Using Variables in Stamp Files
Introduction
When you are working with documents, there is a lot of information that varies from document to document such as dates, times, filenames, etc. Even within a document there are things that change from page to page, such as page numbers or headers and footers. StampPDF Batch provides variables that can stamp this information into your document.
Variables substitute for text in the Text parameter. Each variable is case sensitive and has a specific output. They are replaced at run-time with the information they represent. The variables can mix with text. For example, to stamp the date a file was created, create a stamp item with the following Text parameter:
Text (This file was created on %a., %b. %d.)
The stamp appears as:
This file was created on Wed., Oct. 07.
Notice that we placed the appropriate punctuation as needed.
All variables must be preceded by the percent (%) character. If the % character is missing, the variable name will appear in the stamped text (“a” instead of “Wed”). If you want to use the % character in a stamp, it must be listed in the stamp file as %%.
The Variables
The table below lists all the variables showing the variable name, what it does, and example output.
| Variable | Format | Example Output |
|---|---|---|
| %A | full weekday name | Friday |
| %a | abbreviated weekday name | Fri |
| %B | full month name | October |
| %b | abbreviated month name | Oct |
| %<page number>C | consecutive Bates numbering across files | 000001 |
| %c | local date and time | Friday, October 03, 2003 7:36:24 PM |
| %D | ordinal suffix for dates | 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc. |
| %d | day of month | 15 |
| %G | total number of pages | 30 |
| %<page number>g | page number | 1 |
| %H | hours, 00–23 | 13 |
| %I | hours, 01–12 | 01 |
| %<info field name>i | PDF info dictionary value: Author, Title, Subject, Keywords | Sample.pdf (Title), Jane Smith (Author), Security (Keywords) |
| %<page number>J | Bates page numbering up to 999999 | 000001 |
| %j | day of the year, 001–366 | 099 |
| %M | minutes, 00–59 | 25 |
| %m | month, 1–12 | 10 |
| %N | document filename | file.pdf |
| %n | new line; use for multi-line stamps | sample stamp, line 1 sample stamp, line 2 sample stamp, line 3 |
| %P | full document pathname | c:\MyDocuments\Stamp1.pdf |
| %p | local equivalent of AM or PM | PM |
| %r | lowercase Roman numerals for page numbers | xii |
| %R | uppercase Roman numerals for page numbers | XII |
| %S | seconds, 00–61 | 10 |
| %U | week of the year, 01–53 where Sunday is the first day of the week | 36 |
| %W | numeric week of the year, 00–53 where Monday is the first day of the week | 36 |
| %w | numeric weekday, 0–6 where Sunday is 0 | 5 |
| %X | local time representation | 05:35:10 |
| %x | local date representation | 10/03/03 |
| %Y | year with century | 2003 |
| %y | year without century, 00–99 | 03 |
| %% | % (use when stamp must include percent symbol) | % |
A sample stamp item using variables
For example, the figure below shows the stamp item in letterstamp.txt to place the current date:
| # — Stamp Item — | Comment |
| Begin_Message | Begin Stamp Item |
| Name (Current Date) | Named Current Date |
| Type (Text) | Text stamp |
| StartPage (1) | Start on first page |
| EndPage (-1) | Stamp to the first page |
| PageIncrement (1) | Stamp every page |
| Top (620) | Top margin 620 points from bottom of page |
| Left (44) | Left margin 44 points from left side of page |
| Position (top) | Position the top of the text along the top margin |
| Justification (left) | Left justify the text |
| Underlay (no) | Place it over existing text and graphics |
| Size (12) | Font size 12 points |
| Font (Helvetica) | Font Helvetica |
| TextMode (0) | Solid text |
| Text (%A %B %d, %Y) | Insert Weekday Month day, year |
| WordWrap (No) | Do not wrap to a new line |
| Gray (0) | Black text |
| Opacity (1) | Text will be opaque |
| UndoLabel (undoStamp) | Name of the undo label to remove stamps |
| End_Message | End Stamp Item |
Stamping page numbers
Use the variable %<page number>g to stamp page numbers onto your document. <page number> is optional, the default value is the logical number of the page. You can specify a different page to start with the parameter StartPage, the default for start page is the first page.
For example, if you would like page numbering stamps to begin on page 5, you need to tell StampPDF Batch two things:
- Where to begin stamping: use StartPage (<page number>) in your stamp file
- What number to use when stamping that page: use Text (%<page number>g) in your stamp file
If you do not want to stamp page numbers to the end of the file, you can also specify an EndPage.
The following examples show how to apply page numbers for different circumstances.
Example: Start on the first page with page number 1
To start numbering on the first page, using page number 1, your stamp item would have the following line:
Text (%g)
The default start page is 1, and the default page number would be 1, the logical number of the page.
Example: Start on page 5 with page number 5
To start numbering on the page 5, using page number 5, your stamp item would have the following lines:
StartPage (5) Text (%g)
The start page is specified as page 5, and the default page number would be 5, the logical number of the page.
Example: Start on page 5 with page number 1
To start numbering on the page 5, using page number 1, your stamp item would have the following lines:
StartPage (5) Text (%1g)
The start page is specified as page 5, and the page number is specified as 1. You can use this to start numbering the body of a document at 1 when the body starts after 4 pages of introductory material.
Using Bates notation for page numbering
Use the variable %<page number>J to stamp page numbers using Bates notation. With Bates notation each page number uses a fixed number of digits, filled with leading zeros. For example, with a six-digit Bates number (the default), page 2 will be written as 000002 and page 4145 will be written as 004145.
If you want to use a number of digits other than the default six-digit format use the BatesDigit parameter. For example, to change page 2 to be written as 0002 and page 4145 to be written as 4145, your stamp item would have the following line:
BatesDigit (4)
You can also specify how many digits to use when you run StampPDF Batch by using the -j option on the command-line. Refer to -j<n> for more information.
Note: The value of the BatesDigit parameter will override the -j option.
If you would like to start numbering at a number other than 000001, place the number to start between % and J. For example, to start numbering at page 000501, use %501J in the Text parameter as shown in the figure below. StampPDF Batch will insert the leading zeros.
Adding a prefix to Bates numbers
You can add a prefix to Bates numbers by including the prefix before the variable, such as prefix text CaseABCD. The example below will stamp the StartPage with CaseABCD 000001, the next page with CaseABCD 000002, and so on.
CaseABCD %J
Prefixes can be combined with custom start pages. The example below will start page numbering at CaseABCD 000501.
CaseABCD %501J
Bates numbering across files
Use the variable %<page number>C to stamp Bates page numbers across multiple files. For example, if you stamp files Input001.pdf to Input005.pdf, and use the %C variable in your stamp file, the pages would be numbered as shown in the table below:
| Filename | Number Of Pages |
Bates Number Stamped |
|---|---|---|
| Input001.pdf | 23 | 000001 to 000023 |
| Input002.pdf | 42 | 000024 to 000065 |
| Input003.pdf | 25 | 000066 to 000090 |
| Input004.pdf | 17 | 000091 to 000107 |
| Input005.pdf | 37 | 000108 to 000144 |
The files must be stamped at the same time. Refer to Stamp several documents with one stamp file for information on how to stamp multiple files at the same time.
Creating multi-line stamps
Use the %n variable to create a new line (or carriage return) in the stamped text. For example, if you would like to stamp a company address as a header, enter the text of the stamp in your Text parameter, including a %n wherever you wish a line break:
Text (Appligent, Inc.%n22 East Baltimore Avenue%nLansdowne, PA 19050 USA)
The stamp will appear as shown below:
Appligent, Inc.
22 East Baltimore Avenue
Lansdowne, PA 19050 USA
There is no limit to the amount of text or number of lines you can use. You are limited only by the size of the page or the margins you have set.
Note: If you will be stamping footers at the bottom of the page, StampPDF Batch begins stamping at the Bottom margin. To prevent your stamp from running off the page, increase the Bottom margin.
Stamping information from Document Properties fields
The Document Properties are from Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader or other quality PDF viewers. Within Acrobat or Acrobat Reader, select File > Properties > Description. A dialog window will appear:
StampPDF Batch can access the information here and stamp it into your PDF file. Take care to specify the variables exactly as they appear in the Document Properties dialog using exact capitalization and spelling:
- %i(Title)
- %i(Author)
- %i(Subject)
- %i(Keywords)
For these variables to stamp correctly on a PDF document, the information must be present in the Document Properties fields. If you enter a Text parameter to stamp Author and the Author field is blank in the Document Properties dialog window, StampPDF Batch won’t stamp any information for this variable.