I help run a website for an organization. Sometimes we put PDF files on the site. I just heard from a Mac user that he can't open our PDF files. We use PDF precisely to prevent such problems. I wonder if anyone can tell me what may cause this? I don't know any details about error message and so, but I know the PDF files are usually made from Microsoft Word.

Gustaf

At Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:26:29 +0100 Gustaf <gustafl@algonet.se> wrote:

> 
> I help run a website for an organization. Sometimes we put PDF files
> on the site. I just heard from a Mac user that he can't open our PDF
> files. We use PDF precisely to prevent such problems. I wonder if
> anyone can tell me what may cause this? I don't know any details about
> error message and so, but I know the PDF files are usually made from
> Microsoft Word.

What tool(s) were used to create the PDF files?

Are the files for FTP download or HTTP?  If FTP, did the Mac user use
*binary* mode downloading? PDF files are *binary*, downloading in *text*
mode and doing newline conversion will ruin the files and make them
unviewable.  If HTTP, is the webserver *properly* configured to send the
proper mime type for .pdf and .PDF files?  This can also cause problems.

If you are playing embeded PDF games, has your HTML/JavaScript been
tested for MacOS?  Safari? FireFox?  Does the Mac user have the proper
plugin? Do you provide a straight download link?

> 
> Gustaf
>                                                    

-- 
Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933
Deepwoods Software        -- Download the Model Railroad System
http://www.deepsoft.com/  -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows
heller@deepsoft.com       -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/
                

Gustaf wrote:
> I help run a website for an organization. Sometimes we put PDF files on 
> the site. I just heard from a Mac user that he can't open our PDF files. 
> We use PDF precisely to prevent such problems. I wonder if anyone can 
> tell me what may cause this? I don't know any details about error 
> message and so, but I know the PDF files are usually made from Microsoft 
> Word.

What is the error message your user gets (exactly)?
At what stage do they get it? When they click on the link, or when the 
file has downloaded and Preview tries to open it?

In other words, can they actually download the file at all, or does it 
download but refuse to open?

Check the file in Acrobat Reader and one other PDF reader locally to 
make sure it really is a PDF, not a .doc file that one of your other 
users has renamed to .pdf in the belief that this "makes it" a PDF (no, 
seriously, I know people who have done this :-)

Check the logs. Has anyone else ever downloaded this particular file?

Check your mime.types. Are PDFs being served as application/pdf?

Can we see the URI of the page with the link to the PDF so we can try it?

///Peter