Q: What's this message about my Document being from an older version of the Annotater Service?
A: We occasionally have to update the Annotater Service application in order to provide improved functionality; for example, in version 1.2, we added the ability to follow PDF Links. In order to take advantage of these new features, you must download the updated AnnotaterService, and replace your older version with this new one. You will then have to re-synchronize any shared folders with your device; after this is complete, you will now be able take advantage of all features in the new update. For more details, see the User Guide.
Q: I just obtained the updated AnnotaterService for version 1.2, and now it crashes when processing my documents; or Annotater crashes when loading PDF files processed using the update; or Link Annotations don't seem to be working properly. What's wrong?
A: There were some bugs in the first version of the AnnotaterService update (version 1.2.662, check this using "About AnnotaterService..." from the AnnotaterService menu) that resulted in improper handling of certain PDF files. We've fixed it, and a new version (1.2.667) is now available for download. We apologize for the problem; please make sure that you have the updated version of the AnnotaterService. Please note that you may have to re-process all of your shared folders (using the "Refresh" button) if you used an updated version of the 1.2 AnnotaterService before 1.2.667. If you have any issues with the update, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Q: How do I delete or edit Annotations I've created?
A: Simply tap on the Annotation icon or Pen Annotation drawing in the PDF View -- a dialog will come up offering the option to delete or, if applicable, edit the Annotation in question.
Q: How can I view Pages Documents, Word Documents, Keynote Presentations, Emails, Images, etc., using Annotater?
A: Almost every program on the Mac allows you to save files in the PDF format. Some programs such as word processors offer the ability to ''Export'' documents to the PDF format; this is the best option, if it's available. Otherwise, choose ''Print...'' and, instead of printing your document to an actual printer, choose the ''PDF'' dropdown in the lower-left-hand corner of the print dialog, and choose ''Save as PDF...''.
Q: I can't find my shared folders in Annotater.
A: First, verify everything on this check-list:
- The AnnotaterService application is running, and the top status line indicates that the Annotater Sharing Service is ''Running''
- The computer that is running the sharing service is on the same local area network (LAN) as your device. Usually, this means that it is connected to the same wireless network. If your computer is not connected to a wireless network, then it has to be on the same physical network of the wireless router to which your device is connected. If you're unsure, contact your network administrator.
- Your device is connected to the proper wireless network.
- Your computer is not running any firewall software, or the firewall software is configured to allow the AnnotaterService to share its information.
If all of these items appear to be correct, then one other possibility is that in unusual cases, some networks may not support the Bonjour sharing protocol used by Mac computers and devices. (It requires multicast support, which will be supported by default in almost all home networks.) An alternative solution is to try creating a standalone network from your host computer, as described below.
Q: Annotater starts synchronizing, but then I get the error message: "Network Error: Write Error"
A: The most likely cause of this problem is that a firewall on your network or host computer is preventing the AnnotaterService from communicating with your device. Mac OS X Leopard comes with a built-in firewall: it can be accessed from the System Preferences application, under "Security" then "Firewall". If this is not set to "Allow all incoming connections", then it is probably causing the communications error; contact your system administrator, or refer to the OS X documentation, in order to securely reconfigure your firewall to allow the AnnotaterService to safely share its content on the network.
If you have a network firewall or custom firewall software, please contact your network administrator or documentation for information on how to configure the firewall to allow access to the AnnotaterService.
If these steps fail to work, you can also try creating a standalone network from your host computer, as described below.
Q: If I share my PDF files with the AnnotatorService, will other computers and devices be able to see them and/or download them?
A: The AnnotaterService shares the documents on the local area network only -- this means that only computers or devices that are directly connected to the same network can communicate with the AnnotaterService. In addition, only an iPhone or an iPod Touch running Annotater will know how to communicate with the Annotater Service; therefore, your shared documents are not available to other computers on the network.
However, it is important to note that AnnotaterService does not encrypt or otherwise strongly secure your data; so if strong security is a concern, then only use AnnotaterService on a trusted, secured wireless network. One method for accomplishing this is to create a standalone network from your host computer, as described below.
Q: I don't have access to a wireless network, or I'd rather not use a public network. Can I still share files with the Annotater Sharing Service?
A: Yes -- this can be done by using the following technique to create a new wireless network, which can then be accessed only by your computer and your device:
- From the wi-fi icon in your menu bar, select "Create Network..."
- In the dialog that appears, choose a name for your network. Note: you may have to change the default name provided if it's too long or has apostrophes, otherwise you will get an error when trying to create the network. It's best to choose something short and easy to identify.
- Leave the channel setting to "Automatic".
- Recommended: tick "Require Password" and choose a password, in order to create a secure network.
- Click OK. Your computer will now host a new wireless network with the name you have specified.
- Connect to this new network on your iPhone or iPod Touch, using the password you entered above.
- Your new wireless network is now ready for use. Restart the AnnotaterService application and then use Annotater to connect to your shared folders.
- To return your computer to its usual wireless network, select "Disconnect From (network name)" from the wi-fi menu.
Q: Do I have to leave the Annotater Service running after synchronization is complete?
A: No -- the only time the Annotater Service needs to be running is during the duration of the of synchronization process. Once this process is complete, you may stop the Annotater Service. At that point, no other devices will be able to connect to your shared documents.
Q: I get the error message "Interrupted - Please retry." when trying to synchronize my folders. What is the problem?
A: If you are transferring a lot of documents, or very large documents, the synchronization process could take several minutes. During this time, your device may enter a low-power mode, or "sleep" in order to save battery life. When this happens, the network connection to the Annotater Service is broken, so synchronization cannot complete.
So, if you are synchronizing a lot of documents, please make sure that your device stays active (by tapping it when it dims), or synchronize when your device is connected via the USB cable.
Q: When I print a PDF that I have synchronized back to my computer, will the annotations and drawings show up?
A: It's up to you! Both Preview and Adobe Reader offer the option to print annotations; any annotations that you create in Annotater are standard PDF annotations, so they work the same way.
Q: My PDF document isn't loading or displaying properly.
A: Annotater uses Apple's Quartz technology to render PDF content -- so just about any PDF document should load correctly in Annotater. Also, Annotater is optimized to be able to handle large documents (at least 1000's of pages), so we expect just about anything to work! However, we've had some reports of documents that don't seem to load properly. If this has happened to you, please contact us and let us know so we can diagnose and resolve the problem.
Q: Why does my Document take so long to display?
A: It turns out that the iPhone and iPod Touch are just barely powerful enough to render complicated PDF documents in a responsive manner. For complicated PDF documents, this can mean a fair bit of lag between scrolling to new content and when the content shows up. We've done all we can to maximize performance while maintaining stability; you won't find a more responsive PDF reader for the iPhone anywhere.
Q: Why is the zoom level limited? I'd like to be able to zoom in even further.
A: As in the previous FAQ, this is due to computational constraints of the iPhone and iPod Touch. In order to efficiently render PDF content, Annotater has to draw the entire page at a time; and the larger the zoom level, the more memory this consumes. As the zoom level increases, Annotater runs the risk of reaching the device's memory limits, which would cause a crash.
That said, we are looking into updating our drawing algorithms to allow for larger zoom levels; the issue here is that it will add more complexity, and require lots of testing. Our foremost goal is to offer a bug-free experience, so we want to make sure to have a rock-solid implementation for higher zoom levels before releasing it in an update.