Administrative Notes Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program Vol. 19, no. 05 GP 3.16/3-2:19/05 March 15, 1998 USING ADOBE ACROBAT READER WITH GPO ACCESS The Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) files that are available on-line via GPO Access are available as .cgi script files (for documents retrieved from the WAIS server after a search) and as filename.pdf files (for documents available for direct download on our Web pages). The PDF files retrieved from GPO's WAIS servers have always been named as .cgi files. However, there seems to be a problem with the Internet Explorer browser, because the application looks at the part of the query string that says ".cgi" and assigns a filename based on this WAIS query string. We have contacted Microsoft and reported the problem and are looking at the query strings created by our Web server. We hope to have a solution for you soon. In the meantime, saving the file to a local drive and then renaming it with the pdf extension seems to be the most practical option. For example, waisgate.cgi should be renamed to filename.pdf. If you are having difficulty using the Adobe Acrobat Reader and would like to help us pinpoint the problem, please send the GPO Access User Support Team an e-mail message with the following information. 1. The type and version of the Web browser you are using. 2. The exact error you are getting. 3. The version of Adobe Acrobat you are using. 4. The database you are accessing. The following are articles from the Adobe and Microsoft Web pages dealing with PDF files and Internet Explorer Browser. >From Adobe: (http://www.adobe.com) Internet Explorer 3.0 will not display a PDF file accessed by an URL which does not end in ".PDF" (or ".pdf"). Internet Explorer 3.0 will not display PDF files returned by Web search engines which support PDF search highlighting by returning PDF file names which do not end in ".PDF". >From Microsoft: (http://www.microsoft.com) Frequently Asked Questions If you are having Adobe Acrobat.pdf Files Appearing as a Blank Window or Frame the following information was listed on Microsoft's Web page about possible solutions. The information in this article applies to: Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.02, 4.0, 4.01 for Windows 95 SYMPTOMS When you try to view a Portable Document Format (.pdf) file in Internet Explorer, you may see a blank window or frame instead of the .pdf file. This may occur even though you have installed the Adobe Acrobat Reader program, and you are normally able to view .pdf files in that program. CAUSE This behavior can be caused by any of the following situations: An updated version of Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to use in-place activation. In-place activation is a function that opens a program file in Internet Explorer and displays the toolbars. The security level for this zone is set to High in Internet Explorer 4.0 or 4.01. For information about security zones in Internet Explorer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: ARTICLE-ID: Q174360 TITLE : How to Use Security Zones in Internet Explorer 4.0 Ratings are enabled in Internet Explorer 3.02, or the safety level is set to High. The .pdf file is being served from an early version of some Web servers (such as Microsoft Internet Information Server version 2.0). RESOLUTION To resolve this issue, follow the steps in the appropriate section below: INTERNET EXPLORER 4.0 AND 4.01 If you are using Adobe Acrobat Reader version 3.0 or earlier, upgrade to version 3.01 or later. If you are already using version 3.01 or later, follow these steps: 1. Change the security level used by Internet Explorer to medium or lower. To view .pdf files in Internet Explorer 4.0 or 4.01, the security must be set to medium or lower. To change the NOTE: If you do not want to reduce the security level for this zone, skip to step 3. a. Start Internet Explorer, and then click Folder Options on the View menu. b. Click the Security tab, click Internet Zone in the Zone box, click either Medium (More Secure) or Low, and then click OK. c. Try opening the .pdf file again. If you can open the file successfully, do not follow step 3. 2. Download the .pdf file, and then open it using the Adobe Acrobat Reader program. INTERNET EXPLORER 3.02 If you are using Adobe Acrobat Reader version 3.0 or earlier, upgrade to version 3.01 or later. If you are already using version 3.01 or later, use one or both of the following methods: Disable Ratings in Internet Explorer To disable ratings in Internet Explorer, follow these steps: 1. Start Internet Explorer, and then click Options on the View menu. 2. On the Security tab, click Disable Ratings, and then click OK. 3. Quit Internet Explorer. 4. Download the .pdf file, and then open it using the Adobe Acrobat Reader program. Decrease the Safety Level Change the security level used by Internet Explorer to medium or lower. To do so, follow these steps: 1. On the View menu, click Options. 2. On the Security tab, click Safety Level. 3. Click Medium, click OK, and then click OK again. 4. Quit Internet Explorer. 5. Download the .pdf file, and then open it using the Adobe Acrobat Reader program. MORE INFORMATION Internet Explorer makes it possible to use the Adobe Acrobat viewer as a control. Due to a change in the object model from Internet Explorer 3.0 to Internet Explorer 4.0, Adobe needed to update their viewer to work with the Internet Explorer 4.0 object model. To obtain an updated version of Adobe Acrobat, contact Adobe. The third-party product discussed in this article is manufactured by a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.