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[Web PDF Reader] Saving PDF to space generates a broken URL on android/iOS

Feature Requests

screenshot of the error

https://imgur.com/6BS1Zrl

Description

Saving PDF from the Memex PDF Web Reader to a space generates a broken URL on android and iOS.

System

PC

Arch Linux

Chrome latest

Devices

Android latest

iOS latest

Steps to replicate

  1. Open this PDF file on your browser: pdf file

  2. Open the PDF in the Memex PDF Web Reader

  3. Save the PDF to a space (like test-pdf)

  4. Go to your android/iOS app

  5. Go to the space and try to open the PDF

You will see the error: ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED

Posted by Patricio Serrano ·
Status: Outdated5 comments

Comments5

  • Oliver Sauter

    Team•

    Jan 2, 2024

    This is about to be fixed. We are days away from releasing the ability to upload local pdfs, and after that tackle the ability to annotate pdfs on mobile.

    So its technically a feature request afterall :)

    • Patricio Serrano

      •

      Jan 2, 2024

      This is the second time I write this. I inadvertently closed the modal and, without any warning, Featurebase just lose all my progress.

      The thing I like the most about Memex is that it doesn't try to store your web articles like other read-it-later apps do. There's no benefit on having a more "customizable" document view (like pocket, instapaper, readwise, etc) if the price you have to pay is having a very inferior version of the original source (I'm talking about how those sites try to extract/parse/scrape the original web articles into formatted document). I love the fact that Memex doesn't try to interfere between you and the original source. It feels natural.

      This should also be true for PDF. I understand that PDF can be a very difficult problem, but having to "upload [my] local pdfs" shouldn't be only possible solution. I myself have a different one that already works with Memex.

      I use calibre-web online (self-hosted) to store and serve my own catalogue of PDFs.

      What works

      1. Highlighting and annotating on web (not in the Memex PDF Reader) but in regular Memex

      2. Highlighting and annotating on Memex Go (android)

      3. Memex on iOS also displays this documents and allows to highlight them but with some perks.

      What doesn't work

      1. The highlight is always yellow (no custom color) and is very dim.

      I believe it works because while regular PDF files (on the internet) are serve like binaries on a URL (.../document/dummy.pdf), calibre-web serves them in their own viewer? (.../document/dummy/pdf/). I'm not sure, but it works.

      I'm not saying that Memex should incorporate calibre-web in their own core. I just wish it could keep working with services alike, services that, instead of serving binary pdf files, already serve a "reader" or "viewer" into the PDF (again, I don't know how calibre-web works in reality).

      I'll be happy to give you access to my calibre-web catalogue if you need it.

      I wrote more about it here: https://community.memex.garden/t/reading-books-on-ipad-with-memex-my-workflow/2234

      Thanks

      • Oliver Sauter

        Team•

        Jan 3, 2024

        Thanks for being so extensive with your report, really helpful.

        If you can send me one of your pdf files via email I can have a look if we can easily wrap around this in a better way.

        • Patricio Serrano

          •

          Jan 8, 2024

          Thanks! the PDFs I'm talking about are on my self-hosted book catalogue so I've sent you the credentials on a private message in: https://community.memex.garden/

  • Patricio Serrano

    •

    Jan 1, 2024

    Sorry, I cannot change the post from Feature Request to Bug Report. This is a Bug Report.