Some things I miss from the viewer

[steveawa]

I used the licensed version of PDF XChange Viewer for a few years before switching to the editor mid way through last year. I am currently using Version 5.5 Build 311.0.

There are still a few things I miss from the viewer, or at least from my memory of how it worked. If the editor can perform any of these function, please let me know, otherwise could the following be considered for options in future versions.

1/ The ability to select some text in a document, right-click on it, and then "Add Bookmark". Alternatively, if some text is selected, could the "New Bookmark" command fill the bookmark's name with it?

2/ Could the width and open/close state of the bookmarks/thumbnails/other panes column be dependent on which document tab is selected. For example, if I am switching between two open documents, one with bookmarks open, the other with bookmarks closed, could the state of the bookmarks panel be saved/restored for each document. (I think the viewer used to do this?)

3/Could each open document have its own Back/Forward stack rather than a global one? For example, if I switch to a document and then click Back (alt-left), could it take me to the previous location I was at in the current document, not back to the previous location in the previous document.

4/ Could there be a setting to limit the width/number of characters in document tabs?

5/ Could zoom using the ctrl+mouse wheel be made smoother. I have a touch screen, and using pinch zoom, the editor very smoothly adjusts the zoom factor. On the other hand, ctrl+mouse wheel just seems to move from one preset zoom to the next (ie from 100% ->125% -> 150% -> 200%). This makes it very jumpy. Could ctrl+mouse wheel work like pinch zoom?


Thanks! Steve

[John - Tracker Supp]

Hi,

The build due later this month adds dozens of features to the Editor that were previously in the Viewer only both small and some larger ones - please review this once released and we can take another look at missing items (if any) once released.

[devguy]

I would like to add another request--more viewing space. For years screen resolutions were increasing, but now with tablets, convertible laptop/tablet hybrids, etc. people are once again using smaller screens. The new Editor UI has a needlessly "fat" tool bar area compared to the one in Viewer. That reduces viewing space for the PDF. I know there's a full screen mode, but you often need the controls available for various reasons.

In my opinion, the new UI for the editor is a classic case of form over function. You've compromised the very thing the product is designed to do--view and edit PDF files--in the interest of a new look. Many screens have maximum heights of 768 and some even less. It's particularly an issue for trying to view diagrams and such in a PDF on these screens. The Editor needs to be more mobile device and laptop friendly. Desktops are dying.

[bqxmprij]

I would like to add another request--more viewing space. For years screen resolutions were increasing, but now with tablets, convertible laptop/tablet hybrids, etc. people are once again using smaller screens. The new Editor UI has a needlessly "fat" tool bar area compared to the one in Viewer. That reduces viewing space for the PDF. . .

In my opinion, the new UI for the editor is a classic case of form over function. You've compromised the very thing the product is designed to do--view and edit PDF files--in the interest of a new look. . . .

I could not agree more, and I use a 27" desktop screen. Except I would not end at needlessly fat because it is needlessly tall too. I constantly need to fiddle with the window size and zoom level. Please count this as a request to either make the icons smaller or an option to do so (e.g., a compact mode).

Just look at how large the open folder icon is in Editor. It is so large that it is distracting. Said another way, of all the icons, it is overly emphasized suggesting that it is more important. Is it really that important? I barely use it. I typically open a pdf by clicking one online or in an email, which then launches Editor.

That one icon and the entire bar is the height of a few lines of text, and those few lines add up.

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hello devguy,

The Editor UI does support larger sized icons, but it also supports smaller size ones as well. Just drag the bottom of a toolbar up - and the icons will become smaller, and save you some screen space, or drag it down, and the icons will become larger and more "finger friendly". The smaller icon size is indeed 2-3 pixels higher than the Viewer toolbars were - but that should not cause so much trouble.

Regards,
Stefan

[devguy]

Just drag the bottom of a toolbar up - and the icons will become smaller, and save you some screen space.

Thanks for that tip. That's a significant help and something that's not obvious. The normal way to configure a tool bar is to right click in a blank area and adjust the properties. That is, for example, how you configure the toolbar in Windows with a "Use Small Icons" tick box in the properties dialog. A similar option could be added to the Customize Toolbar dialog in Editor while leaving the click-and-drag method in place.

In another post you mention offering a "legacy" skin for the Editor to mostly provide the Viewer's user interface but it's a low priority. I think that's a great idea and should be a higher priority as many seem to prefer the old interface.

The Editor is likely, by far, Tracker's most used and critical piece of software even for those buying the relatively expensive Xchange Pro. It's discouraging to keep reading how other things are a higher priority when the Editor is arguably Tracker's public face to most of the world. Adobe made a mess of Acrobat Reader by largely ignoring what users had to say. I hope tracker doesn't follow in their footsteps.

[John - Tracker Supp]

We never ignore users comments I assure you and that is why Build 312 concentrates predominantly on addressing functions and features inherent in the Viewer - but not in the Editor - from small 'it would be nice' items to larger functionality - there will inevitably be some differences as the architecture and means to achieve some much requested functionality means the code base is 100% new and therefore the 2 products cannot be identical in every aspect - but we have tried to make this as transparent as possible in build 312 (due later this month) as we possibly can.

[asahel bush]

I just wanted to second this request for a more compact (widescreen friendly) UI.

Also, a suggestion: Create a 'preview' or 'view only' interface.

Since 90% of the time I open PDFs just to view/read them on the screen, I want a UI option that doesn't include all the editing options and menus taking up so much vertical space. (Actually this is the only thing stopping me from making the Editor my default PDF program and renewing my licence.)

One option would be to add a 'launch PDFs in full screen mode' option - and then possibly add some simple preview/view controls (zoom, page, layout, etc) that would appear in full screen mode (and could be hidden until hovered over with the mouse or the screen tapped).

Another option would be to have a compact, viewer-only or preview interface in the Editor, as suggested by others in this thread. This would have the option to open up in this interface by default and then have a button to switch over to the full editor interface. I'm imagining something like the compacted toolbar mode that already exists, but perhaps with fewer buttons, no menu, toolbars/panels that auto hide until hovered over or tapped, the option of making vertical toolbars, or other arrangements to maximise the vertical space, etc.

And a more modern looking interface and making it all touchscreen friendly would be great! Thanks!

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hello asahel bush,

If you need a "view only" mode - use the Full Screen one (F11), or if you need to have the Editor in a window - you can still minimize pretty much all toolbars on the top to just a few pixels height, and can close all the side bars. Please take a look at the attached screenshot. The only think I have not hidden there is the tab bar - which can also be hidden when only one file is open (Edit -> Preferences -> Documents -> Tabs and Windows -> Setup -> Hide tab bar when a single document is opened) but it can be removed as well - and still have the Editor as a window and not on full screen.

Showing the toolbars from the attached image is just a single click away on the small triangle at the top center part of the window.

Regards,
Stefan

[asahel bush]

Hello asahel bush,

If you need a "view only" mode - use the Full Screen one (F11), or if you need to have the Editor in a window - you can still minimize pretty much all toolbars on the top to just a few pixels height, and can close all the side bars. Please take a look at the attached screenshot. The only think I have not hidden there is the tab bar - which can also be hidden when only one file is open (Edit -> Preferences -> Documents -> Tabs and Windows -> Setup -> Hide tab bar when a single document is opened) but it can be removed as well - and still have the Editor as a window and not on full screen.

Showing the toolbars from the attached image is just a single click away on the small triangle at the top center part of the window.

Regards,
Stefan

Hi Stefan,

Thanks for the helpful reply. That's quite similar to how I currently have the toolbars arranged. A couple easy options to improve on this without any dramatic changes:
- Option to automatically open up PDFs in full screen mode (for a more 'immersive' windows 8 style experience)
- Keyboard shortcut to perform the task of that small triangle, i.e. switching between showing/hiding all toolbars
- Option to create and save multiple 'workspaces' and then switch between them with a keyboard shortcut (e.g. your suggested minimal view could be one workspace and then another could have all the toolbars/panels/etc in view as required for editing.
- Option to create vertically arranged toolbars (to use the space on the left or right of the screen - this was an option in the Viewer)
- Option to make the 'go to page' and 'page layout' toolbars in the bottom toolbar panel float on top of the document and/or auto-hide

Thanks!

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hello asahel bush,

Thanks for the suggestions. A direct full screen mode is a security hazard (a PDF file might be made to look like another program and trick you into e.g. entering your username and PW) - so I am not sure for that, but I will pass the rest of the suggestions to a colleague from the dev team for consideration.

Regards,
Stefan

[asahel bush]

Thanks for the quick responses, looking forward to seeing the next versions of the Editor!

[Will - Tracker Supp]

[Special]

In PDF XChange Editor opening just one file shows in a Tab, in PDF XChange Viewer the Tab was hidden when only one of something was opened, can this work the same way in Editor as well? Having a Tab being displayed at all times is a rather large waste of vertical space.

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hello Special,

Please make sure you have the latest build and then go to Edit -> Preferences -> Documents -> (Tabs and Windows) Setup... -> and check the ""Hide Tab bar when..." checkbox.

Regards,
Stefan