Technical FAQs

Question

We are converting emails into PDFs using PrizmDoc. When the PDF is viewed in PrizmDoc, if you hover over the names in the email header, you see a mailto link that provides the email address.

Is there a way to remove those links during the conversion process? We wish to ensure there are no email addresses present in the PDFs.

Answer

To work around this issue, you can first convert the email (MSG) to a TIFF file. This will remove the links and just keep the name of the email recipient. Then convert the TIFF file to a searchable PDF.

This workaround requires that your PrizmDoc license has the OCR option enabled to create the searchable PDF. If you do not need to make the text searchable, then you can just convert the TIFF to a PDF.

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Watch our webinar to discover how PrizmDoc, leveraging IBM watsonx.ai, can revolutionize your document workflows. Learn how AI-powered features streamline document management, boost development speed, and enhance security in Enterprise Content Management (ECM) applications. Whether you’re looking to improve eDiscovery or automate document processing, this session will provide valuable insights into how cutting-edge AI can give your business a competitive edge. 

 

To learn more about how Accusoft’s PrizmDoc can provide the document management features you need, visit our PrizmDoc page or talk to one of our integration specialists.

 

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Question

I have EML and MSG files that contain attachments. I want to combine the original EML/MSG document with each of its attachments into a single PDF. How can I do this?

Answer

To do this you are going to need to create a viewing session for the EML or MSG file. Once you’ve created the viewing session you can get the viewingSessionIds of the attachments. Once you have the viewingSessionIds you can get the workFile ID associated with each viewing session. With the workfile IDs you can use the Content Conversion Service (CCS) to combine the email with its attachments into a single PDF.

Use the following API requests to do this:

Create a new viewing session with:

POST {server_base_url}/PCCIS/V1/ViewingSession 

This will give you a viewingSessionId which will be used in future requests.

The body for this request will be JSON:

    {
        "render": {
            "html5": {
                "alwaysUseRaster": false
            }
        }
    }

Upload the document with:

PUT {server_base_url}/PCCIS/V1/ViewingSession/u{viewingSessionId}/SourceFile?FileExtension={extension} 

The request body must be bytes of the source document. Make sure to include the FileExtension or PrizmDoc won’t be able to detect the file as an EML or MSG file.

Poll for and get the viewingSessionIds of the attachments with: 

GET {server_base_url}/PCCIS/V1/ViewingSession/u{viewingSessionId}/Attachments

This will return the viewingSessionIds for each of the attachments.

Get the workfile ID for each of the viewing sessions with:

GET {server_base_url}/PCCIS/V1/ViewingSession/u{viewingSessionId}/FileId

You’ll need to get a fileId for each attachment’s viewingSession and the email’s viewingSession.

With those workfile IDs, you can use the Content Conversion Service (CCS) to combine each of the workfiles with:

POST {server_base_url}v2/contentConverters

The body for this request will be JSON and need to include the workfileId for each of the attachments and the email itself. The body would look like this:

    {
        "input": {
            "sources": [
                { 
                    "fileId": "{EmailWorkFileId}"
                },
                { 
                    "fileId": "{Attachment1WorkFileId}"
                },
                { 
                    "fileId": "{Attachment2WorkFileId}"
                }
                
            ],
            "dest": {
                "format": "pdf"
            }
        }
    }

This will return a processId that you can poll using:

GET /v2/contentConverters/{processId}

Once the process is complete, the request will return a results array that will contain the fileId of the final document.

You can get the final document that contains all the attachments and original EML/MSG file combined into a single PDF with:

GET /PCCIS/V1/WorkFile/{fileId}
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Today’s applications need tremendous versatility when it comes to document management. Developers are expected to deliver tools that can handle multiple file types and have the ability to share them securely with internal users and people outside the organization. As more companies transition to remote-first work environments, online (and secure) collaboration tools are becoming a must-have feature. One of the major challenges facing developers is how to adapt existing document technologies and practices to an increasingly interconnected environment without creating additional risks.

Rendering and Conversion Challenges of Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office (MSO) files have long presented problems for organizations looking for greater flexibility when it comes to viewing and marking up documents. This stems in part from the widespread reliance on the Office software itself, which held a staggering 87.5 percent share of the productivity software market according to a 2019 Gartner estimate. Companies of all sizes across multiple industries rely on programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but there are many instances where they would like to be able to share those documents without also surrendering control of the source files.

The challenge here is twofold. On the one hand, if an organization shares an MSO file with a client or vendor, there’s no guarantee that the recipient will be able to view it properly. They may not have access to Office, in which case they can’t open the file at all, or they may be using an outdated version of the software. While they may still be able to open and view the file, it may not display as originally intended if it uses features not included in previous editions of Office.

On the other hand, however, sharing files outside a secure application environment always creates additional risk. Microsoft Office documents are notoriously attractive targets for hackers seeking to embed malicious code into files, and older, unpatched versions of the software contain numerous known vulnerabilities. Sharing MSO files with an outside party could quickly result in the file being exposed to a compromised machine or network. There’s also a question of version control and privacy, as a downloaded file could easily be copied, edited, or even distributed without authorization.

Unfortunately, it has proved quite difficult to natively render MSO documents in another application. Anyone who has had the misfortune of trying to view or edit a DOCX file in Google Docs will understand the challenges involved. While it’s certainly possible to render MSO files in a different application, the end result is often a little off the mark. Fonts may be rendered incorrectly, formatting could be slightly (or drastically) off, and entire document elements (such as tables, text fields, or images) could be lost if the application doesn’t know how to render them properly.

Rendering MSO Files Natively with PrizmDoc Viewer

As a fully-featured HTML5 viewing integration, Accusoft’s PrizmDoc Viewer can be deployed as an MSO file viewer that renders them like any other document type. However, this doesn’t provide a true native viewing experience, which many businesses require for various compliance reasons. Fortunately, the PrizmDoc Server’s Content Conversion Service (CCS) allows applications to natively render MSO documents with a simple API call.

The MSO rendering feature allows PrizmDoc to communicate directly with an installed version of Microsoft Office, which ensures that every element of the file is rendered accurately within the HTML5 viewer. For example, a DOCX file opened in Microsoft Word should look identical to the same document rendered within an application by PrizmDoc Viewer. Once the document is accurately rendered, it can be shared with other users inside or outside an organization. This allows people to view and even markup MSO files without the original source file ever having to leave the secure application environment. It’s an ideal solution for reducing security risks and eliminating the possibility of version confusion.

Converting Additional MSO File Elements

In many instances, organizations need to share MSO files that have already been marked up or commented upon. This could include Word documents with multiple tracked changes or PowerPoint slides with extensive speaker notes. Those additional markups could be important elements that need to be shared or reviewed, so it’s critical to include them during the conversion and rendering process.

Using the server’s CCS, PrizmDoc Viewer can convert Word documents with accepted or rejected markup changes when converting the file into a different format (such as converting an MSO file to PDF) or rendering it for viewing in the application itself. The same capabilities extend to PowerPoint presentations with speaker notes. When converting these MSO files, the outputted version can consist of slides only or include the speaker notes along with them.

These conversion and rendering capabilities provide developers tremendous flexibility when they’re integrating viewing features into their applications. They can easily deploy them to help their customers collaborate and share MSO files without having to remove them from a secure environment. It’s also a winning feature for end users, who don’t need to worry about downloading files or having access to the latest version of Microsoft Office.

Improve Your Document Capabilities with PrizmDoc Viewer

With its extensive file conversion, redaction, and annotation capabilities, Accusoft’s PrizmDoc Viewer is an essential integration for any document management platform that requires an MSO file viewer. It provides support for dozens of file types to give applications the flexibility needed to meet the demands of today’s complex workflows and improve efficiency. As an HTML5 viewer, it can be integrated into any web-based solution with minimal development effort, which frees up valuable resources developers need to focus on the innovative features that will help set their applications apart in a competitive market.

To learn more about PrizmDoc Viewer’s robust feature set, have a look at our detailed fact sheet. If you’re ready to see what our HTML5 viewer will look like within your application environment, download a free trial and start integrating features right away.

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Question

Some of our users using Google Chrome have been reporting that PDF document loading and page rendering is extraordinarily slow. This is making the workflow unusable. What could have caused this issue to start occurring?

Answer

An issue was discovered in Google Chrome 71 that was causing this issue. The issue was resolved in Google Chrome 72 (released in Jan 2019).

If you are experiencing this PDF loading issue with PrizmDoc, and you are using the Google Chrome browser, please verify that you are using the latest stable version here:
https://www.google.com/chrome/

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Question

Why do the fonts in my document look different when rendered in PrizmDoc?

Answer

There are times when a document was created on a machine where a user installed a non-standard font (e.g., Maestro-Regular). When the document is viewed on another system, without that font installed, the text will look different.

PrizmDoc uses the fonts installed on the server where it is running when converting the document. If the document has a non-standard font, and the font is not installed on the server where PrizmDoc is running, then it will render the document with a default font.

To fix the issue, you need to install the font onto the PrizmDoc server that converted the document. The procedure below outlines how to install the font on a Windows server. You will need to ensure that you are logged in as the same UserId that the Prizm Service is using.

  1. Identify the name of the font that needs to be installed and download the font file associated with that font. The font file name will typically be in the format of fontname.ttf.
  2. Copy the .ttf file to the server running PrizmDoc.
  3. On the server, right-click the .ttf file and select Install from the menu.
  4. Stop all of the Prizm services.
  5. Clear all folders under \Prizm\Cache – this will clear the previously rendered files that had the wrong font rendered.
  6. Reboot the server and attempt to open the document again.
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PrizmDoc is a powerful API-based integration that enables developers to incorporate powerful document viewing features into their applications. By offloading document viewing to the end user’s device, PrizmDoc’s Hybrid Viewing feature can save server resources by up to 30% and improve overall performance. Let’s take a look at how Hybrid Viewing works and how it can benefit your application.

How Does Hybrid Viewing Work?

Accusoft’s technical team works hard to incorporate customer feedback and develop state-of-the-art features that cater to businesses of all sizes. PrizmDoc’s Hybrid Viewing feature showcases their commitment to delivering innovative technology that meets customer needs and takes their applications to the next level.

PrizmDoc Hybrid Viewing works by offloading much of the processing workload associated with document viewing from the server to the end user’s device. This reduces server strain as well as improves overall performance since the client-side device doesn’t need to communicate with the server for every action taken in the viewer. 

How Can I Benefit from Using Hybrid Viewing?

PrizmDoc’s Hybrid Viewing feature is a game-changer for organizations looking to improve their document viewing capabilities. By offloading the document viewing functions to the user’s device, Hybrid Viewing can save up to 30% in server resources while simultaneously improving their viewing performance. This technique not only streamlines the process but also frees up resources, allowing businesses to allocate their resources and focus on other vital areas.

Reducing server utilization by 30% can quickly translate into huge cost savings for applications with heavy document viewing workloads. Since most of the viewing is handled by the end user’s device, there’s also no need to download and save files to view them at a later time.

What Are Some of The Other Benefits of Hybrid Viewing?

Another benefit of Hybrid Viewing is the ability to process, view, and manage multiple documents faster by diverting workloads to local, client-side devices. As more document processing is handled locally rather than server-side, the performance of the viewing process improves significantly. This means that users can work with documents more efficiently and effectively, saving time and increasing productivity.

Hybrid Viewing also makes scaling viewing capacity across multiple users less resource intensive for industries with high-volume workloads. With the processing work being done on the end user’s device, the server can handle a greater number of requests without becoming overloaded. This means that businesses and organizations can scale their document management systems with less investment in additional hardware or infrastructure. By reducing the need for server-side processing, Hybrid Viewing provides a cost-effective solution for businesses looking to expand their document management capabilities.

Finally, Hybrid Viewing has the capability to convert all file types into ready-to-view PDFs. This not only reduces server load but also minimizes storage requirements. By converting all file types into PDFs, businesses can streamline their document management systems and reduce the amount of storage space required. This feature is particularly useful for organizations with large volumes of documents, as it helps to optimize document storage and retrieval processes.

Reduce Server Workloads by 30% with Hybrid Viewing

PrizmDoc’s Hybrid Viewing feature is an excellent solution for developers who want to offer their clients faster, more reliable document viewing experiences without having to worry about runaway server costs or sacrificing quality of service. By offloading document processing to client-side devices, applications can save up to 30% in valuable server resources that can be dedicated to other priorities. Hybrid Viewing also allows users to access and load documents faster without sacrificing other PrizmDoc features like annotation, redaction, and watermarking.

If you’re looking for a powerful yet cost-effective way to provide your customers with an exceptional viewing experience while minimizing server utilization, start your free PrizmDoc trial to see how Hybrid Viewing can enhance your application.

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Join us for an engaging webinar with Dan Lee, Senior Product Manager at Accusoft, as we unravel the potential of AI for revolutionizing document management within your ECM.

 

Key Insights to be Discussed:

  • Document Automation with AI
    Learn how AI technologies can streamline document-related tasks, such as data extraction, classification, and indexing
  • Document Search and Retrieval Enhancement
    Discover the transformative power of AI-driven semantic search, enhancing document navigation and boosting decision-making and productivity.
  • Security and Compliance
    Explore how AI plays a pivotal role in bolstering document security and ensuring compliance with industry regulations.

This webinar will delve into real-world cases showcasing PrizmDoc AI Integrations for PII identification within documents.

Key Take-Aways:

  • How to configure PrizmDoc AI to identify PII in documents in your environment
  • How to use PrizmDoc AI for PII detection
  • Understanding of potential future PrizmDoc AI Integrations to further streamline your document workflow

Don’t miss this opportunity to shape the future of document management with AI.

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Question

In PrizmDoc, my document appears to be small on the page relative to the viewer. How can I fix this?

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Answer

By default, PrizmDoc renders a PDF file according to the MediaBox, which is normally the same as CropBox, though sometimes this is not the case. The larger area you see in the PrizmDoc Viewer is the size of the MediaBox. Please note that the product provides the fileTypes.pdf.pageBoundaries control option (or useCropBox in the older versions) to change the default behavior. Try setting the option to cropBox in the Central Configuration File in order to get the PDF content rendered according to the CropBox. You can read more about configuring image frame rendering in our documentation here.

For additional reading, see 7.7.3.3 on “User Space” of Adobe’s PDF 1.7 specification:

https://www.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/en/devnet/pdf/pdfs/PDF32000_2008.pdf

Note: In some older versions of PrizmDoc, there exists an issue where setting the pageBoundaries field to cropBox can cause light blurring/distorting on the page. This issue was addressed in version 13.4.

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Over the last few years, codemantra has focused on developing document processing capabilities to enhance its core document management systems. The multifaceted collectionPoint platform leverages the power of machine learning to extract data and integrate with business applications such as LMS solutions, ERP software, and CRM systems. However, in order to maximize collectionPoint’s document flexibility, codemantra needed the right integrations to manage and edit PDF documents. Rather than devoting additional development resources to building a viewing solution in-house, the codemantra team instead conducted a thorough review of multiple third-party integrations to find the ideal match for collectionPoint. Find out why they chose PrizmDoc® for Java, formerly VirtualViewer®.

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