Add Support for PDF Documents in SharePoint 2010

This atricle explains how to enable PDF indexing and in browser viewing using the Adobe iFilter in Microsoft SharePoint 2010. Microsoft has also published an article on how to configure SharePoint 2010 to support Adobe PDF iFilter 9 for 64-bit platforms.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2293357

How to Install Search iFilter for Adobe PDF

To be able to search PDF documents you need to install the Adobe iFilter on the SharePoint 2010 search server.

Step 1: Download x64 install from ADOBE Site
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4025

 

Step 2: Run install from ADOBE Site

When prompted for location install to the same drive as the SharePoint 2010 installation.

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Modify DOCICON.xml file

In Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\TEMPLATE\XML

Edit the DOCICON.XML file (I open it in NotePad, you can also use the built-in XML Editor)

Ignore the section <ByProgID> and scroll down to the <ByExtension> section of the file.

Within the <ByExtension> section, insert <Mapping Key=”pdf” Value=”pdficon_small.gif” /> attribute.

Save and close the file

Step 4: Copy PDFICON_SMALL.GIF to the folder

Download the Adobe PDF icon (select Small)
http://www.adobe.com/misc/linking.html

Give the icon a name or accept the default: ‘pdficon_small.gif’

Save the icon (or copy to) C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\TEMPLATE\IMAGES

Step 5: Add PDF to the list of supported file types within SharePoint

In the web browser, open SharePoint Central Administration

Under Application Management, click on Manage Service Applications

Scroll down the list of service apps and click on Search Service Application

Within the Search Administration dashboard, in the sidebar on the left, click File Types

Click ‘New File Type’ and enter PDF in the File extension box. Click OK

Scroll down the list of file types and check that PDF is now listed and displaying the pdf icon.

Close the web browser

Step 6: Restart IIS

Perform a full crawl of your index.
Note: An incremental crawl is not sufficient when you have added a new file type. SharePoint only indexes file names with the extensions listed under File Types and ignore everything else. When you add a new file type, you then have to perform a full crawl to forcibly identify all files with the now relevant file extension.

References:

Adobe PDF iFilter 9 for 64-bit platforms
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4025

Install and configure iFilters for SharePoint 2010 using PowerShell & updated PS SP2010 Utils
http://www.ravichaganti.com/blog/?p=1439

How to enable in-browser viewing of PDF documents (risky)

http://www.bluedoglimited.com/SharePointThoughts/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=328

If you are willing to accept the risk, do not set Brower File Handling to Permissive. This is a big hammer that opens up cross-site scripting problems for a wide variety of file types, not just PDFs.

What you need to do is “selectively” allow PDFs by setting specifying the right MIME type (and leaving Browser File Handling set to Restrictive). This can be done via the OM… and hence via PowerShell.

The PowerShell commands to do this is fairly straightforward:

$webapp = Get-SPWebApplication http://myWebApp
$webapp.AllowedInlineDownloadedMimeTypes.add("test/111")
$webapp.Update()

You’ll need to replace “test/111” with the appropriate mime type for the file you would like to enable. Likewise, you can remove items from the list by using the Remove command.

$webapp = Get-SPWebApplication <your webapp url>
$webapp.AllowedInlineDownloadedMimeTypes.Add(“application/pdf”)
$webapp.Update()