Joel Kinison posted on 7 Sep 2011 8:46 AM

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Uploading a .pdf file in Blackboard 9.1
We have noticed a problem with some students unable to view Adobe Acrobat documents (.pdf). This all started with SP6 and was undetected during our testing phase. Went live mid August with SP6.  The semester just started and we are starting to see the full extent of the problem. After doing some research on the web the following seems to be a good workaround just so the students can access their content.

Adding a new .pdf file
When you use the Add File tool and choose to add a PDF file.  If you leave the default option "Open in a New Window" to NO then the file may not open in the BB environment.  You have to set it to Yes - Open in a New Window and the PDF file will then open.

Editing an existing .pdf file to open in a new  window
Click on the “Action Link” to the right of the .pdf document and select edit from the drop down menu. Under item #1, File Information select “Open in New Window”.

Known Issue: Students using Safari and Firefox on a Mac
Users are not able to view .pdf files in Content Areas added using the Build Content > File option. They receive a plugin missing message. Workaround: Instructors should use the Build Content > Item button to add .pdf files to Blackboard content areas. Files added in this way will open in an external program such as Preview or Adobe Acrobat Reader.

We installed a patch to SP6 last week that helped some of the .pdf problems but the problems are still widespread. Does anyone know of any other quick fixes?