Trouble viewing PDFs in Chrome? Here is the solution.

I’ve recently had issues viewing PDFs in Chrome and thought it was something only I was experiencing. However, at a meeting today, I noticed another co-worker was having the same issue.  I thought I should share the quick solution.

 

Starting in Chrome 42, NPAPI plugins like Adobe Reader have begun the final phase of removal, and will no longer work be shown in the chrome://plugins page. Therefore, Google recommends that users ensure the built-in “Chrome PDF Viewer” is enabled on their browser.

Follow these steps to ensure the plugin is enabled:

1. Type chrome://plugins in Chrome address bar and press Enter.
2. Scroll down to Chrome PDF Viewer.
3. Enable Type: BROWSER PLUGIN  and PPAPI if currently disabled.
   1. In this image, the BROWSER PLUGIN and PPAPI are currently enabled.
   2. 
   3. If you want PDFs to open in the default program (e.g., Adobe Acrobat or Reader), disable the BROWSER PLUGIN type by clicking Disable.
4. Disable any other PDF Viewer plugins (there will probably not be any others, though).

NOTE: If you choose to open PDFs in the default program (step 3.c.), you can stop here. If you want to open PDFs in the browser still, continue on. 

Open a PDF link in Chrome to see if the issue is fixed. However, following the steps above, did not fix the issue for me. Instead, I needed to add an extension.

1. Click this link (or copy and paste this link into Chrome) to open the extension pdf.js page: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pdf-viewer/oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm?hl=en-US.
2. Click the ADD TO CHROME button in the upper right corner of the window.

Additionally, I needed to disable an extension. 

1. In Chrome, click the hamburger icon and click Settings.
   1. 
2. Click Extensions, and uncheck the Enabled box for Adobe Acrobat – Create PDF (or other Adobe extensions).
   1. 

You should now be able to open PDFs in Chrome. 

I hope this helps! Cheers!

Macro to Resize Selected Image in Word 2013

While searching macros, one thing I've noticed is that some people tend to make macros more complicated than necessary. In my experience, the cleaner the code, the more efficient it runs. Granted, I am by no means an expert in creating macros. I have a lot to learn; however, I'm learning.


I recently needed a macro to resize a selected image to 75 percent of its original size. Unfortunately, the "Record Macro" feature was not working as expected, so off I went to Mister Google.


After searching several sites, I came across a solution, but needed to modify it a touch to make it work efficiently.  Here is the end result:


Sub Image_75_Percent()
'
' Resize the selected image to 75 percent of its original size.
'
    Dim PecentSize As Integer
    PercentSize = 75
    Selection.InlineShapes(1).ScaleHeight = PercentSize
    Selection.InlineShapes(1).ScaleWidth = PercentSize
   
   
End Sub

Copy and paste this into a new macro named "Image_75_Percent." Then select an image and run the macro. Since you scaled the height and width 75 percent, the aspect ratio will be maintained.


Cheers!
Christel

Display more than three views in SharePoint 2013 library or list

A few weeks back, a coworker asked me to expand the number of views shown in a SharePoint list. SharePoint shows only the first three view links by default, but includes ellipses (three dots) to expand the selection of views available (as shown below).

I had heard that it wasn't possible to change this setting, so I informed my co-worker, unfortunately, we can't do anything about it.

But as usual, I hate giving the "It's not possible" answer, so I started to dig into the issue and see if someone had a solution. Lo and behold, someone had! Thanks to Aveenav who posted the answer on SharePoint StackExchange.

If you're familiar with SharePoint 2013, implementing the solution is relatively straightforward. However, I've included instructions below to help the rest of us out.

1.  Go to the list or library where you want to see additional views.
2.  In the upper right corner of the page, click the cog and select Edit Page.

3.  Click Add a Web Part in the main window area.

4.  In the webpart Categories, scroll down and select Media and Content. Select Script Editor and click Add.

5. In the Script Editor, click Edit Snippet.

6. In the Embed window, paste this code.

<script type="text/javascript">
ExecuteOrDelayUntilScriptLoaded(overrideSurfacePivotCount, 'clienttemplates.js');

function overrideSurfacePivotCount() {
   ClientPivotControl.prototype.SurfacedPivotCount = 4;
};
</script>

7.  The "4" in the script above determines how many view selections to show. Change this number as needed. Click Insert on the Embed window.

8.  Click Stop Editing in the upper left of the SharePoint ribbon.

9.  Test the views.

I've increased the number of view selections available to 15 and encountered no issues. If the views are extended to the point of going beyond the width of the page, the view selections will wrap to the next line.

Hopefully, this procedure will be handy for you if you get a similar request.

Displaying Images in Excel Based on a Result

If you've worked with me at all, you know that I'm always looking for ways to do things smarter, faster, and more efficient. I recently was challenged with developing a visual status report for a project, and the project manager wanted to use specific icons. Though Excel has a decent selection of icons to use for conditional formatting, the request for specific icons created a challenge for me. Thankfully, I found the following tip from Allen Wyatt. Though the set-up is involved, the time saved will be priceless.

Displaying Images Based on a Result

Below is the beginning of my efforts using custom icons.

Metadata and Managed Metadata Service

With my ever growing SharePoint role, I find the need to get thorough and more detailed information about SharePoint features. My most recent task required to me learn more about SharePoint 2010 Managed Metadata Service. At the beginning of the year, I learned about Managed Metadata, so I feel I have a good grasp of this feature. Now, I needed to learned about the Managed Metadata Service to further help my client.

Thankfully, my search did not take too long to discover a great, thorough resource for this feature. I highly recommend watching Ty Anderson's video about using SharePoint 2010 Managed Metadata Service.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/video/use-the-sharepoint-2010-managed-metadata-service.aspx