Possible to create tabs in PDF?

Report · Oct 17, 2018

Hi!

I wanted to know if it's possible to create tabs in a PDF file, similar to what would be at the bottom of an excel sheet?

I'm hoping to have 3 pages on the 1 page under different tabs, rather than linking around the PDF.

ie. 3 tabs on the left side of multiple pages. Top tab when pressed will show a certain page, but the middle tab can easily just be pressed to go back to previous content.

I've tried to look around for this info, but I feel like I'm going in circles and if it's not possible I'll be looking forever.

Report · Oct 18, 2018

This would be a VERY manual process, but you could create the different 'pages' on different layers. The tabs could be in the artwork itself with an invisible button on top of each. You would then create actions for the tabs/buttons that would set the different layer's visibility, depending on what tab was clicked. A lot of work, but I've done it, and the illusion is effective.

Good luck. I hope this is helpful info.

My best,

Dave

View solution in original post

Report · Oct 17, 2018

No tabs in PDF that I'm aware of.

Have you tried hierarchical Bookmarks?

Page thumbnails and bookmarks in PDFs, Adobe Acrobat

Report · Oct 17, 2018

The only problem is this:

Let's say the document is 100 pages, 30 of those pages (page A) will link back to one particular page (page B), but I want to be able to hop back from page B to the same page A the user has come from.

Tabs are the only feasible idea I had to do this.

Report · Oct 18, 2018

As we said, there's no such thing as tabs in a PDF file. And what you

described can be done using buttons, or bookmarks, using a script.

Report · Oct 17, 2018

You can fake it by creating buttons on all three pages that look like tabs

and jump to another page when clicked.

Report · Oct 17, 2018

try67 wrote
You can fake it by creating buttons on all three pages that look like tabs
and jump to another page when clicked.

As I just explained above to John, this structure wouldn't really work for what I'm looking for

try67

Report · Oct 18, 2018

This would be a VERY manual process, but you could create the different 'pages' on different layers. The tabs could be in the artwork itself with an invisible button on top of each. You would then create actions for the tabs/buttons that would set the different layer's visibility, depending on what tab was clicked. A lot of work, but I've done it, and the illusion is effective.

Good luck. I hope this is helpful info.

My best,

Dave

Report · Oct 19, 2018

Awesome! I've just had a quick look into this and it seems like this is exactly what I was after!

Thanks for the information Dave.

Report · Oct 19, 2018

Glad it is useful info! Good luck.

My best,

Dave