SharePoint check-in/out prompt for PDF Files
- October 3rd, 2012
- Posted in SharePoint
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Newer versions of Adobe Reader (X) have a SharePoint Integration feature set. Part of this integration involves a check in/out prompt when clicking on a PDF file located in a SharePoint Library.
Even if the library itself does not have "check out" enabled, Adobe will prompt the user to either "Open" the file or "Check Out and Open" the file.
The rub is that even when this feature is NOT enabled in the library itself, if a user clicks "Check out and Open", the file will be checked out in the SharePoint Library!!! Adobe Reader DOES have an option to Check In, buried in the File menu. But who is ever going to see or do that? It's more of an annoyance that anything, at least for my environment, since PDF files typically cannot be edited anyways…
Currently, there is no direct fix for this. The only option is to disable the Adobe Sharepoint Integration entirely (in the client Registry), which is not very attractive for a number of reasons.
Add this to the list of even more reasons not to like Adobe Reader. Read more here:
Thank you for posting this. I'm running into this problem now with a user who keeps clicking the "check out and open" option and then the person tasked with editing a file finds out while she's not there. Worse still, I can't get rid of her check-out through the interface even as the top level administrator. I have to manually edit CheckoutUserID, CheckoutDate and CheckoutExpires in the AllDocs table on the database. Since Adobe hasn't fixed this yet, I may have to automate code to null these fields.
I would be hesitant to modify the SP code as a work-around. And while its not a much better alternative, modifying the registry on the offending users computer is arguably safer. Maybe a ticket with IT, highlighting the Adobe article and business impact could lead to them pushing out the change, globally, instead? Anyways, I would be curious how you go about nulling out the field if you did go that route.
We are using SharePoint 2010 – when sending email links our users are not being prompted with the option to check-out PDF documents. Is this a possibility.
I have found a work around, if the person needs to check it out that they click open and then navigate to the document in the explorer view — but this isn't the best case scenario.
Any ideas for me???
Hi Mary, unfortunately, that is another kind of issue we expect to see between adobe and sharepoint integrations. It just isnt good. I can only suggest that you raise the issue with Adobe and hope that one day a patch is released. Wish I could offer more help here.
Did you ever get a fix for this?
Unfortunately no, but I take it from your inquiry that this is still an issue with the most recent Adobe Reader releases? That is disheartening.