In this chapter…

…we present a collection of hints and tips for working with FDFMerge Lite and FDFMerge. If you are having trouble with the software, consult this list of issues for a possible solution. Information that is specific to FDFMerge is in green text followed by a notation: (FDFMerge only).

Common Error Checklist

Before proceeding, if you are having problems with your PDF files, check that they are well formed, and not corrupt. Refer to Cleaning Up PDF Documents.

• When using FDFMerge Lite or FDFMerge in a script, be sure to use full path names for all files and applications accessed from within the script. If you cannot get your script to work, make sure that you can run FDFMerge Lite or FDFMerge from a command line.
• If you find your files are not working as you had expected, you may wish to try re-saving them in Acrobat as Optimized.
• Check to see that the PDF file is listed before the FDF file on the command line. However, if you are running with -reverse, then the FDF should be listed before the PDF file.
• Review the command-line options to be sure they are entered properly. Make sure options -f <FormInfo file>, -cmds <CommandFile.txt>, -l <logfile> and -o <output file> have file names specified after them. Missing file names will cause unintended results.
• Make sure all file and path names are correct. If you are working in one directory and FDFMerge Lite or FDFMerge resides in another, you must account for that in the command-line call. We recommend that you always use full paths to all files including FDF, input, output and log files.
• Even if you are running FDFMerge Lite or FDFMerge in its own directory, enter the command with the dot-slash in front (./fdfmergelite or ./fdfmerge), to tell your system that the application is in the current directory. This is more important for UNIX than for Windows.
• We recommend that you always use the -o <output file> option so that you do not overwrite your original file in case you may need it later.
• If you get an error from FDFMerge Lite or FDFMerge that the file was unable to write, check to make sure that the file isn’t open in Adobe Acrobat or any other application. Also be sure the file is not set as read-only or encrypted.

If you are using a FormInfo file with FDFMerge, double check the following (FDFMerge only):

• Are all the Form Field names correct, including capitalization and spelling?
• Are the parameter names correctly spelled, such as ColorRed, not Color Red, etc.?
• Are the paths correct for font files?
• Are the .pfm and .pfb files for the fonts in the same directory?
• If you are using colors for fonts, borders, backgrounds, etc., have you specified values for all three colors: Red, Green, and Blue? or all four colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black?