If the .pdf files are all randomly named, instead of, for example, being named "Book page 1 .pdf", "Book page 2 .pdf" "Book page 3 .pdf" etc. create a new folder and drag them all into a folder of their own.
I just tried what Marvin instructed, first time doing that in Automator, and it works great.
But, when you combine .pdf's in Automator like that, you need to select all of the .pdf files that you want to combine, at the same time.
So, if the .pdf files are randomly named, when they're in their own folder, you can select them all easily without other files or folder interupting a Command-A for select all, or a click-drag the cursor down the list of files.
This is what Automator should look like
Click to expand
I quickly created 3 .pdf files, named 1, 2 & 3 so they would all be together in the list. Then I clicked the Run button in Automator, selected the 3 .pdf files in the list, then clicked the Choose button.
The combined .pdf
If you want to Run that action again for a different set of .pdf's sometime, but don't want to have to create the action in Automator again, choose Save As, and save the Action as an Application.
Then, when you double-click the Action application, it prompts you to choose the .pdf's you'd like to combine from the Finder list, like the above screen capture of the 3 highlighted files.
Comments
- Open /Applications/Automator
- at the left choose Finder and then drag action ask for selected items into the right hand panel
- check the box that says allow multiple selection
- at the left choose the PDF section and choose combine PDF pages and drag it below the ask for Finder items panel
- at the left choose Finder again and then drag over the move Finder items and have it move the file to the desktop or something
Then run the action using the play button. Select all your PDFs and click choose. The joined PDF will have a randomly generated filename.
I just tried what Marvin instructed, first time doing that in Automator, and it works great.
But, when you combine .pdf's in Automator like that, you need to select all of the .pdf files that you want to combine, at the same time.
So, if the .pdf files are randomly named, when they're in their own folder, you can select them all easily without other files or folder interupting a Command-A for select all, or a click-drag the cursor down the list of files.
This is what Automator should look like
Click to expand
I quickly created 3 .pdf files, named 1, 2 & 3 so they would all be together in the list. Then I clicked the Run button in Automator, selected the 3 .pdf files in the list, then clicked the Choose button.
The combined .pdf
If you want to Run that action again for a different set of .pdf's sometime, but don't want to have to create the action in Automator again, choose Save As, and save the Action as an Application.
Then, when you double-click the Action application, it prompts you to choose the .pdf's you'd like to combine from the Finder list, like the above screen capture of the 3 highlighted files.
You can do it using Automator.
- Open /Applications/Automator
- at the left choose Finder and then drag action ask for selected items into the right hand panel
- check the box that says allow multiple selection
- at the left choose the PDF section and choose combine PDF pages and drag it below the ask for Finder items panel
- at the left choose Finder again and then drag over the move Finder items and have it move the file to the desktop or something
Then run the action using the play button. Select all your PDFs and click choose. The joined PDF will have a randomly generated filename.
Fantastic - thanks for that - my first use of automater & it works really well!
Appreciated!