Count Tool

The Count tool places a markup for each mouse click, associating a running total of counts with each markup as it is placed. It is somewhat similar to Sequences in the Tool Chest, except that it places a pre-configured (and usually less obtrusive) or customized symbol on the PDF and keeps a running tally, per page or Space, of each item counted, whereas Sequences count on the PDF, do not keep a running tally, and treat each markup placed separately rather than grouping them in the Markups list.

ClosedCounting Objects in a PDF
  1. Go to Tools > Measure > Count or press SHIFT+ALT+C. The Count measurement mode is engaged.
  2. Select the Properties panel and set the Count measurement's appearance, if desired.
    • Go to Window > Panels > Properties or press ALT+P to show the Properties panel if it is hidden.
    • This and other properties are also available on the Properties toolbar when a Count markup is selected.
  3. Click each object in the PDF to be counted.
  4. Press ESC after placing the last Count markup to stop counting.

Notes:

  • Counts that are in multiple Spaces or span multiple pages will automatically be grouped by Space or page in the Markups list. The option to split counts across multiple Spaces can be disabled in the Markup Preferences, if desired.
  • Custom Count symbols can be created from nearly any markup.
  • Counts can be manually split or merged.
  • Counts can be applied to the results of a VisualSearch.
  • Counts can have dimensions applied to them, allowing for convenient measurements of uniformly dimensioned elements like doors and windows. Enter dimensions like Height, Width, and Depth in the Measurements section on the Measurement panel or in the Markups list.
ClosedViewing a Running Total

In multi-page PDFs, Count measurement groups are automatically split up by Space or page. You can easily view the running total of any Count measurement by selecting it on the PDF. The corresponding entry in the Markups list will be highlighted automatically and the count total can be seen in the Count column.

Tip: To be able to get a count total across multiple groupings, give each group the same, easily identifiable Subject on the Properties panel and sort the Markups list by subject.

ClosedResuming a Count

Once a series of Count markups has been placed, starting a new Count will create a separate series. Sometimes, however, it is desirable to continue an existing Count. To do so:

  1. Right-click any of the markups in the desired Count series and select Resume Count.
  2. Click on the PDF to resume counting.
ClosedDeleting an Item from a Count

Individual Count measurements can be removed from a Count series, if desired. To do so, right-click on the markup in the Count series that you want to remove and select Delete '<count name>' from Group. To remove multiple counts at the same time, CTRL-click or use the Lasso tool to select them first. The Count series will be renumbered automatically.

ClosedSplitting or Merging Counts

Counts can be split into smaller groups or merged into larger ones.

ClosedSplitting a group

Groups can be split in parts by selecting specific count measurements to be split into a new group, or broken up into individual count measurements.

  1. Select the Count measurements to be split.
  2. Right-click one of the selected measurements and select the appropriate option:
    • Split Counts will split only the selected measurements.
    • Split All will split all the measurements in the group into individual Count measurements.
ClosedMerging counts

Merging counts will combine them into one, larger group.

  1. Select the Count measurements to be fused.
  2. Right-click one of the selected measurements and select Merge Counts. Bear in mind that all the counts being merged will assume the properties, including any associated Custom Columns in the Markups list, of the count that is right-clicked.
ClosedAdding an Action to a Count Measurement

You can add an action to nearly any markup. Simply right-click the markup and select Edit Action to open the Action dialog box.

ClosedCount Measurements and the Markups List

Running totals for Counts appear in the Count column of the Markups list. In addition, the style of built-in Count measurements is shown in the Color column.

Note that Count measurement groups are automatically split up by page or Space. Giving each of the groups the same, easily identifiable Subject on the Properties panel will make it easier to get a total across multiple pages; just sort the Markups list by Subject.

ClosedChanging a Count Measurement's Appearance

The appearance of a Count measurement is configurable, including the symbol used as well as its color, scale, and opacity.

To change the appearance of a Count measurement, select it and click the Properties panel. Go to Window > Panels > Properties or press ALT+P to show the Properties panel if it is hidden. Several properties will also be available on the Properties toolbar when the markup is selected.

ClosedCreating a Custom Count Symbol

Custom count symbols can be added to the Tool Chest.

To create a custom count symbol:

  1. Create a markup on the PDF that matches the desired symbol.
  2. Make desired appearance alterations on the Properties panel.
  3. Right-click the markup, then go to Add to Tool Chest and select a tool set.
  4. Right-click the new tool in the Tool Chest and select Create Count. The markup is duplicated as a count tool inside the same tool set. The new count tool can be moved to another tool set and used directly from the Tool Chest.
  5. To set default measurement dimensions for this custom count symbol, select it in the Tool Chest then make the desired changes on the Measurement panel.
ClosedAppearance Properties

Color: Sets the color of the Count symbol.

Opacity: Sets the opacity of the Count symbol from 0 (invisible) to 100 (opaque).

Symbol: Determines the symbol placed on the PDF to represent the Count.

Scale: Sets the size of the Count symbol.

Show Caption: Select to include caption text on the markup. Click Edit to choose which measurements to include.

Once Show Caption is enabled, the following properties to control the appearance of captions become available:

Font: Sets the font used for the selected text. Available fonts are divided into three regions:

  • The first region shows all fonts used in the currently selected text element.
  • The second region lists the standard PDF fonts that are supported by all PDF viewers. These fonts do not need to be embedded in the PDF when used, thereby cutting down on file size.
  • The third shows all other available fonts. When used, these fonts need to be embedded in the PDF.

Note: If you attempt to embed a font for which the viewing and editing permissions do not allow formatting, Revu will display a message indicating the font will not be embedded in the PDF.

Font parameters are retained in the PDF such that even if the original font is not embedded or on the viewer's workstation, a suitable representation of the font will be substituted.

Font Size: Sets the size of the font. While the list shows sizes ranging from 2 to 72, font sizes between 1 to 144 points are supported; just enter the desired size manually. Also, values with up to one digit after the decimal point can be used.

Text Color: Sets the color of text.

Font Style: These settings control the formatting of the text. Options include Bold, Italic, Underline, and Strikethrough. Generally, any combination of these styles can be applied to format the text.

Related topics

Measurements Panel

Sequences