1 - Overview

This document specifies how URL Open Actions have been implemented in Acrobat 4.0.
The URL Open Actions feature allows a PDF file to be opened using a URL that specifies both the
file to be opened plus actions to be performed once the file is opened. Acrobat 3.0 supported both
single named destination and AuxDataHandler actions in the URL. These actions were separated
from the URL by a single # character. The portion of the URL that follows the # is called the
fragment [RFC1808]. The list of available open actions has been extended in Acrobat 4.0 as
described in this document.
URL Open Actions are supported through Netscape and Internet Explorer. URL Open Actions are
also to be supported in HTML via parameters of the EMBED or OBJECT tags.
1.1 Acrobat 3.0 Review
Below are three examples of URL Open Actions that were supported in Acrobat 3.0 and 3.01.
http://dosai/blah.pdf#nameddest=Chapter6
http://dosai/blah.pdf#Chapter6
http://dosai/blah.pdf#fdf=c:/temp/data.fdf
The first two examples are of named destinations. The second example defaults to a named
destination because no key=value pair is found.
The third example shows the use of an AuxDataHandler. The AuxDataHandler is registered by a
plug-in using a call to AVRegisterAuxDataHandler. Currently known AuxDataHandler target
names are xml, acrohls and fdf. An AuxDataHandler cannot register by the reserved target name
nameddest.
When used with Netscape or IE browsers, named destinations are passed to EWH (External
Window Handler plug-in) and applied to the PDF after the PDF file is opened. The named
destination action is in fact performed as an idle proc.
2 - Design Specification
The URL Open Actions in Table 1 are provided in Acrobat 4.0.
It is possible to have multiple URL Open actions in a single URL. These actions are separated by
the ampersand & character. The choice to use an ampersand was arbitrary as there is no standard
convention for separating data in a URL fragment. Commands are not case sensitive (except for
Table 1: Proposed URL Open Actions
Description
Syntax
a
a. Words in italics are user specified variables.
Embed
b
b. Indicates whether action is supported when PDF is used with HTML EMBED tag.
Named Destinations nameddest=nameddest_string_
in_PDF
Yes
Goto page. Takes the viewer to the pageth
page in the document. The documents first
page has a page value of 1.
page must be an integer.
page=page Yes
Zoom and Scroll. A scale value of 100 gives
100% zoom. Scroll values left and top are in
user coordinates (0,0 is top left of visible
page, regardless of document rotation).
All values must be floats or integers (e.g.
100 or 12.3)
zoom=scale
zoom=scale,left,top
No
Set the view of a page.
Fit, FitH, etc. are keywords as defined in the
PDF Language Specification.
Scroll values left and top are in user coordi-
nates (0,0 is top left of visible page, regard-
less of document rotation).
left and top must be floats or integers (e.g.
100 or 12.3)
view=Fit
view=FitH
view=FitH,top
view=FitV
view=FitV,left
view=FitB
view=FitBH
view=FitBH,top
view=FitBV
view=FitBV,left
No
Set view rectangle.
All values must be floats or integers.
viewrect=left,top,width,height No
Bookmarks, Thumbnails displayed pagemode=bookmarks
pagemode=thumbs
pagemode=none (default)
No
Scrollbars on/off scrollbar=int (1 or 0) No
Toolbar on/off toolbar=int (1 or 0) No
the value of a named destination). There can be no spaces in the URL line. Individual actions
(separated by & and #) can be roughly no greater then 32 characters in length. Only one digit
following a decimal is retained for float values.
Legal URL examples:
http://dosai/blah.pdf#namedest=Chapter6
http://dosai/blah.pdf#page=3
http://dosai/blah.pdf#page=3&zoom=200,250,100
http://dosai/blah.pdf#zoom=50
http://dosai/blah.pdf#page=72&view=fitH,100
http://dosai/blah.pdf#view=fitb&nameddest=Chapter3
http://dosai/blah.pdf#pagemode=none
http://dosai/blah.pdf#pagemode=bookmarks&page=2
http://dosai/blah.pdf#xml=c:/blah.txt
http://dosai/blah.pdf#page=3&pagemode=thumbs&xml=c:/blah.txt
Actions are processed and executed from left to right as they appear on the URL command line.
Because all actions are executed, it is possible that later actions will override the effects of
previous actions. It is therefore recommended that actions be appropriately ordered. For example,
page actions should appear before zoom actions.