Setting view preferences in PDF documents is a crucial feature that can significantly enhance user experience. By configuring options like page layout, display mode, and zoom level, you ensure recipients view the document as intended, without manual adjustments. This is especially useful for business reports, design plans, or educational materials, where consistent presentation is crucial for effectively delivering information and leaving a professional impression. This article will show how to set view preferences of PDF documents with Python code using Spire.PDF for Python.

• Set PDF Viewer Preferences with Python
• Set the Opening Page and Zoom Level with Python

Install Spire.PDF for Python

This scenario requires Spire.PDF for Python and plum-dispatch v1.7.4. They can be easily installed in your Windows through the following pip command.

pip install Spire.PDF

If you are unsure how to install, please refer to: How to Install Spire.PDF for Python on Windows

Set PDF Viewer Preferences with Python

Viewer preferences allow document creators to define how a PDF document is displayed when opened, including page layout, window layout, and display mode. Developers can use the properties under ViewerPreferences class to set those display options. The detailed steps are as follows:

• Create a PdfDocument object.
• Load a PDF document using PdfDocument.LoadFromFile() method.
• Get the ViewerPreferences through using PdfDocument.ViewerPreferences property.
• Set the viewer preferences using properties under ViewerPreferences class.
• Save the document using PdfDocument.SaveToFile() method.

from spire.pdf import *

# Create a PdfDocument object
pdf = PdfDocument()

# Load a PDF file
pdf.LoadFromFile("Sample.pdf")

# Get the viewer preferences
preferences = pdf.ViewerPreferences

# Set the viewer preferences
preferences.FitWindow = True
preferences.CenterWindow = True
preferences.HideMenubar = True
preferences.HideToolbar = True
preferences.DisplayTitle = True
preferences.HideWindowUI = True
preferences.PageLayout = PdfPageLayout.SinglePage
preferences.BookMarkExpandOrCollapse = True
preferences.PrintScaling = PrintScalingMode.AppDefault
preferences.PageMode = PdfPageMode.UseThumbs

# Save the document
pdf.SaveToFile("output/ViewerPreferences.pdf")
pdf.Close()

Set the Opening Page and Zoom Level with Python

By creating PDF actions and setting them to be executed when the document is opened, developers can configure additional viewer preferences, such as the initial page display and zoom level. Here are the steps to follow:

• Create a PdfDocument object.
• Load a PDF document using PdfDocument.LoadFromFile() method.
• Get a page using PdfDocument.Pages.get_Item() method.
• Create a PdfDestination object and set the location and zoom factor of the destination.
• Create a PdfGoToAction object using the destination.
• Set the action as the document open action through PdfDocument.AfterOpenAction property.
• Save the document using PdfDocument.SaveToFile() method.

from spire.pdf import *

# Create a PdfDocument object
pdf = PdfDocument()

# Load a PDF file
pdf.LoadFromFile("Sample1.pdf")

# Get the second page
page = pdf.Pages.get_Item(1)

# Create a PdfDestination object
dest = PdfDestination(page)
# Set the location and zoom factor of the destination
dest.Mode = PdfDestinationMode.Location
dest.Location = PointF(0.0, page.Size.Height / 2)
dest.Zoom = 0.8

# Create a PdfGoToAction object
action = PdfGoToAction(dest)

# Set the action as the document open action
pdf.AfterOpenAction = action

# Save the document
pdf.SaveToFile("output/OpenPageZoom.pdf")
pdf.Close()

Apply for a Temporary License

If you'd like to remove the evaluation message from the generated documents, or to get rid of the function limitations, please request a 30-day trial license for yourself.