Description:

The PDF Validate Standard step enables a FlowWright workflow to validate a PDF document against a selected PDF compliance standard.

Many business and regulatory processes require PDF documents to conform to specific standards before they can be archived, exchanged, published, or submitted to external organizations. This step automates that verification process by validating the document and generating validation output that can be used by downstream workflow activities.

The workflow specifies the source PDF document, selects the required validation type, defines an output location for the validation results, and specifies a FlowWright virtual file path for subsequent document handling.

Typical uses include:

• Validating archival PDF documents
• Verifying PDF compliance before document distribution
• Supporting regulatory and compliance workflows
• Validating documents before long-term storage
• Quality assurance for generated PDF reports
• Preparing documents for customer delivery
• Validating scanned business documents
• Supporting automated document governance

By validating PDF documents automatically during workflow execution, organizations can improve document quality and ensure compliance with required PDF standards.

Usage:

The PDF Validate Standard step is typically used after a PDF document has been generated, received, scanned, or modified and must be validated before further processing.

During execution:

1. Read the configured input PDF file.
2. Load the selected PDF validation standard.
3. Validate the document against the specified standard.
4. Generate the validation output.
5. Save the validation results to the configured output location.
6. Associate the output with the configured PDF virtual file path.
7. Continue workflow execution through either the True or False return path.

A typical workflow might look like this:

Typical workflow scenarios include:

• Validating generated invoices before customer delivery
• Verifying compliance documents before archival
• Validating engineering reports prior to publication
• Checking scanned records before document management storage
• Validating regulatory submissions
• Supporting automated document quality assurance
• Preparing PDF files for long-term preservation

Example:

Let’s build and execute the “pdfValidateDef” example.                             

• Create a new process definition named “pdfValidateDef” and open it in Designer mode. 
• Drag the “pdfValidate” step to the canvas.
• Connect the dots between the “Start” step and “pdfValidate” step, as shown above.   
• Define a variable or a global variable to store the file path result.
• Click the "pdfValidate" step to configure its "Required" properties. Provide a name for the step. Provide the source file path on the application server. Select the PDF validation type. Provide variable references to store the Output and Virtual PDF file paths. Click the Save button. Note: Click the "AI Predict" button for the Copilot to add new process steps that match your process description. 

• The “Logging” configuration is necessary for documentation and also measures workflow progress and percent complete. This is achieved by configuring the step state and percent fields individually, as shown in the images below. Configure the “Logging” using the following properties.

• Save the process definition, create a new instance, and execute it. Render the process instance. Click the “pdfValidate” process step to view its properties. This step validates the PDF document against one of the following PDF standards and returns “True”.

Tips:

• Validate PDF documents before distributing them to customers or external organizations.
• Select the validation type appropriate for your organization's document retention or compliance requirements.
• Store validation output in a dedicated folder for auditing and troubleshooting.
• Verify that the input PDF exists before executing the validation step.
• Configure the PDF virtual file path when validation results will be accessed by other FlowWright workflow steps.
• Route the False path to logging or notification activities to simplify issue resolution.
• Combine this step with Remove Blank Pages, PDF Create From Pages, Merge PDF Files, Split PDF, or Send Email steps to build comprehensive PDF processing workflows.

Notes:

• A valid input PDF file is required.
• A PDF validation type must be selected before execution.
• The output file path must reference a writable location.
• The available validation standards depend on the configured PdfValidationType data type.
• The configured PDF virtual file path enables subsequent workflow components to reference the validation output.
• Both the True and False return paths should be implemented to provide complete workflow handling.
• Execution details and validation activities are recorded in the FlowWright workflow execution log.

PDF Optimize File vs. PDF Validate Standard:

Both workflow steps process PDF documents, but they serve different purposes.

As a general guideline:

• Use PDF Optimize File when workflows need to reduce the size of PDF documents before storing, uploading, or distributing them.
• Use PDF Validate Standard when workflows must verify that PDF documents comply with a required validation standard before archival, regulatory submission, or external distribution.

Definition Sample:

You may download the sample workflow definition from the link provided and import it into your FlowWright environment.

Note: Verify and complete any missing configuration after importing the sample, including:

• Input PDF file path
• PDF validation type
• Output file path
• PDF virtual file path
• Success and failure workflow branches
• Required file system permissions

After verifying the configuration, save and publish the workflow before execution.

Click here to download the sample file.