This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Adding comments to a PDF document
You can add comments to any PDF file, unless security has been applied to the document to prohibit commenting. In most cases, you’ll use the commenting features to provide feedback to a document’s author, but you may also find them useful to write notes to yourself as you’re reading documents. Acrobat includes several commenting tools, and you’ll recognize some of them from the physical world. For example, the Sticky Note and Highlight Text tools are electronic versions of the physical tools you may have on your desk.
In this exercise, you’ll use some of the commenting tools to provide feedback on a medical-trial protocol document.
About the commenting tools
Acrobat provides several commenting and markup tools, designed for different commenting tasks. Most comments include two parts: the markup or icon that appears on the page, and a text message that appears in a pop-up note when you select the comment.
The commenting and markup tools are in the Annotations and Drawing Markups panels in the Comment pane. For detailed information about using each tool, see Adobe Acrobat X Help.
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- Sticky Note tool (
) – Create sticky notes, just as you would in the physical world. Click wherever you want the note to appear. Sticky notes are useful when you want to make overall comments about a document or a section of a document, rather than commenting on a particular phrase or sentence. - Highlight Text tool (
) – Highlight the text you want to comment on, and then type your comment. - Attach File tool (
) – Attach a file, in any format, to the PDF document. - Record Audio tool (
) – Clarify your feedback in an audio recording. To record audio, you must have a built-in or removable microphone on your system. - Stamp tool (
) – Use a virtual rubber stamp to approve a document, mark it confidential, or perform several other common stamping tasks. You can also create custom stamps for your own purposes.
- Insert Text tool (
) – Add text at the insertion point. As with all the text commenting tools, your comments don’t affect the text in the PDF document, but they make your intention clear. - Replace Text tool (
) – Indicate which text should be removed, and type the text that should replace it. - Strikethrough tool (
) – Indicate which text should be deleted. - Underline tool (
) – Indicate which text should be underlined. - Add Note To Text tool (
) – Highlight text, and add a note regarding the highlighted content. - Text Box tool (
) – Create a box that contains text, positioned anywhere on the page, and at any size. It remains visible on the page, rather than closing like a pop-up note. - Callout tool (
) – Specify the area you’re commenting on without obscuring it. Callout markups have three parts: a text box, a knee line, and an end-point line. Drag handles to resize each part and position it exactly where you want it. - Line (
), Arrow (
), Oval (
), Rectangle (
), Cloud (
), Polygon (
), Connected Lines (
), Pencil(
), and Eraser (
) tools – Use the drawing tools to emphasize areas on the page or communicate your thoughts artistically, especially when reviewing graphical documents.
Adding sticky notes
You can attach a sticky note anywhere in a document. Because notes can easily be moved, they are best suited to comments about the overall content or layout of a document, rather than specific phrasing. You’ll add a sticky note on the first page of this document.
- Click Comment to open the Comment pane.
- Click Annotations if the Annotations panel isn’t already open, and then select the Sticky Note tool.
- Click anywhere on the page.
A sticky note opens. The name in the Identity panel of the Acrobat Preferences dialog box automatically appears on the note, as well as the date and time.
- Type Looks good so far. I’ll look again when it’s finished.
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- Click the arrow that appears before the name in the Sticky Note dialog box, and choose Properties from the pop-up menu.
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- Click the Appearance tab, and then click the Color swatch.
- Select a blue swatch. The sticky note changes color automatically.
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- Click the General tab.
- In the Author box, type Reviewer A.
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You can change the name attached to a comment. You may want to do that, for example, if you are using someone else’s computer.
- Click OK.
The blue sticky note is closed on the page. To reopen it, just double-click the sticky note icon.
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Emphasizing text
Use the Highlight Text tool to emphasize specific text in a document. After highlighting the text, you can also add a message. You’ll make a comment using the Highlight Text tool in this document.
- Scroll to page 2 in the document.
- Select the Highlight Text tool () in the Quick Tools toolbar.
You can select the Sticky Note tool and the Highlight Text tool in the Annotations panel in the Comment pane or in the Quick Tools toolbar. You can add other commenting and markup tools to the Quick Tools toolbar by clicking the Customize Quick Tools button in the toolbar.
- Drag the pointer over “Jocelyn M. Taget, RN” on the first line of the table. The text is highlighted in yellow.
- Double-click the highlighted text. A comment message box opens.
- Type Double-check contact info.
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- Click the close button (
)in the upper-right corner of the comment box to close it. Alternatively, you can press the Escape key to close the comment box.
Marking text edits
You can clearly communicate which text should be deleted, inserted, or replaced using the text-editing tools. You’ll suggest some text changes to the protocol document.
- Scroll to page 3 of the protocol document.
- Click the Replace Text tool () in the Annotations panel in the Comment pane.
- Select the word “Patients” in the title of the study (in the fourth cell of the table).
- Type patients to replace it.
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A comment box appears with the text “patients” in it, and the original text is crossed out. An insertion point appears in the original text.
- Click the close button in the comment box.
- Select the Insert Text tool in the Annotations panel. Then click an insertion point after “Evaluation of tolerability and evaluation of long-term” in the Objectives section of the table.
- Type efficacy to insert text.
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The comment box opens with the word “efficacy” in it. An insertion point icon appears in the original text.
- Click the close button in the comment box.
- Go to page 10 in the document.
- Select the Strikethrough tool () in the Annotations panel.
- Under “Potential Risks and Benefits” toward the bottom of the page, select the words “based on studies to date.”
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A red line appears through the text, indicating deletion.
- Close the document. You can save changes or close without saving changes.