Another hyperlink query

[Anonymous]

Hello people,

I was wondering if anybody knew how to solve my DWF hyperlinking problem. I
need to create dwfs that can hyperlink to other dwfs, which seems like an
easy and reasonable request. The problem is that when I open up the first
dwf in Express Viewer and Ctrl-Click a hyperlink to another drawing, it
opens it in Internet Explorer. Would anybody know why it is doing this and
how to make DWFs open exclusively in Express Viewer.

TIA

Ralph

[Anonymous]

As I understand it, a hyperlink brings up a browser. It is true that the
browser may invoke an ActiveX control if it needs to in order to view a type
of document. It is also true that the ActiveX control for Autodesk Express
Viewer is an EXE. This is a convenience for the user. But I am not sure a
mechanism exists in this case for one EXE to bring up the another EXE if
that EXE is not the browser. For other applications, we do see linking
between applications; Word will bring up Excel and vice versa; however, I
think it is possible because the one EXE was built with the idea that it
will bring up the other. I don't think the Autodesk Express Viewer has
special code to bring up other instances of itself in response to
hyperlinks. When a hyperlink is invoked, the program associated with
hyperlinks comes up - in this case Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer then
invokes AEV and it all works. At least I think that is what is going on. If
you associated hyperlinks with AEV, it may work as you want, but then you
could no longer browse the web.

"Ralph" wrote in message
news:D149C4C7E687DA1FF9712AB4591A5488@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> Hello people,
>
> I was wondering if anybody knew how to solve my DWF hyperlinking problem.
I
> need to create dwfs that can hyperlink to other dwfs, which seems like an
> easy and reasonable request. The problem is that when I open up the first
> dwf in Express Viewer and Ctrl-Click a hyperlink to another drawing, it
> opens it in Internet Explorer. Would anybody know why it is doing this and
> how to make DWFs open exclusively in Express Viewer.
>
> TIA
>
> Ralph
>
>

[dyaimz]

It used to be easy & reasonable when 'whip!' worked as a plug-in for internet explorer. Now autodesk have disabled this.

What they need to do now is make express viewer work the same way as 'acrobat', 'word' & 'excel'. So that when you browse or click to a pdf, doc or xls on a website then these files open in your browser as long as you have the program installed on the pc.

The problem with express viewer is that it won't open inside IE. This is something autodesk has to fix!!

It is impossible to build a website of dwf files such as when you're trying to hyperlink a detail dwf from a general dwf.

Does anybody use this feature anyway? There are about 6 questions on this discussion board concerning what is a pretty major failing, which suggests that either nobody uses it or they've given up & continued using pdf.

What is the (EDITED) point of a *WEB* format if it won't link to itself?!!
Message was edited by: AnneBrown

[slacker]

Believe me, I feel your pain.
When DWFs came out years ago, I spent months fighting with my company to use DWFs instead of PDFs, and FINALLY won; it was not easy, and I really ticked a few people off. I have had to defend my position a few times since then, as PDFs have become so prevalent, and DWFs have taken notoriously long to actually plot vs. plotting a PDF.
The one convincing key point was the ability to be able to link to other DWFs, so that we could build a library of easy to navigate DWFs as a set of "virtual construction dwgs", using the whip viewer.
Now I am made to look like a total fool, as the whip viewer is disabled, and this ability is gone via the new "improved" Express Viewer, which pretty much negates any real benefit derived by this format vs the ubiquitous PDF.
To save a little face, I volunteered to create all the new PDFs (seriously a few thousand of them) on my own time, which was actually MUCH quicker and easier than I expected. But at this point, I am done with DWFs; I won't go back.
IMHO, with the retirement of whip combined with the new Express Viewer, the PDF has won the battle. There are simply not enough options to make a DWF what I actually need to make it viable anymore. It is basically a PDF with some very limited (and pretty useless) AutoCAD functions.
Yes, the ability to toggle layer visibility sounds nice, but the only people who use that are the ones that have AutoCAD anyway. Besides being able to HTML link the files to each other, what our clients would like is if they could pick complete layer settings similar to using LMAN in AutoCAD. They do not want to toggle through a bunch of cryptic (to them) layer names, they just want to be able to pick a complete layer state with one pick. So I have always had to plot multiple versions of the DWFs anyway, which is what I now have to do with a PDF, only it's faster. No actual benefit there. It was unwieldy, but at least I used to able to link the multiple-plot versions of the dwfs to each other for easy viewing.
As dyaimz said, "What is the (EDITED) point of a *WEB* format if it won't link to itself?!!" That pretty much sums it up for me. What a farce.
Ok, I am done with my rant. Back to work.

[dyaimz]

Hi,
I'm feeling more humble today!

I've just tried the latest 4.0 expressviewer & the linking works fine. The linked dwf comes up in expressviewer as expected.

So, autodesk have, indeed, 'fixed it'.

Thank you, Autodesk!

But why couldn't someone have mentioned it sooner?
I fear it's too late for Mr Slacker 😞

[slacker]

Well, maybe not too late for me, but definitely too late for the DWF. I sounded a little harsh up there, I guess.

I can get the Express Viewer linking between DWFs, and I have no specific complaints against Express Viewer itself, it works fine. But I would really like to have more of an "in-line" online viewer like whip was; not a separate program. With whip, users could just browse through the DWFs in Internet Explorer.

Having to install a separate viewer just for DWFs is semi-redundant when most people generally have Acrobat Reader already installed.

This is also because the feature set of DWFs is not really non-CAD user friendly, so they just don't get utilized.

This combination means any perceived advantage of using DWFs over PDFs is negated.
At least, that's my two pesos worth.

[Anonymous]

Do you have any actual constructive comments for features you'd like to see in the DWF viewers, or do you work for Adobe? "slacker" wrote in message news:1175203.1074185060142.JavaMail.jive@jiveforum2.autodesk.com... > Well, maybe not too late for me, but definitely too late for the DWF. I sounded a little harsh up there, I guess. > > I can get the Express Viewer linking between DWFs, and I have no specific complaints against Express Viewer itself, it works fine. But I would really like to have more of an "in-line" online viewer like whip was; not a separate program. With whip, users could just browse through the DWFs in Internet Explorer. > > Having to install a separate viewer just for DWFs is semi-redundant when most people generally have Acrobat Reader already installed. > > This is also because the feature set of DWFs is not really non-CAD user friendly, so they just don't get utilized. > > This combination means any perceived advantage of using DWFs over PDFs is negated. > At least, that's my two pesos worth.

[slacker]

Well, no, I don't work for Adobe.
I guess I am just bitter and frustrated about this issue, having had to champion the cause at work, only to have the main feature I was championing become unsupported.
But your point is taken. My apologies.

So here is my constructive comment: In addition to the very competent stand alone Express Viewer, it would sure be great if there could be some type of plug-in to enable even basic limited viewing of dwf files within Internet Explorer itself, to replace the now obsolete whip! driver ability.

Thanks.

[dyaimz]

Ok here's something constructive (ironically inspired by adobe!)

In photoshop there is a neat feature for turning a folder full of jpegs into a browsable web-site-type photo album.

You can do it yourself if you know a bit of html but it's so much easier to just press a button.

How about a script that turns a folder full of dwfs into an html drawing album **all viewable in internet explorer**

This would give dwf a definite advantage over acrobat cos a pdf AFAIK can't display in the middle of a web-page.

PS As an example of what we're up against: my boss asks me what if the contractor turns half the layers off in the dwf we send him, before he prints it. Cos he then has a different drawing in his hand than the one we want him to have!

[dyaimz]

On the subject of who's working for adobe, check this link for voloview faqs 😛
http://www3.autodesk.com/emea_nw_w_main/files/3261687_Volo_View_3_FAQs_UK.pdf

[Anonymous]

I don't think that Autodesk is suggesting that there is no place in the world for PDF. PDF works great for word documents. I think Autodesk will continue to use PDFs for things like FAQ documents. You don't need to count the doors in that FAQ. You don't need to measure the square footage of carpet in that PDF. You don't need to do collision detection in that FAQ. It's CAD data where Autodesk is touting DWF over PDF. They are going to make tools to do these things. Their tools won't work if the intelligent data has already been lost by being decimated into low level primitives in PDF. "dyaimz" wrote in message news:7668313.1074779871384.JavaMail.jive@jiveforum1.autodesk.com... > On the subject of who's working for adobe, check this link for voloview faqs :-P > http://www3.autodesk.com/emea_nw_w_main/files/3261687_Volo_View_3_FAQs_UK.pdf

[Anonymous]

This is not a new idea. The R13 Internet Publishing Kit had a lisp routine that generated an HTML page along with the DWF. Various lisp routines and VB applications have been written that take a set of DWFs and produce an HTML page that has thumbnails of the DWFs. These things have come and gone as various incarnations of "e-publishing" in R14, 2000, 2000i, 2002, and 2004. "dyaimz" wrote in message news:4309879.1074773079208.JavaMail.jive@jiveforum1.autodesk.com... > Ok here's something constructive (ironically inspired by adobe!) > > In photoshop there is a neat feature for turning a folder full of jpegs into a browsable web-site-type photo album. > > You can do it yourself if you know a bit of html but it's so much easier to just press a button. > > How about a script that turns a folder full of dwfs into an html drawing album **all viewable in internet explorer** > > This would give dwf a definite advantage over acrobat cos a pdf AFAIK can't display in the middle of a web-page. > > PS As an example of what we're up against: my boss asks me what if the contractor turns half the layers off in the dwf we send him, before he prints it. Cos he then has a different drawing in his hand than the one we want him to have!

[Anonymous]

If the Express Viewer is installed, it will provide this functionality to you. The simplest example is to open up internet explorer, use File | Open | Browse, find a DWF file on your PC or on some server, and open it. The express viewer ActiveX control runs within IE and shows you the DWF file. "slacker" wrote in message news:7300845.1076551309852.JavaMail.jive@jiveforum2.autodesk.com... > Well, no, I don't work for Adobe. > I guess I am just bitter and frustrated about this issue, having had to champion the cause at work, only to have the main feature I was championing become unsupported. > But your point is taken. My apologies. > > So here is my constructive comment: In addition to the very competent stand alone Express Viewer, it would sure be great if there could be some type of plug-in to enable even basic limited viewing of dwf files within Internet Explorer itself, to replace the now obsolete whip! driver ability. > > Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Just like WHIP!, you can also embed