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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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, whether uploaded directly from inside EPR or when routed over by an integrated partner.
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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.
Issues that Scout PDF Inspector Identifies
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Issue
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Is Active
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Is Configurable
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Configurations
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Scout is Part of the Upload Process
The document upload process that involves Scout is summarized below, though for more details, refer to Document Upload.
Files are uploaded (either to EPR or to an integrated partner).
For integrations, additional steps may be required before files are routed over to EPR. Consult with your implementation workflow guidelines for the exact steps.
Files are processed and checked by Scout.
For integrations, Scout inspection may occur twice: once when the file is uploaded to the partner system, then again when the file is routed to EPR from the partner system.
If files pass Scout inspection, the upload/routing process is completed.
Files will render and then become available for plan review.
Evaluating Scout Results
During Upload
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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While uploading files directly within EPR, detailed Scout results can be viewed by clicking on View Scout Results ( |
Conditions that pass the inspection are identified with a green checkmark symbol (
).Possible problems requiring user attention are identified with a yellow warning symbol (
) and are described in more detail.Confirmed problems requiring correction before submittal are identified with a red X symbol ( ❌ ) and are described in more detail.
EPR determines whether a document will pass or fail Scout inspection based on the results of all the inspected conditions.
Inspection Results | Overall Document Scout Status | Document Upload Status Symbol |
|---|---|---|
All conditions pass inspection. | Document passes Scout inspection. | Green Checkmark symbol ( |
One or more conditions trigger a warning, but no failures. | Document passes Scout inspection (except in cases where an integrated partner is configured to automatically rejects files that trigger a warning). | Yellow Warning symbol ( |
One or more conditions fail inspection. | Document fails Scout inspection. | Red X symbol ( ❌ ) |
Scout Warnings
Although files with warnings are considered to have passed inspection and can still be uploaded to EPR, the type of warning may indicate that staff should stop the upload process, inspect the file manually, and address a potential issue before proceeding.
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When a warning is triggered by “Different orientation on pages” (see example screenshot above), Scout has identified that the PDF document pages have a mix of landscape and portrait orientations. Scout cannot determine whether the pages are upright, sideways, or upside-down, but it is a possibility and may merit manual inspection before the file is uploaded to EPR. 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 condition(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 program that created the file and generating a new PDF.
Delete file(s) that failed Scout by clicking on Delete (
).Upload the corrected file(s) to EPR and ensure it/they now pass Scout inspection.
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Until all files that failed Scout inspection are removed from the upload list, you cannot finish uploading files to EPR. |
Scout Warnings | Scout Failures | Deleting Files |
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After Upload
After files have been upload successfully, you can revisit their original Scout inspection results from the DOCUMENTS tab (for the latest submittal) or by drilling down into the DOCUMENTS > Submittals sub-tab (to view results for any of the document’s submittals) and clicking on View Scout Results ( ).
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Finishing Uploads
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Once all plan files have successfully passed Scout inspection, the upload process can be completed by clicking FINISH.
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For more detailed instructions, refer to Completing File Uploads. |
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Conditions Inspected by Scout
Scout is available in two versions: a default version as well as a configurable version which is available upon request to upgrade. (To upgrade, consult your e-PlanSoft Client Success Manager.) Beginning in Summer of 2023, new clients (or existing clients who have requested to upgrade) will be able to use configurable Scout to inspect incoming document files.
Default Scout (Legacy Configuration)
The default Scout will check incoming plan files for potential issues as noted in the table below.
Issue | Behavior | Solutions |
|---|---|---|
ACCESSIBLE | Checks if the file is invalid (such as a PDF Portfolio file), corrupt, or password protected. | Determine whether the PDF can be opened by Adobe Reader and confirm it is not a PDF Portfolio (set of embedded PDFs). If it cannot be opened, return to the source program and create a new file. Remove password protection, if applicable. |
FILENAME | Checks if filename contains any of the following restricted characters and rejects the file if it does. Restricted list: !, *, ', \, ;, :, @, &, =, +, $, , (comma), /, ?, %, #, [, ], ", <, >, | | Remove any restricted characters from the filename and re-upload the file. |
SIZE | Documents must not exceed 400 MB (419430400 bytes). | Return to the source program and create a new file that is below the file size limitation, if possible. Alternatively, break up a large PDF into multiple smaller PDF files. Optimizing a PDF may also reduce its file size. |
PAGE COUNT | Checks that the incoming PDF page count does not exceed the maximum page count (500 pages) and rejects if the file does. | Split files with too many pages into smaller subsets and submit files separately. |
TEXT CONTENT | Checks whether PDF text and fonts are present and legible within the incoming PDF . | Properly embed or substitute missing fonts. Using true type fonts is recommended. |
VERSION | Checks whether the incoming PDF version is 1.3 or newer. Older PDF versions will be rejected. (Version 1.3 was released July 2000 and is used as the default version for PDFs created on Apple devices). | Return to the source program and create a new file using a newer PDF version. |
PAGE ACCESS | The inspector tries to read each page in the document. If a page is not readable, the file will be rejected. | File pages or page data may be damaged or in need of repair. Recreate the PDF from the source document using Adobe Pro, Nitro Pro, or another full-featured PDF editor. |
ANNOTATION | Checks whether annotation data (embedded objects, like AutoCAD-generated SHX Text comments that appear in pdf reader Comment panels or) exist and provides a warning if annotations are found. | 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 | Check whether hidden content and unexpected metadata like embedded Flash, images, or others exist. | Remove hidden content by following the instructions listed in the EPR Wiki document “How To Remove Metadata from PDF”. |
SIGNATURE | Checks for the presence of a digital signature within the PDF. | Add a digital signature to the PDF if one is required before submitting. |
ATTACHMENT | Checks if any attachments exist within the PDF and rejects the file if any are found. | Return to the source program and create a new file without any attachments or reprint the PDF as new to remove attachments using a PDF editor. |
RESOLUTION | Checks whether any document pages have a very low resolution (in pixels) based on page dimensions, and may return a warning if any found. | Return to the source program/scanner and create/scan a new PDF with a higher resolution. |
ROTATION | Checks the orientation of document pages and whether they match, using the orientation (landscape or portrait) of the first document page as a reference and then determines if all other pages have the same orientation. If any other page does not, this will trigger a warning. Scout does not look at page content so it cannot determine if pages are upside-down or sideways, for example. | Manually check that pages within the PDF are not rotated incorrectly (upside-down or sideways) is recommended. Individual page rotation can also be corrected within EPR. |
Configurable Scout
Client environments created after Summer 2023 (or existing clients who have upgraded) will each have their own configurable version of Scout which Administrators can manage directly within EPR (and goPost, if EPR is integrated with goPost). While this version of Scout checks for the same potential issues as the original, agencies can adjust several of these settings to their liking, as stated below.
“Active” refers to whether a condition will be checked by Scout.
“Configurable” refers to whether Admin can make changes to a condition (see “Configurations” column).
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If your Agency has modified your configurable Scout behavior, you may need to consult with an agency Administrator for further instruction. |
Issue | Active? | Configurable? | Configurations | 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 |
N | Filename Special Characters | Checks if filename contains: |
!, *, |
', \, ;, |
:, |
@, |
&, |
=, |
+, |
$, |
, (comma), |
/, |
?, |
%, |
#, |
[, |
], |
" |
, <, >, | |
characters. Characters cannot be edited. | REJECTION | Remove |
any restricted 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 |
program and create |
a new file that is below the file size limitation |
, if possible. Alternatively, break up a large PDF into multiple smaller PDF files. |
Optimizing a PDF may also reduce its file size. The Agency can also choose to increase the acceptable limit within stated range. | ||||||
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 |
files with too many pages into smaller subsets and submit files separately |
. The Agency can also choose to increase the maximum page count up to a max of 1200. | ||||||
TEXT CONTENT | N | Y | N/A | Checks whether PDF text and fonts are present and legible. | N/A | Properly embed or substitute missing |
fonts. Using true type fonts is recommended. | ||||
VERSION | Y | N | N/A | Checks PDF version. If PDF version older than 1. |
3 is detected, the file will be rejected. (Version 1. |
3 was released July 2000.) This can be changed but any version prior to |
1.3 is not recommended. | Warning |
Return to the source program and create a new file using a newer PDF 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 |
File pages or page data may be damaged or in need of repair. Recreate the PDF from the source document using Adobe |
Pro, Nitro Pro, or another full-featured PDF editor. | ||
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, but cannot validate the source’s authenticity. | Warning |
Add a digital signature to the PDF if one is required before submitting. | |||||
ATTACHMENT | Y | Y | N/A | Checks if any attachments exist in the PDF. | REJECTION |
Return to the source program and create a new file without any attachments or reprint the PDF as new to remove attachments using a PDF editor. | |||||
RESOLUTION | Y | Y | Minimum/Maximum pixel count | Checks pages for low resolution (in pixels) based on page dimensions. | Warning |
Return to the source program/scanner and create/scan a new PDF |
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 |
check that pages within the PDF are not rotated incorrectly (upside-down or sideways) is recommended. |
Individual page rotation can |
also be corrected within EPR. |
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Select the FINISH button to push accepted plan review documents to the Intake page, where plan review assignments can be created.
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