.pdf file associations for Adobe

stormyk88 · 11-25-2006, 12:21 AM

So, here's my situation. I am still a noob. I am still having problems downloading and installing programs. I was able to download and install Firefox 2.0. Works fine. I installed Xine, but can't find it now. I was also able to download Adobe Reader, and have a desktop icon (that starts a shell script) that I can double click on and load Adobe. My problem is that when I click on an online .pdf link, it wants to know what program to open the file with. It always mentions a .etf file. What is this? I know my Adobe works, so how do associate all .pdf files or .etf files with my Adobe installation? BTW, I'm using Suse 10.0 kernel 2.6.13. Any help is appreciated. After installing a new mobo, I lost my Windows partition, so this is all I have to do schoolwork now. Help on that would be good later, but let's fix one problem at a time. Thanks, Jason.

Bruce Hill · 11-25-2006, 03:25 AM

Never used SuSE, but this should help:

Code:

mingdao@silas:~$ whereis xine
xine: /usr/bin/xine /usr/lib/xine /usr/include/xine /usr/include/xine.h /usr/share/xine /usr/man/man1/xine.1.gz /usr/man/man5/xine.5.gz /usr/share/man/man1/xine.1.gz /usr/share/man/man5/xine.5.gz
mingdao@silas:~$ which xine
/usr/bin/xine

Issue the first one to find where Xine is located; and the second to find the executable. It should also be in your KDE menu under Multimedia. NB: Linux is case sensitive, and a capital X in Xine while checking for the file isn't correct.

For Firefox using Adobe Reader for .pdf files, open a Firefox browser and in the Firefox address bar, type:

Code:

about:plugins

If it's not listed in your plugins, then you didn't setup Adobe Reader properly.

Might try the instructions from the INSTALL file first:

Code:

If you are facing any problem in getting the installation to work for your browser, please copy the following file to the plugin folder of the browser:
/usr/local/Adobe/Acrobat7.0/Browser/intellinux/nppdf.so

If that doesn't work, since I'm really into "doing things the proper way," I'd make sure I had the latest version (7.0.8) of Acrobat Reader for Linux from Adobe. Then I'd uninstall the present one, and properly install the new one (and install the browser plugin with it). I've done this today on two Slackware installations, and it's not very hard.

If you don't want to reinstall, the easiest way I know to setup file associations for Firefox if you already installed Reader is to download one...

First, find your executable for Adobe Acrobat Reader, which might also present a problem:

Code:

mingdao@james:~$ which acroread
which: no acroread in (/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/games:/opt/www/htdig/bin:/usr/lib/java/bin:/usr/lib/java/jre/bin:/opt/kde/bin:/usr/lib/qt/bin:/usr/share/texmf/bin:.)
mingdao@james:~$ whereis acroread
acroread:
mingdao@james:~$ locate acroread
/opt/kde/share/apps/kappfinder/apps/Office/acroread.desktop
/opt/kde/share/icons/mono/scalable/apps/acroread.svgz
/opt/kde/share/icons/kdeclassic/16x16/apps/acroread.png
/opt/kde/share/icons/kdeclassic/32x32/apps/acroread.png
/opt/kde/share/icons/Locolor/16x16/apps/acroread.png
/opt/kde/share/icons/Locolor/32x32/apps/acroread.png
/opt/kde/share/icons/crystalsvg/16x16/apps/acroread.png
/opt/kde/share/icons/crystalsvg/32x32/apps/acroread.png
/opt/kde/share/icons/crystalsvg/48x48/apps/acroread.png
/opt/kde/share/icons/crystalsvg/64x64/apps/acroread.png
/opt/kde/share/icons/crystalsvg/scalable/apps/acroread.svgz
/opt/kde/share/icons/crystalsvg/128x128/apps/acroread.png
/usr/local/Adobe/Acrobat7.0/bin/acroread  <<<--- that's it 
/usr/local/Adobe/Acrobat7.0/Reader/intellinux/bin/acroread
/usr/share/zsh/4.2.6/functions/_acroread
/usr/share/texmf/doc/help/Catalogue/acroread.png
/usr/share/texmf/doc/help/Catalogue/entries/acroread.html

My systems couldn't find "acroread" with whereis or which because it wasn't in the PATH. And even though I had the browswer plugin installed, when I tried to open a .pdf file I got an error message telling me it wasn't in the PATH. So, I symlinked it into my $PATH:

Code:

ln -sf /usr/local/Adobe/Acrobat7.0/bin/acroread /usr/local/bin/acroread

This might be a cheap, improper fix -- but it works.

Then try to get a .pdf file off the internet and in the box which says you've chosen to open a PDF file, and What should Firefox do with this file?, select "Open with" and browse to your acroread executable, then check:
"Do this automatically for files like this from now on."
This might not be pretty, but it will work for Firefox to open .pdf files with Acrobat Reader.

noranthon · 11-25-2006, 04:51 AM

Howdy, Jason. You can associate Adobe Reader when you first open a pdf from Firefox. Firefox gives you the option to save or open with and a box you can select which says something like "Do this always for files of this kind".

There is a PDF Download extension which enhances and eases the process of opening or saving pdf documents. Installing Firefox extensions is as easy as clicking on a button on the extension page which I have linked.

You can also configure Adobe Reader to use Firefox to open web links. Edit >Preferences >Weblink. It's the last option in the Preferences dialogue.

Edit: Instructions to add the plugin

stormyk88 · 11-25-2006, 09:02 PM

Thanks, Bruce and noranthan, your help was greatly appreciated. A combination of the two fixed (almost) my problems. I can now download and open/read pdfs from all over the net with no problem. Adobe opens up perfectly inside my Firefox 2.0. I am only having problems opening pdfs from my school website. I am going to call their support right now, and see if they know anything. I expect to get a response like "We don't support open source" or "It's a secure site, your settings are off" I will report back. Maybe I should start a thanks list in my sig, but may very well get very large very quick. I'll be back.

noranthon · 11-26-2006, 01:58 AM

What problems at the school website?

stormyk88 · 11-26-2006, 12:25 PM

This is where I'm at now. If I browse through the Adobe directories locally, I can double click on their documentation PDFs, and they open using Adobe Reader . Fine there. Browsing the net, I can open PDFs, and they open in my browser. Fine there. When I try to open a PDF link from my school website, it tries to open the PDF in a new window, but says the required software could not be found. It gives me an option to download anyways, but just downloads an .etf file that does nothing.

I'm guessing this is a PATH issue??? One last item. In my browser, under Edit/Preferences/Content/File Types, it lists Adobe Reader 7.0 for PDF, and acroread for ETF. Don't know if this helps, but I appreciate the help.

noranthon · 11-27-2006, 02:21 AM

The easiest way for others to understand what is happening is to try one of the links. Is that possible?

EDIT: If not, it should be possible to work something out from the link. Right-click a link and select "Copy Link location", then paste it here.

stormyk88 · 11-28-2006, 11:55 PM

I was going to try that, but I'm out for now until after the first of the year. I will deal with that later. Heading off to get more questions figured out. Thanks all for your help. -Jason