Editor Workflow

How to use this docs page

This page is meant to answer one operational stage of the DullyPDF workflow well enough that you can run a controlled test without guessing. Read the sections below, validate the behavior against one representative document, and only then move to the next linked page.

That order matters because most setup failures come from mixing detection, mapping, fill validation, and sharing into one unstructured pass. A narrower review loop keeps troubleshooting faster and makes the template easier to trust once you save it for reuse.

Three-panel model

• Overlay is best for spatial review and direct manipulation.
• Browser is best for scanning, filtering, and page jumping.
• Field Editor is best for precise metadata and geometry edits.
• The Browser and Field Editor headers both expose a right-aligned Usage Docs button that opens this Editor Workflow page in a new browser tab/window.
• Both side panels keep description text in collapsible rows so the working controls stay compact.
• Display presets are Review, Edit, and Fill, with manual toggles forFields, Names, Info, All, and Clear.
• The Browser controls show a compact Page Fields count, and the header includes a Top action for returning to the start of the scrollable panel.

Review, Edit, and Fill modes

The display presets change which editor layer is active. Use them as a workflow switch, not as permanent template metadata.

• Review shows field overlays and names so you can scan detection quality, naming, page assignment, and confidence without moving geometry by accident.
• Edit is the default cleanup mode. It enables transform controls for moving and resizing fields, then pairs with the Field Editor for exact metadata and coordinate edits.
• Fill shows interactive field controls on the PDF so you can enter or validate values before saving, downloading, publishing, or running Search & Fill.
• Manual toggles can create a custom visibility state when a preset is close but not exact enough for the current review pass.

Editing actions

• Enable Transform mode to show resize handles while editing fields on the PDF.
• Transform and Info are mutually exclusive to prevent drag/input conflicts.
• Edit preset is the default when a form opens.
• Moving and resizing are only available while Transform is on.
• Drag fields to move and use handles to resize while Transform is enabled.
• Corner handles follow standard freeform resize behavior by default (independent width/height).
• Hold Shift while dragging a corner to preserve aspect ratio for that drag.
• Standard fields expose four corners plus middle edge handles; small fields (for example tiny checkboxes) use a single bottom-right handle.
• Small fields also include a larger move hit area to reduce missed drag attempts.
• Use Field Editor create tools to draw text, signature, checkbox, and radio fields directly on-canvas, including quick-radio helpers for common single-select groups.
• DullyPDF-only create tools include Image, PDF417, 1D Code 128, and QR Code helpers.
• Activating a create tool exits Transform and Info so drawing gestures stay deterministic.
• Turning the create tool off restores the previous viewer mode and visibility toggles.
• Click once to place a default-size field, or drag past the click threshold to size the field from the gesture.
• Use Field Editor inputs for exact x/y/width/height updates.
• Delete invalid candidates one by one, or use the Field Editor bulk-delete action when you want to reset the field set and start over.
• Geometry is clamped to page bounds and type-based minimum sizes.
• If a selected field is hidden by active filters, use Reveal selected in the list panel.

PDF tools

• The workspace header exposes PDF Tools with a Manage Pages action for source-PDF page changes.
• Manage Pages stages delete, reorder, rotate, and insert-from-PDF changes before it rewrites the active PDF.
• Compress / Optimize PDF applies lossless backend cleanup, object-stream rewriting, and stream/font/image deflate without intentionally lowering image quality.
• Deleting a source page removes fields on that page. Reordering a source page moves that page's fields with it.
• Rotating a source page also rotates the field rectangles on that page so overlays stay aligned with the new page orientation.
• Inserted pages start without detected fields. Add fields manually or rerun the broader template workflow when those pages need detection.
• After page changes, DullyPDF refreshes the active PDF bytes and creates a fresh backend session when possible so Rename/Map can continue against the updated document.

Calculation fields

• Number Input creates an integer text field that users or data sources can fill.
• Calculated Output creates a read-only text field whose value comes from a DullyPDF formula.
• Formulas are built from numeric field references, constants, unary minus, and +, -, *, and /. DullyPDF stores the formula model, not user-authored JavaScript.
• The calculation setup dialog includes a Usage Docs button that opens this section in a new browser tab/window.
• Use Add Field to equation to append a selected numeric field to the equation builder.
• The setup dialog blocks missing dependencies, invalid operators, and dependency cycles before the formula is saved.
• Editable PDFs include generated Acrobat calculation actions for Adobe compatibility, but DullyPDF also precomputes the visible value before export.
• For completed records, use a flat PDF when the recipient does not need to keep editing live fields.

DullyPDF-only helpers

• Image, PDF417, 1D Code 128, and QR Code helpers are template helpers, not native AcroForm widget types.
• Editable downloads preserve those helpers as readonly text marker fields so DullyPDF can restore them when the PDF is reopened.
• The first marker line is the helper code, the middle lines hold the image name or encoded barcode payload, and the last line is a short readonly type label: (IMAGE), (PDF417), (1D), or (QR).
• DullyPDF converts helpers back from the helper code and payload. The short type label is only there so people can recognize the readonly marker field.
• Flat downloads, Fill By Link response downloads, and API Fill outputs stamp the final image, PDF417, Code 128, or QR visual into the PDF page content.

Ten-minute cleanup order

1. Review low-confidence detections and obvious false positives first.
2. Fix page assignment, geometry, and field type mistakes before naming cleanup.
3. Normalize names and group metadata once the field set is visually stable.
4. Run one Search & Fill validation pass before deciding the template is done.

Recommended quality loop

1. Filter low confidence items first.
2. Normalize field naming patterns.
3. Validate page assignments and dimensions.
4. Run a Search & Fill trial row and inspect final output.

History and clear behavior

• Undo/redo depth is 10 edits.
• Clear removes meaningful field values and resets them to null.
• Workspace edits update the editor state immediately, while the PDF bytes are rewritten when you save or download.
• For booleans, only true values are considered filled for clear-state checks.
• Header OpenAI actions surface prerequisite hints when disabled to reduce trial-and-error clicks.

Keyboard shortcuts

• Ctrl/Cmd+Z: undo
• Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Z or Ctrl/Cmd+Y: redo
• Delete, Backspace, or Ctrl/Cmd+X: delete selected field
• T / S / C / R / Q: activate Text/Signature/Checkbox/Radio/Quick Radio create tools
• Esc: clear active create tool
• Ctrl/Cmd+F or /: focus field search
• [ and ]: previous/next page
• Arrow: move selected field by the configured step when Arrow keys movement is enabled
• Alt+Arrow: nudge selected field by 1 point
• Shift+Alt+Arrow: nudge selected field by 10 points
• Ctrl/Cmd+0: reset zoom to 100%
• Shift (during corner drag): temporary aspect-ratio lock