Provide a cross-browser onload event about pdfobject

[pipwerks]

Now that PDFObject uses iframes exclusively, the onload handler will be consistent across browsers.

Important: The onload event only indicates that the iframe has loaded something, there is no guarantee the iframe has properly loaded the PDF (and no way to check).

let pdf_iframe = PDFObject.embed("myfile.pdf");
pdf_iframe.addEventListener('load', function () {
    alert('loaded');
});

[pipwerks]

A good idea, but I don't think this is possible; Adobe Reader exposes a JavaScript API, but built-in PDF readers (Chrome, Safari) don't expose a JavaScript API. No API means no way to know whether the file has finished loading. Sorry.

[filipefigcorreia]

Would pre-loading the pdf be a possibility? I suppose that could allow to know when it finishes loading.

[niklas-dahl]

ist there now 4 years later the possibility to get a load event?

[pipwerks]

This is not possible due to a limitation in the browsers themselves -- their built-in PDF rendering engines do not provide APIs. There is no 'loaded' event, and no way to know whether the PDF has properly loaded.

[cwilby]

I'm not sure if this changed recently, but it looks to be possible to add a load event listener to either the iframe (PDFObject 2.x) or object (PDFObject 1.x) as follows:

v1.2.0

PDFObject({ url: '/test.pdf' }).embed(document.querySelector('#pdf'));

document.querySelector('#pdf object').addEventListener('load', function () {
    alert('loaded');
});

v2.3.0

PDFObject.embed('/test.pdf', '#pdf');

document.querySelector('#pdf iframe').addEventListener('load', function () {
    alert('loaded');
});

I am currently using this to implement a loadmask/spinner.

[pipwerks]

I added this use case to the docs https://pdfobject.com/examples/#callback-on-onload-event