PDF nav buttons not working in browser

[wsflynn3]

Created an interactive PDF in InDesign CC 2017. Nav buttons work in Chrome (but with light background), missing in altogether in Safari, and static in FF. Links work fine everywhere. Desktop no problem. Thoughts anyone?

[BobLevine]

Interactive PDFs in any environment that is not Acrobat or Reader is a crapshoot!

http://boblevine.us/its-okay-to-say-no-to-interactive-pdf/

[Pariah Burke]

Unfortunately, Bob is absolutely correct: the support for PDF interactivities is different per device and application. Mobile in particular doesn't handle them very well, with buttons being the first thing that fails in a limited environment.

If you need cross-platform interactivities, I suggest using fixed-layout EPUB by way of InDesign's Publish Online. More info: http://abbrv.it/vidPubOnline Publish Online lets you share a fixed-layout ebook for viewing in a web browser rather than an ebook reader.

[BobLevine]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Pariah+Burke  wrote

Unfortunately, Bob is absolutely correct:

I think that part may have come out wrong.

[Pariah Burke · Accepted solution]

Bob's penchant for often being right is fortunate for us all. I'm not saying it's unfortunate that Bob's correct.

What I meant is: "Bob is correct. Unfortunately, the support for PDF interactivities is different per device and application."

[Cityprint s.r.o.]

Hey, okay. The times are moving forward and innovations and improvements will show up in a relatively short time. To date, no one has been competent to make the aforementioned deficiency go away? This strikes me as long term driving backwards with a car 😄

[Derek Cross]

What's your question, what do you want to go away?

(As this is a five-year-old thread, it might be a good idea to start a new one and explain what you're after.)

[Cityprint s.r.o.]

Hi @Derek Cross , thanks for the response, you're right, five years old and unresolved at the same time. I don't need to make a new thread since the thread author has described what the shortcoming is. Giving away the bug I had in mind. "Resolved" reply - Unfortunately, the support for PDF interactivities is different per device and application. This is not resolved for me. It would help to brainstorm and add a fixed feature. 

[BobLevine]

There are no bugs here. Just because you don't like the way something works (or doesn't work) doesn't mean there's a bug.

[BobLevine]

Did you have an actual point to make or question?

Interactive PDF is, AFAIC, DEAD! There is nothing I would use it for at this point beyond basic navigation.

[Cityprint s.r.o.]

Hi @BobLevine OK, so my question is. I will create an interactive PDF. The PDF contains buttons whose action is to show a layer and hide a layer. Everything works if I open the PDF in adobe acrobat. If another user for whom I created the interactive document uses another way of viewing the pdf, the buttons are not active.
(My English may not be 100% and for that I apologize)

[Derek Cross]

There are lots of different PDF readers and they all have various capabilities (or lack of them, more likely), that's why you can't successfully distribute Interactive PDFs. Some devices, for example, iPads, don't have rollover capability – only click.

Stick to HTML5.

[BobLevine]

Your English is fine. If the PDF works in Acrobat, then it works as designed and there is nothing you can do to make it work anywhere else.

You will note when exporting that you are exporting Adobe PDF.

In short, my answer stands...Interactive PDF is DEAD, especially for what you're trying to accomplish. It will never get better so you might just as well give up now.

[Cityprint s.r.o.]

Friends, thank you for the responses I really appreciate if others are interested in helping. HTML5 struck me as an excellent idea, but I thought if a developer needed to take it far enough, it wouldn't be bad as an upgrade/addition. Thank you again and I wish you a nice winter season and great upcoming celebrations.

[Derek Cross]

One HTML5 possibility you might consider is to use in5, an InDesign plugin (at extra cost): https://ajarproductions.com