Troubleshooting
In this chapter…
…we describe what you can do if you do not get the results you expect when you run Redax Enterprise Server:
- Review the troubleshooting checklist.
- Clean suspect PDF files. If you cannot solve the problem, refer to Support to find out how to contact customer support.
Reviewing the troubleshooting checklist
The following sections answer common questions about problems you may have with the following:
- Installation
- Files
- Redaction
- Printing
Installation
Instead of exemption codes, why do I see the word Demo over the redactions?
Demo appears in the redacted area if you are using an evaluation copy. Once you purchase the product, Demo will no longer be visible. For information about purchasing this product or downloading a demo version, go to the Appligent website.
Files
Why am I having problems with my PDF files?
Check that they are well-formed and not corrupt, “clean” them if necessary.
I edited my redaction list file. Why do I now get an error when I try to use it?
The redaction list file is a plain text file. To be safe, always edit it with a text editor (for example, Notepad or BBEdit). If you edit it with a tool that supports different file formats (for example, Microsoft Word), make sure to save the file as Text Only (.txt).
Why do I get an error message saying “This operation is not permitted”?
Your document is secured with an Owner password (also called a Permissions password). You must supply the password using the -d option. See General Options.
Other file problems:
- When using the log file option, -l, be sure to give a log file name. If a log file name is not included, Redax Enterprise Server will produce unexpected results or not process at all, and an error message may be added to the default log file (redaxserver.log).
- Make sure all file and path names are correct. If you are working in one directory and Redax Enterprise Server is in another directory, you must account for that in your command line. It is always best to use absolute path names.
- No spaces in path names! Even if you have a forgiving operating system that lets you use spaces in path names most of the time, this may not work consistently with Redax Enterprise Server. If you are using Windows, placing double quotes around the full path name corrects the problem.
- Corrupt PDF file in watch directory! If an instance of Redax Enterprise Server crashes while processing a corrupt or malformed PDF file in a watch directory, remove the offending file from the “in” subdirectory before restarting Redax Enterprise Server for that watch directory.
Redaction
Why does some text not redact?
Check to see if you assigned an exemption code to the Redax box. If not, either:
- Assign a code to the box, or
- Specify Allow redaction without exemption in your preferences file. Refer to Establishing Preferences.
Why did I get the following message: “The PDF file name.pdf contains form fields”?
Redax Enterprise Server cannot redact documents that contain active form fields. Before redacting the document, flatten the form fields using Acrobat or a tool such as Appligent’s FDFMerge, FDFMerge Lite or Redax Plug-in 5.0 which has a menu option “Remove All Form Fields”.
I used a redaction list file. Why did Redax find some occurrences of the words, but not others?
Possible problems are:
- List File Construction: The words and phrases in your list file must be specified correctly.
- Inline Character Images: If your document is scanned, the OCR software might have replaced all or part of a word in your list with character images. Since the Find Using List feature only finds text, it would miss any words that include character images. These words must be marked up with the Draw Box tool in the Redax plug-in product.
Why is there still sensitive information in the comments pane of my redacted document?
Before releasing a document, be sure to remove all annotations using the -remall command.
Why can’t I redact my scanned TIFF document?
Redax only supports PDF documents. To redact any other type of document, convert it to a PDF file first.
Why did my bookmarks disappear from my redacted document?
Your processing option preferences determine whether bookmarks in the original document are preserved or removed following redaction. You set processing option preferences in RedaxESconfig, which is supplied with Redax Enterprise Server. For information about setting preferences, see Appendix B: RedaxESconfig.
Printing
Why won’t my Redax boxes print?
You must specify an option to print the document with markups (also called comments). Under the Print dialog, look for “Comments and Forms” and select “Document and Markups”.
What can I do to use less ink/toner when I print a redacted document?
You can conserve ink by filling redacted areas with blank (white) space or increasing the transparency level of the fill color. You set preferences for the appearance of redacted areas in RedaxESconfig, which is supplied with Redax Enterprise Server. For information about setting preferences, see Appendix B: RedaxESconfig.