Superscript - Unable to select text properly

[Loki@99]

Hi,

There is an issue selecting text in this PDF.

PDF XChange Editor 10.3.0 build 386

File_Text selection issue.pdf

Steps to reproduce
Select "transporteur Na+ K+ 2CI-"

Expected behaviour

image.png

Current behaviour

image(1).png

It's likely related to how PDF-XChange handles superscript.

Thanks for investigating,

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, Loki@99

This text is not "superscript" formatted text, but simply regular text, placed offset from the main line of text in the document, it is also listed as the last "content item" which is what causes the selection issues.

image.png

image(1).png

May I ask how you created this content, did you convert from another document/format? If so, could we see the original file perchance? The file seems to have been created by software, but I cannot identify if we performed the original placement of these items, of if there was no valid data for us to create them properly during the conversion.

In the meantime, if you pull these items out of the document, and add properly superscript formatted text to the file, you will find the selection works as desired going forward:

PDFXEdit_vI657c9eYt.gif

Kind regards,

[Loki@99]

Hi Daniel,


The file was created from this webpage [url]https://pharmacomedicale.org/medicaments/par-specialites/item/diuretiques-de-l-anse[/url] using PrintFriendly chrome extension.

image.png

I tested with Foxit PDF Editor and there was no such selection issue with their Edit text feature.

Foxit.gif

No issue with Microsoft Edge 124.0.2478.80 as well.

Edge.gif

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, Loki@99

Indeed, we have room for improvement here. We are working on a visual layout system, so I have created a bug report for our Devs on this, hopefully this should give it some extra priority.

RT#6902: Bug: Visual layout of "sub/superscript" characters not working.

Kind regards,

[Loki@99]

Hi

I don't know if it's related to T#6902 but the highlighter also displays weird highlighting with Superscript/Subscript.

Steps to reproduce
Highlight terms in the following PDF
PDF sample created with PDFXCE Add Text (base content) tool

File sample.pdf

Current behavior

image(1).png

Expected behavior
Foxit PDF

image.png

Thanks for investigating,

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, Loki@99

Thank you for the report, You will be happy to know I am working with a nightly test build today and can confirm that the "select text" handling of superscript/subscript characters is working as desired now.

As for the highlights issue you have just reported, that is unlikely to change, our handling is how many others handle highlights for such text, most likely to ensure that all of the "text annotation tools" (highlight, underline, strikethrough, etc) can share common handling, instead of needing individualized special rules. I appreciate that Foxit seems to have special handling here, and perhaps the dev team will consider it (as always I am passing it along to see) but at this time it seems to be in line with the norms for this tool.

Kind regards,

[Loki@99]

Hi Daniel,

"select text" handling of superscript/subscript characters is working as desired now.

That's good news ! Thanks for the follow-up

our handling is how many others handle highlights for such text

Well, I tested with Adobe Acrobat and Drawboard PDF and got the same result as Foxit's

Adobe Acrobat

AC.gif

Drawboard PDF

DR.gif

It will be great to have that highlight handling for superscript/subscript in PDFXCE as well.

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, Loki@99

Curiuous, Adobe was one of the options I tested with, though I was using my own file in the comparison and they treated them the same as we do, however when using your sample file, surely enough, they act differently. I wonder what the cause is for that difference in handling between files. I have brought it to the Dev team for additional review.

RT#6953: FR: improve highlight for super/subscript characters

Kind regards,

[Loki@99]

Hi,

the "select text" handling of superscript/subscript characters is working as desired now.

I don't know what handling you were refering to cause there's the same issue with the file I provided in build 387.
Btw, I didn't notice any superscript related fix in changelog.

PDFXCE 10.3.1 build 387
Selection should stop at 2Cl-

image.png

Thanks for investigating,

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, Loki@99

My apologies, I meant in relation to text items which are actually formatted as Super/subscript text, things work as expected:

image(1).png

For those that are not, like the document in your original post, this is still not working,

image.png

because such improvements will rely on the visual content order changes we are working on. This will be a long term item.

Kind regards,