Overview
OpenOptions is a Mapsoft plug-in for Adobe Acrobat that controls how a PDF appears when it is opened. You can preset the initial view, magnification, page layout, starting page number, window sizing and positioning, full-screen behaviour, and whether the menubar, toolbar, and window controls are visible. Settings can be saved as named configurations for later reuse and for batch operation through Mapsoft’s Automator.
OpenOptions is accessed from the Acrobat menu at Plug-Ins > Mapsoft > OpenOptions.... Acrobat exposes the same properties through File > Properties > Initial View, but only on a file-by-file basis — OpenOptions adds named configurations and batch application on top.
Setting open options for a document
- Open the PDF document in Adobe Acrobat.
- Go to Plug-Ins > Mapsoft > OpenOptions....
- Choose values from the View, Magnification, and Page layout drop-downs in the Initial view group.
- If the document should open at a page other than the first, type its number into Page number.
- Tick the entries in the Window options group you want to apply.
- Tick the entries in the User interface options group you want to apply.
- Optionally, type a name into the Name Configuration field and click Save to keep the settings for later reuse or for use with Automator.
- Click OK to apply the changes to the current document.
Initial view
Determines how the PDF document displays when it is opened. Each drop-down defaults to Do not change, which preserves whatever the document was last saved with.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| View | The initial view (e.g. Page only, Bookmarks panel and page, Pages panel and page). |
| Magnification | The zoom level the document opens at (Fit Page, Fit Width, Actual Size, or a fixed percentage). |
| Page layout | The page layout used when viewing the document (Single Page, Continuous, Two-Up, Two-Up Continuous, etc.). |
| Page number | The page that should be displayed first. Defaults to 1. |
Window options
Controls the size and positioning of the Acrobat window when the document opens. Each checkbox is a three-state control: a grey tick means “leave this property unchanged”, a clear tick or empty box explicitly sets the property in the PDF.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Resize window to initial page | The window is resized to fit the initial page of the document. |
| Centre window on screen | The window is centred on the user’s screen. |
| Open in full screen mode | The document opens in full-screen presentation mode. |
User interface options
Hides parts of the Acrobat window when the document is opened. As with the Window options, each box is a three-state control — a grey tick leaves the property alone.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Hide menubar | Suppresses the Acrobat menu bar. |
| Hide toolbar | Suppresses the Acrobat toolbar. |
| Hide windowbar | Suppresses the Acrobat window controls (scroll bars, status bar). |
Warning
Hiding the menubar in combination with full-screen mode leaves no obvious way for an end user to exit. Always keep at least one of these visible, or document the Esc / Ctrl+L shortcut for your readers.
Saving and recalling configurations
To save the current dialog values for later reuse, type a name into the Name Configuration field and click Save. The configuration is then available from the drop-down on subsequent runs and can be invoked from Automator for batch processing.
To delete a configuration you no longer need, choose it from the Name Configuration drop-down and click Remove.
Action buttons
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Current | Populates the dialog with the open options currently stored in the active document. |
| Clear | Resets every option to Do not change / grey-tick state. |
| Save | Saves the current dialog values under the name in Name Configuration. |
| Remove | Deletes the currently selected named configuration. |
| OK | Applies the settings to the active document and closes the dialog. |
| Cancel | Closes the dialog without modifying the document. |
| Help... | Opens this online user guide. |
Tip
Saved configurations are the bridge to Mapsoft’s Automator plug-in — once a configuration exists, Automator can apply it to a folder of PDFs without opening each file by hand.
Note
Three-state checkboxes (Window options, User interface options) deliberately have a “leave unchanged” grey-tick state in addition to ticked and empty. This is what makes OpenOptions safe to apply across mixed batches of PDFs — only the options you explicitly toggle are written.