linking to headings in PDF documents

[Shlomo Perets]

Kevin,

You wrote:

>... So what I think I need to do is create HTML links to named 
>destionations within my PDF file. I haven't found a simple way to do this; 
>I tried opening the PDF in acrobat and viewed named destinations, and 
>wrote down the names of the chapter headings on a piece of paper, and I 
>surmised that I could then create a hypertext link along the lines of:
>  ...Nexus3RefGuideBuild1.pdf#page=6
>  or
>  ...Nexus3RefGuideBuild1.pdf#nameddest=m5.9.14293...
>
>(referencing
>http://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/en/acrobat/PDFOpenParameters.pdf#search=%22pdf%20open%20to%20page%20url%22)
>However, that doesn't seem to work, in a browser. Or at least I haven't 
>been able to make it work.

Both linking methods you have used should work if the PDF is stored on a 
web site (i.e. not accessed locally). Custom Acrobat extensions do exist to 
support this functionality when the PDFs are stored locally.

If the PDF is stored in a web site, the destinations exist, yet the link 
does not open the target location, there may be a problem with your 
specific Acrobat/Reader version and the browser plug-in installed.
To test this linking capability using a separate file, try clicking the 
link below:
http://www.microtype.com/showcase/ConvertFMnewlink.pdf#Inspiration
(if successful, the PDF should open on page 2).

Other than linking to the destinations created by cross-reference markers 
or by the automatic hypertext links in generated files (as present in the 
PDF files), you can create custom destinations using the newlink hypertext 
markers, eg:
newlink ABC

Resulting PDF destinations would be m8.newlink.ABC or mN.8.newlink.ABC 
(when the file is part of the book, N indicating the file position in the 
book).

(Using the FM-to-Acrobat add-on, it is possible to create custom 
destinations which do not have a variable prefix -- see 
http://www.microtype.com/ImprovePDF.html#12 for more info/examples).


Shlomo Perets

MicroType, http://www.microtype.com
Training, consulting & add-ons: FrameMaker, Structured FM and Acrobat