Configuring Navigator for Windows to Display PDF Files

Courtesy of Adobe Corporation.

Configuring Navigator for Windows to Display PDF Files

FaxYI number 731007

What's Covered
Using the Navigator Plug-in
Configuring Navigator to Use Acrobat as a Helper Application
Downloading a PDF File to Your Hard Drive

You can display PDF files within Netscape Navigator 2.x, 3.x, or 4.x by using Adobe Acrobat's Navigator plug-in, or by using Acrobat Reader 3.0x or Acrobat Exchange 3.0x as a helper application. When you use the Navigator plug-in, Navigator displays PDF files within its browser window. When you configure Navigator to use Acrobat Reader 3.0x or Acrobat Exchange 3.0x as a helper application, PDF files display within a separate Acrobat viewer (i.e., Acrobat Reader or Acrobat Exchange) window.

Adobe recommends you use Navigator 3.0 or later, which supports Acrobat 3.0x features such as page at a time downloading (byte-serving) and online form submission.

Using the Navigator Plug-in
When you install Acrobat Reader 3.0x or Acrobat Exchange 3.0x on a computer on which Navigator 2.x or 3.x is installed, the Acrobat installer automatically copies the Navigator plug-in file (Nppdf32.dll for Windows 95 and Windows NT, Nppdf16.dll for Windows 3.1x) into the Netscape\Navigator\Programs\Plugins directory. When you're using Navigator 4.x, which is included with Netscape Communicator, you'll need to manually move the Nppdf32.dll file or the Nppdf16.dll file from the Acrobat3\Reader\Browser or Acrobat3\Exchange\Browser directory into the Netscape\Communicator\Program\Plugins directory.

If you select a PDF file while the plug-in is installed, the file will download to Netscape's Temp directory, and then Navigator will open your Acrobat viewer to display the file within the browser window.

If a PDF file you select does not display within the Navigator 3.0 or later browser window, see Related Records.

To prevent Acrobat from displaying PDF files in the Navigator browser window, move the Navigator plug-in file (Nppdf32.dll for Windows 95 and Windows NT, Nppdf16.dll for Windows 3.1x) from the Netscape\Navigator\Programs\Plugins directory or the Netscape\Communicator\Program\Plugins directory to the Acrobat3\Reader\Browser or Acrobat3\Exchange\Browser directory.

If you install Navigator 4.0 and keep a previous version of Navigator on your system, you may need to reinstall your Acrobat viewer to use the plug-in in both versions. Otherwise, Navigator 4.0 may use your Acrobat viewer as a helper application.

Configuring Navigator to Use Acrobat as a Helper Application
When you configure Navigator to use an Acrobat viewer as a helper application, Navigator starts the viewer, then displays PDF files within the separate Acrobat viewer window.

NOTE: Make sure the Nppdf32.dll file or the Nppdf16.dll file is not installed in the Netscape\Navigator\Programs\Plugins directory or the Netscape\Communicator\Program\Plugins directory. The Nppdf32.dll or Nppdf16.dll file should be installed only in the Acrobat3 directory. If the file is installed in any other directory, Navigator will open the Acrobat viewer as a plug-in and cannot use the viewer as a helper application.

To configure Navigator 4.x to use Acrobat as a helper application:
1. Choose Edit > Preferences.
2. In the left pane, select Navigator, then select Applications.
3. Click New Type.
4. Type the following information in the text fields:
- For the Description of Type, use "Portable Document Format."
- For the File Extension, use "pdf."
- For the MIME Type, use "application/pdf."
5. Click Browse, then locate the Acrobat Reader 3.0x or Acrobat Exchange 3.0x application file and click Open.
6. Click OK to close the New Type dialog box.
7. Restart Navigator.

To configure Navigator 3.x to use Acrobat as a helper application:
1. Start Navigator.
2. Choose Options > General Preferences, then select Helpers.
3. If "application/pdf" is listed in the File Type scroll box, select it and go to step 7.
4. Click Create New Type.
5. Type "application" in the Mime Type text box.
6. Type "pdf" in the Mime Subtype text box, then click OK.
7. Click Browse.
8. Locate and select the Acrobat Reader 3.0x or Acrobat Exchange 3.0x application file, then click Open.
9. Type "pdf" in the Extensions text box.
10. Select Launch Application, then click OK.
11. Restart Navigator.

To configure Navigator 2.x to use Acrobat as a helper application:
1. Start Navigator, then choose Options > General Preferences.
2. In the General Preferences dialog box click the Helpers tab.
3. If Application/pdf is listed in the File Type scroll box, select it and go to step 6.
4. Click Create New Type.
5. Type "application" in the Mime Type text box, then type "pdf" in the Mime Subtype text box, and then click OK.
6. In the General Preferences dialog box, click Browse.
7. Locate and select the Acrobat Reader 3.0x or Acrobat Exchange 3.0x application file, then click Open.
8. Select Application from the list of Actions, then click OK.
9. Restart Navigator.

Downloading a PDF File to Your Hard Drive
You can download PDF files to your hard drive either from a Web page's link or using an Acrobat viewer's Save As command. After you download a PDF file to your hard drive, you can copy text, distribute the file, or save the file to a disk.

To download a PDF file from a link:
1. Right-click the link to a PDF file, then choose Save Link As from the pop-up menu.
2. In the Save As dialog box, select a location on your hard drive, then click Save.

To download an open PDF file:
1. Choose File > Save As.
2. In the Save As dialog box, select a location on your hard drive, then click Save.

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