Batch compare documents

PDFs don't need to be open in Revu when you run the process. If a document is open in Revu, any changes resulting from the process are made to the document, but the document won't be saved or checked in (if relevant); you must save and check in the document manually. If a document isn't open in Revu, and it isn't checked out/locked by another user, Revu applies and saves the document changes automatically (without opening the document).

In most cases, the Revu auto-matching function successfully matches current sheets with their revisions, but if a consistent naming convention is in place and the auto-matching function doesn't deliver satisfactory results, you can add your own syntax to the matching algorithm. If that doesn't work or isn't an option, manual correlation is always available. See Auto-Matching for examples of auto-matching in the batch features.

1. Go to Batch > Compare Documents.

2. To add PDFs to the Current Pages and Revised Pages lists, select the appropriate option from the Add dropdown menu:
• Add Files: Select this option to navigate to the desired files on either a local or network drive. This option is the default when you select Add .
• Add Open Files: Select this option to add all PDFs currently open in Revu.
• Add Folder: Select this option to add all PDFs in a selected folder, but none of the PDFs in any of its subfolders.
• Add Folder (include subfolders): Select this option to add all PDFs in a selected folder and all PDFs in any of its subfolders.
3. Select the method by which these documents should be matched from the Match Pages By dropdown menu:
   • File Name, Page Index: Automatically matches documents by file name, then by page index.
   • Page Label: Automatically matches documents using predefined page labels.

   • Page Region: Uses the text found within user-defined regions of the first PDF listed in Current Pages to automatically match documents. To define the page region, follow these steps:

     1. Select Select to replace the dialog with a crosshair cursor.

     2. Drag to define a region within the PDF.

        The data in this region should be located in the same place on each PDF. After you define the region, the AutoMark dialog appears.
        
        

     3. To add another region:
        1. Select Add to replace the dialog with a crosshair cursor.
        2. Drag to define another region, which is added to the Selection field in the AutoMark dialog.
        You may add as many regions as you need. Review the sample page label displayed under Preview. If desired, select the Selection field to add text before, after, or between [Regions].
     4. After you define all regions, select OK to close the AutoMark dialog and return to the previous dialog.
        AutoMark is most suitable for documents that are vector-based, are the same size and have the same registration. AutoMark might not work as expected if the pages are different sizes, if some of the pages are not searchable, or if the scans are not properly registered.

   • Manual Correlation: Skips the auto-matching process. Select this option to match documents manually on the next screen.

     Pages must be matched to be included in the next part of the process. If one of the auto-matching options is selected and matches can't be found for one or more pages, they won't be included. This note doesn't apply to Manual Correlation, which carries all pages forward.

4. For each of the Match Pages By options except Manual Correlation, you can define an advanced filter for more control over the auto-matching process. To do so, select Advanced and enter the desired Match Filter. See Advanced Match Options for more information.

5. To save this batch for future use, select Save Batch. Files are saved in a BCX format and can be opened later by Batch Compare, Batch Overlay and Batch Slip Sheet.

6. Click Match to run the appropriate matching process (as determined by the Match Pages By selection above) and to advance to the next screen of the Batch: Compare Documents wizard.

   

7. To pair a page with a different page, click and drag it to the desired position.
8. To remove a page from either list, select the file and click Remove.
9. To change the comparison settings, click Advanced. See Advanced Comparison Options for more information.
10. To change the folder in which the comparison documents will be saved, click the button to the right of Output Folder and select the desired folder.
11. To return to the previous screen, click Back.
12. Click OK to advance to the next screen of the Batch: Compare Documents wizard.
    If you selected Manual Correlation as the Match Pages By option on the previous screen and one or more pages are not paired, they are automatically discarded.

    

13. Review the Summary information provided, which includes the pages that were compared, the number of differences found, and the name of the comparison document that was created for each page pair.

14. To generate a report of the Summary information, follow these steps:
    1. Select Create detailed report.
    2. Choose PDF or CSV under Format.
    3. To change the folder in which the report will be saved, select the button to the right of Output Folder and select the desired folder.
    4. Enter a name for the report in the File name field.
    5. To overwrite an existing file with the same name in the selected folder, select Overwrite Existing File.
    6. To open the file once it's been created, select Open File After Creation.

    7. Select Settings to set additional reporting options. The options available vary depending on what kind of report is being generated:

       PDF

       • Create Hyperlinks: When enabled, the report includes hyperlinks to the current, revised, and unmatched pages, and to the marked up PDF that highlights the differences between them.
       • Stamp Date and Stamp Time: When enabled, adds that information to the footer of the report.
       • Page Size and Orientation: Sets the page size and orientation of the report.

       CSV

       • Create Hyperlinks: When enabled, the report includes hyperlinks to the current, revised, and unmatched pages.
       • Include Column Headers: When enabled, the file includes automatically generated column headers in the comparison report.

15. Click OK.

Advanced Match Options lets you define a custom Match Filter that is used to precisely match pages during the auto-match process.

Wildcard Syntax:

*	Represents zero or more characters that are not a number
#	Represents a series of characters that form a number
;	Separator for specifying multiple filters
?	Represents a series of alphabetic letters
\	Escape character to treat above characters as literal

All other characters are literal.

An assumed * wildcard always precedes the string. For instance, A#;C# is implied as *A#;*C#.

Spaces count as literal characters. Don’t put a space after a semicolon, or the filter will include it.

Use the Advanced Comparison Options to fine tune the document comparison process. Bluebeam recommends that you use the provided Comparison and Rendering settings and change these settings only if the document comparison process doesn't appear to detect differences.

Revu provides three default comparison configurations: Printed Documents (same printer), Printed Documents (different printer) and Scanned Documents. Each configuration includes preconfigured settings. You can change the settings of any of the default configurations or create a custom Type by selecting <New Custom>.

To permanently change the settings of the current configuration, select Save. In the Save Document Comparison Settings dialog, enter a name for this configuration. If you are changing the settings of a default configuration, you can save it under the default, auto-populated name, or you can change it and create a new configuration.

Revu provides the following Advanced Comparison Options:

Markup Options

• Enter a name for the difference annotations (for example, "Differences 5-7-14") in the Subject field, if desired. Naming annotations lets you easily group the difference annotations on the Markups list by sorting by Subject. You can create a series of difference comparisons over time to provide a change history.
• Set the Color, Fill Color, Opacity and Width to determine the appearance of the markups to be used to annotate differences found during the comparison.
• If cloud markups should be used, select Cloud.
• If the annotations should be locked when you place them, select Locked.

Comparison Options

• The comparison process divides the document into a region of grids for comparison.
• Grid Size defines the size of the individual grid segments used for comparison. These regions are then inspected for different pixels to identify as a differing region.
• Pixel Density controls the threshold for differences in a particular area (defined by the Grid Size) when detecting differences.
• Color Sensitivity helps to determine the threshold at which pixel differences will be determined. A lower sensitivity setting won't detect as many differences as a higher sensitivity setting.
  This setting works in conjunction with the Pixel Proximity Allowance. Increase this value to check adjoining areas for similar pixels.
• DPI determines the resolution used to rasterize the PDFs. The default setting is 72. Set the value higher (144) if finer resolution is needed for the comparison.
• Set the Margin value to ignore regions around the borders of the PDFs being compared.
• By default, the comparison tool ignores existing markups on the documents, because these can already be easily located via the Markups list. Select Include Markups to override this behavior and render markups for comparison.
• While flattened markups become part of the content layer of a PDF, the comparison tool ignores those that have been flattened as "recoverable" by default. Select Include Flattened Markups to override this behavior.

Page Align Options

• Select Auto-alignment to automatically align the drawings or documents that are being compared. Auto-alignment is recommended for comparing scanned drawings.
• Enter values in the Offset setting if you know one document is offset from the document that is being compared.

To restore the included types to their default settings, select Restore Defaults.