pxce: URI always opens a new instance for files with non-ASCII paths, instead of switching to the existing one

[AlexShyXie]

Hello everyone,
I'm encountering a persistent issue with the custom `pxce:` URI protocol in PDF-Xchange Editor, specifically when dealing with file paths that contain Chinese characters. I'm hoping someone might have a solution or insight.
The Problem:
When I use a `pxce:` link to a PDF file with a Chinese path, it fails to recognize that the file is already open. Instead of switching to the existing window, it launches a new instance of PDF-Xchange Editor and opens the file again.
What I've Tried:
1. Direct Chinese Path:

pxce:file:///E:/Tmp/一篇我相当欣赏的开篇.pdf#comment=8c15c3e4-c1f6-4e11-bb1de4fd4a356435

Result: I can not open pdf, say the path is incorrect.
2. URL-Encoded Path: I have tried encoding the path to ensure it's a valid URI.

pxce:file:///E:/Tmp/%E4%B8%80%E7%AF%87%E6%88%91%E7%9B%B8%E5%BD%93%E6%AC%A3%E8%B5%8F%E7%9A%84%E5%BC%80%E7%AF%87.pdf#comment=8c15c3e4-c1f6-4e11-bb1de4fd4a356435

Result: Opens a new window every time. If I opened the pdf, it would fail to match the already-opened document and opens a new one.

Expected Behavior:
The pxce: URI should correctly identify the already opened PDF (regardless of whether the path is encoded or not) and simply bring its window to the foreground, applying the #comment=parameter.
Workaround:
For now, I've switched to using the command-line interface, which works perfectly and reliably handles this scenario:

Code: Select all

"C:\Program Files\Tracker Software\PDF-Editor\PDFXEdit.exe" /A "comment=8c15c3e4-c1f6-4e11-bb1de4fd4a356435" "E:\Tmp\一篇我相当欣赏的开篇.pdf"

This correctly switches to the existing window. However, the URI protocol is much more convenient for integration with other applications like Obsidian.
System Info:

• PDF-Xchange Editor Version: [10.7]

• OS: [ Windows 10]

Also, I use fdf parameter (see https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8118.html#section-3), it does not work.
Has anyone else experienced this? Is this a known limitation of the `pxce:` protocol's handling of non-ASCII characters, or is there a setting I'm missing?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Sean - PDF-XChange]

Hi Alex,

I've mentioned this to the development team, and they will be in touch in due course.

Kind regards,

[AlexShyXie]

This is my pdf.

一篇我相当欣赏的开篇.pdf

I've identified a problem. It appears that whenever a fully URL-encoded file path is used in the link, the target application (PDF-XChange Editor) insists on opening the document in a new window, even if it's already open.
Conversely, if the path is left unencoded, it correctly reuses the existing window.
The core conflict is that URL encoding is mandatory for any paths containing non-English characters. This creates a catch-22: to support international characters, I must use URL encoding, but doing so forces the undesired "new window" behavior, making it impossible to avoid.
Example Links:
URL-Encoded Path (Forces new window): `[E:\Downloads\tmp\JCO.pdf](pxce:file:///E%3A%5CDownloads%5Ctmp%5CJCO.pdf)`
Plain Path (Reuses existing window): `[E:\Downloads\tmp\JCO.pdf](pxce:file:///E:\Downloads\tmp\JCO.pdf)`

[Vasyl - PDF-XChange]

Hi Alex.

What I've Tried:
1. Direct Chinese Path:
pxce:file:///E:/Tmp/一篇我相当欣赏的开篇.pdf#comment=8c15c3e4-c1f6-4e11-bb1de4fd4a356435
Result: I can not open pdf, say the path is incorrect.

We can't reproduce this. Everything works fine on our end with your example URI. And it seems you got it working later as well. What was the problem?

URL-Encoded Path (Forces new window):

We will check this trouble soon..

BTW: how exactly do you open the "pxce:.." urls? By clicking on the corresponding web-links in the browser, or by .url file, or how?

Thanks for the report.

[AlexShyXie]

Hi Alex.

What I've Tried:
1. Direct Chinese Path:
pxce:file:///E:/Tmp/一篇我相当欣赏的开篇.pdf#comment=8c15c3e4-c1f6-4e11-bb1de4fd4a356435
Result: I can not open pdf, say the path is incorrect.

We can't reproduce this. Everything works fine on our end with your example URI. And it seems you got it working later as well. What was the problem?

URL-Encoded Path (Forces new window):

We will check this trouble soon..

BTW: how exactly do you open the "pxce:.." urls? By clicking on the corresponding web-links in the browser, or by .url file, or how?

Thanks for the report.

Hi PDF-XChange Team,
Thank you for the follow-up. My apologies if my initial report was not clear enough. I have done some more testing and can now explain the issue in more detail.
The problem is related to how `pxce:` links are handled when they are URL-encoded, specifically in the context of a Markdown editor like Obsidian.

2.jpg

Scenario 1: Non-URL-Encoded Link (Works as Expected)
I create a standard Markdown link with a direct file path:
`[A.pdf](pxce:file:///E:/Downloads/tmp/JCO.pdf#page=1;zoom=125,null,177)`
When I click this link in Obsidian:

• 1. It correctly opens the file in PDF-XChange Editor.

• 2. If I click the same link again, it correctly brings the already-open PDF-XChange window to the front, instead of opening a new instance.

This is the desired behavior.

Scenario 2: URL-Encoded Link (The Problem)
Because my files often have Chinese names, I frequently need to use the full URL-encoded form of the link. For example:
`[A-URL.pdf](pxce:file:///E%3A%2FDownloads%2Ftmp%2FJCO.pdf#page=1;zoom=125,null,177)`
When I click this URL-encoded link in Obsidian:

• 1. It correctly opens the file in PDF-XChange Editor.

• 2. However, if I click the same link again, it opens a completely new window in PDF-XChange Editor, instead of focusing the existing one.

This is the core issue. Since I need to use URL-encoded paths for my files, this behavior results in many duplicate windows being opened, which is not what I want.

1.jpg

And if I use total non-url path with chinese: [A-URL-C.pdf](pxce:file:///E:/Downloads/tmp/Citavi%20Attachments/JJCO一篇我相当欣赏的开篇.pdf#page=1;zoom=125,null,177), it say Error [Operating system]:The system cannot find the file specified.

3.jpg

To summarize:

• Non-URL-encoded `pxce:` links correctly focus an existing window.

• URL-encoded `pxce:` links incorrectly open a new window on each click.

I hope this explanation is clearer. Please let me know if you need any more information to reproduce the issue.
Thanks,
Alex

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, AlexShyXie

Thank you for the added details. I just discussed with the Dev team and it seems that this should be resolved for the next release (most likely 10.8, but if another 10.7.x release comes along before that, it should be included there as well).

I am sorry for the delay until that is available.

Kind regards,