Linking from a PDF document to a CHM file

Report · Feb 16, 2016

Hi,

I would like to link from a PDF file to a CHM file. I've searched the forum for information on this but haven't found anything definitive.

I don't need to link to a particular spot in the CHM file, opening the CHM file to its standard first page would be fine.

I would need the link to work on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 on both 32-bit Windows and 64-bit Windows.

Although I could put the PDF file and CHM file in the same folder if required, I would prefer not to.

Note that I'm NOT talking about linking from a CHM file to a PDF file, I'm talking about linking from a PDF file to a CHM file. The link embedded in the PDF file should start the CHM file (if it's not already open) and then display the CHM file's startup page.

Thanks for your help with this question!

Dave

Report · Feb 16, 2016

‌You can try an Open File link. These are getting less and less useful but they are the only game in town for a local file. If it's in a server use a URL.

Report · Feb 16, 2016

Hi,

Thanks for the reply!. I haven't had time yet to look at Open File. Do you know if it's specifically documented in some Adobe documentation somewhere that it works with opening CHM files or is it just generally designed to open any type of file?

The reason I ask is that CHM files seem to be considered a security threat (e.g. they can't be opened over the network), so it would be desirable if Adobe claimed somewhere that Open File works with linking to CHM files (along with many other file types, I'm sure).

Maybe that type of claim is too much to hope for. In any case, any experience you or anyone else has with actually linking from PDF files to CHM files would be appreciated. Our product which contains the PDF file and the CHM file will be released to customers, so I need a reliable solution that works across the Windows versions I mentioned and both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.

Again, the CHM file can be in the same folder as the PDF. Nothing is happening over the network and there is no URL involved.

I'll read up on Open File and will experiment with it myself, but any further thoughts you or anyone else has would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

Dave

Report · Feb 16, 2016

Open File links are one of the choices in the link tool. It opens any kind of file, like a double click in Explorer, but security concerns make it much less useful than once it was.

Bear in mind many people will view in non-Adobe software including browsers. In this case all bets are off. Don't count on this working, provide a simple alternative.