configure.py doesn't find Adobe Reader on Windows

[Wilfried]

Hello,
I just started to try out LyX. Downloaded and installed current version
for Windows (2.1.0 April 13, 2014) "for all users".

The configure script did not find my installed version of Adobe Reader.
And launching \Program Files\LyX 2.1\bin\pdfview.exe results in the
message "No pdf viewer is installed."

Having a look at configure.py I found:

line 656-657

checkViewer('a PDF previewer', ['pdfview', 'kpdf', 'okular', 'evince', 'kghostview', 'xpdf', 'acrobat', 'acroread', \
'mupdf', 'gv', 'ghostview'],

But the current version of Adobe Reader on Windows is named
AcroRd32.exe, so I added this to

line 656-657

checkViewer('a PDF previewer', ['pdfview', 'kpdf', 'okular', 'evince', 'kghostview', 'xpdf', 'acrobat', \
'acroread', 'AcroRd32', 'mupdf', 'gv', 'ghostview'],


I also had to add the folder containing AcroRd32.exe
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 11.0\Reader
to Settings - PathPrefix


Likewise, ghostview under Windows is named gsview32.exe (I hadn't
changed this yet).


Hope this helps.

[Enrico Forestieri]

Post by Wilfried
Hello,
I just started to try out LyX. Downloaded and installed current version
for Windows (2.1.0 April 13, 2014) "for all users".
The configure script did not find my installed version of Adobe Reader.
And launching \Program Files\LyX 2.1\bin\pdfview.exe results in the
message "No pdf viewer is installed."
line 656-657
checkViewer('a PDF previewer', ['pdfview', 'kpdf', 'okular', 'evince', 'kghostview', 'xpdf', 'acrobat', 'acroread', \
'mupdf', 'gv', 'ghostview'],
But the current version of Adobe Reader on Windows is named
AcroRd32.exe, so I added this to
line 656-657
checkViewer('a PDF previewer', ['pdfview', 'kpdf', 'okular', 'evince', 'kghostview', 'xpdf', 'acrobat', \
'acroread', 'AcroRd32', 'mupdf', 'gv', 'ghostview'],
I also had to add the folder containing AcroRd32.exe
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 11.0\Reader
to Settings - PathPrefix
Likewise, ghostview under Windows is named gsview32.exe (I hadn't
changed this yet).
Hope this helps.

Note that on Windows the list of the programs to check is of limited
usefulness. This is because, typically, the programs are located each
in an own directory which is not added to the system PATH (with some
exceptions, of course). This means that even if a program is added
to the list, it will not be spotted, unless its directory is in the
PATH, as you already discovered.

Thus, on Windows a different approach is taken. Before taking into
account the discovered programs, the OS is queried about the default
viewer for a given format. If a viewer is configured, then it is
used by default, independently of the programs in the list.
The list of found programs is used only if no viewer is configured.
A typical Windows user does not even know what the system PATH is
and how to set it up. Hence, even if AcroRd32 is mentioned in the
list, it is unlikely to be spotted. However, I think that we should
also cater for expert users (that may also have a default viewer
configured but would like to use a different one for LyX), so your
request of adding those programs to the list is valid, IMO.

Unless I get objections, I am going to update configure.py by adding
both AcroRd32 and gsview32/34 to the list.