Recovering a PBN File from a PDF File

Sometimes a PBN file is lost but a PDF version of it (such as a hand-record file) is available. Following are several ways to possibly recover the PBN from the PDF:

Method 1. Extracting an Embedded PBN File

In BridgeComposer 5.105 (released 2023-12-06) and later, the PBN is automatically embedded in the PDF as an attached file (unless this has been disabled in Edit→Options, Advanced tab). To extract an attached file from a PDF document, you may use one of the following apps:

• https://www.konwerter.net/en/ExtractPdfAttachments/
• https://www.pdfconvertonline.com/extract-pdf-attachments-online.html
• Firefox browser: In File Explorer, right-click the PDF file and choose "Open with>Firefox". Open the Firefox Sidebar using its leftmost toolbar button. Click the "Show Attachments" button (looks like a paper clip).
• Foxit PDF Reader: After installing, start Foxit Reader, open the PDF file, and click the "Attachments" button (looks like a paper clip).
• Adobe Acrobat Pro

Method 2. Using the PDFtoPBN.js Script

PDFtoPBN.js in the online scripting library may work (depending on the PDF).

Currently, it is designed to work for hand record PDFs created by BridgeComposer and ACBL (live.acbl.org).

0. Setup (one-time only):
   1. Quit BridgeComposer if it is running.
   2. Install BCExtractText from https://bridgecomposer.com/BonusSoftware.htm.
   3. Download and run https://bridgecomposer.com/Download/BCScriptInstaller.exe. When prompted for the scripts to install, check PDFtoPBN.js.
1. Start BridgeComposer.
2. Select PDFtoPBN from the Script menu.
3. When the "Open PDF Document - PDFtoPBN" dialog appears, select the PDF file for input and click "Open".
4. When the script exits, the PBN will display in "hand record" page layout (18 boards per page). If you prefer your usual BridgeComposer layout (normally one board per page), use the Format→Layout→Load Default menu command.
5. Visually spot-check the results. (The script was verified to work correctly at the time of development, but if the format of the PDF has subsequently been modified by the producer, the script may no longer work correctly.)
6. Use the File→Save menu command (and enter a filename for the PBN).
7. If you wish to process another PDF file at this time, use the File→New menu command and go back to step 2.

Method 3. Using "Bridge Solver"

You can convert BridgeComposer hand records from PDF to PBN using "Bridge Solver": http://bridgesolver.co.uk.

As of 2022-09-02:

• Extraction from PDF is supported only in the "Windows desktop" version of Bridge Solver.
• Requires the Java runtime.
• May require additions to your system "Path" environment variable:
  1. C:\Program files (x86)\Bridge Solver\lib
  2. C:\Program Files (x86)\Bridge Solver\libs\x86

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