FM Go and PDF files

[Greg Hains]

Hi,

I have a solution that requires technicians to have access to PDF Service Manuals on their iPads.  After much Googling and looking through various FM forums (including here), it appears that only the first page of a PDF hosted (in a container field) can be displayed and the user cannot scroll pages and read the PDF.  So would the best approach be to perhaps have the PDF files loaded onto the iPads and then have FM Go refer to them? It would certainly make file access quicker, but in my experience getting files onto the iPads is a pain in the neck, unless there was some way of installing the files onto the iPad's file system through the FM Go.

Is the best (or only) way to do this through some sort of offline sync tool, or can it be done natively through Filemaker?

If anybody has some ideas I'm all ears.  Thankyou.

Greg

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ocean West]

Export the PDF to temp directory and open in safari.

or export them and reference them with a web viewer.

Host the PDFs on your public web server and just link to them in a web viewer. 

 

[Greg Hains]

Thanks Ocean. I'll give the temp directory and Safari option a shot.

[Greg Hains]

Good morning,

Further to this:
I created a second solution - just a basic file full of Service Manual PDFs.  It was also suggested that I put this second file into a container in the main solution, Export Field Contents to the local file system (whose structure I'm not familiar with when it comes to the iPad), then open it again.
I have run into a couple of problems with this though.  The Export Field Contents gives me no LastError - so I dared to assume it worked - but when I try to then Open File (which as the same credentials and is Authorised) I get an Error 100 (File Not Found).
I tried the same on my Mac and saw the file go to a temporary folder as planned, but got the error 825 - so I tried putting the same credentials into both files and File; Manage Security; Advanced; File Access but this didn't help.

Is there a "trick" to exporting a solution from container field to a local iPad file system then opening it from there in FM Go (I think it may be cleaner and faster than doing it through a browser - but thank you all the same Ocean West)
All suggestions welcome.

Even if the solution was installed on the iPad via - say iTunes - would it be possible to update the local file through the hosted file (copying records) and how would I locate/refer to the local file from the hosted solution?

Thankyou,
Greg

 

Edited August 13, 2021 by Greg Hains
Additional information

[Steve Martino]

I’m kinda of confused.  I have a DB on my iPhone/iPad that has many multiple page PDFs-manuals, wiring diagrams, etc.  I click on them, they open.  Are you sure your containers are set up properly?

[Greg Hains]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for very much for getting back to me.  I never thought that this apparently simple thing would cause me grief.

I only experience this issue on the iPad - doing it on Mac or Windows works fine.
I explored the Export Field Contents option as I was informed (and I have to find the reference) that only the first page can be displayed when done through a container field on an iPad, and I would have to do it through a webviewer.  My container field is setup as "Interactive Content", Browse mode unticked, no Tab Order on the page, and I have tried various other minor settings around it without luck. Sure, it displays the first page, and when I tap it I am given a list of options -which includes View. I click View and it switches to another screen that then views the full document with no problem, then clicking Done on the top left returns to the first screen. 
Can I either make it so I tap the document and rather than being presented with the Actions context menu (which I know can be modified by the menu set) that it goes directly to a View option (is there a script option that does this?), OR that I can scroll through the PDF document right there in the container field.

I tried tips from here but it didn't work for me.

Cheers,
Greg