Using PDFfolio has a number of advantages for the developer and the user
One of the great advantages of using PDF-based systems to handle information as opposed to database runtime applications is that it does not require any additional software installation. An application developed using PDFFolio only needs the ubiquitous Adobe Acrobat (Reader) to run. Because the container document with data is “just an intelligent PDF document”, it can be used in environments where software installation is restricted.
Not requiring any additional application software allows for a fast deployment, even in organizations where extensive software testing and approval procedures must be followed. And because of its architecture, PDF documents provide a secure environment, not putting the system they are running on at risk.
Because the search engine does not use Acrobat Catalog, there are no version and platform incompatibilities. Products using PDFfolio do run on any Acrobat version 5 or newer.
This platform independency makes PDFfolio an ideal tool for developing “general public” applications.
An application created using PDFfolio can run strictly autonomously, without any connection to the outside world (such as from a CD-ROM), and all it needs from the host system is Acrobat (Reader). This makes applications created using PDFfolio ideal for sales representatives or to be used in presentations. And they are equally usable in industrial environments, where the documentation for machinery is accessible via that machinery’s control computer.
A connection to the outside world is, of course, needed, when data is loaded at run-time. Ordering systems for spare parts can be set up that the electronic transmission can be concentrated to a simple SMS message, for example.
Because an application created using PDFfolio is a PDF document, its user interface does not suffer from software developments restrictions. The user interface can be designed using graphic designer’s tools, allowing it to be fully customized. And because the user interface does not need to be programmed in an application language, its development is fast and very cost efficient. As PDF separates the visualization and the active elements, the user interface can be very easily customized, without the need to modify the “engine”.
All interaction occurs via elements of the document. This allows to run the document in full screen view, making an application created using PDFfolio suitable for kiosk mode.
Because the user interface per-se does not need to be coded, but can be “just designed”, and because Acrobat/PDF is among the most cost efficient rapid application development systems out there, developing an application using PDFfolio is very fast and cost efficient to develop and to maintain. In comparison, developing a comparable catalog for a web browser (using HTML technology), costs 2 to 4 times as much as for PDFfolio, and using Java is about 10 times as expensive. And the development times compare in the same magnitudes.
Another great advantage the PDF platform offers is that it does not need a stable connection to a central server, which means that it can equally well be used in a portable environment, making it ideal for sales representatives, or in workshops.