Saved file names not matching top level bookmark names when splitting a document.

[shanes73715048]

I run reports every month and split the reports into multiple documents. This month when I split the documents the file names no longer match the top level bookmark names. It replaces a "." in the bookmark name to a "_" instead. For example, my top level bookmark name is PA.ABC.170117 and the saved file name is PA_ABC_170117. This was never an issue until running the reports for this month. I am using Mac OS X Sierra and the Adobe Acrobat Pro DC app. Is there a way to fix this? I have to go back and rename every file and that is very time consuming.

[andrewg14812319]

I have this problem as well. Can we please get a tech on this? This basically makes split documents useless to me and it happens to be the biggest reason I requested this product licences.

[Pariah Burke]

Why don't you try supplying details of the situation, Andrew? Please post screen shots and sample PDFs as well.

[andrewg14812319]

Did you read the post? Using "split" and naming documents by top level book marks results in all periods changing to underscores in the new files that are created.

[Pariah Burke]

Note: As warned, your comments are all being automatically held for moderation now. They need to be approved by the people you're working hard to annoy and whose attempts to help you you actively ignore or foil. I approved this comment. I'm rejecting the other unproductive comments.

[Pariah Burke]

andrewg14812319  wrote

Did you read the post? Using "split" and naming documents by top level book marks results in all periods changing to underscores in the new files that are created.

Did you read John T. Smith's reply to you?

Periods in filenames have always been disallowed on Windows and a bad idea on Mac. They cause problems for a majority of users, so the minority have to work around the problem with underscores, as we've done for more than 30 years, yes. You can read more about using periods in filenames here.

If you disagree with Adobe's handling of periods in filenames, tell Adobe. Other people telling Adobe is how the replacement of periods with underscores happened in the first place. If you want the opposite, you have to let Adobe know. John T. Smith's response includes the information you'll need to tell Adobe on a channel they'll hear.

Complaining about a decision in public isn't the same as casting your vote for or against it in the official ballot box.

[Karl Heinz Kremer]

If you need to rename a lot of files, get the "A Better Finder Rename" application - I use that a lot on my Macs, and it really makes batch renaming files easy: http://www.publicspace.net/ABetterFinderRename/version10.html

[Nancy OShea]

Regarding file names, I will simply add this from the Unix/Linux stack exchange.

Are periods (“.”) valid characters in file or folder names?

They are valid and you can use them but yes, there are some real disadvantages.

• A period is often used in regular expressions to represent a single character.
• A period in filenames is often used as the standard separator between filename and extensions.
• A period at the start of a filename is used to indicate configuration and/or hidden files.

For these reasons using periods in filenames for other than intended purposes often leads to issues down the road with other command line functions and other tools and frameworks not expecting them and not working correctly.

Use multiple periods in file & folder names at your own risk.

Nancy

[John T Smith]

A message in another forum (video editing) indicated that a period . WITHIN a file name causes problems for some programs, so changing that period . to an underscore _ is actually more correct

But, to report this to Adobe, use one of the links below

This is an open forum with "some" Adobe staff participation, use the links below to make a report

https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform for feature requests or bug reports

-or Feedback forum https://forums.adobe.com/community/creative_cloud/desktop-app/content

[Pariah Burke]

John is absolutely right, though I assume you were already told this by the tech support agents you spoke to in chat. That is, assuming your situation is identical to the original poster's in this thread. If not, then please tell us the details of your situation--again, visuals help a great deal.

If it's simply a matter of having to replace the underscores with periods in the filenames on Mac, I can explain how you can easily change them back.

[Pariah Burke · Accepted solution]

Consolidating the useful and relevant bits of the discussion into a cohesive reply.

Having periods in a filename beyond separating a filename from the file extension can cause a wide range of issues, particularly when files are moved between platforms and operating systems. It's similar to other special characters in filenames, such as spaces, when documents are placed online.  This has been the case for more than 30 years. As a result, a worldwide standard workaround developed. It uses underscores to replace potentially problematic characters such as periods and spaces.

PDFs, being documents that are frequently transmitted between different operating systems and posted on the Web need to be safe for all operating systems and the Web, and thus must use platform-agnostic file naming conventions.

In the past, users had to manually make the filenames safe. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC automatically replaces periods in filenames with underscores to prevent that additional manual task. While this does create inconvenience for some users who prefer the periods, it removes inconvenience and numerous technical issues and incompatibilities for the majority of users, computer-savvy and otherwise.

If you would like to present your opinion to Adobe, a company that really does listen to its customers, please use https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform for feature requests or bug reports

-or Feedback forum https://forums.adobe.com/community/creative_cloud/desktop-app/content.

[Pariah Burke]

Karl,

I'll add that to the correct answer. Give me just a minute.

A Better Finder Renamer is a great application, as is Rename (the manufacturer's URL seems to be down). I really like Noodlesoft Hazel for automatic file renaming, such as replacing spaces in filesnames with underscores automatically when a file is placed in a particular folder (like my Upload to Website folder).

I stared a discussion about file renaming utilities on all platforms in The Lounge here: Best File Renaming Utilities?

[Lovekesh Garg]

This issue is resolved. Please install latest patch of Acrobat DC.

Go to Help> Check for Updates.

Thanks.