collab.showAnnotToolsWhenNoCollab = True Not Working in Acrobat 9

[S_Don_Walker@adobeforums.com]

I have a VB6 program that uses AcroExch.AVDoc.OpenInWindowEx to open a PDF document in our small app (similar to the ActiveViewVB sample). For Acrobat versions 7 and 8 we were able to enable the editing of comments (annotations) by getting the JSObject and executing:

jso.collab.showAnnotToolsWhenNoCollab = True

as documented in the SDK topic "Acrobat Interapplication Communication > Developing Applications Using Interapplication Communication > Using OLE > Using the JSObject interface > Working with annotations".

In Acrobat 9 Pro running on WinXP SP3 when I single step that line in debug I go to the error handler for my Sub. Inspecting the VB Err object has Number = -2147417851 and Description = "Automation error
The server threw an exception." I get a Microsoft crash notice about Acrobat a short while later.

I've run a number of searches and haven't found any documentation indicating that you can't do this anymore. My app will be less useful if I can't do this. I've already logged this as a bug with Adobe but have no idea if they intend to fix it. Does anyone have any additional information or a work-around?

[PDL@adobeforums.com]

If you use the Acrobat AFORMAUTLib ExecuteThisJavascript this will work with Acrobat 9. Just make sure when using OpenInWindowEx that you use Lock and UnlockEx before executing the Javascript through the AFORMAUTLib.

[S_Don_Walker@adobeforums.com]

PDL, thanks a lot - it worked! All I had to do was add a reference to the "AFormAut 1.0 Type Library" and the following code:

Dim formApp As AFORMAUTLib.AFormApp
Set formApp = CreateObject("AFormAut.App")
formApp.Fields.ExecuteThisJavascript("Collab.showA nnotToolsWhenNoCollab = true;")

Adobe, while this is an acceptable workaround I still think that you should fix the JSObject problem.