Misc Feature request

[attorianzo]

Could you please consider the following suggestions. They all would be very helpful for my workflow:

- Full screen mode: in Preferences -> "Transitions menu". Add the Vertical "Continuous scroll page" (one page and 2 pages)

- Full screen mode: Letter "P" is busy for the "pause" function. Unfortunately I use that letter for another personal shortcut. Would it be possible to give the user the ability to choose another "Pause" button?

- I use a lot the highlight function. Very often anyway, I also underline some keypoints in the highlighted text. To underline a word which is highlighted is quite tricky because clicking on the word it selects the whole previously highlighted text. So often I use the "line" function, I create the line elsewere and I move it under the word of interest. I think that it would be better to let the user interact with the text when the comment functions are activated instead of "select".

- Right click to an instrument and select to quickly add a keyboard shortcut to that instrument. (under eval already I think)

Thanks
Marco

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

Regarding underlining highlighted text, see this thread.

It is possible in the Editor, but as you say it is tricky. To do it, start the underline selection above the highlight, but below the previous line of text.

[Patrick-Tracker Supp]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for posting.

- Full screen mode: in Preferences -> "Transitions menu". Add the Vertical "Continuous scroll page" (one page and 2 pages)

For this, I will need to speak to the dev team. I believe this to be a good request and might be a useful feature for many users.

- Full screen mode: Letter "P" is busy for the "pause" function. Unfortunately I use that letter for another personal shortcut. Would it be possible to give the user the ability to choose another "Pause" button?

You can set custom keyboard shortcuts by following some of the steps in this KB: https://www.pdf-xchange.com/knowled ... he-Editor-

As for your issue with highlights and underline, I will make a note to bring this up in the next developer's meeting.

I hope this helps!

[attorianzo]

Thanks to both of you,

- At the moment it is very difficult to underline a word which is in the middle of highlited text. Your suggestion to start clicking in the little thin line of space between two words works but this means that I have to zoom in and out all the time because it is impossible to see that line with the normal zoom I use.

- Apparently it is impossible to modify the pre-selected "P" shortcut. I can modify my shortcut "P". Of course I can do that but it is not "normal" for me. I tend to use the same shortcuts in all the softwares I have. The "Hand" function do the same job of the "Pan" function of photoshop (shortcut "P"!). This is why I ask if it is possible, to add the ability to change that command for the user.

P.S. : would it be possible to add the "thickness" of the underline function? It is very thin!

[Will - Tracker Supp]

Hi attorianzo,

- At the moment it is very difficult to underline a word which is in the middle of highlited text. Your suggestion to start clicking in the little thin line of space between two words works but this means that I have to zoom in and out all the time because it is impossible to see that line with the normal zoom I use.

This is because Exclusive Mode has not yet been implemented in the Editor. We hope to have this added within the next few builds, so this should solve the problem.

- Apparently it is impossible to modify the pre-selected "P" shortcut. I can modify my shortcut "P". Of course I can do that but it is not "normal" for me. I tend to use the same shortcuts in all the softwares I have. The "Hand" function do the same job of the "Pan" function of photoshop (shortcut "P"!). This is why I ask if it is possible, to add the ability to change that command for the user.

I'll put in a request for this to be editable

P.S. : would it be possible to add the "thickness" of the underline function? It is very thin!

This should be editable already - with the Underline Tool active, make sure that the Properties Toolbar is enabled by hitting Ctrl + E, you should see the options for editing the style of the underline.

Cheers,

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

P.S. : would it be possible to add the "thickness" of the underline function? It is very thin!

This should be editable already - with the Underline Tool active, make sure that the Properties Toolbar is enabled by hitting Ctrl + E, you should see the options for editing the style of the underline.

It's not possible to edit the thickness of the underline, and it should not be. The underline weight and position is defined in the font's metrics, so if attorianzo is seeing a very thin underline, it is probably the font that the PDF uses.

It is, and definitely should be, dependent on the font size.



In the viewer, it's possible to choose between straight and wavy underlining. That's not yet implemented in the viewer.

[Will - Tracker Supp]

I believe that what is meant by "Underline" needs some clarification. I was under the impression that the annotation "Underline Tool" is being used. Are we talking about the annotation tool, or the actual underline produce by selecting text and hitting "Ctrl + U" ?

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

We are indeed talking about the Underline Annotation tool.

For me, Ctrl U does nothing unless I switch to Edit mode. However, the underline weight is still the same, and still font dependent, as it should be.

Underline weight and position for a font are specified in the Font Metrics. So too are strikeout weight and position.

[Will - Tracker Supp]

Hi Bhikkhu,

I'm going to have to 'bow to you' here and apologize. You're correct, this is the case and I actually wasn't aware of this! Given that, I'm afraid that we cannot change this.

Cheers,

[attorianzo]

I understand,

I can even make a line (using line tool) under the highlighted text in the case I want a thicker line.

Unfortunately even in this case I have the same problem of the "underline text tool". As soon as I click on the highlighted text I can't create the line (because it will select the highlighted text instead). Means that I have to create the line in a place with no highlighted text and then drag it under the words of interest.

Would be easier to create the line even in places where the text is highlighted. The only small issue could be just that I have to do it nicely horizontal (probably the software could help with that?..)

[Will - Tracker Supp]

Hi attorianzo,

Your understanding is much appreciated!

Would be easier to create the line even in places where the text is highlighted. The only small issue could be just that I have to do it nicely horizontal (probably the software could help with that?..)

I will pass this along and will see what can be done.

Cheers,

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

The only small issue could be just that I have to do it nicely horizontal (probably the software could help with that?..)

Hold the shift key to constrain the line to horizontal or vertical.

Drawing lines instead of using underlining is very fiddly, and you still have only limited options for the line weight.

In my default documents, which use 12 point Verdana, a 1pt line is slightly thicker than underlining, while a 0.5pt line is thinner. Your results may vary, depending on the font used. If you have a sample PDF file where you say the underlining is very thin, we can see what the font is and recommend a better font.

I wonder if a PDF viewer can be made smart enough to modify the metrics for embedded fonts. That could give refined control over underline and strikeout weights, and positioning.

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hi Bhikkhu,

Thanks for the help.
Indeed underline width is determined by the font metrics, and when calculating the line thickness - we use those metrics. If there is such an odd case where the line thickness is incorrect - we would like a sample file.

I believe the main issue from Marco's original post with underlines is the missing "exclusive" mode so that you could "ignore" the highlight and place the underline where needed directly - but this feature is coming to the Editor as well.

Regards,
Stefan

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

Hi Bhikkhu,

Thanks for the help.
Indeed underline width is determined by the fond metrics, and when calculating the line thickness - we use those metrics. If there is such an odd case where the line thickness is incorrect - we would like a sample file.

I created a font with thin underline metrics (20 funits instead of 80), and strikeout position too low (220 instead of 520 funits).

The attached archive contains:

1. The font
2. A screen shot of it in use in PagePlus X8
3. A PDF of the output from PagePlus

Unfortunately, the PDF output doesn't match the document. Using the underline and strikeout tools on the PDF do not give the expected faulty results either, so I don't know if the fault lies in Serif's PDF output, or the embedded font.

[Vasyl-Tracker Dev Team]

Hi, All.

- Full screen mode: in Preferences -> "Transitions menu". Add the Vertical "Continuous scroll page" (one page and 2 pages)

We can add this option in the future.

- Full screen mode: Letter "P" is busy for the "pause" function. Unfortunately I use that letter for another personal shortcut. Would it be possible to give the user the ability to choose another "Pause" button?

In the future we will add normal commands for pause full-screen transitions, and for make black/white screen in presentation mode, instead of hardcoded handling of 'P', 'W', 'B' keys. After that you will be able to customize shortcuts for these commands to remove conflicts with your existing customized shortcuts.

- I use a lot the highlight function. Very often anyway, I also underline some keypoints in the highlighted text. To underline a word which is highlighted is quite tricky because clicking on the word it selects the whole previously highlighted text. So often I use the "line" function, I create the line elsewere and I move it under the word of interest. I think that it would be better to let the user interact with the text when the comment functions are activated instead of "select".

In new build(probably in 312) we planning to implement the 'Exclusive Mode' for commenting tools and you will be able to create new annotation over existing annotation, instead of selecting of it.

P.S. : would it be possible to add the "thickness" of the underline function? It is very thin!

It is unsupported by PDF-Standard and I'm not sure that we can do it. But we will think about it more..

It's not possible to edit the thickness of the underline, and it should not be. The underline weight and position is defined in the font's metrics, so if attorianzo is seeing a very thin underline, it is probably the font that the PDF uses.

Not exactly, Bhikkhu. The thickness and position of strikeout/underline annotations depends only on bounding-box that covering the corresponding text-line. Bounding-box is based on MaxAscend/MaxDescend values of text-line and its height is calculating: BBox.Height = TextLine.MaxAscend + abs(TextLine.MaxDescend);
Adobe Acrobat and our Editor calculating metrics as:
thickness = BBox.Height * 0.0625;
strikeoutPos = BBox.bottom + BBox.Height * 0.43;
underlinePos = BBox.bottom + BBox.Height * 0.142;
// Y-axis is from bottom to top
So, as you see - nobody using real position/thickness for underline/strikeout from specified font-info but always calculating it from bounding-box that is based only on font's ascend/descend values (sure, including the font size).
About your test file (Advanced Typography.pdf, Acariya font is used). Acrobat and our Editor using different font's ascend/descend values and it means - different position/thickness for such annotations. We should investigate why we using other ascend/descend in this case..

Best
Regards.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

Not exactly, Bhikkhu. The thickness and position of strikeout/underline annotations depends only on bounding-box that covering the corresponding text-line. Bounding-box is based on MaxAscend/MaxDescend values of text-line and its height is calculating: BBox.Height = TextLine.MaxAscend + abs(TextLine.MaxDescend);
Adobe Acrobat and our Editor calculating metrics as:
thickness = BBox.Height * 0.0625;

Then if you are not using the font underline metrics to calculate the thickness, it's puzzling why attorianzo should be finding that the underlining is very thin. What I see, for the Acariya font too, is that PDF-XChange uses the same weight of underlining, which is approximately a 1 point line for 12 point text.

If you are calculate the weight using a fixed multiplier, it should be possible to offer an option to change that multiplier, but I don't think that's a good idea as the weight will then depend on a user's settings. Best leave it as it is if you cannot use the actual font underline/strikeout metrics.

[Vasyl-Tracker Dev Team]

Then if you are not using the font underline metrics to calculate the thickness, it's puzzling why attorianzo should be finding that the underlining is very thin.

Sure, it is strange. Possible reason - the pdf-creator of attorianzo's pdf wrote too small ascend/descend values to font-info and in this case we calculated too small BBox.Height value, and as result - very thin line of underline/strikeout..

Aattorianzo, can you provide original-pdf for reproducing very thin underlining/strikeout?

If you are calculate the weight using a fixed multiplier, it should be possible to offer an option to change that multiplier, but I don't think that's a good idea as the weight will then depend on a user's settings. Best leave it as it is if you cannot use the actual font underline/strikeout metrics.

I'm not sure that is impossible definitely. We can add such option for commenting tools (it can be like % of BBox.Height or "Use original font metrics") but it will be unsupported by other pdf-viewers.

[chillrobot]

I had been wondering what "Exclusive Mode" is, when it appeared in Editor; its crown icon makes it seem something I should really be aware of. So I tried searching Help but there was no match. Please add an entry there.

After finding this discussion, I agree it's a very useful feature. I'd suggest dropping the icon and renaming to "Layered highlighting" (or some alternative to "layered") for clarity.

[Patrick-Tracker Supp]

Hello chillrobot,

Thank you for the post. Exclusive mode is so that you can access content that would otherwise be blocked out by annotations placed over is. For example, if you were trying to select text that was highlighted with the highlighter annotation.

I hope that makes sense