Alfresco E-Book Document Viewer (Flipping Book)

What is Alfresco E-Book Document Viewer?

E-Book Document Viewer is a Skytizens-developed addon to preview files from the Document Library in e-book format. Alfresco users typically preview their documents in a format similar to a PDF viewer or a print preview; a single page is displayed on the screen and the user must scroll down to see additional pages. E-book view allows Alfresco users to see the document in a style that looks like a digital book with pages. E-book view is more visually appealing in certain situations. The E-book Document Viewer module also includes a thumbnail scrolling menu for convenient navigation.

Why is E-Book Document Viewer so important?

• Compatibility – e-book format is superior for viewing on iPads, tablet computers, smartphones, and other non-mouse devices
• Display – e-book format is especially attractive for displaying images and documents during presentations on a large screen
• Sustainability – using the visually appealing e-book format cuts down on the need for paper printouts in meetings and minimizes environmental impact

The Benefits of E-Book Document Viewer

The E-Book Document Viewer Alfresco addon, at its most basic, offers a second preview option for documents in Alfresco. The true benefit is in the drastic visual difference between a typical document preview and the e-book version of the preview. E-book is more visually appealing and navigable for devices such as tablets, iPads, and smartphones. E-book Document Viewer also makes lengthy documents more pleasant for readers.

How Does It Work?

Alfresco users can access the E-Book Document Viewer addon in preview mode of any file in the Document Library. The document preview will open in the format of a standard digital book. This addon works well with MS Office documents (.doc, .xls, and .ppt) as well as TIFF images like scanned documents. The pages can be “turned” by mouse or by clicking navigation arrows. Users can navigate to additional pages using the numbered pages or the thumbnail menu at the bottom of the screen.

The thumbnail menu of the E-Book Document Viewer is especially useful. It is a convenient visual representation of multiple pages in a document. The thumbnail menu is scrollable across a large number of pages at once. Users can identify the specific portion of the document they need and navigate directly to it. The thumbnail menu can be disabled or enabled in the user profile Skytizens Features section called Book Viewer.

E-Book Document Viewer cannot open AutoCAD files and it does not have the ability to rotate documents. These functions can be done in regular preview mode.

Main Features 

Preview with E-Book viewer – User can change to E-Book Viewer in the preview mode of the Alfresco Document Library.

Two Page View – The E-Book Document Viewer addon defaults to the two-page view that simulates an open book.

Single Page View – Users can change preview to a single page PDF-style view if preferred.

Page-Turn Preview – Unique to the e-book format, users can “grab” the corner and turn the page slightly to preview what is on the next page. This helps presenters make smooth transitions while talking and manage when their audience is ready for the next page in the presentation. 

Zoom – Users can zoom in or out on the E-Book using a zoom slider or the magnifier tool.

Full Screen – Users can put the E-Book Document Viewer into full screen mode for presentations.

Navigation – Users can navigate the E-Book in multiple, convenient ways.

1. Menu bar arrows – Forward and Back arrows.
2. Menu bar page – User can specify which page by typing in the number.
3. Page arrows – Forward, Back, Home, and End Page using the arrows on the book pages.
4. Thumbnail Menu – Users can hover over the scrollable thumbnails across the bottom of the e-book and see small-scale previews of each page. User can navigate to any page in the document by selecting the thumbnail of the page.

Cursor – Users have the choice of two navigation cursors.

1. Text cursor – for copying text from the document
2. Hand cursor – for “grabbing” pages to scroll or turn the page

Search – Users can text search within the document while using the E-Book view. Search results are shown highlighted throughout the document and a column list of occurrences of the search item context appears on the left side of the screen.

Conclusions

No more being tied to your desk. E-book format is superior for viewing on iPads, tablet computers, and smartphones.

The E-Book Document Viewer feature is a Skytizens-developed addon for Alfresco that allows readers to preview documents in e-book format. The module looks like a digital recreation of a real book, opened to two pages. For reading lengthy documents in your library, this e-book module is indispensable.

For giving presentations, the e-book format is also superior. E-book looks great, navigates intuitively, and is pleasant for viewers. E-book is also crucial for working with documents on handheld devices, where navigation and readability is best controlled on the screen.