Merge module: combining several PDFs

The Merge module lets you add to your current document pages coming from one or more other PDFs. The result stays contained in the document currently open: the imported pages are copied (not linked), which guarantees that the merge no longer depends on the source file after the operation. You reach this module through the Organization category of the Dashboard.

Overview of the window

The interface is split into two areas:

On the left: the Final document grid — the current document, the one that will receive the pages. Pages can be selected there and reordered by drag and drop at any time, including after new pages have been added.
On the right: the module sidebar, which contains the insertion and merge actions, as well as the preview area for the Source Document (the PDF you are taking pages from).

Step 1: choose a source document

When the module opens, the right-hand area shows a dashed frame reading "Click to open a PDF". Click it to open a macOS file selection panel.

Only .pdf files can be selected;
If the chosen PDF is password-protected, a "Protected document" alert is shown: unlock the PDF beforehand from the Unlock module, or through an unencrypted copy, before importing it again;
Once the file is accepted, its pages are shown as thumbnails in the Source Document area.

The Change link appears to the right of the Source Document title after the first selection; it lets you replace the source document at any time without leaving the module. Any page selection in progress is then reset.

Step 2: choose the pages to import

Click the Source Document thumbnails to select the pages to add. The selection is multiple: the chosen pages are highlighted. No reordering is possible in the Source Document — the selection is only used to filter what will be imported.

Step 3: add the pages to the final document

The Merge section of the sidebar offers two complementary actions:

Add selection: copies only the pages ticked in the Source Document, in ascending order of their original page number. The button is disabled as long as no page is selected.
Add all: copies the whole Source Document, in its original order. This action ignores the selection.

In both cases, the imported pages are appended to the end of the Final Document. You can then reorder them by drag and drop in the left-hand grid to position them elsewhere.

You can repeat these steps as many times as needed: by changing the Source Document through the Change link and then adding pages again, the Final Document can be composed from several distinct sources.

Inserting a blank page

The Insertion section offers a utility action independent of the Source Document:

Insert a blank page: adds an empty page at the end of the Final Document. The size of this page automatically reuses the dimensions of the last existing page (or an A4 format by default if the document is empty).

This operation can be combined with merging, for example to place a separator between two imported files. Once inserted, the blank page can be moved freely by drag and drop.

Confirming and history

Every operation performed in this module (additions, insertions, reordering) is reflected immediately in the Final Document grid. When you leave the module through the Apply button in the footer, the result is integrated into the current document and a checkpoint is created in the History. The Back button leaves the module without confirming and restores the previous state.

As with the other editing operations, the result stays in "pending changes" until the document is explicitly saved through the Save button on the Dashboard (⌘S).

Note: the imported pages are exact copies of their originals (annotations, forms and hyperlinks included). The table of contents of the Source Document follows its pages: its entries are appended to the end of the Final Document's outline, renumbered — only those whose pages were imported, an entry whose page is missing letting its sub-entries move up. Two merged reports thus each keep their chapters.

Screenshots

1 screenshot — click to enlarge