Reply To: Please help! interactive pdf problem!

You’re totally right that bookmarks and hyperlinks are part of the regular “PDF (Print)” spec. So I think part of the issue here is that you’re talking about a very specific thing: the item in InDesign’s Export dialog box called “PDF (Interactive)”. That is not the same thing as the generic “Interactive PDF.”

• An Interactive PDF is any PDF that is primarily designed to be viewed on screen and has some interactive features — including hyperlinks. A good example is InDesign Magazine, which is exported from InDesign using PDF (Print) but is designed for on-screen interaction (though some people do print it).
• The PDF (Interactive) feature is a method for exporting a PDF from InDesign that includes a few additional interactive features that PDF (Print) cannot do.

Neither of these is dead. Both have their uses.

As for PDF forms: It’s not helpful to say “they don’t work in all readers.” (There are plenty of HTML features that do not work in all browsers.) Form fields work in enough readers, and they’re extremely well supported in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader.

There are great reasons to use “interactive PDFs” and there are great reasons to use “PDF (Interactive)”.

As I said, I love what you’re doing with HTML, but it’s still just HTML. You cannot turn it into a document that can be emailed, or downloaded. It is not good for archival purposes, or printing. PDF is an extraordinary format for all those things.