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Acrobat (4.x)/Exchange (3.x)...

  1. Adding Programmable Actions to PDFs
  2. Inserting and Editing PDFs using Acrobat
  3. Searching HTML and PDFs with a Single Website Search Engine
  4. Adding Security Options
  5. Specifying Full-Screen Transition Effects

Acrobat (called Exchange in version 3.x or before) is the central application of the Acrobat suite of programs for which all of the others render support.

Acrobat is the parent application of Reader. It does everything Reader does plus a great deal more:

  1. Like Reader it can be used for viewing files in Portable Document Format (PDF). In addition, it can edit and modify PDF files, which Reader cannot do.
  2. It can import image files (BMP, Compuserve GIF, PCX, or TIFF) as an appended page or a new PDF document.
  3. You can use Acrobat to add hypertext links, bookmarks, articles, thumbnails, and forms to your PDF documents.
  4. It allows the user to insert, delete, copy, and move individual or multiple pages within and between PDF files.
  5. Linking allows for a number of action functions, including the ability to execute menu items, import form data, open files, add sounds and movies, submit forms and link to the WWW.
  6. With the Scan and Capture plug-ins installed, Acrobat can also be used to create PDF from paper documents.
  7. It can "optimize" PDF files for page-at-a-time downloading and smaller document size.
  8. It can apply security passwords to a PDF document to constrain use and modification of the file.
  9. There is a Full Screen feature in Acrobat (and Reader) that allow the PDF files to be use as drivers for on-screen presentations. Pages can be set to sequence automatically or be cued by the presenter. Transition effects are also offered.
  10. It offers a myriad of ways to view and navigate a PDF file - text search, indexing, forward, backward, previous, next, bookmarks, thumbnails, hyperlink, and zoom (up to 800%).

1. Adding Programmable Actions to PDFs

Acrobat adds forms functionality to PDF document. The user can add forms fields to existing PDF pages that can be used to submit information to servers or to dynamically request information from a server. Fields can also be used as buttons to execute a variety of tasks such as hiding and revealing other forms, "importing" other PDF files as icons, etc.

A summary of these functions for Acrobat /Exchange are shown at left.

One of the techniques for creating rollovers in a PDF involves using form fields programmed with specific actions.

 

2. Inserting and Editing Graphics in Acrobat

 

Inserting PDFs into a PDF using Acrobat (4.x) or Exchange (3.x)

You can insert a PDF into a PDF by using the Forms Tool to create a BUTTON field whose LAYOUT has an icon. This icon can be a PDF. What's nice about it is that the completed field can be copied, pasted, scaled, and used to initiate any number of ACTIONS.

 

Inserting and Editing PDFs using Acrobat 4.x only

In many circumstances you can edit an image using the TOUCHUP OBJECT tool. Look at the Acrobat Guide under the HELP menu starting at page 280 for a complete rundown of how this tool works with Illustrator and Photoshop (5.x). Be sure to look at the editing options contained in the contextual menu for the tool (mouse right-click on WIN, command-click on MAC).

If you want to paste an image into a PDF file, you can save from Illustrator or Photoshop as a PDF format file and then select all, copy and paste into your PDF (again Acrobat 4 only).

If you want to paste a .tif, .gif, .jpg,.pcx, or .bmp file onto your file,you can use the FILE/IMPORT/IMAGE command to create a PDF of it and then copy and paste it into your existing file.

You should refer to the Acrobat Guide for details and requirements.

3. Searching HTML and PDFs with a Single Website Search Engine

 

Adding a search engine to a website adds a new layer of navigation ease for the user. However, not all search engines will index PDFs along with the HTML files. Two avenues are available:

DocFather - Bingham-Digital offers an evaluation version of their HTML/PDF full-text indexing and search engine software called DocFather. Be sure to specify the Office Edition (WIN only).

AtomZ - AtomZ, the free indexing and search service, now indexes your website's PDF files along with your HTML files, including their General Information fields. Visit their website for capabilities and to register to take advantage of this search engine option.

It is also possible to link from HTML pages to specific pages within a PDF (see Linking HTML files to specific pages of a PDF file).

4. Adding Security Options

Both Acrobat and Exchange provide the Security options pictured above. To add security to any PDF, simply choose FILE/SAVE AS and progress through the security dialog. To disable the security feature, you have to FILE/SAVE AS the secure document and type in your password in the Change Security Options box.

5. Specifying Full-Screen Transition Effects

Listed above are the transition effects that can be specified for viewing Full Screen presentations of Adobe Acrobat files. Go to FILE/PREFERENCES/FULL SCREEN in either Reader, Exchange, or Acrobat. Specifying DEFAULT TRANSITION to one of the above choices will render that effect throughout the entire document or series of PDF documents. These effects cannot be attributed to a specific document or page unless specific instructions are encoded into the Postscript file prior to distilling using PDFmarks.

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