PDF/A-3 Attachments

The PDF/A-3 Attachments task is used to add external files as attachments to a PDF/A-3 job file, or to attach files - the job file and/or other files - to an external PDF/A-3 file. Optionally, some e-invoicing metadata can be added.

Several e-invoicing standards, such as ZUGFeRD in Germany and Factur-X in France, require the (XML) invoice data to be attached to a PDF/A-3 file.
PDF/A-3 files with attachments can also be used for hybrid archiving: the PDF/A serves as the version that is suitable for long term storage, and alternate forms and/or the source document can be added as attachments.

Licensing

This plugin requires the OL Connect Workflow Imaging license.
Workflow Imaging is an add-on license bundle for OL Connect Workflow that includes the Image and Fax plugins; see About PlanetPress Image and About PlanetPress Fax.

Without a valid Imaging license, the plugin will fail with an error. In the trial version, the plugin will work, but the resulting PDF file be watermarked.

Input

This task accepts any job file as input.

If the job file is the target file to which the attachments must be added, it should be a PDF/A-3 file. Note, however, that the task doesn't verify that the input file is PDF/A-3 compliant.

Processing

The task reads each of the files that are listed as attachments and adds it to the target PDF with the name that was specified for that attachment.

The target file can be either the job file or an external PDF/A-3 file.

The job file can also be used as one of the attachments.

Output

This task outputs the target PDF/A-3 file, with the attachments added to it, as the job file.

Properties

General Tab

• Target PDF/A-3: Specify the file to which the attachments and (optional) metadata must be added.

  • Job file: When this option is checked the attachments are added to the current job file. The job file should be PDF/A-3 compliant.
  • External file: Adds the attachments to an external file. Use the Browse button to select a PDF/A-3 compliant file.
    Note that the task doesn't verify that the target file is PDF/A-3 compliant. If it is a PDF file that is non-PDF/A-3 compliant, the task will add the attachments to it, but it will not convert the file into a PDF/A-3 compliant file.

• Attachments: Specify which files should be attached to the target file. Use the buttons at the bottom to add and delete attachments and to change their order.
  

  All of the Attachments properties can be variable (see Variable task properties). You can right-click on a field to open the contextual menu and select variables, data, and lookup functions. The property will be dynamically determined whenever the process runs.

  • Filename: The file that should be used as an attachment.
    You can enter %F to attach the current job file to the target file (see System variables).

    The target file cannot be attached to itself.

  • Attachment Name: The name by which the attached file will go in the target file. If you want it to have a file extension, include that in the attachment name.
    

    If the target PDF already has an attachment with the same name, the existing attachment will be replaced without any error.

  • Mime Type: Enter the mime type of the attachment, e.g. text/xml, image/gif.
  • Relationship: Specifies what the attachment is in relation to the (entire) PDF document:
    • Alternative: An alternative representation of the PDF document; for instance, an XML version of the invoice in the PDF.
    • Data: Data that is visually represented in the PDF; a CSV file with the detail lines of the invoice, for example.
    • Source: The source that the PDF was created from. If the target PDF was created from a Word file, that Word file would be the source.
    • Supplement: A supplemental representation of the PDF content or data.
    • Unspecified: The relationship is not known or cannot be described using one of the other values.

e-Invoicing metadata Tab

Optionally, the PDF/A-3 file can be extended with metadata that describe the PDF as an invoice that conforms to a certain standard. This is either the ZUGFeRD 1.0 or the Factur-X/ZUGFeRD 2.0 standard.

The plugin doesn't verify that the resulting PDF/A-3 file and attachment conform to the chosen standard; it is up to you to ensure that it does.

• Add PDF/A-3 conforming metadata: Check this option to add XMP metadata to the PDF/A-3 file.
• Extension schema: Select the standard to which the PDF and the XML invoice data conform. The standard's extension schema specifies which properties should be added as metadata.
• Uri: The value of the namespace URI in the selected extension schema (read-only).
•  Properties:
  • The DocumentFileName, DocumentType and Version are read-only.
  • ConformanceLevel: Each standard specifies a number of different levels a file can conform to. For information about these levels please refer to the specifications of the standard.

On Error Tab

For a description of the options on the On Error tab see Using the On Error tab.

Miscellaneous Tab

The Miscellaneous tab is common to all tasks.

It contains a text area (Task comments) that lets you write comments about the task. These comments are saved when the dialog is closed with the OK button and are displayed in the Task Comments Pane.

Check the option Use as step description to display the text next to the icon of the plugin in the Process area.

The tab also provides an option to highlight the task in The Process area with the default color, set in the Preferences (see General appearance preferences), or the color selected or defined under Highlight color on this tab.
To revert the selected highlight color to the default color, open this tab, turn the Highlight option off and close the dialog with the OK button; then turn highlighting back on.
Highlighting can also be turned on and off via the task's contextual menu and with the Highlight button on the View ribbon.