Deciding when to load a PDF Plugin

[swapneel_kulkarni@adobeforums.com]

I have 2 files, file1.pdf and file2.pdf
I need to load a plug-in that displays the menuitem only for file1.pdf and not for file2.pdf.

I would also like to disable certain menuitems when file1.pdf is loaded whereas file2.pdf should behave like a normal pdf file.

Is this possible? If so how ?
Please advise

Thanks

[Leonard_Rosenthol@adobeforums.com]

Your plugin will load at Acrobat startup - you don't get to choose that. The "MenuEnableProc" can then decide when it wants to enable it's item or not by looking at whatever criteria it chooses...

[RamonHerrera@adobeforums.com]

Swapneel,

I believe you are asking the wrong question. When you wrote about being concerned with whether the plugin is loaded or not, the first thing that came to mind was "Gee, he must be very concerned about memory usage or perhaps the issue is security".

If those are your concerns, you may stop reading.

It seems to me, however, that your question should be: "I need to display a menu item only for a certain class of files". A plugin may be loaded and not do anything at all, then it will probably get unloaded by either Acrobat and/or the OS.

If that is the case, and you really don't care about the logistics of the dynamic loading aspect, I just developed a plugin that gets executed at file opening time, inspects the file being opened and if it has certain attribute, it acts accordingly. Files that are not "mine" get no special treatment.

It sounds that you need something like that.

-Ramon

[RamonHerrera@adobeforums.com]

Just for academic interest, let's say that we *really* don't want a plugin to be loaded, or rather to be conditionally loaded.

I am going to assume that the OS is Windows.

You would need to develop a shell extension which inspects the file, and if it is not "special" the code would hide the plugin inside a folder, before Acrobat gets a chance to see it.

The whole approach is fraught with peril. Consider the multi tasking capability: Acrobat may deal with several files at a given time. Then, there's the fact that shell extensions work in certain versions of Windows. Plus there is the support for non-Windows OSs.

Again, it sounds like what you really need is the solution described in my previous message.

-Ramon