[Ryan]

I thought it might be nice to add a little warning at the end of links which lead to PDF files. I don't know where I found this snippet of code but I thought it'd be a nice addition to AN. (I've had it for years but just stumbled on it again while clearing out old CSS files laying around. I can't take credit for it.)

a[href$=".pdf"]:after {     content: " [PDF]"; font-size:smaller;}

[Brad]

Why PDFs, though? Why not any other file type?

[PKIDelirium]

PDF = Evil? What is this, Windows? :P

[turtle]

I wouldn't mind it, though it would start creating a cluttered look here.

[Kickaha]

Why wouldn't you mind it??

Seriously, this seems like a really REALLY weird and odd request...

[scratt]

I'd like to see one.. I could then right click and download the PDF instead of Safari slowing to a crawl, and sometimes eventually crashing.

chucker will be in here in a minute saying he has no problems with PDFs and Safari, but I have had it all the way through OS X's life, right up to 10.5 and on, and on every single machine I use.

[Kickaha]

I'd think a Flash warning would be much more useful. "Oh look! My CPU just melted again! Thanks Adobe!"

[scratt]

I don't like flashing warnings. They play havoc with my epilepsy.

[turtle]

Originally Posted by scratt I don't like flashing warnings. They play havoc with my epilepsy.

...nevermind.

[PKIDelirium]

Warning, Flashing!

[Fahrenheit]

Bit of an odd request, I mean, how often do you get pdf links on here?

[chucker]

I can understand the request for poor Windows souls with crappy PDF readers, but scratt is right: OS X ships with a fast, lean one. It doesn't slow down the browser to a crawl, increase the risk of crashing or otherwise get in your way. (Unlike, as Brad pointed out, Flash.)

*shrug*

[Dorian Gray]

Originally Posted by Farenheit Bit of an odd request, I mean, how often do you get pdf links on here?

Damn, you've clearly been ignoring my posts! (Though I usually add a warning when I link to PDFs because, as scratt shows, not everyone checks the Status Bar before clicking. Does Safari still ship with the Status Bar off by default?)

For viewing offline PDFs, I switched to Adobe Reader over Preview when Adobe released version 7 (which launched in vastly less time than previous versions), but I still prefer OS X's built-in reader for inline use in Safari, as it is noticeably quicker and less prone to inexplicably stalling.

Edit: figuring out how to set Safari to use OS X's PDF reader, but Adobe Reader for offline viewing, is a tricky exercise left to the reader.

[scratt]

Originally Posted by Dorian Gray Edit: figuring out how to set Safari to use OS X's PDF reader, but Adobe Reader for offline viewing, is a tricky exercise left to the reader.

Can you clarify that bit about getting Safari to use OS X's PDF reader..

[Brad]

Originally Posted by scratt Can you clarify that bit about getting Safari to use OS X's PDF reader..

Adobe's instructions for Acrobat 6.x and 7.x. Curiously, I can't find similar instructions for 8.x.

[Dorian Gray]

Brad's way would certainly work, but you'd be left with no Adobe Reader at all, which isn't what I want because I actually prefer it for viewing most downloaded PDFs (the exceptions being full-screen viewing of complex PDFs, because Preview is about a bazillion times faster at rendering, and searching for text in large PDFs, because again, Preview is unbelievably quicker).

But most of the time I want to open a brochure or similar with a few pages of text and images, and I want to view it as large as possible on my screen, because these documents are often formatted for printing. And I want it to remember the fact that I nearly always want to "maximise" the window.

Preview's zoom button is broken (at least in Tiger), and if I painstakingly position the window the way I like it, it won't remember my settings for the next time. Adobe Reader's zoom button is also technically broken, in that it works like Window's maximise button, but unlike most apps, that's actually what I want Reader to do most of the time. There are other reasons why I generally prefer Adobe Reader to Preview for PDFs, but anyway...

To make Safari use OS X's PDF reader, you have to set a preference in Adobe Reader, namely uncheck "Display PDF in browser using:" in Preferences > Internet. Then restart Safari. The first time I did this I also had to manually remove an Adobe Reader plug-in from somewhere, but it seems to work properly when I toggle the setting now. Good luck!

[scratt]

Thanks guys.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by chucker I can understand the request for poor Windows souls with crappy PDF readers, but scratt is right: OS X ships with a fast, lean one. It doesn't slow down the browser to a crawl, increase the risk of crashing or otherwise get in your way. (Unlike, as Brad pointed out, Flash.) *shrug*

Yeah, it's for when I access from Windows.

It's not a deal-breaker or anything, I just thought it might be a nice suggestion.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Dorian Gray Brad's way would certainly work, but you'd be left with no Adobe Reader at all, which isn't what I want because I actually prefer it for viewing most downloaded PDFs was exactly the point.

T, FTFY.