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Open pdf file with http url through command line option

vijesh_a_v
Registered: Apr 25 2011
Posts: 2

This requirement is in conjunction with updating document through webdav.
 
The pdf files will be available through http urls (say http://localhost/myapp/webdav/file1.pdf)
 
Through the "open" dialog box it is possible to open the file and modify it.
 
What I need to do is open it in standalone acrobat reader for editing through commandline option. Say
 
acrobat32.exe http://localhost/myapp/webdav/file1.pdf
 
It doesn't open the file!!!. Though local file paths are accepted.
 
I need to do this because the webdav based editing is initiated programmatically
 
Version: Acrobat 8 professional.
Please let me know if this is possible in other versions.

My Product Information:
Acrobat Pro 8.0, Windows
thomp
Expert
Registered: Feb 15 2006
Posts: 4411
There is a preference in both Acrobat and Reader for opening the PDF in the stand alone app when a link is hit in the browser.

Have you seen the PDF Opener Parameters Guide?Unfortunately there is not an option for opening a remote PDF. This is indeed an odd thing to leave out since people do quite often open remote PDF files. But there is an option for opening an FDF, so there might be a workaround using the FDF. An FDF can include a reference to a PDF, in fact I think you can get away with the file reference being the only thing in the FDF.

Thom Parker
The source for PDF Scripting Info
www.pdfscripting.com
Very Important - How to Debug Your Script

vijesh_a_v
Registered: Apr 25 2011
Posts: 2
Thanks for the response.

Yes, I have seen the Parameter Guide. And I know about the stand alone option in browser.

Your pointer on FDF is helpful. Let me try that out.

It might help me open the remote file. Will the changes made be saved back to the remote location?
thomp
Expert
Registered: Feb 15 2006
Posts: 4411
vijesh_a_v wrote:
...Will the changes made be saved back to the remote location?
The answer is no most of the time. When acrobat loads a local file it's handling the file through the local file system which is designed for reading and writing files. When Acrobat loads a remote file it's dealing with a web server. For the most part web servers are for tightly controlled transactions. Otherwise anyone could write data to your server. The client requests data through an HTTP get or post operation and the server returns the data.

If the server is setup for LDAP, then it acts more like a file system. But to use an LDAP server the PDF file has to be loaded into Acrobat through a special mechanism. I don't know that an URL on the command line will do it. Haven't tried it.

Thom Parker
The source for PDF Scripting Info
www.pdfscripting.com
Very Important - How to Debug Your Script

UVSAR
Expert
Registered: Oct 29 2008
Posts: 1357
Acrobat and Reader cannot open a PDF file directly from a http URL, no matter how you try and do it. The only internal system for handling files on servers is the integration with Sharepoint in the Acrobat X Family. All PDF files must be downloaded before viewing, and the collection of files from web URLs is solely the responsibility of the host (the web browser or parent app). As far as Acrobat/Reader is concerned, it is viewing a local file in the browser cache, NOT a file on a website - so it cannot post the file back where it came from.

Handling of remote FDF files is required for certain review workflows, but it's a specific case. As Thom says there are certain situations where you can mount a remote fileserver so it appears as a local drive (WebDav, etc) and Acrobat can then work with that drive, subject to permissions. You cannot mount a normal http server this way.