Linking to within a PDF using named destinations

[_Gloria_Mc_]

This topic is moved from the Feature Request forum. Leslie and Errol wrote:
We're talking about make a large manual that consists of many PDF files arranged in a hierarchy. It begins with an HTML file where the user chooses a topic that takes them to a PDF file that serves as a table of contents. The user then chooses a specific topic. Here's the issue. The specific topic is NOT always the first page of the corresponding PDF. Named destinations are set correctly. If you open the TOC PDF in Adobe (and not the IE plugin of Adobe) the links work correctly to the appropriate destinations. If however, you follow the links from the original HTML file, it uses the Adobe plugin inside IE. The links to the destinations DO NOT work in this case - it only takes you to the first page of the PDF on the topic, NOT the specific destination within the document.

The problem is described here:

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=326332

We're looking for a workaround. The new version of Adobe Reader 8 does the same thing. We can't use another browser because the manual is set for mass distribution in a corporate environment and changing the destinations to page number works, but it's endless amounts of data entry.

Any ideas??? We were thinking maybe using an eBook reader that opens PDFs instead of IE?

Your help would be much appreciated.
Leslie and Errol.

[_s_stewart_]

The ARTS PDF Aerialist plug-in can also convert bookmarks and link actions from GoTo Page to GoTo Named Destination (while automatically creating the named destination).

There's also a feature for converting GoTo Remote Destinations into Weblinks.

http://www.artspdf.com/arts_pdf_aerialist.asp

Sean.

[_Bob2642_]

In Acrobat 8, such a hyperlink from Word to destination does not take the user to the destination within the PDF...just to the first page of the PDF. No clue why this fails.

Is this technique described, anywhere? I don't see it in the online complete Acrobat help system.

[_Pia_Karlson_]

Hi! I hope you can help me!

I have a similar problem. I create my documents in Frame Maker 8,0 and I set name destination both manually and lets Frame Maker create them. From the book file I create one main pdf-file and three separate pdf-files. It is the TOC, IX and a LOP file from the main document.

When I open them in Acrobat they will link to each other like a charm, from the three small files into the main file at the exact right place, but as soon as I integrate them in my html application the links do not work any longer. From the small pdf files, they only link back to the main pdf file but not to the name destination just to the latest opened page or the first page.

Is there anything I can do to correct this problem? I'm using Frame Maker 8,0p277 and Acrobat 8.1.2 and Internet Explorer 7

I hope you understand what I mean...

Best regards Pia

[_Gloria_Mc_]

Pia,
FWIW (sorry this is so late), links to named destinations must be in the form of a URL, as in http://mysite.com/mypath/myfile.pdf#mydestination (or a command from a command line, but that doesn't apply to your TOC, etc. files). Is this how the links in your TOC/IX/LOP files are structured? If they are links created by Frame and converted to PDF, such that they are Acrobat links, then those won't work in the Web environment.

Another thing to look at is your browser settings (this is for you, too Bob...). Acrobat Reader must be set to view PDF in the browser. There are some other caveats discussed in this thread, so you might plow through it if you haven't done so already. And Bob, links that I create in Word open to the correct page in the PDF - will need to have more info on what you are doing if you still are interested in this issue.

--GMc

[Guest]

Sorry to start up this post again, but one branch of our company wants the online help files to be pdfs (from Frame)

with an html file to point to various pages in them. One solution seemed to be to create destinations as hyperlinks (Comment 20), but the

ideal way would be to create them from the bookmarks, since that would match the heading content. There was mention of

a tool to do this (http://www..evermap.com/autobookmark.asp) but that link no longer works, is there still a tool to do this?

I use Frame 7.1 and Acrobat 8.1.4 Thanks

[Bernd Alheit]

Try this link:

http://www.evermap.com/autobookmark.asp

[Guest]

Getting closer, I loaded the trail software, but the way I set up Frame seems to create a lot of created destinations tha that are cryptic, some of which include the destinations for bookmarks. When I create a bookmark in the pdf and use the tool, it seems fine. I'll read the manual, but my question is about Frame, is there something wrong with the pdf setup settings? Thanks

[Shlomo Perets]

These settings are correct. FrameMaker creates named destinations and the bookmarks it generates use these destinations.

I recommend making these changes:

• In the Links tab, turn on the Create Named Destinations for All Elements/Paragraphs option. It results in larger PDFs, but on the other hands you it reduces the likelihood of random bookmarks/links becoming invalid in the PDF.
  
• In the Bookmarks tab, turn off the "Articles: Thread by Text Frame" option. Most users don't know what article threads are and how these work (and are confused when trying to click a link but activate the article thread instead of being taken to the target).

Shlomo Perets

MicroType, http://www.microtype.com
FrameMaker/TCS training & consulting * FrameMaker-to-Acrobat TimeSavers/Assistants

[Guest]

Sadly, it does look like when you create bookmarks from Frame, it creates the auto-generated Destinations and the tool cannot replace those Destinations. Support has the steps as:

I  guess your real task is to rename named destinations and bookmark actions that  are using them.

What  you can do:

1.       Export  bookmarks into a text file. Make sure to check option to “resolve named  destinations”.

2.       Delete  all bookmarks.

3.       Delete  all destinations (optional).

4.       Re-create  bookmarks from a text file.

5.       Convert  bookmarks to use named destinations.

Make  sure to create a backup copy of your document to avoid accidentally loosing it  during the processing.

It seems to work, but to replace the Destinations would make things a lot easier. But it is doable.

[winchella]

I believe that I have a similar problem.  I have a pdf file with named destinations and some html pages that link back to named destinations in the pdf, and I'm trying to merge everything into one pdf file.  I've tried as many variations of Web Capture and pdf merging as I could think of, but the links back to the pdf file will not go to the named destinations (only to the first page).  Everything works if I save the original pdf file as html and merge from there, but that loses the original formatting.

Is there anything (Adobe or third-party) that would accomplish this?

[try67]

You should merge with Acrobat.

[winchella]

The problem is that I want the hyperlinks to convert to views within the merged document (as it does with Web Capture).  Acrobat merging keeps the links to the old (separate) files.

[Bernd Alheit]

Acrobat merging keeps the links to the old (separate) files.

You must change the links.

[winchella]

If I rename the links to match the final pdf name, it does not associate them with the same document.  In fact, the links do not open anything at all, but instead each opens the browser which proceeds to get confused about the file type (probably because of the hash tag?).  Is there a way to associate the files as they are being merged?

[Guest]

Keith here again, with a lot of work we have the online pdf application up and running, the final issue is ensuring the figures

(screen captures) are legible in pdf, what I have done is in Frame for the figure caption tag added a hypertext link that points to

a gif file. There is no path because the application points to the correct directory on the webserver. When I put the pdf files on the

web server, you can click on the caption and the figure comes up, but it is in the same tab as the pdf file, so you must click on the

back button to return to the pdf. I would like the figure to appear in another window or tab, and usually you can select a link and drag it

up to create a new tab for that link. I can't find an option that says 'make hypertext links appear in new window" in Frame. In Firefox

I have clicked on the option 'Open new windows in new tab instead' and that doesn't seem to work, do I need to embed so javascript

in Frame or the pdf? I hope the attachments make this clear.

[Guest]

Actually, what is shown in forum would also be good, if on mouseover you could click on the image and it

would enlarge to legible, this would definitely be embedding javascript.

[Shlomo Perets]

I am not aware of a way to accomplish this with native FrameMaker capabilities.

For FM->PDF workflows only, such capabilities are available with my FrameMaker-to-Acrobat TimeSavers add-on and its extensions.

For additional information / samples, see these items in the "Improve PDFs with TimeSavers" series:

#29: Optimally display screen captures http://microtype.com/ImprovePDF29.html

#10: Set specific cross-PDF links to open a new window http://microtype.com/ImprovePDF10.html

#12: Specify custom/consistent PDF named destinations http://microtype.com/ImprovePDF12.html

Shlomo Perets, http://www.microtype.com

FrameMaker/Acrobat training & consulting

[Guest]

Is there a conclusion to this long thread that one of the resident experts can summarize on automating named destinations ?

Dying Vets

[PereDeChipstick]

Using Word 2007, and Adobe Reader 10, I want to save a document created in MS Word to PDF with named destinations.  I have the following code in Word to automatically create named destinations

Public Sub AddNamedDestinationToBookmark()
    Dim bm As Bookmark
    Dim r As Range
    ' Iterate over all bookmarks
    For Each bm In ActiveDocument.Bookmarks
        ' Ignore the hidden bookmarks
        If (Left(bm.Name, 1) <> "_") Then
            Set r = bm.Range
            ' Get a Range corresponding to the location of the bookmark
            r.SetRange Start:=bm.Range.Start, End:=bm.Range.Start
            ' Generate the parameter to go in the Print field
            ' Should ensure the string contains no illegal characters
            s = """[ /Dest /" & bm.Name & " /DEST pdfmark  """
            ' Add the Print field to the document
            Set f = ActiveDocument.Fields.Add(r, wdFieldPrint, s, False)
        End If
    Next
End Sub

I have set Word to 'show field codes instead of their values' and added the switch  '\* MERGEFORMAT '

This gives a field looking like e.g.

{ PRINT "[ /Dest /TOC_Start /DEST pdfmark \* MERGEFORMAT " }SomeText

I then want to open the PDF document to the named destination from MS-Access (A2007), I curently use this code

    strAdbPth = "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 10.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe"
    strDocname = Application.CurrentProject.Path & "\DocumentName.pdf"
    strNamedDest = "TOC_Start"
    Shell strAdbPth & " /A NamedDest=" & strNamedDest & " " & strDocname

which only opens the document to the first page

Can you help advise

a. Is the field formatting correct to create named destinations in the conversion to pdf

b. Are there any necessary options in the Word Save as PDF dialog box that are needed ( I've tried as many combinations as I can think of)

c. Is the Access VBA correct for opening to a named destination

d. If the named destination ONLY works in a browser window, can you advise the format I should use in the shell statement.to open the pdf doc in a browser window?

Many thanks in advance

PDC

[Guest]

I wish I could help, but I work in Frame and use mif/perl to do any

large-scale changes, but you could contact EverMap, their support is

very good.

Regards,

keith