◆ Acrobat · combine

Combine Case Files

Combine the field notes pages, photos, and instrument logs into one PDF archive file and check that image captions and…

2ready prompts
1real task
3roles

When to use it

real situations

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one
AExecute — “help me do it”Combine the field notes pages, photos, and instrument logs into one PDF archive file and check…+
Combine the field notes pages, photos, and instrument logs into one PDF archive file and check that image captions and timestamps are preserved before I add it to the case file.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.
BImprove — “do it better”Make the archive file review-ready: order pages by site visit, add brief captions with time and…+
Make the archive file review-ready: order pages by site visit, add brief captions with time and instrument ID to each photo, and include a one-page index listing file sources and original formats so the case folder is traceable without opening every attachment.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid
  1. 1

    Open Adobe Acrobat.

  2. 2

    Go to File > Combine Files.

  3. 3

    Click Add Files and select the PDF files you want to merge.

  4. 4

    Arrange the files in your desired order by dragging and dropping them within the list.

  5. 5

    Click Combine to merge the selected files into a single PDF document.

  6. 6

    Save the new combined PDF to your preferred location.

You can preview and reorder files before combining to ensure the final PDF is in the correct sequence.

This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.

Glossary

words on this page
Combine FilesAn Acrobat feature that puts multiple documents or images into a single PDF.ExampleYou use this Acrobat feature to gather several reports and images into one PDF.
BookmarksLinks in a PDF that let you jump to different sections, like a table of contents.ExampleThe document's bookmarks allowed us to quickly navigate between different sections of the report.
APIA way for different software to talk to each other automatically.ExampleAn online store uses an API to automatically send shipping details to a delivery service.

The real tasks

the one, listed here
Combine separate pages of field notes, photos, and instrument logs into one file before I archive the case file.

Who does this

3 roles
Office AdministratorLegal AssistantAcademic Coordinator

FAQ

about this task
  1. When combining files, make sure 'Preserve Bookmarks' is turned on.
  2. This will create a top-level bookmark for each original file you added.
  3. These bookmarks act like a table of contents, helping you quickly jump to different sections within your new combined PDF.

The order of files matters because Adobe Acrobat merges them from top to bottom. If you want your documents to appear in a specific sequence in the final PDF, you must arrange them correctly before clicking 'Combine'.

No, if your original files had printed page numbers, the combined PDF will show page number restarts for each new original file. To fix this, you will need to add continuous page numbers to the combined PDF after it is created. This ensures all pages have a single, flowing numbering sequence.

Yes, the Combine Files feature in Adobe Acrobat lets you add many different types of files. You can include Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, images, web pages, and existing PDFs into one new PDF document. This makes it very flexible for gathering various materials.

It's a good idea to keep your original files for a few days after combining them. This is because if you find a mistake in the combined PDF or need to change the order, you can easily re-merge the original files without having to recreate them. It saves time and effort if you need to make adjustments.

Sources

where this comes from
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