PDF-XChange Editor 10.8.1 – Cannot open PDF from temporary path when instance is already running

[TimoK]

Hello,

we are seeing an issue with PDF-XChange Editor 10.8.1 (406) when opening PDFs from Siemens Teamcenter on Windows.

Behavior:

• Teamcenter opens PDFs from a very short-lived temp path, e.g.
  %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp\tc_<user>_<timestamp>\<file>.pdf

• If PDF-XChange is not running, the PDF opens correctly.

• If PDF-XChange is already running, opening fails with:

Cannot open the document
Error [Operating system]: The system cannot find the path specified.

image.png

The temp directory is often not visible at all in %TEMP%, except for the first successful open.

Important Notes

• Siemens Teamcenter resolves the viewer via HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pdf rather than Windows “Default Apps”, but the association and open command are correct.

• Adobe Acrobat does not show this behavior.

• PDF-XChange Editor 10.7.6 (build 404) does NOT show this issue.
  The problem appears to be a regression introduced in 10.8.x.

Suspected cause
This looks like a race condition in the single-instance / instance-reuse path:

• When an instance is already running, the file path is forwarded internally.

• By the time the running instance accesses the file, the temp directory has already been removed.

• The editor does not copy or lock the file immediately and does not fall back to a new instance.

The issue only occurs on some clients, which suggests timing dependencies (performance, file system hooks).

Question
Is this a known regression in 10.8.x, and is there a recommended fix or planned change to make opening files from very short-lived temp paths more robust?

Thank you.

Best Regards
Timo

P.S. We have already rolled out PDF-XChange Editor Pro 10.8.1 to more than 5000 computers, of which around 1000 users regularly use Siemens Teamcenter.

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, TimoK

I have forwarded this report to the Dev team for action - hopefully we see a reply today.
There is a possibility that this is one of the issues being targeted for resolution in our 10.8.2 release (coming very soon) - but I am afriad my memory is failing me today and I cannot recall if I've seen this specific error in the current build or a previous one. Until the others arrive at the office, we are both stuck waiting.

In the meantime however I should note that the Editor inherently does not like to work with files that may vanish during use... While we do try to put a lock on files, those that are connected to remote/network sources could experience issues if that connection is ever interrupted.
The Editor Requires a constant connection to the original file being worked on - we do not make a duplicate "shadow copy" while working, each item is loaded from the source file as needed. If that file disappears during use - the Editor will see an error like this message appearing - though that shouldn't happen unless your software is removing the file in the few seconds before we can actually initiate the open... How "short lived" is this temp path?

Kind regards,

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, once again!

Good news, we managed to reproduce the issue, and it should be resolved in the upcoming 10.8.2 release! This should be available tonight or tomorrow, so please keep an eye out for that and update as soon as possible!

Kind regards,

[TimoK]

Hello Daniel,

thanks for the quick response. I already downloaded the new version and it solved the issue. We already verified it on some clients.

Best Regards
Timo

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]