Description:

The Redact PDF step enables a FlowWright workflow to locate and redact specified keywords within an existing PDF document.

Organizations frequently need to remove confidential or personally identifiable information (PII) before sharing documents externally. Instead of manually editing documents, this step automates the redaction process by searching for a configured list of keywords and blanking out every occurrence within the PDF.

The workflow specifies the source PDF file, the list of keywords to redact, the output location for the redacted PDF, and the FlowWright virtual file path for subsequent workflow processing.

Typical uses include:

• Removing personally identifiable information (PII)
• Protecting confidential business information
• Redacting customer account numbers
• Removing financial information
• Hiding employee identifiers
• Preparing documents for public disclosure
• Supporting regulatory and privacy compliance
• Sanitizing documents before external distribution

This step helps organizations automate document sanitization while reducing the risk of exposing sensitive information.

Usage:

The Redact PDF step is typically used after a PDF document has been generated or received and before it is distributed, published, archived, or shared with external parties.

During execution:

1. Read the configured input PDF file.
2. Read the configured keyword list.
3. Locate each keyword within the PDF document.
4. Redact every matching occurrence by blanking out the specified keywords.
5. Save the redacted PDF document to the configured output location.
6. Associate the document 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:

• Removing Social Security numbers before document distribution
• Redacting customer account numbers
• Sanitizing legal documents
• Preparing healthcare documents for external review
• Protecting confidential engineering documentation
• Publishing public versions of internal reports
• Creating privacy-compliant document packages

Example:

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

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

• Click the button to provide the keyword list for redaction. A pop-up window appears for configuration. Click the Add Row (+) button to insert an empty row. Enter the keyword list. Click the Save button. You may add multiple keyword list values for redaction using the Add Row button. You may also add various matrix row indexes and values using the Add Row button. Use the “arrow keys” to reorder the row position. Click the “copy” icon to duplicate the row contents into a new row. 

• 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 “redactPDF” process step to view its properties. The first step is to create a copy of the PDF, securely redacting text and sensitive information. Copy and paste the “pdfVirtualPath” variable value into a browser window to view the PDF. 

Tips:

• Carefully review the keyword list to ensure that all confidential terms are included.
• Use descriptive output file names to distinguish redacted documents from the originals.
• Preserve the original PDF if an unredacted version must be retained for internal use.
• Verify that the output location has appropriate write permissions.
• Configure the PDF virtual file path when downstream FlowWright workflow steps need to reference the redacted document.
• Route the False path to logging or notification activities for easier troubleshooting.
• Combine this step with PDF Validate Standard, PDF Optimize File, PDF Create From Pages, Remove Blank Pages, or Send Email to build comprehensive document security workflows.

Notes:

• A valid input PDF file is required.
• At least one keyword must be configured for redaction.
• The output file path must reference a writable location.
• The redacted PDF is written to the configured output location.
• The configured PDF virtual file path enables subsequent FlowWright workflow activities to reference the updated document.
• Both the True and False return paths should be implemented to provide complete workflow handling.
• Execution details and PDF redaction activities are recorded in the FlowWright workflow execution log.

Redact PDF vs. PDF Expire File:

Both workflow steps modify PDF documents, but they address different document management requirements.

As a general guideline:

• Use Redact PDF when workflows must remove or conceal confidential information before documents are shared or published.
• Use PDF Expire File when workflows need to enforce document lifecycle policies by applying an expiration date to PDF documents.

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
• Keyword list to redact
• Output PDF 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.