Color Code PDF plans parts numbers

[Jmilljr24]

Color Code PDF plans part numbers

I've been working on a program to highlight and color code the part numbers in the pdf plans but I've been having some issues with the later files after Section 37.

In Section 38 and after, a lot of the pages are not searchable. I'm just curious if anyone has found a good way to make the files searchable. I've tried a number of online OCR programs but they all have issues with the way Van's made the files. If the pages had searchable text I should be able to make my program highlight the part number.

Here is an image of a working file that has the color coded parts for example.


Either way, just seeing if anyone more knowledgeable about Van's pdf plans can help.

Edit:

https://colorcode.parts/
Feel free to use it and provide feedback. Be patient with it, as it's not designed for heavy traffic volume.The site is completely free and paid out of pocket by me.

 

[Jmilljr24]

Update

After some research is appears my backend program coded in Ruby has some issues with files having OCR added after the fact.

Good new is I rewrote my program in Python and it is working great. I few more tweaks to help it distinguish between -L/-R parts and parts with letter designations, (R-1010C ,R-1010B, R-1010A). Right now it finds them but will hightlight them twice in different colors overlapping.

The source code for the backend is at https://github.com/jmilljr24/HighlightParts
It will run from the command line if you know how to do that and can download python3. The website will take a bit longer to implement the new changes.

 

[Brantel]

I did something similar manually and quickly ran out of enough contrasting colors to make it worth my time. Have you got a way around that?

 

[abaden]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing this.

 

[Jmilljr24]

I did something similar manually and quickly ran out of enough contrasting colors to make it worth my time. Have you got a way around that?

For now I generate a new set of colors for each page. Max unique parts per page I have found so far has been 27 I believe. A spent quite a while coming up with a list of colors that would work for that many but I have something that is pretty good. There are a couple of colors that are a little more similar than I would like but there are only a few of pages with a high number of unique parts.

There is the off chance two parts have a similar color on a page with only, say 5 parts and it bothers me. So I will just rerun the program and it will regenerate a new combination of colors.

 

[RVbySDI]

For now I generate a new set of colors for each page. Max unique parts per page I have found so far has been 27 I believe. A spent quite a while coming up with a list of colors that would work for that many but I have something that is pretty good. There are a couple of colors that are a little more similar than I would like but there are only a few of pages with a high number of unique parts.

There is the off chance two parts have a similar color on a page with only, say 5 parts and it bothers me. So I will just rerun the program and it will regenerate a new combination of colors.

Just some food for thought. If you are using colors as the delineating factor for the various parts, have you considered the possibility of color blind individuals not being able to distinguish between all the various colors?

In the Federal Government compliance world there is something called “508 Compliance”. One small part of that requirement states that if color is used as a variable to define a difference, color cannot be the ‘only’ distinguishable difference. Example: A website that uses a blue color to show a link in text will also have the colored words underlined (look at all the links on this forum site, including the link at the bottom of my signature).

 

[Jmilljr24]

Just some food for thought. If you are using colors as the delineating factor for the various parts, have you considered the possibility of color blind individuals not being able to distinguish between all the various colors?

In the Federal Government compliance world there is something called “508 Compliance”. One small part of that requirement states that if color is used as a variable to define a difference, color cannot be the ‘only’ distinguishable difference. Example: A website that uses a blue color to show a link in text will also have the colored words underlined (look at all the links on this forum site, including the link at the bottom of my signature).

The highlights do not prevent you from reading the original part numbers. So the delineating factor is still the text. A simple analogy would a stop sign. You can read the words STOP. The red just augments the information for people with color vision. There is also the shape, however I don't think shapes would be beneficial in this application.

I'm open to suggestions though. This is just a hobby project to help anyone I can.

 

[Brantel]

For now I generate a new set of colors for each page. Max unique parts per page I have found so far has been 27 I believe. A spent quite a while coming up with a list of colors that would work for that many but I have something that is pretty good. There are a couple of colors that are a little more similar than I would like but there are only a few of pages with a high number of unique parts.

There is the off chance two parts have a similar color on a page with only, say 5 parts and it bothers me. So I will just rerun the program and it will regenerate a new combination of colors.

Great job! A fun side project that could help many!

 

[RVbySDI]

The highlights do not prevent you from reading the original part numbers. So the delineating factor is still the text. A simple analogy would a stop sign. You can read the words STOP. The red just augments the information for people with color vision. There is also the shape, however I don't think shapes would be beneficial in this application.

I'm open to suggestions though. This is just a hobby project to help anyone I can.

I am trying to wrap my head around having all the colors. What is the ultimate goal to have every part on a page represented by a different color? If the part number is differentiating the parts, what additional advantage does the color provide?

 

[rkensrud]

I am trying to wrap my head around having all the colors. What is the ultimate goal to have every part on a page represented by a different color? If the part number is differentiating the parts, what additional advantage does the color provide?

The plans I am using are color coded. You are right that each part number is already unique. For me it makes it easier to line up the number in the text with the one in the drawings. 1008B looks a lot like 1006B. But when the number in the text is green, I can find it quickly in the drawing. Will it affect my build? Nope. I still double check the numbers. It's just a convenience.

 

[Jmilljr24]

I am trying to wrap my head around having all the colors. What is the ultimate goal to have every part on a page represented by a different color? If the part number is differentiating the parts, what additional advantage does the color provide?

rkensrud hit the nail on the head. It's just a way to make it easier jumping your eyes back and forth from the written instructions to the picture.

Here is another example from my updated program. I'm hoping to release it soon. I originally only built the program for the RV-10 but I think this new revision should work with the other planes as long as the part numbers have a similar format. If anyone wants to reach out directly to me for some testing that would be awesome.



I'm also looking for opinions on delineating Left and Right parts. For now it highlights the part number the same color and adds a red or green box around the -L or -R to emphasize the difference.

 

[3stepdrop]

how does an old guy like me get the color application to the plans? Sounds like a great idea, but i'm not sure how to make it come together. And i don't claim to be the brightest bulb in the box either!

 

[Jmilljr24]

how does an old guy like me get the color application to the plans? Sounds like a great idea, but i'm not sure how to make it come together. And i don't claim to be the brightest bulb in the box either!

If these instructions are too much, just send me a private message and we can exchange phone numbers and I'll walk you through it.

You may have received the PDF's from Van's on a USB stick or some other way, however I suggest you download the most recent PDF files from Van's websites.

If you visit my site https://colorcode.parts/ and scroll down a little you will see a small "video" playing with written instruction how to download the most up to date PDF plans from Van's website. If you have any trouble up to that point leave a comment hear and I can give more detail.

I suggest just downloading one file from there to start with, say for example section 6. If you are able to download that file from Van's it should be labeled something like 06_10.pdf and will be in your downloads folder on your computer.

Back on my site, you can click on the box that says 'drag here or click to upload'. When you click that a window should open like a file explorer. You will need to find the 06_10.pdf in that file explored. You may have to click on downloads folder to see it. Once you find the pdf file, click on it to select it. Now there should be a button in that window that says open or select or something similar. When you click that, the window will close and the file will begin uploading to the website.

When the upload icon changes and shows a check mark animation, you can then click the submit button. The program will do its work and then a preview or download link will show up. Clicking the download link is the easiest. Then new colored pdf will download to your downloads folder and you should be able to open with something like adobe or another pdf reader installed on your computer.

 

[3stepdrop]

works great. thanks very much!!