Markup Text Patterns

Text pattern markup uses regular expressions to find and annotate sensitive data such as Social Security numbers, phone numbers, email addresses, and credit card numbers. You can enable multiple pattern types at once and configure region-specific formats.

Extensions > Mapsoft Redactor > Markup Text Patterns

Using Pattern Markup

  1. Open a PDF document in Adobe Acrobat.
  2. Choose Extensions > Mapsoft Redactor > Markup Text Patterns.
  3. In the Text Pattern dialog, enable the pattern types you want to search for.
  4. Select the region to use locale-appropriate regex patterns.
  5. Optionally configure case sensitivity, whole word matching, and direct redact mode.
  6. Click OK, then select a page range.
  7. The engine scans each page and places redacting annotations on all matches.

Built-in Pattern Types

PatternDescriptionExample Matches
SSNSocial Security Number123-45-6789
EINEmployer Identification Number12-3456789
PhoneTelephone numbers (region-specific formats)(555) 123-4567
EmailEmail addressesuser@example.com
DateDate formats (region-specific)01/15/2025, 15-Jan-2025
AddressStreet addresses123 Main Street
Credit CardCredit card numbers4111-1111-1111-1111
BracketsText enclosed in brackets[redacted text], (sensitive)
CustomUser-defined regular expressionAny regex pattern

Region Selection

Pattern matching adapts to regional formats. Select the region that matches the document's locale to ensure accurate detection.

RegionAffected Patterns
United StatesSSN, phone, date, address formats typical of US documents.
United KingdomUK phone numbers, date formats (DD/MM/YYYY), National Insurance numbers.
CanadaCanadian phone formats, SIN patterns, postal codes.
AustraliaAustralian phone formats, TFN patterns, date formats.
European UnionEU date formats, continental phone number patterns.

Tip

If your document contains data from multiple regions, run the pattern search once per region on the same document. Annotations accumulate and do not overwrite each other.

Options

OptionDescription
Case SensitiveWhen enabled, pattern matching distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase letters. Primarily affects the Custom regex pattern.
Whole WordWhen enabled, matches must occur at word boundaries. Prevents partial matches within longer strings.
Direct RedactWhen enabled, matched content is immediately redacted without first creating markup annotations. Use with caution — this is not reversible.

Warning

The Direct Redact option permanently removes matched content in a single step, bypassing the preview stage. Always test your patterns with Direct Redact disabled first to verify correct matches.

Custom Regex Patterns

Enable the Custom pattern type and enter a standard regular expression in the custom regex field. The engine uses ECMAScript regex syntax. Some useful examples:

See Also