Publish Online

[barkh_123]

This question is about whether or not the following features are possible with a Publish Online link:

1) For a Publish Online file, when published as a PDF, Adobe Acrobat allows you to Search for words, phrases etc. Can the navigation do this with Publish Online?

2) Again, as a PDF Adobe Acrobat allows you to click to a specific page number. Is this possible with Publish Online?

3) What about Bookmarks? Is that possible in Publish Online?

4) And lastly, what about a Go Back button, like in a browser?

And - if any ideas if these are not possible if they are being considered for future releases?

[Diane Burns]

1. Publish Online documents covert text to SVG outlines, and therefore text cannot be searched.

2. What do you mean "click to a specific page number"? Do you mean input a page number, press Enter, and then you go to that page? If so, no, you cannot do that with a Publish Online document.

3. Publish Online supports TOC lists, which are similar to bookmarks. But it does not create an extra panel on the side with navigation, as you can do with Acrobat and a PDF.

4. Do you mean "Go back to a specific page"? If so, then, no.

Publish Online navigation is either that provided by the interface (thumbnails, onscreen arrows, swiping, pressing arrow keys, etc) or what you put in yourself.

You can see some great examples of user-created navigation, including hamburger menus, among the projects shown here:

http://bit.ly/PubOnCollection

Please tell the Adobe team what features you'd like to see by voting for or creating feature requests here: http://bit.ly/improvepublishonline

[barkh_123]

Thank you Diane. This is very helpful!

[JonathanArias]

There are other platforms that offer what you are looking for. Such as IN5, you can publish it as html and it will be text. However, there is no search option within the navigation. But it comes with navigation, ability to add a .pdf document to it to view in acrobat.

and it’s not free. What do you mean by back button?

[barkh_123]

Thank you. Back meaning, if I'm on page 60 and I click a text link to go to page 360, can i click a Back Button to go back to page 60.

Based on answers so far, this is not possible.

[JonathanArias]

there is the previous page button, and the next page button, yes,

the back button would take you to whatever was previous. as in i was on page 50, click a link to that take me to page 80. i click back to, and i go back to 50

[barkh_123]

So can you please confirm if IN5 has these capabilities which are part of the Adobe Acrobat (Interactive PDF) and I'm looking for a cross-browser solution:

1) Search (search a phrase from the document)

2) Select a specific page to go to. Like a go to field.

3) Include a Bookmarks or similar menu in the ui.

4) Go Back button -- looks like the answer is yes.

[BobLevine]

In5 has absolutely nothing to do with Acrobat. It’s a subscription based third part tool that is worth every penny.

www.ajarproductions.com<http://www.ajarproductions.com>

[barkh_123]

Right. I understand that. I want to know if it's platform creates a link/file that has similar functionality - the 4 things I'm specifically asking about as Adobe Acrobat offers in their software.

[JonathanArias]

ACROBAT on ipad will not honor "go back" or "next and previous page" command buttons

[JonathanArias]

right, we are talking apples and oranges.

[rayek.elfin · Accepted solution]

An alternative option is just to export your InDesign pages as HTML with the following free html export script.

https://indesignsecrets.com/exporting-from-indesign-to-html5-amazing-free-script.php

You would have to create your own page and/or bookmars menu with a simple state object that is added to a master page, and apply that to all pages. That solves the page navigation.

Browsers already provide a back button, and a bookmark function. Content can be searched, but only on a per-page basis, of course.

The only thing left to do is to change one of the functions in the idGeneratedScript.js file (found in the script folder), and replace the goToDestination function with this:

function goToDestination(ref) {

window.location.assign(ref);

}

This change restores all link functionality.

Upload the files to a web server, and it will work. Including all interactive features. You do have to be a bit careful which fonts you use. Some are licensed, and refuse to be embedded in this exported version, so test, test, test.