1158610 - [UX] Improve Ui of PDF.js and image viewer

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Firefox :: PDF Viewer, enhancement, P3)

Description

[(Currently slow to respond) Philipp Sackl [:phlsa] (Firefox UX) please use needinfo]

Objectives:
- Collect ideas for improving the experience of viewing PDFs and images in Firefox
- Especially: is there a way to improve the experience of viewing large PDF files?
- Sketch and prototype solutions

Comment 1

[(Currently slow to respond) Philipp Sackl [:phlsa] (Firefox UX) please use needinfo]

Also related: Print preview UI on Windows

Comment 2

[Yury Delendik (:yury)]

(In reply to Philipp Sackl [:phlsa] (Firefox UX) please use needinfo from comment #0)
> - Especially: is there a way to improve the experience of viewing large PDF
> files?

Could you provide references or explanation for issues with large PDF files? I mean by it that there might be issues with performance for some PDFs (e.g. geo maps) but they are not large, or we might have large PDFs but they are appears to be fast (e.g. http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/devnet/acrobat/pdfs/pdf_reference_1-7.pdf).

(Adding few related bugs to see also)

Comment 3

[Yury Delendik (:yury)]

For large PDFs we are using incremental loading via range requests and a speed of the PDF display can bound to how is a HTTP server is set up where PDFs are hosted. FWIW, we have the metrics we are using to monitor how fast is a first page is loaded and displayed PDF_VIEWER_TIME_TO_VIEW_MS [1] and how big are files PDF_VIEWER_DOCUMENT_SIZE_KB [2]. The former averages to about 1 sec, and latter to about 350K.

[1] https://telemetry.mozilla.org/new-pipeline/dist.html#!cumulative=0&end_date=2016-01-23&keys=__none__!__none__!__none__&max_channel_version=beta%252F44&measure=PDF_VIEWER_TIME_TO_VIEW_MS&min_channel_version=null&product=Firefox&sanitize=1&sort_keys=submissions&start_date=2015-12-17&table=0&trim=1&use_submission_date=0
[2] https://telemetry.mozilla.org/new-pipeline/dist.html#!cumulative=0&end_date=2016-01-23&keys=__none__!__none__!__none__&max_channel_version=beta%252F44&measure=PDF_VIEWER_DOCUMENT_SIZE_KB&min_channel_version=null&product=Firefox&sanitize=1&sort_keys=submissions&start_date=2015-12-17&table=0&trim=1&use_submission_date=0

Comment 4

[bugzilla]

Ability to View Acroform and XFA Form PDFs.
I mean View, no editable fields, no data entry, or interactive functionality associated with form fields.
Just be able to render them on screen for display.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XFA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format#Interactive_elements

Comment 5

[Jason Jackson]

(In reply to bugzilla from comment #4)
> Ability to View Acroform and XFA Form PDFs.

If this isn't possible in the UI update, then at the very least change the misleading message that it pulls up.  http://i.imgur.com/We2Ai6c.png

Stating to "upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Reader" is nonsense when most of the time the system already has a sufficiently new Adobe Reader installed.  And even if they did go and install it, it's not going to change Firefox's default of PDF.js.

Instead I suggest a simple message centered in the browser, "Firefox can't view this type of PDF document", with a button underneath labeled, "Open PDF in another program".  The behavior of the button could be determined by an entry in about:preferences#applications with a default of "Always ask" but also with the options like "Use Adobe Reader".

The current message creates so much confusion and headaches for IT.  I imagine home users are equally as confused.  Please change it to anything else than what it currently is.

Comment 6

[:Gijs (he/him)]

(In reply to Jason Jackson from comment #5)
> (In reply to bugzilla from comment #4)
> > Ability to View Acroform and XFA Form PDFs.
> 
> If this isn't possible in the UI update, then at the very least change the
> misleading message that it pulls up.  http://i.imgur.com/We2Ai6c.png

That message is provided by the PDF file itself, not by us. This is also very much not relevant to this particular bug.

Comment 7

[bugzilla]

The primary objective of this bug, which is categorized as User Experience [UX], states: "Collect ideas for improving the experience of viewing PDFs and images in Firefox".

The ability to view PDF forms will dramatically improve the experience of viewing PDFs in Firefox.

Hence, this thread is relevant to this particular bug.

However, if there is a separate, open, bug that directly addresses this one issue, then please reference it so that we may move discussion over there.  Cheers.

Comment 8

[:Gijs (he/him)]

(In reply to bugzilla from comment #7)
> However, if there is a separate, open, bug that directly addresses this one
> issue, then please reference it so that we may move discussion over there. 
> Cheers.

bug 739043.

Comment 9

[bugzilla]

Bug 739043 is a request to allow entry into form fields.  That is an expanded scope beyond just being able to render the display of the fields.  Certainly related though.

Comment 10

[Marco Castelluccio [:marco]]

Not much came out of this.