Using page actions in PDF by Zaweba
Set what happens when a page opens or closes, from going to a page to opening a web address, with scripts kept but never run and loops not allowed.
Most of what a PDF does happens when you click something: a link, a bookmark, a button. Page actions are different. They are triggered simply by a page opening or closing, which lets a document react as someone moves through it.
PDF by Zaweba sets these from Pages > Page actions. For each page you can choose what happens when it opens and what happens when it closes. The choices are to go to a particular page, to open a web address, or to move to the next, previous, first or last page. Scripts already in a file are kept but never run, and loops are not allowed.
What page actions are good for
A looping display is the classic case. Give the last page a close action that goes to the first page, add display times with page transitions, and a document shown in full screen will run round and round without anyone at the keyboard.
A web address on opening can point a reader to a sign-up form, an online version or further reading at the moment they reach a particular page. Use it sparingly. Most people find it surprising when a browser opens without asking, so it is best kept for documents where the reader expects it, such as a kiosk display or an internal handbook.
Go to page actions help with documents that have a cover or a holding page. You might send people from a title page straight on to the contents, or skip a page that is only there for printing.
Adding an action to a page
Open the page you want to change and choose Pages > Page actions. Decide whether the action belongs to the page opening or closing. The distinction matters: an opening action fires as soon as the reader arrives, while a closing action fires as they leave, whichever way they go.
Pick the action and, for go to page, the target page. For a web address, type it carefully and test it, because a typo sends the reader nowhere useful.
Save and try it. Move through the document as a reader would, forwards and backwards, and check each action does what you meant.
Why scripts never run
PDFs can carry scripts, small programs that run inside the viewer. They have legitimate uses, but they are also a route for unwanted behaviour, and a document that quietly runs code is not something most people want. PDF by Zaweba keeps any scripts that a file already holds, so passing it on does not strip them out, but it never runs them. The page actions it offers are the plain, predictable ones.
That fits the way the app works generally: offline, on your own PC, with nothing happening that you did not ask for.
Why loops are blocked
A loop is a set of actions that send the reader round in a circle with no way out, for example a page whose opening action goes to another page whose opening action comes straight back. In a viewer that obeys every action, that can freeze the document or make it unusable. PDF by Zaweba does not allow loops, so a mistake in setting actions cannot trap you or your readers.
The looping slideshow mentioned earlier is not the same thing. It relies on a closing action on the last page and on the reader or a timer moving forwards, so it always moves on rather than spinning on the spot.
Keeping actions few and predictable
Do not stack too many actions on one document. Every action is something the reader did not choose, and a file that jumps about on its own feels broken rather than clever.
Do not rely on actions for anything essential. Other viewers may handle them differently, and some ignore them. If a reader must reach a page, give them a link or a bookmark as well.
Finally, finish the page order before setting actions. Go to page actions point at pages, and moving pages about later can leave an action pointing somewhere unexpected. Kept simple and tested, page actions add a small, useful amount of life to a document.
