Overview

APSplit is a command-line application that breaks up PDF documents into individual pages or sections. With APSplit, you can split documents by:

• Individual Pages. Each page in the original document becomes a new document.
• Odd Pages. All of the odd pages in the original document are split into a new document.
• Even Pages. All of the even pages in the original document are split into a new document.
• Page Ranges. A single page range, consecutive page ranges of the same length, or multiple page ranges of any size and from any location in the original document are extracted to one or more new documents.
• First-Level Bookmarks. Each first-level bookmark section in the original document becomes a new document.
• File Size. The original document is split into one or more new documents based on a maximum output file size and page count that you specify.

Example Commands

This guide contains numerous example commands to illustrate how to use APSplit. Although you can call APSplit from a script or a program, most of the example commands are run from the command line. This presentation enables you to focus on APSplit without the distraction of other programming instructions. If you are new to entering commands in a terminal window or just need a refresher, read Command-Line Introduction, before trying the examples yourself.

The command-line examples are presented as if they were being run from the directory where you installed APSplit. In Windows, the default installation directory is C:\Appligent\APSplit\. In UNIX and Macintosh systems, it is wherever you installed it. For purposes of illustration, we assume you installed it in Appligent/APSplit/.

Some long commands are shown on more than one line in this manual. However, you should enter all commands on a single line in the terminal window.

Typographic Conventions

The following typographic conventions are used in this guide:

• Courier Font is used for commands, command options, and output to mimic the appearance of the screen:

     the -bybookmarks option

• The dollar sign character ($) is used to represent the command prompt:

$ apsplit -h

• Variable references represent values for which you must substitute a value. In the following example, you would substitute a directory for outPDFDir and a file name for inPDFFile.

$ apsplit -o outPDFDir inPDFFile

• Square brackets in a command indicate that the enclosed information may optionally be included but is not required. In the following example, [inPDFFile2…], indicates that additional input files may be included with the command, but are not required:

$ apsplit -o outPDFDir inPDFFile [inPDFFile2...]

In This Guide

The remainder of this guide contains the following chapters:

• Getting Started with APSplit describes the basic structure of APSplit commands and tells you how to get product version and usage information.
• Performing a Basic Split explains how to use the default APSplit command to extract single pages from one or more documents.
• Performing Custom Splits shows you how to split documents by first-level bookmarks, odd- and even-numbered pages, specific page ranges, and file size.
• Tailoring the Output explains how to retain annotations that are normally removed during the extraction process and how to linearize output for faster web delivery.
• Reporting Progress and Errors describes various methods of handling progress and error messages.
• Command-Line Introduction provides a brief introduction to using command-line software on Windows and Mac OS X operating systems.
• Command-Line Option Reference summarizes the APSplit command-line options and tells you where to look in this manual for more information about each option.
• Troubleshooting explains the steps you can take if you do not get the results you expect when you run APSplit.
• Support explains how to get support from Appligent.

How To Use This Guide

The best way to use this guide depends on your familiarity with command-line software in general and Appligent command-line products in particular.

• If you have little or no experience with command-line software, start with Command-Line Introduction. Then read Getting Started with APSplit and Performing a Basic Split. These chapters will give you a basic understanding of how APSplit works. Then read the remaining “how-to” chapters or skip to Command-Line Option Reference for a summary of all the command-line options.
• If you are an experienced command-line user but are not familiar with Appligent command-line products, start with Getting Started with APSplit and Performing a Basic Split. These chapters will give you a basic understanding of how APSplit works. Then read the remaining “how-to” chapters or skip to Command-Line Option Reference for a summary of all the command-line options.
• If you are an experienced command-line user and are familiar with Appligent command-line products, start with Command-Line Option Reference. This appendix illustrates the general command-line syntax and summarizes the command-line options. You can always refer to one of the “how-to” chapters for more information about a particular option.

For More Information

Please refer to the installation guide and the Readme file (release notes) for more information. Both are located in the default installation directory.