In a previous article, I wrote about the fact that with Microsoft SharePoint 2010, the default behaviour for handling PDF files is to prompt for download instead of opening them directly in the browser. In it, I mentioned how to change this behaviour, both at the application level, and where necessary at the library level.
I recently ran into a case where neither approach fixed the problem. SharePoint continued to prompt for download even though the BrowserFileHandling property was set to permissive at both the application and at the library level. I registered a support call with Microsoft and was told that they’ve seen this, and were working on it, and there was no expected date for an answer.
I decided to do some further experimenting, and found that I was actually running into two different things that caused this. The environment had both, so it made troubleshooting a real treat.
1. Adding the PDF icon to the front end server causes prompting for download
It’s been standard procedure since SharePoint 2007 to manually add in the PDF icon to display PDF documents, as described here. Every time that I do so, SharePoint starts prompting for download instead of opening in the browser. I as yet have no idea why,but it’s repeatable. UPDATE – This has been solved – see below.
2. Creating a site from a custom site template causes prompting for download
With the PDF icon uninstalled,the browser behaviour is correct on all sites in the site collection. If you then create a site template from an existing site with a library, and then use that template to create a new site, you will experience the prompting behaviour on any documents saved to that library. This is NOT true for any new libraries created in the site. You can also run the PowerShell script that I previously posted to reset the properties of the libraries, and they will behave properly.
For the record, the environment that I was working on this problem with was Search Server Express 2010, which is essentially the same as SharePoint Foundation plus the Search features from SharePoint Server.
Both of these problems are quite annoying, and I suspect I’ll be updating this post as I learn more, or as I hear back from Microsoft.
UPDATE
I’ve put together a solution that can be installed on a farm and activated at the site collection level. It’s essentially an event receiver that fires whenever a new web (subsite) is created and it sets all of the lists to Permissive. It works fine for me, and for at least one customer, and I provide it to you here with no warranties express or implied…. If anyone is interested in the code, let me know, but it’s only about 5 lines.
UPDATE – OCT 15 2010
The pdf icon problem has been solved. I’ve been back and forth with Microsoft on this and we wound up exchanging DOCICON.XML files. They sent me back one that worked, and the suggestion was that I change the icon file name to pdf16.gif to accommodate it. However, I noticed that there was an additional attribute in their file, OpenControl=””. I added that to the Mapping tag for my PDF extension, did an IISReset, and the problem was solved. For the record, the complete tag will look like:
<Mapping Key=”pdf” Value=”pdf16.gif” OpenControl=””/>
With pdf16.gif being whatever the name of your pdf icon file is.
Microsoft also confirmed the problem with the custom site templates that I created the solution for above. It’ll have to do until a fix is available.
UPDATE – JAN 3 2011
Reader Christoffer von Sabsay has notified me that this bug has been fixed in the December 2010 Cumulative Update Pack for SharePoint Foundation. For a list of the fixes in this CU, and to request them, go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2459108. My event receiver workaround should NOT be required after applying this and you should remove it upon doing so.
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