Download interactive PDF from Publish Online
I have posted an INTERACTIVE document on Publish Online, but when it is downloaded, all the interactivity is stripped out. What is the point of posting an interactive document if you can't download it as an interactive document! I have had to create a workaround to include a button IN the document that leads to an interactive PDF that I had to post separately on Google Drive to allow people to download the working PDF.

9 comments
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Katie Martin commented
So if you create a preset, and make sure under General > Include, you checkbox "hyperlinks", you can at least allow the PDFs to download with hyperlinks. You just have to select this preset under the Advanced options in Publish Online. It's not full interactivity, but it's something.
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Erik Vos commented
So this is a very old discussion. But I would be very happy if my document is published online WITH the possibility to download "as a PDF" WITH at least the buttons and mouse-overs and hyperlinks I created in the ID document. Now all the buttons are GONE. How is this even possible? Thank you.
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Stu Arms (Adobe Campus Leader) commented
If Adobe Acrobat could read ePub3 files then this is a viable solution. Thus you would be able to “download” as an ePub3 FXL file and open in Acrobat... Indesign developers need to talk to Acrobat developers ... Even Terry White and the rest are saying don’t use interactive PDF use publish on line...
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Lindsay commented
I really want to be able to make order forms with Interactive fields and use publish online, it would save me so much time and energy! Please consider working on this feature.
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Eyeonme commented
Publish online is a great feature but I have the same sort of problem when I make a document in Indesign for 'Publish Online' I'd like viewers being able to download a PDF which can be printed but not being changed. So It is not possible to put a security password in the PDF beforehand.
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Nita commented
I saw on the previous InDesign there's an option to download PDF with minimal interactivity (using hyperlinks), but now the option is gone. I understand that we might not be able to use animation or button (for now), but at the very least interactivity using hyperlinks should be allowed. I can see the advantages of publishing a design that works both for online and pdf downloads.
Yes, we might not get the bells and whistle of flying animation, pop up of a table of contents, etc., but being able to update the same document and publish it to the same link is huge for a company that has content that needs updating without keep uploading a new pdf every time. And it would a great option, for example, a salesperson who can't access the internet but they still can download the pdf with the interactivity still intact on their computer to read offline.
What's the point of creating flashy interactivity if the downloadable version strips all the interactivity?
Interactive PDF is very popular among our clients. But the problem is updating it and redistributing it is a cumbersome process. So the content gets obsolete once the PDF is distributed. Publish online provides that workaround solution on the "update content part." But it would be a perfect solution if Adobe also adds downloadable PDF with interactivity intact. I thought this is going to be a game-changer to have the ability to update the document and be able to download the full interactive PDF in case there's no internet connection. You don't know how much this solution is the answer to most of our client who doesn't want to make their content a full-blown microsite or mobile app. Adobe, please consider having an option to download the PDF with full interactivity intact.
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Daisy commented
Totally agree!!
All PDF Interactivity features should be available in publish online documents.
For example I'm creating a magazine published online and I would like to create a crossword etc with fillable text fields, but this is only available in interactive PDF format.
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marc commented
Totally agree that and we urgently need this feature.
I would also like them to be able to preset the settings for the .pdf download ie choose spread layout (currently the spread layout downloads into a single page, why? ) and choose what interactive elements we include. We should be able to set this and when they press download the settings have been predetermined already by content creator.
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Anonymous commented
This absolutely needs to be addressed and shows how little Adobe understands the use of the end product. Our clients want to have a PDF of the document to print out, but the interactive elements still need to be usable while they view the pdf. You only need a print pdf if you are printing professionally, plus, print pdfs have the transparency lines which are unattractive.