Set web browser for PDF hyperlinks

[bofh00]

Lots of searching - boolean, keyword, etc. and I'm not spotting anything relevant...

I'd like to be able to specify which web browser PDF-XChange uses when following hyperlinks embedded in PDF documents.

E.g. if I have https://www.google.com/ as a link in a document, where do I tell PDF-XChange to open this link with Chrome versus Internet Explorer (the system default)?

[Radi - PDF-XChange]

Hello e a vazquez jr,

Welcome to the forum.

Unfortunately, we do not offer such an option in our software. The Editor and the Viewer will always use your system default browser to open links.

Regards,
Radi

[bofh00]

OK, so where do I submit that as a feature request?

Despite Microsoft's best efforts, the IE browser is really best for "Windows Update" and not much else. Better security, compatibility and control of PII through almost any other browser.

So to me, being able to select a browser of choice for links would seem to be a reasonable feature to have (and checking, Foxit, Sumatra, Cute, and Evince have the option, as does Adobe Reader).

Thank you for the quick reply.

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello bofh00,

I can see your point, but your request is a bit like the way MS embeds attachments in office documents (as Ole Objects) - those have more drawbacks than positives - and if the recipient does not have the exactly same software installed - they are unable to see the attachments. Something similar will happen with such links that try to "force" a browser. What will happen if your recipient doesn't have Chrome or any other browser you specified installed on his machine?

In fact there is no provision in the PDF specification for such "launch custom app" links.

Regards,
Stefan

[Willy Van Nuffel]

Hi all,

Stefan, I think that you did not correctly understood the request of bofh00.

He opens a PDF in PDF-XChange Viewer or Editor. When he clicks on hyperlinks in that PDF, he would like to have a setting (in the preferences of PDF-XChange Viewer or Editor) where he can define which (installed) browser should start to open those hyperlinks.

Best regards.

[Will - Tracker Supp]

Hi Willy,

I believe that you're right and that Stefan did misunderstand, however, I don't know whether or not this is something that would be practical or generally useful to implement. This would require quite a lot of work and is quite difficult to do, with long URL's, as the parameters used by each browser (that we need to use to call on them) can be quite different and accounting for each one is difficult. Currently, when using the Windows default, all we do is pass the URL to Windows and Windows 'decides' what to do with it.

If there are more requests for something like this, then we will look deeper into it, but I'm afraid that for now, this isn't something that we would take up.

Thanks,