Indexing PDF document collections

Index files help speed up your searches. If you have a large collections of PDF documents, you can create an index file and use the index on your local drive or copy it to CD-ROMs for other users to enjoy the same speedy searches you perform locally on your computer. In order to search an index file, you first need to create one in the Search pane. After an index is created, load it and make it available to Nitro PDF Professional Search.

Creating and managing index files

The Index Selection pane is your central navigation point for creating , browsing, editing, and adding index files.

To create an Index File:

1. Open the Search pane. Press Control + F to open the Search pane.
2. Open the Index pane. Click the Search Index  tool to open the options for working with an index.
3. Open the Build Index window. Click New in the Select Index pane.
4. Add a title for your index file. Click the New Title text appearing in Blue. A text box appears where you can type a new title. Add a descriptive title for your index.
5. Locate a folder of files you want to index. Click the plus (+) symbols in the right pane to open your hard drive hierarchy and locate the folder you want to index.
6. Include a selected folder(s) in your index. Click the Includes button to the right of the selected folder.  Note: if the Includes button is not visible, scroll the window to the right by dragging the bottom scroll bar in the Build Index window. Select additional folders and files if you want to include more in your index file and click Includes after each selection. Note that only one item can be selected for inclusion at a time.
7. Exclude items from your index file. If you have folders or files nested in the folder you want to index, you can selectively exclude folders and files. Select the item to exclude and click the Excludes button. Be certain to scroll the window right if the Excludes button is not visible. Select additional folders/files and click Excludes if you want to eliminate more folders/files from your index. Note than only one file at a time can be selected to add to the Excludes list.
8. Add Stop words. Stop words are words that you may want to eliminate from your index. To delete a word from your index, double click the text Double click to add new stop word. Type the word to be added to the list and click Delete. Continue double clicking and typing new words followed by clicking the Delete button to add to your list.
9. Add Custom Properties. This item is intended for programmers. If you're not familiar with the Acrobat^® Software Development Kit (SDK), skip this option. You add Custom Properties to a field box by double clicking the text Double click to add new custom field, identify the type, and type values in the field box. Click again on the Double click to add new custom field blue text to add another Custom Property. If you add a property and want to remove it, click the Delete button. The types of fields available include:
   • Date. This is a date value.
   • Integer. This field can accept values from 0 to 65,535.
   • Text. This is any text string. If numbers are included with this option they are treated as text.
10. Build the index. Examine the left pane in the Build Index window. All the folders/files you added to include are listed in the Includes category. The folders you added for exclusion are listed in the Excludes list. Click Build at the bottom of the Build Index window. Wait for Nitro PDF Professional to complete the build before proceeding.



11. Save the index file. After Nitro PDF Professional completes building an index file the Select PDF Index File dialog box opens prompting you to save the index. Type a name for the index and locate a folder on your hard drive where you want to save the file. Click the Save button and your index is ready to use.

To load an index file:

1. Find the index file. Click the Search Index  button.
2. Add the index(es). Click the checkbox appearing adjacent to the index file you created. If you created multiple indexes, you can check the boxes for all the indexes you want to search.
3. Load the index. Click OK.

To search an index file:

1. Search a phrase. After you identify an index and click OK, the Search pane displays options for performing your search.  Type the text you want to search in the Search Phrases text box.
2. Invoke the search. Click the Search now button in the bottom right corner of the Search pane.
3. View the results. The results are reported in the Results window. Click an item to open the file containing the found phrase.

Using Boolean Queries.

Boolean queries enable you to search for conditions. Boolean AND, OR, NOT are expressions you can include in your search. For example, you can search for: PDF AND Nitro PDF Professional NOT Acrobat^®. In this phrase the results are returned for the words PDF and Nitro PDF Professional, but not the word Acrobat^®. Note that uppercase is used here for the purpose of clarity. Boolean expressions are not case sensitive. And they are only available to you when searching an index file. To search an index file using Boolean expressions, do the following:

1. Select and index file. Follow the steps used in the previous section: To search an index file. You must use an index file to search using Boolean expressions.
2. Add an expression. In the Search Phrases text box, type the words you want to use and add AND, OR, NOT where appropriate.
3. Select Boolean Query. From the Look in drop down menu select Boolean Query.
4. Invoke the search. Click the Search now button in the bottom right corner of the Search pane.
5. View the results. The results are reported in the Results window. Click an item to open the file containing the found phrase.

Using Boolean Queries and additional criteria.

You can also use Boolean expressions when using additional criteria like the examples shown earlier in the section, "Searching additional criteria." To search additional criteria using Boolean expressions, do the following:

1. Select and index file. Follow the steps used in the previous section: To search an index file. You must use an index file to search using Boolean expressions.
2. Add a phrase to search. Type the text you want to search. This can or cannot be a Boolean expression.
3. Select Boolean Query. From the Look in drop down menu select Boolean Query.
4. Select additional criteria. Click New Criteria in the additional criteria window. Select the criteria you want to use such as Title, Author, Keywords, Creation/Modification Date, etc.
5. Select the condition. Select either Includes/Excludes or one of the date options if searching a date.
6. Add a Boolean expression. In the text box to the right of the condition pull down menu type your expression -something like Nitro PDF Professional NOT Adobe^® PDF for a Title or Subject field. Note that you must have Document Description information contained in the respective fields for results to be reported in the Results window.
7. Invoke the search. Click the Search now button in the bottom right corner of the Search pane.
8. View the results. The results are reported in the Results window. Click an item to open the file containing the found phrase(s).

Rebuilding and purging an index file.

The location you targeted for your index file whether it be a folder, hard drive or external media source may be an area where you add new files and delete old files. When files are added to the area you indexed, you need to Rebuild the index to include the new files in your index file. When files are deleted from the area you indexed, you need to Purge  the index to clear out unnecessary data no longer used by the index. To Rebuild and Purge index files:

1. Select the index file to edit: Click the Select Index tool. When the indexes are visible check the box for the index you want to edit and click the Edit button in the index selection window. The Build Index window opens.
2. Rebuild an index. Click Rebuild at the bottom of the Build Index window. A dialog box opens reporting the progress of the rebuild. Wait until Nitro PDF Professional finishes rebuilding the index. When Nitro PDF Professional finishes the build, you are returned to the Build Index window where you can perform additional edits or close the window.
3. Purge the index. If the Build Index window is not open, follow step 1 to open the Build Index window. Click Purge at the bottom of the Build Index window. Wait until the purge is complete before moving on.
4. Return to the Build Index window. When the purge completes, a dialog box opens. Click OK in the dialog box to return to the Build Index window. The index is now compacted and will perform much faster after purging old data.

Related info: Nitro Pro Features

Editing PDF

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