Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Setting up a browser-based review

In a browser-based review, you can either upload a PDF document to a server or work with an existing document on a server. Like an e-mail-based review, the review initiator sends an e-mail to participants with an attached FDF (Form Data Format) setup file that contains configuration settings for importing reviewer comments into the review PDF file. Reviewers must open this FDF attachment, as opposed to simply opening the PDF document posted on the server, in order to participate in a browser-based review. When a reviewer opens the FDF attachment, a copy of the PDF file is opened in their Web browser.

Participants can then make annotations to the PDF document using tools on the Review and Comment toolbar that appears in their browser when the PDF file is opened. All participant comments are stored in the FDF setup file and imported into the shared PDF document for reviewing by everyone participating in the review cycle. Note that participants cannot edit or delete one another’s comments, though they can reply to them, as you see in the next sections.