Create Autorun CD Menu

Linking a PDF file to a CD Menu

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About Pdf

Portable Document Format (pdf) is a widely spread, platform-independent file format for creating, displaying and printing text and graphics files.

A so-called Pdf reader is needed to view this file type. The most common reader used for this purpose is the "Acrobat Reader" by "Adobe Systems Incorporated".

If you want to use Pdf files on your CD, it is important to make sure that a reader capable of displaying these files is installed on the target PC.

The CDMenuPro Pdf Starter

The CDMenuPro add-on "Pdf-Starter" program has been designed to check unnoticed whether a program for viewing Pdf files is installed on the PC in question. If a program is found, it will be used to display your program; if no program is found, the Pdf Starter will proceed as follows depending on the configuration that you set for it:

• a message is outputted telling the CD user that a reader is not available on his/her system and providing him/her with information about where to go to install a reader. You can design and word this message yourself.
• A message is outputted telling CD users that a reader is not available on their system and asking them whether or not they would like to install a reader and carrying out the installation for them.

Using the Pdf Starter to link a Pdf file to the menu

Please Note:
The Pdf integration assistant and the Pdf Starter add-on program are only available with the full Business License version.

How to integrate a Pdf file into the menu: Click and hold on the Pdf symbol in the object bar with your left mouse key. Keeping your left key pressed, drag the Pdf symbol into the menu window. Now release the mouse key. This will trigger the Pdf integration assistant, which will take you through the rest of the process.

In the first settings window you are asked to enter the name of the sub-folder into which the Pdf files will be saved. If this folder doesn't exist, the assistant will create one. You can also choose to accept the "PdfFiles" pre-set. You can use this folder for saving all your Pdf files. Alternatively, you can create an individual folder for each Pdf file.

This window is used to specify the Pdf file. If this Pdf file is located in a folder other than the one defined in the previous window, the Pdf file will be copied into the folder created in the previous step (Pdf files). You can also use a Pdf file from a CDMenuPro ArchiveSafe. This is done by clicking on the button marked with the padlock. This enables you to select an ArchiveSafe and a file contained in the archive. Now enter your inscription for the button.

The last settings window is used to configure the Pdf Starter. These settings, however, must carried out at least once for each Pdf folder. If you add Pdf files to this folder later, you can skip this step. When you are done, click on the "Finish" button.

Configure the Pdf Starter

Preliminary comments on how the Pdf-Starter works
The Pdf-Starter will first search the Windows registry in the background to find out whether or not a link already exists between Pdf-type files and a reader (server). If a link between program and file already exists, the reader is started and the file loaded. If a link is not found, the program will output information or trigger the set-up procedure.

In addition to this, a Pdf-Starter option enables you to allocate a different Reader for each Windows system. The basic settings will be used for every version of Windows for which no Pdf Reader has been allocated.

If you are using Acrobat Reader 5.05, there is no need to make any changes to the standard settings. This is because this Reader (and only this reader) will run on all Win32 systems (Win95...XP). The following table provides information about which Reader version will run on which Windows system.

	Acrobat R. 5.05	Acrobat R. 5.1	Acrobat R. 6.01	Acrobat R. 7.0
Win95	X	-	-	-
Win98	X	X	-	-
Win98SE	X	X	X	-
WinME	X	X	X	-
WinNT	X	X	X	-
Win2000	X	X	X	-
Win2000 + SP1	X	X	X	-
Win2000 + SP2	X	X	X	X
WinXP	X	X	X	X

This dialog window is used for specifying how the Pdf Starter should proceed when no suitable program for displaying the file has been found on the Windows system.

• Invoke Html file
  You can use a html file to inform users of your CD that no suitable reader is available on their system and to provide them with details about websites from where the Reader can be downloaded and installed.
  
  
• Use set-up file
  If you have access to a set-up file for a Reader, you can specify its path here. If the Pdf-Starter fails to detect a suitable program for displaying the file, a message window is first outputted informing the CD user about the situation and inviting him/her to start the set-up program for the reader, which is done by clicking on a button. The content and wording of the message window can be defined using the "Define Message Window..." button. (s. below)
  
  

This dialog window is used to define the message that is outputted in the event that no suitable program for displaying Pdf files is available on the system. (Only use for the following selection: "Use set-up file")

This is how the defined message will look to the CD user.

Loading message
Large files require quite some time to load from the CD ( 2 - 4 MB / second). If you would like to inform your CD users that the file is being loaded once they have clicked the button, you can activate a splash screen message.

There are three ways of doing this:

• Text message
  You can specify a two-line message yourself.
  
  
• Internal image file:
  The following pre-written message is outputted:
  
  
  
• Your own image file
  Create an image file that is 300 x 200 pixels in size and specify this file in the entry field provided for it.
  
  

Run-time parameters for the Pdf Starter

When the Pdf Integration Assistant is ended, a button is inserted into the menu window. Open the button's properties dialog window and click on link. This is where you can see the settings that the program assistant has made:

The meaning of the parameter entries:

• /O "File.pdf" Open: Open the "File.pdf file in the reader
• /P "File.pdf" Print: Print the "File.pdf" file.
• /T "File.pdf" Test: Simulates a situation in which a suitable program for displaying a Pdf file is missing.

In addition, you can hand-over a run-time parameter to the Reader. You will have to refer to the Reader documentation to find our which parameters are permitted.
        /O "File.pdf" /V="parameter for Reader"
In this case, the run-time details between the inverted commas will be handed over to the Reader.

Notes on the Acrobat Reader

Adobe Systems Incorporated offers a free download of its Acrobat Reader to all PC users so that Pdf files can be read on their systems.

You can download the Acrobat Reader installation pack from the following address:

Download the Adobe Acrobat Reader:
Download

Select your own language in step one; select "Win 95" as the platform. (runs on all Win32 operating systems)

You will find the terms of the licensing agreement on the following page:
The Adobe Acrobat Reader - End User Licence Agreement

Please make sure you observe Adobe's licensing agreement.

Download the latest installation pack version of the reader. You will have to include this pack for your users on your CD.

You can, of course, also use any other preferred shareware Pdf Reader.

Please Note:
The Pdf integration assistant and the Pdf Starter add-on program are only available with the full Business License version.