Year-end offer: Save 50% on Able2Extract Professional single license purchases before December 31!

How To View PDF Files In Mozilla Firefox

With over 80% of non-HTML documents on the web consisting of PDF documents, viewing PDFs in browsers has become a common user behavior among web surfers.  You can come across anything in the PDF format: manuals, quick start guides, white papers, ebooks—the list goes on.

So it’s not surprising that browsers are trying to fill that need with built-in PDF viewing features. We’ve already covered Chrome’s native PDF viewer when it first came out. And other browsers, like Mozilla Firefox, have since followed suit.

Thus, it’s high time we took a look at how you can use Firefox’s PDF viewing feature that was added in the latest version of Mozilla Firefox.

Getting Started

The convenience of these built-in PDF viewers like Firefox’s is that it allows users to open and view PDF files online without a plug-in. The viewer is on by default, so you don’t have to worry about enabling it.  All you have to do is click on the link of the PDF file. And just like that, you can view PDFs directly within the browser.

Viewing PDF In Firefox

Overall, the interface is sleek and simple, and the minimalist approach offers a clean PDF viewing experience.  Although Firefox PDF viewer worked well with the PDFs tested, it gave us a warning that “this PDF document might not be displayed correctly” and offers up a quick click solution to use a different viewer.

Firefox PDF viewer warning

Depending on the complexity of the PDF you’re trying to view, you might want to take advantage of this.  Otherwise, you can close this pop-up and continue to view your PDF.

PDF Viewing And Functionality

Once you have a PDF opened in Firefox, you can accomplish the most common tasks with the file from the toolbar.

Thumbnails:  Navigate through the PDF with the built-in viewer’s sidebar navigation.  You can toggle between a thumbnail or outline view

Page Up/Down: In addition to scrolling, you can manually go page by page through your PDF

Firefox-PDF-Page-Navigation

Page Navigation: Jump to and from a specific page in the file

Zooming: For zooming in and out on your PDF content. Click on the drop down box and you can specify the page size and display

Firefox PDF Zooming Options

And like most PDF viewers, you get features to help you take that file offline or view it more easily:

Firefox PDF File Options

  • Full Screen Mode: View your PDF document in full screen mode
  • Printing: Print a copy of the PDF. From the Print dialog you can select the printer drive, the range of pages and the number of copies you want
  • Downloading: Download and save the PDF to your computer
  • Copy Current View:  Allows you to open the current view in another tab or window

Dealing With PDF Viewing Issues

Considering this feature is only a few months old, you may experience some bugs, slow rendering, or even blank PDF pages.  As such, you may want to use Firefox’s built-in PDF viewer sparingly or only on more simple PDF files.

You can also disable the viewer and resort to using your regular PDF plugins or PDF viewers to open PDF files. To do this, follow these steps:

1. In the Tools menu, select Options

2. In the Options dialog, go into the Applications tab

3. Search for and select Portable Document Format (PDF) in the Content Type list

4. In the Action list, click on the drop-down arrow. Here you can specify how you want Firefox to handle PDF files.

Adjusting Firefox Viewing Options

To try Firefox’s PDF viewer yourself, head over to the Mozilla.org site to download the latest version.

5 Great Ideas For Creating A Personalized Mother’s Day Message

No matter how you decide to celebrate Mother’s Day this year, there will always be one thing you’ll give your mother without fail: your Happy Mother’s Day greeting message.

Yet, however you send it to your mother online, whether it’s in an email, an e-card, or posting up a simple “Happy Mother’s Day” message on her Facebook page, it just doesn’t seem enough. Ever think that it could use a personal touch? That it could be made even more special?

Why not take your Mother’s Day message to the next level this year? Make sure it’s a special day with a message specially crafted for her. Here are a few ideas to jazz up your Happy Mother’s Day greeting with a few tips and tools.

1. Digital Photo Albums

Mother's Day Photo Album

Sometimes the best gift you can give is a collection of good moments, and a Mother’s Day Album is a great way of getting them into one single package. When creating it, try getting a good collection of photos over the year since last year’s Mother’s Day. Each year is unique and with it you’ll want to capture the best moments and memories of each one.

Tools: jAlbum, Photobucket, Flickr

Tip:  Since albums are ultimately a collection of captured moments, an album collecting different facets of your mother as a person is a great way to show your appreciation for the person she is.  For this, create one that has multiple sections. Within each section, designate a category like “mother,” “best friend,” or even “super hero.”  Then include photos that show her in different moments, representing those traits throughout the year.

2. Photo Collages

Mother’s Day Photo Collage

We’ve all had those moments we wish we had kept in a bottle, and surely your mother has had them too.  Photo collages can be a perfect way to “bottle” those moments up.  The best part about collages is that you can be as artistically creative with them as you’d like. Add pictures not normally associated with each other or arrange them in different patterns. See where the collage takes you!

Tools: Fotor, PhotoCollage, Photovisi, Canva

Tip:  In your collage, mix in images that you associate with those moments, whether it’s a picture that sets a mood or one that evokes a special meaning to you both. It’s a visually challenging project, but an effective one that doesn’t need words to get your message across.

3. Word Clouds

Word Cloud for Mother’s DayJust like a collage, word clouds can express your Mother’s Day message with a visual mash up of ideas. This is perfect as a family project as every member can contribute their own words as well.  Online word cloud generators are flexible enough to work with websites, documents, and text. In most cases, you can even tailor the shape of your word cloud.

Tools:   Wordle, WordItOut.com, Tagxedo

Tip:  Fit in words that pertain not just to your mother, but to your relationship as well. For instance, adding nicknames or places that are special to you both will add a nice touch to remembering the memorable tidbits in your lives.

4. Audio Recordings

Mother's Day Audio Recording

A simple post that states “Happy Mother’s Day” just isn’t enough. And let’s face it. A written message doesn’t have the same authenticity or weight than a real live voice. Hearing those words from the mouths of loved ones themselves is priceless. So why not make an audio recording of your Mother’s Day greeting? Add sound effects, special messages or even make a song out of your Mother’s Day greeting.

Tools:  Apowersoft, Vocaroo, Chirbit

Tip:  Ever hear of that TV show “This is Your Life”?  This is a perfect opportunity to replicate that same spotlight on your own mother in audio format. Record every family member’s anecdotes which involve your mother. Then put it all together. The result? Your mother gets to hear some great memories from the people who matter the most.

5. Multimedia Presentations

Mother's Day Presentation

Who says presentations are only for professional purposes?  Make a presentation listing all the great things about your mother.  This is a more flexible greeting format as you can decide how you want it to look, what you want it to contain and which sorts of media to add—images, audio, text, and even video.

Tools: Prezi, MS PowerPoint, GoogleDocs Slides, Moovly

Tips:  Don’t forget that you can also set up presentations as a slideshow. As such, try formatting the presentation as a narrative so it can simply play and take your mother through it.  She can watch her mother’s day gift like it’s movie night at home.

How To Install Able2Extract 8 On Ubuntu

Right now, open source is on the rise, and adding to the already growing list of Ubuntu supporters is China. Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, has been collaborating with the Chinese government to develop a standardized operating system known as Ubuntu Kylin, which will be released later this week on Thursday.

Ubuntu already offers a Chinese Edition of the OS, but Ubuntu Kylin will be a new version significantly aimed at supporting how Chinese people work on computers. Among other things, it will integrate pre-installed localized tools, offering easy access to web services and software they commonly use right from the Dash.

This is great news for the open source community and Chinese users looking for alternatives they can start using effortlessly.  If this latest development has you wanting to find out more about Ubuntu before the big day arrives, this is certainly a perfect time to test it out.

Able2Extract 8 For Ubuntu Users

Well, for all you Able2Extract users wanting to switch over—or for those who need a PDF converter on Ubuntu, we have just the thing. We put together a quick tutorial on how to install Able2Extract 8 on the open source system.  With Able2Extract 8 you can convert PDF to Open Document Formats and more.

This tutorial was written using Ubuntu 12.10. For instructions on installing the latest version, visit Ubuntu’s Installation Help page.  Once you have it installed and all set up, follow these steps.

1. Go to the Investintech.com site and download the latest version of Able2Extract 8 for Ubuntu.

2. Click on Open with Ubuntu Software Center.

Download installation file

3. Access the installation file through your dashboard. Click on Install.

Installing Able2Extract

If you have a password for administrative purposes, enter it in and authenticate the installation to continue.

Authorizing Able2Extract Installation

4.  When the installation is complete, accept the terms of the End-User License Agreement to get started with Able2Extract 8 on your computer.

Accept Able2Extract EULA

And that’s all there is to it!

Converting PDF on Ubuntu

Will you make the switch to Ubuntu or try Ubuntu Kylin?  Jump in on our Google Plus discussion on this topic and let us know your take on the latest development.

Able2Extract 8 Tip: How To Get Accurate Excel Spreadsheet Calculations During Tax Season

Using Excel is a great way to keep things organized during tax season.  The popular spreadsheet program has advanced features that let you work with your financial data as accurately as possible.

And that’s important.

Half the battle for tax filers every year is making sure that the numbers on those tax forms are correct.  The nitty-gritty calculations can be especially tedious if those numbers are generated from PDF conversions.

Fortunately, Able2Extract can refine the conversion process right down to the cell content.  Honourably mentioned by AccountingToday.com, the PDF converter was recognized for its PDF to Excel spreadsheet conversion and aiding in auditor control.  Now it’s time for you to get that same control over your taxes.

Introducing Able2Extract’s MS Excel Conversion Parameters

On top of the custom PDF to Excel conversion features you already know about, you can take advantage of conversion parameters to ensure that the converted PDF data falls in line with your tax spreadsheet analysis right from the start. The following options are located under View > Options…

PDF to Excel Conversion Parameters

Reposition The Minus Sign

In certain financial documents or reports, the minus sign symbol trails to the right of the number that it is associated with (e.g. “4,560-“ instead of “- 4,560”). Converting negative numbers where the minus sign trails to the right of the number can cause the resulting conversion to Excel to place these numbers as text, rather than numbers.  Move those trailing minus signs to the beginning of the number by selecting the Trailing Minus Sign Treatment. This will prevent it from being converted to textual items in Excel.

Keep The Dollar Sign Separate

Certain financial documents may contain dollar signs. Unfortunately, sometimes the dollar sign ($) creates a challenge in the way the program interprets column structure. Thus, the default is to meld the dollar sign into the same column as the number next to it.

PDF to Excel - Retaining the Dollar Sign

But if you wish to retain the dollar sign in its own separate column, check the Retain Dollar Sign as Separate Symbol option before converting.  Excel will treat the sign in the column as text.

Work With European Numeric Formatting

There are cases where some countries use European number formatting (1.234.567,89 vs. the North American equivalent written out as 1 234 567.89). However, PDF data in this format may be incompatible with your auditing tools or with some region specific versions of Excel.

You can change this easily with Able2Extract 8.  By selecting the European Continental Settings option, you can convert documents that adopt the decimal comma and “period” thousand separators to Excel formatted numbers correctly.

Display Your Data Differently

Sometimes you may need tabular data displayed differently to focus on specific areas.  For example, you may want to interpret data in terms of weekly revenue rather than by product.

PDF to Excel - Enable Table Unfolding

To transpose the data and move the data in columns to rows and the data in rows to columns, use the Enable Table Unfolding option. When selected, Able2Extract will generate output from a PDF in column structure to Excel in row structure or vice versa.

Enable Table Unfolding

Rotate Text into Excel

With pesky PDFs you may come across text in a table that has been rotated in a certain direction which would pose a problem for existing formatted Excel spreadsheets. Checking the Rotate Text into Excel box in the options menu will convert the rotated text into Excel upon conversion.

Just keeping a few of these options in mind can greatly lower the amount of stress you’re already going through with tax season. After all, it’s the simplest adjustments that can mean the difference between getting severely audited and getting a healthy tax return.

The Pros And Cons of BYOD

In the world of mobile devices, usage falls into 2 main categories: personal and professional use.  Thanks to the wide spread nature of mobile devices, the defining line between the two is getting blurred.

Having a device dedicated for work is no longer necessary. We instinctually pull out our smartphone or tablet to email a colleague or review a file while on the commute home.  And with the help of cloud services and online sharing services, you can access your work from anywhere.

Yet whether you know it or not, using personal mobile technology for professional use is affecting workplaces on a large scale.  How? Here’s a general look at what you need to know about this rapidly growing trend how it could potentially change the way you work.

What is BYOD?

BYOD or “Bring Your Own Device,” is exactly what it sounds like—bringing in your own device to the workplace. Thanks to laptops, smartphones and tablets, BYOD is a trend everyone is already taking part in.  No doubt you’ve taken your mobile device to work, and have probably even taken it a step further by accessing your company’s networks and systems. Well, that’s the BYOD trend in a nutshell.

The state of BYOD

However, because these are employee-owned devices, businesses that support this trend need to develop regulations to accommodate them.  Currently, there are companies like TrendMicro and Unisys, working to help develop BYOD strategies to make it easy for all parties to access and interact with company databases and servers safely.

Although as popular as it is to work “on-the-go,” BYOD is still a widely debated topic in data intense work environments.

The Pros & Cons of BYOD

Off the top, there are advantages which businesses and employees can gain .  You can work anywhere, any time.  The hardware is affordable, accessible and you can download any productivity app you need.

Combine that with company resources and IT workflows and your device becomes your most powerful productivity tool. It’s a dream for users who value productivity over location. Added benefits for adopting BYOD include:

  • Increases productivity; faster response rates
  • Companies save money on purchasing hardware
  • The choice of system and device is up to the employee
  • Flexible work hours; employees can work from home
  • Direct access to company resources and systems (no need for third party services)
  • A variety of apps can be used or integrated into workflows (document processing apps)

Yet, organizations are slow to adopt BYOD as a regular business practice.  Mobile device management is a major concern for IT managers.  For example, changes in mobile platform or device are crucial.

Whether it be Microsoft ending mainstream support for Windows Phone 8 or the critical release of RIM’s BlackBerry 10 platform, how does IT provide adequate support and security for all individual users?

Other issues keeping companies from integrating the BYOD model:

  • Lack of consistency in the quality of apps
  • Compatibility issues between apps and colleagues
  • Data breaches
  • Liability for devices if lost or hacked
  • Difficult for IT to maintain control over files and data being shared
  • Hardware and software support (power requirements, memory storage)
  • Employees invest their own resources to buy new devices and apps

BYOD: Stats at a Glance

Is your company looking to jump on the BYOD bandwagon? Here’s a visual look at where the BYOD trend stands so far.  Where do you and your company fall on this infographic?:

BYOD 2013 Infographic

Source:  The Magic Blog

Overall, it’s good to have a sense of the issues surrounding BYOD and what to expect.  If your company is going BYOD, get the 411 on the regulations and policies they have in place.

You can stay up to date with the latest BYOD developments on ZDNet.com.