This article explains how to annotate and redact attached files. You can use this feature if a library administrator has activated it in your library.

You can use this feature in all library types. You can annotate and redact any file type that can be displayed in the advanced viewer. This includes Google and Microsoft office files.

Note: Library administrators can restrict who can view, create, and edit annotations, per document class or per workflow state. Learn more: Configure annotation permissions.

Important: Make sure you annotate and redact your file at the end of the edit phase. The annotations and redactions are held in a layer on top of the text. If you add new lines to your file, the layer containing the annotations and redactions will be out of sync with the original text.

This article explains how to:

Automatically generated table of contents

Access the Annotate and redact feature

1. Open an AODocs document.

2. Select an attached file in the left panel.

3. Select the Annotate and redact button.

The attached file opens in the advanced viewer. There are two tabs available: Annotate and Redact.

The file autosaves while you annotate and redact it.

Annotate your attached file

Select your annotation tool

You can annotate your attached file with the following tools:

Shapes: arrow, line, rectangle, and circle
Text
Highlight
Strikethrough
Gesture
Polyline
Text hyperlink
Stamp: Approved, Reviewed, or Rejected
Image stamp

Redact your attached file

Select your redaction tool

You can redact your attached file with the following tools.

Rectangle redaction tool

This lets you define a colored block to redact specific parts of the attached file.

You can:

define the size and position of the block
select a color for the block
select a color and line width for the block outline
add text indicating the reason for redaction
select a color for the text indicating the reason

Text redaction tool

This lets you select text in the document to redact it. The text is covered by a block the same height as the text. It's always black.

You can add a reason for redaction, which appears in white on top of the block.

Full page redaction

Select one or more pages to redact. Each selected page becomes entirely black.

You can add a reason for redaction, which appears in white on top of the block.

Auto-redaction options

You can automatically redact the following types of information:

social security numbers (American format only)
dates
email addresses
phone numbers
specific words defined by you
values of AODocs properties in the current document

You can add a reason for redaction.

Use common options in all annotation and redaction tools

For each tool, you can:

add a comment
define the position of the annotation or redaction in relation to other edits: move to front or back, move forward or backward (this isn't available for the the text redaction tool)

Note: Select Include in burned document to include the annotation in the PDF when you save the file. Learn more: Choose which annotations appear in the saved PDF.

Display and hide annotations and redactions

Click Show edits to open and close a panel with all the annotations and redactions. You can see your edits at the top of the list and other people's edits below (under Annotations for Review).

Click the eye button to show or hide all edits made by one person.

The example below shows the following annotations and redactions:

Stamp annotation tool (Approved) with a comment
Auto-redaction of US social security numbers with a reason for redaction ("Confidential")
Text redaction with a reason for redaction ("Hidden")
Highlight annotation tool with a comment

You can also see the common options.

Manage your annotations in the Annotations panel

The Annotations panel lists all the annotations of the file, grouped by page. Each entry shows the author, the creation date, the type of markup, the page, the number of comments, and whether the annotation is included in the burned document.

You can:

switch between the All, Mine, and Included in burn tabs
filter by author (Created by) and by Burn status – filtered-out annotations are also hidden on the file itself
select one or more annotations (or Select all), then apply a bulk action: Include in burned document or Exclude

screen: The Annotations panel with the All / Mine / Included in burn tabs, the Created by and Burn status filters, and several annotations selected for a bulk action.

Note: Selecting annotations in the panel highlights the matching rows in the document's comment table, and selecting a comment row on the document page highlights the annotation in the viewer.

Choose which annotations appear in the saved PDF

When you save the file as a PDF, all redactions are always applied. Annotations are included only if they're marked Include in burned document.

You can set this:

per annotation, with the Include in burned document checkbox in its options
in bulk, from the Annotations panel

This way, you can keep internal comments private and share only what's relevant externally.

screen: An annotation's options with the Include in burned document checkbox selected.

Notes:
– On PDF attached files, annotations are included in the burned document by default. On other file types, only redactions are included by default.
– The Burned? column of the document's comment table records which annotations were selected, keeping a trace of what was shared.

View your annotations as comments on the document page

If your library administrator has activated comment capture, every annotation and comment is automatically added to the Annotation Comments table on the document page – turning your markups into structured, filterable data. You can export this table as an Excel comment sheet for external reviewers and import their responses back.

Learn more: Manage contractor reviews with comment sheets.

screen: The document page with the Annotation Comments table listing the captured annotations.

Save the attached file with annotations and redactions

You can save the attached file:

as a PDF with annotations and redactions
in it's original format without annotations and redactions

1. Click Save file as.

2. Select one of the options:

Download: to download the attached file as a PDF with annotations and redactions
Save as new attached file: to create a new attached PDF file with annotations and redactions in the current document
Save as new document: to create a new document with an attached PDF file with annotations and redactions – you can select a document class for your new document
Download original file: to download the attached file in it's original format without annotations and redactions

Note: Comments don't appear in the PDF.