Can PDFs be processed automatically in a folder?
Yes. With Tools > Watched folders in PDF by Zaweba, every PDF you drop into a folder goes through an Action, with results in Processed and originals kept.
Yes. PDF by Zaweba has Tools > Watched folders: you choose a folder and an Action, and while the app is open, each PDF put into that folder is run through the Action automatically. The result lands in a Processed folder and the original is moved into an Originals folder, so nothing is lost.
This is sometimes called a hot folder. It turns a chore you would otherwise repeat by hand into something that just happens, whether the files come from a scanner, a colleague or your own downloads.
How a watched folder works
A watched folder is paired with an Action, which is a saved list of steps. The steps can remove hidden information, sanitise, reduce size, protect, remove security, flatten, turn or delete pages, find and redact, set document details, calculate fields, or export text, Word or pictures. Built-in Actions include Prepare for distribution, Optimise scanned documents, Prepare for web publishing and Make accessible.
When a PDF arrives in the folder, the app runs that Action on it, saves the finished file in Processed, and puts the untouched original in Originals. You can look in either folder at any time to see what has been done.
There's one condition: the app has to be open. Watching happens while PDF by Zaweba is running, so if you close it at the end of the day, files dropped in overnight wait until you open it again.
Good jobs for a watched folder
A scanner that saves into a folder is the classic case. Link that folder to Optimise scanned documents and every scan gets tidied as it arrives, with no need to remember to do it.
Another is sending files out. If you regularly email PDFs to clients, a folder linked to Prepare for distribution means you save the file there, and a cleaned copy is waiting in Processed a moment later. The same idea works for making smaller copies for a website with Prepare for web publishing.
In a small office, a shared folder that runs Make accessible can catch documents before they are published, although someone should still check the alternate text by hand.
Setting one up well
Build and test the Action first, on a single open document, from Tools > Actions. Once it does exactly what you want, link it to the folder in Tools > Watched folders. Testing first is far better than finding out on the fiftieth file that a step was in the wrong place.
Use a folder that is only for this. If the watched folder is also where you keep other PDFs, they will be processed too. A new, clearly named folder avoids surprises.
Keep an eye on Originals at first. It's your safety net while you are getting used to the setup, and you can always run a file through again if the Action needed a tweak.
Watched folders and batches
For a one-off pile of files, you don't need a watched folder. Tools > Actions can run on a list of files or a whole folder in one go, then stop. Watched folders are for the steady trickle, the files that will keep coming next week and the week after.
Both run offline. Nothing goes to a server, which is reassuring when the documents are invoices, contracts or anything personal.
So yes, PDFs can be processed the moment they land in a folder. Set up the Action once, point a watched folder at it, and leave PDF by Zaweba open while you work.
