]

Calling for any NGF computer wiz kids, I have 3 yrs of weekly PDFs saved on my iMac, up until about a month ago I was able to open, copy, edit and save all these files (they are mainly time sheets for work), when I opened them today most of the fields have had their entries changed, this has happened without anyone going into them.

Such as a time off from last activity field would have 13.12 entered to reflect actual time elapsed, when I opened it today it has changed to a random entry such as 1.6.

I have no idea why it happening and wondered if any members have seen such a thing or know of a way to restore all the files to their correct format.

The only change has been our recent move, and the computer was shut down, boxed, moved, unpacked and reconnected to the internet.

Any help appreciated

IC

[Kaian]

Sounds a little strange, did the software update when you shutdown? Not sure if mac show you when adobe last updated.

Do the fields you added have any number formatting which it may have done conversion on?

[PLD]

I've seen something similar when different writer software is being used to edit the file from that which was used to originally create the file and there are discrepancies in how they recognise number formats...

The stock answer is that if it is a document that is going to be regularly edited DO NOT USE PDF - that's not what the format was intended for!

PDF was intended as an Archive format i.e. once the document is created that is it, it isn't meant to be edited.

[njee20]

It does sound like a formatting issue, the numbers themselves can't change randomly.

Totally agree with PLD though, PDF is not the appropriate format for keeping things like that.

[woodbury22uk]

I am fairly sure that it is a formatting issue. I would look at your column width, and the column label.

[Nick]

Such as a time off from last activity field would have 13.12 entered to reflect actual time elapsed, when I opened it today it has changed to a random entry such as 1.6.
[snip]
The only change has been our recent move, and the computer was shut down, boxed, moved, unpacked and reconnected to the internet.

I've next to no experience with Macs so may be talking out of the wrong orifice...

You said you've moved. Did the move involve a change of locale? (E.g. from another country, rather than across town.) That can cause the machine to adopt the default number, date and time formats for the new country/locale in which it finds itself.

A while back, a colleague of mine, based in Boston, MA, used to experience problems with his Apple kit when he came over this side of the Pond. I think he disabled some automatic locale setting. I'm sorry, it's too long ago to remember the details or even whether it was his iPhone or laptop. As I say, I'm not a Mac user.

[Railwaygun]

Mac MS excel & Numbers would do
The log sheets more easily and export to PDF for archiving.

I agree that IBM Adobe  did not design  PDfs for updating!

Have you looked at PDFs with ADOBE Reader? Same problem?

[Nick]

I agree that IBM Adobe  did not design  PDfs for updating!

I thought PDF was created by Adobe? Just curious.

[RailGooner]

Do you use Time Machine, IC? If you do, how do the problem docs look if you go back in time?

[themadhippy]

Isnt one of the features of pdf files that it maintains a change log that records any editing and by who

[Railwaygun]

I agree that IBM Adobe  did not design  PDfs for updating!

I thought PDF was created by Adobe? Just curious.

Hence the correction! Confused it with (S)GML.

[RailGooner]

Microsoft Office for Mac can natively save as PDF, and you may find Word a friendlier workspace than Acrobat.

[LeftToMyOwnDevices]

...I have 3 yrs of weekly PDFs saved on my iMac, up until about a month ago I was able to open, copy, edit and save all these files (they are mainly time sheets for work), when I opened them today most of the fields have had their entries changed, this has happened without anyone going into them.

Such as a time off from last activity field would have 13.12 entered to reflect actual time elapsed, when I opened it today it has changed to a random entry such as 1.6.

I've seen something similar when different writer software is being used to edit the file from that which was used to originally create the file and there are discrepancies in how they recognise number formats...

The stock answer is that if it is a document that is going to be regularly edited DO NOT USE PDF - that's not what the format was intended for!

PDF was intended as an Archive format i.e. once the document is created that is it, it isn't meant to be edited.

I do wonder whether these PDFs were actually created in MS Excel and saved as PDFs...
...or rather, these PDFs were created as PDF Forms, which would allow you to then key-in the timesheet data.
https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/creating-distributing-pdf-forms.html

It is possible to create a form in an Acrobat PDF, which you can then fill data in (and possibly submit online). I've seen it done, but I have never attempted to create one myself.

As PDFs are essentially Read-Only documents (unless you have Acrobat Pro, or similar, which can actually edit the document), I'm not exactly sure how (or where) the forms data gets stored. Is it inside the PDF; or in a related text-type file, which needs to be kept with or near the original PDF...?

I'm sorry I cannot give a definitive answer - what I would like to offer is another line of enquiry or further investigation.

Hopefully, you might also get to the bottom of the on-screen display issue (I've just read your last posting).

Charles.

[Nick]

I agree that IBM Adobe  did not design  PDfs for updating!

I thought PDF was created by Adobe? Just curious.

Hence the correction! Confused it with (S)GML.

You must have edited it just as I was replying... I didn't notice the strikethrough in the quote. Getting old...