Spaces in URLs problem w/ new Reader X and XI updates

[Guest]

Can anyone else confirm that with the new Reader X and XI updates, spaces in URLs get encoded as %2520 instead of %20 causing errors when the links are followed?  This  was/is not a problem with the earlier version of X nor with other pdf viewers.  I believe that this is a bug.

[mater1ks]

I just updated Adobe to 10.1.6, and unfortunately, the problem still exists.  I even tried opening it up in the 10.1.6 version of Adobe Acrobat Pro and resaving it, but it didn't help.

[Caveatttt]

This is still a problem in both 10.1.5 and 10.1.6.

I have come across something that may constitute a workaround for this problem.  Disabling 'Enable Protected Mode at startup' makes the problem go away.

This is in Edit > Preferences > General in X, and Edit > Preferences > Security (General) in XI.

Of course, I have complete faith in Adobe that this problem will be permanently fixed in 10.1.7 !!

[JABuc1234]

Thank you for this workaround.

Has anyone heard anything about Adobe fixing this? I have encountered a similar problem. I don't have a space in my web links, but a tilde symbol--which Reader converts to %0257, thus breaking the web link. It's very frustrating. (I'm using 11.0.2 Adobe Reader.)

[rustyconc]

Bumping the thread...

Same problem.  A link that includes a %20 works fine in other PDF readers AND Acrobat X Pro, but Acrobat Reader XI 11.0.2 passes the link to the browser as %2520, and thus the browser reports a 404 error. 

Windows 7, Waterfox 18 (64bit Firefox)

[Dasfinc]

Adobe finally acknoledged this as a bug thursday (3/14) evening to my group after providing them extremely detailed information including a fiddler capture. It has also come to my attention that this may also be impacting people trying to submit forms to the IRS.

[old_geek]

I am having the same problem. Details ....

I have created two PDFs in the same folder (I used Power Point to create the contents, and saved as PDF). I want to be able to click a link in the first PDF and cause the second PDF to be opened.

Everything works fine if there are no blank spaces in the filename of the second PDF (i.e., the target of the link in the first PDF), and no blank spaces in any part of the full path to the second PDF.

The problem occurs if there are blank spaces in the second PDF's filenames or full path.

If there are blank spaces (in either filename or path), then when I open the first PDF and hover over the link to the second (target) .... I can see that FOR THE PATH, each blank space has been converted to a %20. FOR THE FILENAME of the target PDF, the blank space shows as a blank space (i.e., not shown as a %20).

When I click the link in the first PDF, my default browser (Firefox 19.0.2) opens and displays a dialog box tells me that it cannot find the file in question (i.e., the second PDF).

The file name in the dialog box has each blank space (in both filename and path) converted to a %20 .... HOWEVER, the contents of the browser's address bar has each blank space converted to a %2520.

It is that address of the second PDF shown in the browser's address bar (with each blank replaced by a %2520) that cannot be found. If I manually alter the contents of the address bar, and remove each 25 (so that each blank is replaced only by a %20) and then hit the Enter key, the second PDF is successfully displayed in the browser.

Firefox now has it's own PDF viewer. However, I disabled the internal Firefox PDF viewer, and set the default PDF viewer to the Adobe viewer. Problem did not go away. So, I do not think the fault is in the Firefox PDF viewer.

The previous post stated that Adobe has acknowledged this as a bug. Any word on when/if the bug will be fixed.

The only work-around I have found is to use filenames and paths that have no blanks. But if one is creating PDFs for customers, then while one might be able to use filenames with no blanks, one cannot insure that customers will not place the PDFs into folders that have noblanks in their paths.

Any other suggestions while we wait for a fix?

EDIT: I found a similar thread here: http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1053575?tstart=0

[HCVAdvocate2]

This is SO SO stressful.. I have Adobe Acrobat Professional XI and thought everything was fine until I had complaints from our clients that links inside our pdfs were not opening.  I finally installed the latest Adobe Reader 11 and experienced Adobe HELL!!!... Jeez.. We have a lot of internal links with spaces (%20) in our pdf's and a huge client base!!!  Do I now have to rename all documents with a space in the name and find all the internal links in other documents (hundreds) pointing to them and rename them?  Also considering that the documents are made in InDesign and InDesign has its own bugs with hidden and inaccessible code for links  (I call them link ghosts)...I'm ready to shoot myself!! 

I don't get it.. We pay a lot for this these products, and we keep getting screwed.. Does anyone know of alternatives to Adobe for products like InDesign and Acrobat that actually work? Lately I've been spending hours trying to debug links that won't work because of the InDesign link problems (of which we have been complaining for years and of which Adobe has done nothing). And now this!!

%*%$#($%%$

[thevark1]

This is defintiely a problem usign Adobe Reader XI. I've found the issue to occur with spaces and special characters. In our case, we have addresses including '~' characters. This gets covnerted to the cryptic '%xxxx' gibberish. Adobe Reader 9 and Reader 10 do not show this problem. I just confirmed with multiple pc's , using XP and 7, using both IE and FireFox, and using Adobe 9, 10, and XI. XI is the only one which chokes on this.

Is Adobe working on this? It sound slike 'no' from the dialog.

[sam2097]

A problem for me (and all my intranet users too).

The links work fine when viewed from within Firefox but once you download they're no good.  (Using 11.0.2)

[C_F_McBlob]

Spaces in URLs are a bad thing, always have been, always will be. I suspect this is just the tip of the iceberg, and people need to rethink the way they name files for web use or it will be come a problem beyond just reader. I have trouble with images, MP3s and HTML docs that have spaces in the names. I've even had browser issues trying to access files (with Google Chrome).

[sam2097]

Yes - you're correct of course but alas we will be unlikely to convince those born after 1980 of this so..... I reckon a few dollars thrown at this by Adobe is probably the way around this one.

[C_F_McBlob]

sam2097 wrote:

Yes - you're correct of course but alas we will be unlikely to convince those born after 1980 of this so..... I reckon a few dollars thrown at this by Adobe is probably the way around this one.

That's a little like asking Chevy to build a better suspension for their cars because you like to drive down the railroad tracks. I mean, people who use web-unfreindly file names are not their responsibility and creating a fix for it would only encourage the bad behavior.

[Dasfinc]

Hello All,
after fighting tooth and nail for 2 months, and harassing adobe with extreme frequency, This is what I have heard back from Senior development at Adobe:

"This issue is fixed in the next patch release for Acrobat/Reader i.e. 11.0.03. This version is tentatively scheduled to be released in the mid of May, 2013."

[old_geek]

I just installed Reader 11.0.3 and verified that (at least in my case) the problem with having imbedded blanks in the path (I did not try any other special characters) has been resolved.

My thanks to all those who have posted in this thread for keeping this issue alive until it was finally resolved.

[sam2097]

Yippee.  Back to my reckless file naming days!

[HCVAdvocate2]

I needed the exercise and the reproof!!! NOT!!!!!  I don't know who invented "life" but it's not what was advertised!!!!

Until the next glitch

CD

[pwillener]

Are you saying that 11.0.3 did not fix it for you?  Perfectly works for me; try attached PDF.

[HCVAdvocate2]

Oh sorry.. Yes it did work, but only after we changed ALL OF OUR PDF LINKS with spaces in them!!!!!!!

Sorry.. Yes it works.. I'm just complaining

CD

[WNCsnoopy24]

I encountered similar problem today with an end user; there were dashes in the URL 1dash was being replaced with %AD.  This only occurred while opening a PDF on website through IE then trying to click link embedded therein.  If the PDF was saved to the PC the links worked fine.  I updated to Adobe 11.0.3 and the problem remains.

[HCVAdvocate2]

The whole thread has been really helpful.. Thanks for the help gang .. (as opposed to the non-help from Adobe).. We decided to go in and change as many links and file names as possible.. We should be finished about the same time that Adobe fixes the problem..

haahahahahah

[mater1ks]

I just updated to 10.1.7, and it too has the problem fixed!  This is almost as exciting as winning the lottery!

[rodrigo_zini]

I have the same problem. After use word to convert to pdf (save as) the links don’t work. The Acrobat Reader inserts the characters “25” in the special characters (Latin characters) and space character. Example: Correct URL %20 (word), Incorrect URL %2520 (Acrobat Reader).

OS: Windows 7 – 64bits

Acrobat Reader: Version 10.1.6

The problems was solved after update the Acrobat Reader to 10.1.7 or install the new version 11.0.0.

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Eu tenho o mesmo problema. Após usar a conversão do Word para PDF (salvar como) os links pararam de funcionar. O Acrobat Reader insere os caracteres “25” nos caracteres especiais (caracteres latinos) e nos espaços. Exemplo: URL Correto %20 (word), URL incorreta %2520 (Acrobat Reader).

SO: Windows 7 – 64bits

Acrobat Reader: Version 10.1.6

O problema foi solucionado após atualizar o Acrobat Reader para a versão 10.1.7 ou instalar a nova versão 11.0.0.

[Guest]

If you are exporting from InDesign, run the script in the second post of this thread:

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1016015

It fixes the URL encoding...

[Laubender]

I want to add for all InDesign users around here, that the encoding bug is with:

InDesign CS6 v8.0.0

InDesign CS6 v8.0.1

InDesign CC v9.0.0

No other versions are affected (state of today: 2013 07 23).
Currently there is no official feedback from Adobe when and on what version of InDesign this get fixed.

What exactly is happening when encoding gets wrong?
Here are my assumptions:

Background:

Note: the bug is not in the PDF Export function, but in the Hyperlink Panel of InDesign!

It seems that every URL that  is encoded with something like encodeURI() (a global ExtendScript function):

string encodeURI (text: string)

Encodes a string after RFC2396.

Create an UTF-8 ASCII encoded version of this string. The string is converted into UTF-8. Every non-alphanumeric character is encoded as a percent escape character of the form %xx, where xx is the hex value of the character. After the conversion to UTF-8 encoding and escaping, it is guaranteed that the string does not contain characters codes greater than 127. The list of characters not to be encoded is -_.!~*'();/?:@&=+$,#. The method returns false on errors.

To get it back to a working URL we could decode it by "decodeURI()":

string decodeURI (uri: string)

Decodes a string created with encodeURI().

I found a way in InDesign to make it decode with the decodeURI() method in ExtendScript.
Possibly this is also a workaround in Acrobat Pro. I'm not into JavaScript for Acrobat Pro so much, so I cannot say if that would work. JavaScript for Acrobat is a totally different beast compared with ExtendScript.

For InDesign users (CS6 and CC) there are some ExtendScript snippets around that convert the wrong encoded URLs:

1. My initial version at:
http://forums.adobe.com/message/4463255#4463255

2. A refined and advanced version of that script by Joe Fugate who found a restriction in my script (internal links in InDesign) and added some reporting:

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4826322#4826322

3. A short version by Peter Kahrel at the InDesign scripting forum:

http://forums.adobe.com/message/5479294#5479294

So, back to Acrobat:

Can one list all Acrobat Pro versions where the bug is present?

Here I do not refer to problems that originally stems from PDFs made by InDesign CS6 and CC, but from URLs made in Acrobat Pro.

Personally I do 95% of my Acrobat work still in the older version 9.4.4. I'm not affected.
What I'm not sure about: is the bug still present in 9.5.5, the latest and last installment of Acrobat Pro 9?

Further on: I have also installed Acrobat Pro 10.1.7.

A quick test is showing, that there is no problem with freshly generated URLs.

Thank you all,
Uwe

[jmpagano]

This may be a font issue--how Acrobat handles system fonts in a Windows environment (basically, it converts spaces and unrecognizable characters into their unicode variant, thereby breaking links).

Please see reply #5 in this thread: http://forums.adobe.com/thread/892168.

The solution worked fine for me.

Good luck.