New Browser Window from Hyperlinks on PDF created in In Design

[senrab75]

I am creating PDF documents using In Design CS3.  The PDFs have hyperlinks to other PDFs as well as hyperlinks to webpages. The finalized PDF is being accessed through our website as a link on the webpage. The PDF is opening in a new browser window/tab and the hyperlinks are working great.  My problem is this: How do I get it so that the hyperlinks on the PDF open to a new browser window as well.  Currently, when I click a link, it changes the current browser window that the PDF is in.  I want to set this so that anyone, from any computer will have it so that the link opens a new window/tab.

[shelley Manes]

Senrab, did you ever get this solved off line? I'm trying to do the same thing. Using InDesign CS3 to create docs with hyperlinks to PDFs, which always open in the same window, forcing viewer to "page back" to original PDF where the link source is, or if they close the window with the link destination, they close the document. I have tried viewing the PDF with links in Reader X and Acrobat 8. Results the same.

If you figured it out or have a work around, would you share please?

Shelley

[senrab75 · Accepted solution]

In Adobe Acrobat (the application, not the .pdf reader) use the Link Tool to edit the hyperlinked text object. Remove the “Open a web link” action assigned by default to handle the hyperlinked text when clicked. Assign a new action to the linked text that will open the hyperlink in a new window.

Note: The links have to be established each time you create a PDF – they do not carry over from In Design or any other software.

1.     Access the Link tool (Tools > Advanced Editing > Link Tool)

2.     Right click on the hyperlinked text and select Properties

3.     In the Link Properties dialog box click on the Actions tab

4.     In the middle of the Actions panel in the Actions section click on the Open a web link action listed there to select it.

5.     Click the Delete button located just below that section in the lower right corner. This removes the action from the list and the Actions section should now be empty.

6.     In the Add an Action section right above the Actions section click on the Select Action drop down menu and select the Run a JavaScript action from the list.

7.     Click the Add… button.

8.     In the JavaScript Editor that opens up, click your cursor in the Create and Edit JavaScripts area, like you would in a word processor to begin typing, and type the following line:

app.launchURL("http://www.MySampleURL.com/someFolder/somePage.html", true);

9.     Change the hyperlink text between the quotation marks to your desired URL.

Ex: app.launchURL("http://www.cnn.com", true);

Caution:

1.     The code is case sensitive so make sure you typed app.launchURL NOT app.launchurl or some other case combination.

2.     Make sure that you have quotation marks around your hyperlink URL.

3.     Make sure there is a semicolon at the end of the line of code you just typed.

4.     Make sure that the quotation marks are straight up and down – not on an angle.

10. Click OK to close the JavaScript Editor dialog box.

11. Click OK to close the Link Properties dialog box.

12. Save the .pdf and test your .pdf hyperlink by opening the .pdf document in a browser, click the link and check to see that it opens in a new browser window.

[shelley Manes]

wow, thank you so much!

[Stix_Hart]

Just a thought, you say you have to edit the link each time.  If you are updating the PDF frequently and this is an anoyance have you tried creating it from scratch in Acrobat and then using this feature to replace the Indesign page behind it?

[shelley Manes]

Thanks, I'll look at this, but my pages have the links all over the place, and are unique in each instance.

Will try it though!

Thank you.

[aad0402]

Works great in Firefox - Any thoughts on why this wouldn't work in Safari?

[margaretc18731342]

I'm running into the same problem. It works great in Firefox, but not in Safari or Chrome. Any solutions to this?

[Steve Werner]

This is really an Acrobat PDF issue not an InDesign issue. It makes no sense here because it's not something that InDesign can do.

[BobLevine]

The answer has not and probably never will change. PDF in a browser, mobile or any reader other than Acrobat/Acrobat Reader is a crapshoot.

[shelley Manes]

This works great. Now I have a slightly different requirement, I hope I'm in the correct forum for this:

My PDF will be distributed on a USB drive, and all destination/link PDFs and folders will be in a Document Library on the drive, along with the long/narrative PDF which contains all the links. I need readers to be able to stay within the USB drive and use only Acrobat Reader to go from the narrative to the many destination PDFs and folders (which hold only more PDFs or more folders with PDFs in them). Can I use a version of this JavaScript sample to point the link to the Document Library/FolderThatIsNamedToMatchTheLink ? It needs to work whether the user is Mac or PC and regardless of which "drive" they plug the USB into. I wasn't sure if these considerations would affect the "URL" the link would point to. I am (obviously) not even remotely a JavaScript expert.

[Steve Werner]

You might try the Acrobat Scripting forum for quicker results.

[shelley Manes]

Thanks! Will do.

Shelley

[Guest]

SENRAB75

you are a legend mate!

[juliecracker]

Very helpful, but doesn't work in Chrome (although it does now work in Safari). 😞

[Laubender]

@Julie – if it does not work in Chrome (but in Safari and other browsers), I fear you cannot do something against it.

Then even creating pdfmarks (answer #12) is not a solution, because if handled right, you always create the same URLs (with the same attributes) in your PDF like the JavaScript solution in Acrobat Pro. Automated or not…

Uwe

[beer_run]

Ok #2 is exactly what i need and looking for. I'm looking to put pdf on a site when people are viewing they can click links and new window pops up vs. being in same window it having to go back and reload pdf.

basically I'm putting a magazine up on our site (40 meg file 100 pages) and i want people to be able to click on ads and pop window takes them to their site vs having to reload the magazine (40 megs) every time someone goes to ad and back.

this works on my computer only when i test. it works in safari on my computer. i installed firefox it doesn't work. when i test on other computers it does not work in safari (the links just greyed out) tried doing it with button if anyone has any insight that would be great thank you for your time.

[shelley Manes]

beer-run, here is the text of a "read me first" file I loaded on all the drives where this project was distributed 5 years ago, maybe you can adapt these instructions for use on your site:

All Support Documentation in PDF format is linked to the narrative documents enclosed.

On a PC, Control-Click on a hyperlink to open linked PDF in a new window.

On a Mac, Option-Command-Click on a hyperlink to open linked PDF in a new window.

Support documentation that is not PDF (.mp3, .mp4, .mov) must be opened from the Document Library. All PDFs are also in found in the Document Library as an alternative to linking from the narrative documents and directories.

[hameeda3589717]

Hey there,

This method works fine on IE but on Firefox it doesn't. I have to right click and select open in new tab to open the link. Would there be a better solution for this?

Thanks!

[BobLevine]

Yup. Don't open PDFs in browsers.

[ctsuttle]

I created the javascript action.  I wrapped the PDF in an AICC wrapper and placed it on my Successfactors LMS.  The weblink will open, but not in a new window.  Do you have any ideas as to why this is?

[BobLevine]

Try the Acrobat forum. But again, browsers are not PDF readers and there's no assurance anything will work.

[Surfing_Orangutan]

Wow, I am so glad to see I am not the only one having this problem!  So frustrating!  Is there any feature that allows us to make the PDF links open in a new browser window that is built in to In Design CS5?  The work around suggested above to do in Acrobat is simply not feasable for the amount of updates we do to this large manual we have created.  The only other option we have considered is to change the settings on all 100+ department computers in Adobe Reader - Edit - Preferences - Internet - uncheck the "Open in Browser" box.  But this too is a very large task and only fixes the problem internally.  I was hoping InDesign would have a built in option to click this preference when exporting it to a PDF.

Please, any other ideas before I throw my work computer of the balcony!

[peter_minneapolis]

Surfing Orangutan wrote:

Wow, I am so glad to see I am not the only one having this problem!  So frustrating!  Is there any feature that allows us to make the PDF links open in a new browser window that is built in to In Design CS5?  The work around suggested above to do in Acrobat is simply not feasable for the amount of updates we do to this large manual we have created.  The only other option we have considered is to change the settings on all 100+ department computers in Adobe Reader - Edit - Preferences - Internet - uncheck the "Open in Browser" box.  But this too is a very large task and only fixes the problem internally.  I was hoping InDesign would have a built in option to click this preference when exporting it to a PDF.

Please, any other ideas before I throw my work computer of the balcony!

I haven't read the thread too closely, so this may be redundant:

Search Google for terms like "Search Google for terms like "html command to open link in new window" without quotes.

HTH

Regards,

Peter

_______________________

Peter Gold

KnowHow ProServices

[John Hawkinson]

It's also worth looking at this recent thread in the scripting forum: specify target in URLs for buttons or hyperlink settings.

The solution there won't work for everyone (use pdfmarks in EPS files), but it may for some.