PDF portfolio with stored session information

[soremo]

Hi,

I really appreciate that PDF-XChange Editor is able to store sessions. I use this feature a lot to have quick access to sets of PDF files that are displayed in a certain tab arrangement on my displays. Currently, for each such set I create a directory on my hard disk and place all pdf files of the set into this directory. Then I open the pdf files and arrange them as I like. Finally I store the session as an external .xcesession file into the same directory. Since version 8.0.334.0 these session files store relative paths of the PDF files so I can move the directory (with the session file and all PDF files) around across different PCs and everything works as expected. (Though it would be great if the .xcesession file would not only store the tab layout, but also the current view of each tab!)

Now I just recently learnt that there is a file format called PDF portfolio which is an assembly of multiple files (not necessarily PDF files) and that PDF-XChange Editor is capable of showing and even creating such files. However, I think that the way such PDF portfolio is presented could be improved. Also, PDF portfolios could provide a means of packaging the directories described above into a single file for easier handling and exchange/collaboration.

First, I would have expected that the list of files included in the PDF portfolio that is shown when a PDF portfolio is opened does not occupy its own tab, but rather is a pane such as the history pane. This would prevent the file list to be hidden, when another tab of the same tab group is selected. Also, the appearance of the history pane is IMHO much more pleasant than the tabular file list currently shown for a PDF portfolio.

More importantly, I think it would be great, if there was a way of storing how the files included in the PDF portfolio shall be presented when the portfolio is opened. To this end, I suggest storing an .xcesession file (automatically or on-demand) into the PDF portfolio. If such file is present, PDF-XChange Editor can use it to automatically restore the stored tab layout when the PDF portfolio file is opened. (From the shown list of files that are included in the PDF portfolio the .xcesession file could be simply excluded as there would be no need to access it directly.) Such PDF portfolio file can be easily exchanged and everyone opening it with PDF-XChange Editor would instantly get the included files presented in the same tab layout (possibly even with each tab showing a stored view of the respective file). However, the PDF portfolio file could still be opened with any other PDF viewer software supporting standard PDF portfolio files (though without the benefit of the stored session).

What do you think?

Best regards,
soremo

[TrackerSupp-Daniel]

Hello Soremo,

Regarding Sessions remembering multiple views for a document that has multiple tabs, please see this post: viewtopic.php?f=62&t=33681&p=139383#p139378

To my knowledge, because of the internal file structure of Portfolios, they are incompatible with sessions beyond opening the main splash page document, but I will forward the request to our Dev team on the matter and see if it can be done.

Finally, regarding having a "portfolio pane" again this will likely not be possible. A portfolio (the title page) is defined as a different document from the documents that are contained within. You can even place multiple portfolios within a single portfolio, how would this pane know which one it should reference in cases like that?
Generally speaking, panes are almost all intended to work with the currently in focus document or item, as each file inside the portfolio is a separate file, there is no portfolio within it to reference. You can think of the "Root" structure that appears on a portfolio splash page as the Portfolio Pane, but it is only compatible with documents that have specifically been setup with the correct flags to be considered a portfolio themselves.

Kind regards,