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Steve5C69
Participating Frequently
March 21, 2023
Answered

Interactive pdf and QR code

  • March 21, 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 1526 views

Hi All, I have a 80 page pdf, based on birds and walks to see said birds and I have set it up with buttons to jump the reader to the correct section. That all works fine. But, what I would like to do, is place QR codes around the walks that folk can scan and then read, and interact, with the pdf vis the buttons. I haven't managed to get that bit to work yet!! Any ideas, suggestions, help, etc will be very gratefully received!

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Correct answer James Gifford—NitroPress

On thinking it through a little more, I am not sure there is any third option for this (at least, not without a server-based publication system at your command). One option would be an app, mostly a container for your information pages but with the features to enable a code reader and respond with the right page. The other would be that web-based information, behind a simple ecommerce portal or paywall. If there's a third way to accomplish this — without making it very weak in security or open-access — it's eluding me.

 

Something based on a web platform would be relatively easy to set up and manage, and would allow you endless update and expansion capabilities. I'd look into that, perhaps on WordPress plus an ecommerce plug-in.

 

1 reply

James Gifford—NitroPress
James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
March 21, 2023

The most straightforward way to manage this would be to make the guide a web/HTML document, and use the QR codes to direct the mobile web browser to the desired page. That, however, would make the link accessible to anyone who scans it, short of sending them to a paywall.

 

For the codes (or any other link source) to jump to, say, a PDF page that's exclusively on each device would be significantly more complex. There would have to be code, or an applet, that will redirect a scanned code to a document page. I can't think of any inherent InDesign/PDF/Acrobat feature for this.

 

    S
    Steve5C69Author
    Participating Frequently
    March 21, 2023
    Hi James, many thanks for your reply - which, sadly, seems to back up what
    I was fearing! I will have a look around other ways of putting out the same
    info.
    James Gifford—NitroPress
    James Gifford—NitroPressCorrect answer
    Legend
    March 21, 2023

    On thinking it through a little more, I am not sure there is any third option for this (at least, not without a server-based publication system at your command). One option would be an app, mostly a container for your information pages but with the features to enable a code reader and respond with the right page. The other would be that web-based information, behind a simple ecommerce portal or paywall. If there's a third way to accomplish this — without making it very weak in security or open-access — it's eluding me.

     

    Something based on a web platform would be relatively easy to set up and manage, and would allow you endless update and expansion capabilities. I'd look into that, perhaps on WordPress plus an ecommerce plug-in.

     

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