Read the bookmarks

[heiko22]

Hello,

I use the PDF-Viewer ActiveX-Components in my VB6 Project.

I don't know how to read out the bookmarks and the page number from the pdf-files.
I have try to read the bookmarks with JavaScript but always the return value is empty.

Could you be so kind and provide an example code for Visual Basic?


best regards


Heiko

[Ivan - Tracker Software]

To get number of pages via JavaScript, you need to run the script

Code: Select all

this.numPages

To get bookmarks tree:

Code: Select all

function DumpBookmark(bkm, nLevel)
{
    var s = "";
    for (var i = 0; i < nLevel; i++) s += " ";
    s += "+-";
    s += bkm.name;
    s += "\n";
    if (bkm.children != null)
    {
        for (var i = 0; i < bkm.children.length; i++)
           s += DumpBookmark(bkm.children[i], nLevel + 1);
    }
    return s;
}
DumpBookmark(this.bookmarkRoot, 0);

By the way, the returned bookmarks tree will be returned as a string which I'm afraid isn't acceptable.

[heiko22]

Thank you very much for the help and your excellent support.


Best regards


Heiko

[John - Tracker Supp]

[heiko22]

I am sorry, I still have problems to read out the bookmarks of some
of the pdf-files. I include one of those that cause problems.

It is easy to open the pdf-file. However, if I want to read out the
bookmarks, I get the error code No. 438 and closing te file I get an
interruption message from PDFXCview.exe Accordingly I can finish Visual Basic only with the help of the task manager.

From other pdf-programs the file is shown with all bookmarks.

In the following I include the code I use to read out the bookmarks:

Code: Select all

Sub JavaScript_Code(DokumentenNr)
    jsCode = "function DumpBookmark(bkm, nLevel)"
    jsCode = jsCode & "{"
    jsCode = jsCode & "var s = ' ';"
    jsCode = jsCode & "for (var i = 0; i < nLevel; i++) s += ' ';"
    jsCode = jsCode & "s += '+-';"
    jsCode = jsCode & "s += bkm.name;"
    jsCode = jsCode & "s += '\n';"
    jsCode = jsCode & "if (bkm.children != null)"
    jsCode = jsCode & "{"
    jsCode = jsCode & "for (var i = 0; i < bkm.children.length; i++)"
    jsCode = jsCode & "s += DumpBookmark(bkm.children[i], nLevel + 1);"
    jsCode = jsCode & "}"
    jsCode = jsCode & "return s;"
    jsCode = jsCode & "}"
    jsCode = jsCode & "DumpBookmark(this.bookmarkRoot, 0);"

    Call frmVerzeichnis.PDFDateivorschau.RunJavaScript(jsCode, jsResult, DokumentenNr)

end sub

Code: Select all

    Call frmVerzeichnis.PDFDateivorschau.OpenDocument(Pfad, "", id)

   JavaScript_Code (id)

What may be the reason?

Best regards


Heiko

[Ivan - Tracker Software]

There was tre problem with reading bookmarks when the bookmark tree was large. Now the problem is fixed and the fix will be available later today with new build.

[heiko22]

Hello,

I have a last question.

I mentioned the reading out of page numbers. I was talking about the page numbers of each bookmark for the navigation. By "this.numPages", as recommended, I get the page numbers of the entire file. I will give an example.

Code: Select all

    'Alle Bookmarks einer PDF-Datei werden ausgelesen
    jsCode = "function DumpBookmark(bkm, nLevel)"
    jsCode = jsCode & "{"
    jsCode = jsCode & "var s = '';"
    jsCode = jsCode & "for (var i = 0; i < nLevel; i++) s += ' ';"
    jsCode = jsCode & "s += '+-';"
    jsCode = jsCode & "s += bkm.name + '; ' + this.pageNum (?????);"
    jsCode = jsCode & "s += '\n';"
    jsCode = jsCode & "if (bkm.children != null)"
    jsCode = jsCode & "{"
    jsCode = jsCode & "for (var i = 0; i < bkm.children.length; i++)"
    jsCode = jsCode & "s += DumpBookmark(bkm.children[i], nLevel + 1);"
    jsCode = jsCode & "}"
    jsCode = jsCode & "return s;"
    jsCode = jsCode & "}"
    jsCode = jsCode & "DumpBookmark(this.bookmarkRoot, 0);"


    Call frmVerzeichnis.PDFDateivorschau.RunJavaScript(jsCode, jsResult, DokumentenNr)

In the help-file I did not get hints.

Best regards


Heiko

[Ivan - Tracker Software]

Into JavaScript's object model for PDF, object bookmark doesn't have property pageNum. It is because bookmark not always moves to the specific page (but as usually), it can make any other allowed action (like running JavaScript action, opening URL, etc.).

[heiko22]

Hello

I am still trying to integrate an own navigation in my program. I am only missing the path that helps to obtain the pagenumber of each bookmark. I nearly give up.

However, I just found "indexes" in the JavaScript-object ", by which one obtains an array with all index-objects

Code: Select all

for (var i = 0; i < search.indexes.length; i++) {
console.println("Index[" + i + "]=", search.indexes[i].name);
}

I tried to integrate the code into a function and to incorporate it in my project. However, with no success.

Would this search-object be the right path, to set up an own navigation? Would I be able to jump directly to the different bookmrks in the pdf-file?

Hopefully I can create an own navigation by the component PDF XChange Viewer. Is that correct?

Many thanks

[Ivan - Tracker Software]

The search object doesn't realized for now into the PDF-XChange viewer.

[allanjn]

I've been reading quite a bit about this. Ideally, we could create named destinations in the document, and then link the bookmark to the destinations via the 'action' on a bookmark.

However, there is no way to create named destinations via javascript.

You _can_ execute javascript that will go to the appropriate page (this.pagenum=x), set the zoom level (this.zoom=xxx), and then scroll to the appropriate place on the page (this.scroll(x,y)).

That works, but what I'd really like to do is create a bookmark from the current view in the viewer. but there is no way that I can find to figure out what the scroll values are for the current view, because 'scroll' is a method, not a property of the document (or viewer).

Can someone suggest a way of creating a bookmark action (or destination) from the current viewport of the viewer?

Ideally we would have a 'destinations' api which could be manipulated, but this still doesn't solve the question of how to determine what the current viewport values (scroll values) are.

Are you aware of any plans to provide features that would allow this type of thing? Seems to me that you could expose some of the properties of the 'pan and zoom' pane, as that would have all the appropriate values.

Thanks!

P.S. - I know that the javascript restrictions are not your problem - they're part of the adobe specification. Overall I've been very impressed with the viewer SDK features. Great product!

[Ivan - Tracker Software]

There is document's property viewState, but for now it is not supported into the PDF-XChange viewer. Will add support of this property into the next build.

[allanjn]

That is awesome news, and great support! I noticed that the viewState property wasn't working. That should work great. I wonder if I'll be able to save the viewState value as a string in the bookmark and just reset it's value (thereby resetting the view), or whether I'll have to extract the page, scroll, and zoom values from the viewState in order to execute those actions in the bookmark? either way would work - we'll see.

Couple quick questions: When do you expect the next build to be available to the public? How would I be notified I can get this? Where would I download it from?

Thanks!

[John - Tracker Supp]

Hi Allan,

the next build should be avilable late this week and we will send out a reminder to all registered licensed users via this option :

https://www.pdf-xchange.com/login/register

otherwise we will post here and obviously update the web site accordingly.

[allanjn]

Thanks! as I'm planning on doing as much development as possible before purchasing the license (as recommended ), I'm not able to register to receive that update. I'll look forward to your notice in the forum.

[John - Tracker Supp]

Excellent - thanks Allan