Presentation CD Ideas - PDFs

[iainfitzy]

Hi all,

Got recommended this software so downloaded the trial and gave it ago tonight.

My task :- To make a Presentation CD for our company to present an electronic tender.

Basically I can do this in HTML but its not crisp looking as it opens up in IE browser.

So hopefully this will solve my problems.

However, the majority of the documents are in PDF format. Is there a way to integrate PDF files so they open in the broswer window rather than with their own browsers.

The majority of the users will have reader installed but its not great when all these windows fly open. It kind of loses its usabilty.

Any recommendations would be great, also if you have any better ideas for an interactive tender then please feel free to suggest them!

Thanks

IF

[Brett]

You can just embed a Web object in your page and then point it to your PDF files. They will open in the Web object just fine as long as the user has Acrobat Reader installed.

[iainfitzy]

Is this easy to do?

I had a quick search of the forums there but couldnt see this getting done!

[TJS]

Yes, this is easy.

1) Copy your pdf to the AutoPlay\Docs\ folder of your project
2) Add a web object to your page by clicking the "IE" looking icon
3) You will be presented a dialog asking for the URL for the new web object

Enter: AutoPlay\Docs\your.pdf

Preview the project to see how it looks. I noticed that the pdf controls display as well... not sure if you want that but I'm certain someone can help with hiding/disabling them if needed.

[yosik]

Another suggestion, a bit off track.
What about using FlashPaper? a) You convert all your PDF files to flash, then b) you add a flash object in your project.
The advantages would be faster loading of file, interactive zoom, smaller footprint in your screen window, nice look.

Yossi

[iainfitzy]

Brilliant thanks for the ideas, with regards to the Flash. Ill have a look into it but its usually a problem with licencing etc.

Ill let you know how I get on.

[rhosk]

No problem at all with licensing (on the Flash side).

[kdharper]

Yes, this is easy.

1) Copy your pdf to the AutoPlay\Docs\ folder of your project
2) Add a web object to your page by clicking the "IE" looking icon
3) You will be presented a dialog asking for the URL for the new web object

Enter: AutoPlay\Docs\your.pdf

Preview the project to see how it looks. I noticed that the pdf controls display as well... not sure if you want that but I'm certain someone can help with hiding/disabling them if needed.

This appears to work really well provided there isn't a hyperlink in the pdf to a different pdf. If you do click on a link to another pdf, that one will upon up in the web object window and there is no way of going back to the orignal pdf.

For example, I've created a pdf in acrobat, called mypdf1. It has a link (created in acrobat) to another pdf, mypdf2. In AMS, I've created a project with just a web object on a page (page1), having the URL "autoplay\docs\mypdf1.pdf" When I run the project, mypdf1 opens on the page. Great. If I click on the internal link from mypdf1 to mypdf2, mypdf2 opens on the page. Again, great. However, there is then no way of getting back to mypdf1. Not great. To try and get round this, on my page I've created a menu option to take me back to page1. Guess what? mypdf2 is still displayed on the page! Not great.

It appears that this is a "function" of acrobat reader running in a web browser. In IE for example you need to use the IE "back" button to return to the original pdf, however, it appears that the IE navigation buttons do not open up in a web object unless I've totally misunderstood something.

Does anyone have a clue about a work around for this - preferably an easy one because I'm not brilliant at scripting. I can upload / email the example I've mentioned above if anyone wants to have a play with this.

Thanks

Kevin

[TJS]

Add a button to the AMS page. In the button's ON CLICK event add this code (assumeing that your web object is named "Web1"):

Web.Back("Web1");

This button will now function the same as the back button in IE would.

[kdharper]

Easy when you know how! I knew there must be a simple way of doing it. Thank you. Now all I need to find is a back button that looks like the IE one...

Thanks again

Kevin

[Roboblue]

kdharper
Here is a little custom 4 tab browser that several of the forum members worked on early this year.
You can look at it for some ideas.
Popup menus, tabbed browsing, favorites, system browser, etc.

[kdharper]

Thanks, that was really helpful!

And now for the next problem...

In Adobe Acrobat, you can create a catalogue file (*.pdx), which in essence is a catalogue of all of the words in one or more pdf files. When a .pdx is opened from acrobat reader (or acrobat) it opens a search pane to the right of the reader window, allows you to search for keywords in the catalogue and then provides hyperlinks to the document(s) containing a keyword.

Logic dictates that if you can open a pdf file in a browser window via acrobat reader, as previously talked about in this thread, you should also be able to open a pdx catalogue file in the same way. However, this just does not happen. Instead, a message will come up in the browser window saying "action cancelled internet explorer was unable to link to the web page you requested..." but then acrobat reader will open in it's own window, complete with the search pane!

Has anyone got any ideas as to how to create the behaviour I'm looking for? Is it a function of Acrobat Reader? Any help would be gratefully accepted.

Thanks

Kevin

[kdharper]

As a bit of a follow up - I've had a check on the Adobe forums and from the little bit that I can find out, it looks as though this behaviour is a "feature" of acrobat reader.

Can anyone recommend an easy to use search engine that will catalogue pdfs and can be embedded in a browser window in ams instead?

Thanks

Kevin