PDF Interface in container field

[jasonwood]

One of my clients has their Safari setup to use Preview.app for pdf viewing, yet when they view an FMP12 container field with a pdf in it, it shows the Acrobat interface... how can this be changed?

At an official FileMaker event they said it would use the same helper app as your browser...

[splatto]

I have Preview set as the default app for pdfs - but FM12 seems to want to use the Acrobat toolbar thereby locking you out of the Preview options. This makes interacting with pdfs in small 'thumbnail' fields unusable.

[Aussie John]

Not sure I understand, if I insert a PDF File I see the Preview icon.

[Vaughan]

One of my clients has their Safari setup to use Preview.app for pdf viewing, yet when they view an FMP12 container field with a pdf in it, it shows the Acrobat interface... how can this be changed?

At an official FileMaker event they said it would use the same helper app as your browser...

In the Finder, does a pdf display the Preview icon or the Acrobat icon?

[splatto]

Regardless of the default pdf app set in the Finder, FMP defaults to using Acrobat if it is installed. This needs to be fixed. Without the ability to control this within FMP - the feature is a step backwards for container fields containing pdfs.

[john renfrew]

Its not totally as step back as preview isn't actually a very good PDF viewer, and in fact fails to implement several PDF standards properly. You also get the bonus of Acrobat tools from the chrome, like search and forms inside PDFs inside the container!

Don't get me wrong, I think the chrome is ugly and in the way, and I can demonstrate to you how a user could easily make it impossible to see the actual PDF - BUT preview is such a bad job I would rather have Acrobat any day of the week.

And FM got it wrong at the preview events.

[Aussie John]

Regardless of the default pdf app set in the Finder, FMP defaults to using Acrobat if it is installed. This needs to be fixed. Without the ability to control this within FMP - the feature is a step backwards for container fields containing pdfs.

I haven't seen this default action. Preview always opens even though I have reader installed.

[splatto]

Acrobat Reader is not the same as Acrobat. I haven't tested FM with only Acrobat Reader installed - but I imagine its the same. For most purposes Apple's Preview is a much better PDF reader than Acrobat (App or Reader). Preview is much 'lighter on its feet' - opens faster and uses less resources. If you want to edit a pdf then that is a different matter. Preview in Lion is also more powerful than Preview in SL. I encourage users to use Preview for viewing pdfs and image files - and to only use Acrobat when they really need its extra features. Unless you devote a large area of screen real estate to the container field - the Acrobat functionality is not usable within the container. We need the ability to choose.

[bmnation]

One of the other problems with Reader is Security. It has too many holes and seems to always be needing an update. So its still a step backward, I should be able to choose.

[Cromwellimage]

I tested a pdf web viewer in asp .net which is compatible with commonly used web broswer, like IE7+, chrome, firefox, and safari. Im not sure the pdf viewing interface, shouldn't it be the present broswer you are using?