This article describes the PDF Scout™ Inspector Tool embedded into e-PlanSoft’s Scout™ Tool inspects PDFs uploaded directly to e-PlanREVIEW® (EPR) and our goPost™ Public Portal, as well as EPR Connect API.
Scout can identify some known issues in the PDF files, prior to assignments being created.
Documents that do not pass Scout inspection will not proceed for plan review.
In this article:
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Running Scout in EPR
During the file intake process, PDFs uploaded for plan review are analyzed online via our PDF Scout inspector.
In EPR, the inspection happens on the Documents Upload page when the user selects the PROCESS button, as shown below.
Attachments PDFs sent over by integrated partners using EPR’s Connect APIs.
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What Is Scout?
Scout is designed to inspect uploaded PDFs and confirm that they meet certain requirements for being accessible and viewable within EPR. These requirements apply to the PDF filename, file data, and to a limited extent the content of the file.
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Uploaded files may have issues that are not inspected by Scout, such as not conforming to an Agency’s specific submittal (or resubmittal) practices. Agency staff are still encouraged to view incoming submittal files after Scout’s automated inspection. Scout is a supplement to, not a replacement for, agency staff inspection. |
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Using Scout in EPR
Scout will inspect any PDFs uploaded to EPR under the “PLANS” file type to ensure they can be processed and viewed correctly within EPR.
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Files submitted as “ATTACHMENTS” are not analyzed by Scout because attachments are not viewed within EPR, nor are they used to create plan review assignments. |
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Step 1: Select PROCESS
After Scout inspects each plan review file, the page will refresh to display the results, as shown below.
Step 2: Evaluate Scout results
Select the eye icon 
to view the results of the Scout inspection. An example is shown in the image below.
Step 3: Delete rejected plan review documents
Documents flagged with a red X should be deleted. Select the ellipsis icon to the right and choose Delete.
Documents with a yellow warning sign are acceptable.
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Uploading Files
To upload a file directly into EPR:
Open an existing project record.
Click on the DOCUMENTS tab.
Click
(upload) on the lower right.In the upload screen, either click on SELECT FILES or drag and drop files into the file window.
If you need to upload more files, click on
(add) on the lower right. Additional files will be added to the current list.
Files are sorted into either “PLAN” or “ATTACHMENTS” windows based on file type:
PDFs are listed under “PLAN” by default, but can be dragged over to the “ATTACHMENTS” window if needed.
All non-PDFs are listed under “ATTACHMENTS” by default. These cannot be moved.
DOCUMENTS Tab | File Upload Screen | File Sorting Screen |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Processing Files
Once files are sorted, click on PROCESS to begin the inspection of the files listed under “PLANS.”
A window will pop up to show the progress of each file being inspected by Scout. (Larger files may take longer to inspect.)
Once all files are inspected, the progress window closes and the screen reloads. The results of the inspection are displayed as a file status.
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Scout inspects uploaded PDF plans to ensure they are accessible, readable, and that they meet EPR’s conditions for submittal across several categories.
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Process Button | Progress Window | File Status (Scout Results) |
|---|---|---|
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Evaluating Scout Results
Clicking on the (eye) icon next to the file status will pop open a window that lists every condition inspected by Scout and states whether the file passed or failed that condition.
Conditions that pass the inspection are identified with a
(green checkmark).Possible problems requiring user attention are identified with a
(yellow warning sign) and are described in more detail.Confirmed problems requiring correction before submittal are identified with a ❌ (red x) and are described in more detail.
Scout Warnings
Scout displays a warning symbol for conditions that it thinks a user may want to manually inspect further before completing the file upload.
Files with warnings can still be uploaded to EPR, however.
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With “Page Rotation/Orientation,” for example, Scout can identify if file pages have a mix of landscape and portrait orientations within the PDF, but it cannot determine if these pages are upright, sideways, or upside-down. A user would have to manually inspect the file to confirm if they have the correct orientation. Otherwise, users may have to rely on EPR’s built-in rotation tools to correct pages submitted with the wrong orientation. |
Scout Failures
If a document failed Scout inspection, you cannot finish uploading it to EPR until the issue(s) identified by Scout are corrected.
This requires you to:
Address whatever condition(s) Scout marked as failed, either in the PDF or by going back to the CAD file and generating a new PDF.
Delete file(s) that failed Scout by clicking on the
(Delete) icon.Upload the corrected file to EPR and ensure it now passes Scout inspection.
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Until all files that failed Scout inspection are removed from the list, you cannot finish uploading files to EPR. |
Scout Warnings | Scout Failures | Deleting Files |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Finishing Uploads
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Once all plan files have successfully passed Scout inspection, click FINISH to complete the upload process.
Plan files will go to the INTAKE page, ready for you to create new or provided updated review assignments.
Attachment files will be processed automatically and can be accessed from either:
The project ATTACHMENTS tab
By clicking the Attachments Tool (
) in the EPR Review page
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Conditions Inspected by Scout
Below is a list of inspected conditions and Scout’s expected default behavior. If an agency modifies this default behavior, you may need to consult with an agency administrator for further instruction.
Issue | Is Active | Is Configurable | Configurations | Default Behavior | Default Result | Solution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ACCESSIBLE | Y | N | N/A | Checks if the file is invalid (such as a PDF Portfolio), corrupt, or password protected. | REJECTION |
Determine whether the PDF can be opened by Adobe Reader and confirm it is not a PDF Portfolio. If the PDF cannot be opened, create a new PDF from the source program. Remove password protection, if applicable. | ||||
FILENAME | Y | Y | Filename Special Characters | Checks if filename contains: |
!, *, \, (, ), ;, :, @, &, =, +, $, , |
, /, ?, %, #, [, ], " |
, <, >, | |
characters. Characters cannot be edited. | REJECTION | Remove these characters from the filename and re-upload the file. | ||
SIZE | Y | Y | Minimum/Maximum PDF size (in bytes) | Documents must not exceed 400 MB (419430400 bytes). |
This configuration can be increased above 400 MB, but the recommended maximum size is 2 GB. | REJECTION | Return to the source document and create PDF files that are below the file size limitation or break up large PDF into smaller PDF files. Optimizing a PDF can also help reduce file size. Follow the instructions in the DOCUMENT SUBMITTAL RECOMMENDATIONS. | ||||
PAGE COUNT | Y | Y | Maximum page count | Checks the PDF page count based on the configured maximum page count. The default is set to 500 pages but can be increased up to a recommended maximum of 1200 pages. | REJECTION | Split large files into smaller subsets and submit files separately or the Agency can choose to increase the maximum page count. |
TEXT CONTENT | N | Y | N/A | Checks whether PDF text and fonts are present and legible. | N/A | Properly embed or substitute missing font. Using true type fonts is recommended. |
VERSION | Y | N | N/A | Checks PDF version. If PDF version older than 1.4 is detected, the file will be rejected. (Version 1.4 was released prior to 2001.) This can be changed but any version prior to 1.3 is not recommended. | Warning | None required but it is recommended to update the PDF to a newer version. |
PAGE ACCESS | Y | Y | N/A | The inspector tries to read each page in the document. If a page is not readable, the file will be rejected. | REJECTION | Adobe Reader may report these pages as damaged or in need of repair. Recreate the PDF from the source document using Adobe Pro or Nitro Pro. |
ANNOTATION | Y | Y |
Can be configured to ignore annotations and accept PDF file. | Checks for annotations that appear in the pdf |
reader ‘Comment’ panel, such as SHX Text generated by AutoCAD. |
Warning
None required.
Note that SHX text annotations will be removed from pdf 'Comment' panel when printing deliverable files so they do not interfere with review comments. (No other annotations will be removed.)REJECTION | Remove annotations from the PDF if possible. This can be done by reprinting the file to a new PDF using a PDF editor. Otherwise, return to the source program and generate a new PDF without annotations from the start. | |||||
METADATA | Y | Y | N/A | Check hidden content and unexpected metadata like embedded Flash, other PDFs, etc. | Warning | Remove hidden content by following the instructions listed in the EPR Wiki document |
PDF”. | ||||||
SIGNATURE | Y | Y | N/A | Checks for the presence of a digital signature in the PDF. | Warning | Validates that the signature exists but cannot confirm source authenticity. |
ATTACHMENT | Y | Y | N/A | Checks if any attachments exist in the PDF. | REJECTION | Recreate the PDF without any attachments or reprint PDF as new to remove attachments. |
RESOLUTION | Y | Y | Minimum/Maximum pixel count | Checks pages for low resolution (in pixels) based on page dimensions. | Warning | Create a new PDF from the source with a higher resolution. |
ROTATION | Y | Y | N/A | Checks if a document has mixed page orientations based on the orientation of the first page |
. Scout does not look at page content so |
it cannot determine if pages are upside-down, for example. | Warning | None required. Manually checking that pages are not upside-down or sideways is recommended. Page rotation can now be corrected within EPR |
Completing Document Inspection
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