Metadata in workflows
Learn how to customize the metadata of the converted PDFs. This feature is available in all workflows.
Metadata are applied only to the main result document and not to embedded files or any other contained documents.
Set all runtime options for further customizing the metadata at the job level, not at the document level.
Standard properties
The four standard PDF metadata properties that can be customized are Author, Title, Subject, and Keywords.
You can configure a fixed value in the profile configuration for each of these mentioned properties. If no value is configured, the original value is preserved (if available).
You can also provide the values dynamically using the following job options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
META.AUTHOR | The author of the document. |
META.TITLE | The title of the document. |
META.SUBJECT | The subject of the document. |
META.KEYWORDS | Keywords that apply to the document. |
Extended properties
Extended metadata is defined by the XMP standard, with properties grouped into schemas.
The Conversion Service allows setting XMP property values from the follwoing schemas:
- Dublin Core schema
- XMP Basic schema
- XMP Rights Management
- Your custom extension schema
You can find all the specific schemas and their respective properties in the Conversion Service Configurator:
- Open the Conversion Service Configurator, and then click Workflow & Profiles.
- Select a profile where you would like to configure the properties. and then click the pen icon next to it to open the profile configuration.
- Scroll to Metadata to review or change available properties.
Dublin Core schema
The Dublin Core schema provides a set of commonly used properties.
Values can be configured statically for each profile in the configurator or dynamically using the following job options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
META.EXT.DC.CONTRIBUTOR | Contributors to the resource (excluding the authors). Note: Although the schema technically supports multiple values, you can only set a single value. |
META.EXT.DC.COVERAGE | The extent or scope of the resource. |
META.EXT.DC.IDENTIFIER | A unique identifier of the resource. |
META.EXT.DC.RIGHTS | Informal rights statement. |
META.EXT.DC.SOURCE | Unique identifier of the work from which this resource was derived. |
META.EXT.DC.TYPE | A document type. For example novel, poem, or working paper. Note: Although the schema technically supports multiple values, you can only set a single value. |
XMP Basic schema
The XMP Basic schema contains properties that provide basic descriptive information.
Values can be configured statically for each profile in the configurator or dynamically using the following job options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
META.EXT.XMP.NICKNAME | A short informal name for the resource. |
META.EXT.XMP.LABEL | A word or phrase identifying a document as part of a user-defined collection. Useful for organizing documents in a file browser. Note: This property is not available in PDF/A-1 |
META.EXT.XMP.RATING | A number indicating a document's status relative to others. Used for organizing documents in a file browser. Values are user-defined within an application-defined range. Note: This property is not available in PDF/A-1 |
XMP Rights Management schema
This schema includes properties related to rights management.
Values can be configured statically for each profile in the configurator or dynamically using the following job options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
META.EXT.XMP-RIGHTS.CERTIFICATE | URL of an online rights management certificate. |
META.EXT.XMP-RIGHTS.MARKED | Indicates that this is a rights-managed resource. |
META.EXT.XMP-RIGHTS.OWNER | The legal owner of the resource. Note: Although the schema technically supports multiple values, you can only set a single value. |
META.EXT.XMP-RIGHTS.USAGE-TERMS | Text instructions on how the resource can be legally used. |
META.EXT.XMP-RIGHTS.WEB-STATEMENT | URL of a webpage describing the owner or rights statement for this resource. |
Custom extension schemas
For metadata properties not covered by predefined schemas, you can define a custom schema.
Provide the schema definition in the profile configuration with the following steps:
- Open the Conversion Service Configurator, and then click Workflow & Profiles.
- Select a profile where you would like to configure your own schema, and then click the pen icon next to it to open the profile configuration.
- Scroll at the end of the Metadata section, and then find the Custom Extension Schemas.
- Click Add item, and then click Next.
- Fill in the information as you require for your custom schema.
Keep the XMP extension schemas stable over time.
If incompatible changes are necessary, create a new schema instead.
You can configure the specific property values statically or dynamically using a placeholder and the following custom job and document option:
| Document and job option | Placeholder description | Placeholder example |
|---|---|---|
CUSTOM.OPTION_NAME | No default value provided: [custom:OPTION_NAME] this makes the job and document option required. If the job and document option is not provided during processing, an error is raised. | [custom:REVIEWER] |
Default value provided: [custom:OPTION_NAME, 'DEFAULT_VALUE'] this makes the job and document option optional. If the corresponding job and document option is not provided during processing, the specified default value will be used. The single quotes (') around the default value are a required in this syntax. | [custom:REVIEWER, 'John Doe'] | |
Empty default value provided: [custom:OPTION_NAME, ''] this makes the job and document option optional. If the corresponding job option is not provided during processing, no value will be set (the field will be left empty). Include empty single quotes as the default value (''). The single quotes (') are required in this syntax. | [custom:REVIEWER, ''] |
Advanced usage
For advanced users, you can further customize and refine the metadata using the following job option:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
META.XMP | A complete XMP packet replacing the metadata of the input document. This option can set all kinds of metadata, including standard properties, extended properties, and custom extension schemas. Any properties set using standard mechanisms take precedence over values provided in this XMP packet. |
When creating a PDF/A document, the XMP metadata must include a complete schema definition for all custom extension schemas. This definition can be provided:
- Directly in the XMP packet.
- Using custom extension schema configuration, with the Force Definition setting enabled.