Open PDFs in external web browser without showing the URL

[NottReel]

I have a client that would like the end user to access a series of PDF files from a server without letting them see the URL. (and view full screen!)

Been using File.openURL....PDFs open in Acrobat inside web browser with the address bar showing. Is ther any way to hide the URL?

Oh, one more thing....
Ideally, I would love to set up the PDF files in a list box.

[JimS]

Once you launch a separate program like an external browser, I don’t know of a way to wrestle away control of that program from itself. Most external browsers are going to have the option of showing the user an address bar, if the user wants one. I don’t think that AMS or any other program can take away that ability from an external program.
Sorry.

OK, I can think of a couple of possible options(?)
The first one is sort of shaky. It involves something that I think is referred to as ‘phishing’. You use javascript to ‘spoof’ the address bar. I can’t give specifics on this but Google can. I don’t recommend doing this, and I suspect that sooner rather than later, most external browsers will defeat this ‘spoof’.

It’s not for me to say, but I tend to think your best bet is to build your own browser with the Web Object. You won’t add an address bar, so they won’t see the URL. If it is important that it opens in an external window, you can create a separate AMS project that is just a browser, then launch it from your main app.

Be aware that I know of no method that is going to be 100% effective in keeping your PDF’s from people who want them. A user doesn’t have to be Filini to save a simple “screen capture” to disk.

Hope that helps.

[Philo]

Option 1
You could open a webpage on the server with a pdf embedded into it and insert some javascript into that webpage to hide the address bar.

Option 2
Store the pdf files in passworded zips on the server which you download, unzip and display in a browser window using AMS. You could use the same javascript trick as described in step 1 on a locally held webpage to stop resizing and hide the address bar. When the project was closed you could include code to delete the pdfs from the users system.

[Worm]

This uses a small EXE (24K) that takes a URL as a command line. Uses the IE Object, but has no toolbars, etc.