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After Upgrade to Adobe 8 application window appears on Print

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2007-05-09 22:54:36
jonesbasf
Registered: May 9 2007
Posts: 4

I have a web application that runs locally on the users machine. It leverages the adobe ActiveX plugin for IE.

After upgrading to Acrobat 8, a blank Adobe application window (the PDF still shows in the IE window) appears when I call the .printWithDialog() function via Javascript on the page. This occurs for both Acrobat Professional and Acrobat Reader 8. It never occured with any prior version of Acrobat.

I would like for the application to remain "invisible" and allow the Print dialog to appear, allowing the user to print the document displayed in the browser.

Here is the object ID tag I use to embed the object:

and the code to call the print function

document.all.PDF1.printWithDialog();

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Brad

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2007-05-30 09:09:13
#1
DavidB
Registered: May 30 2007
Posts: 9
This also happens with VB.Net. I have reported this as a bug. Please report it as a bug as well.

We did a test and versions 5 through 7 did not react this way, which I would expect. Why even bother with calling the PrintwithDialog on the activeX control if the entire acrobat application is going to open up anyway.

I do hope they fix this soon because we will not be going to version 8 until it is.

I have read some cheap fixes for this problem but none take into account that the user may actually need to know the layout of the PDF before simply shooting it off to some default printer and default printer settings.

The printwithdialog shows you a nice little copy of the pdf on the popup so you at least know if the document is landscape or not.

Anyway - I hope they fix this soon.

Please report it as a bug.
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2007-05-30 21:40:46
#2
jonesbasf
Registered: May 9 2007
Posts: 4
Davidb,

Thanks very much for your reply. Yeah, it is certainly an interesting choice of implementation. ;->However, even stranger, I found that if I used the Print function, rather than PrintWithDialog, I got the behavior I wanted; which was a Print Dialog, but no full application. Crazy!

So, I think this is how to read the bug:

PrintWithDialog = PrintWithDialogandFullApplicationWindow

Print = PrintWithDialog

Would love to hear if you have a similar experience.

Brad

PS - I will report this as a bug as well.
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2007-06-01 10:11:22
#3
DavidB
Registered: May 30 2007
Posts: 9
Good job in getting yours to work!

We tried the PRINT function but it did not work for us the same way yours did.

For those of you that wish to see first hand what we are describing simply download the free version 8 SDK and if you have VS.NET 2005 then run the VB.NET sample located:

\Adobe\Acrobat 8 SDK\Version1\InterAppCommunicationSupport\VBSamples\AcrobatActiveXVBAlso if you read the API documentation in the SDK for Print and PrintWithDialog you will notice that they are identical. This is a bug in their documentation.

The sample code is demonstrating the PrintWithDialog however it will open a total of 3 forms.

1) the original that contains the active x control and the PRINT button (expected)
2) the print dialog screen following a click of the Print button. (expected)
3) the full blown acrobat version 8 appliation with a blank screen. (not expected)

The print dialog will close once you click OK or cancel but the full blown version of acrobat does not. :|
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