How to View PDF Files Stored Outside Your Vue.js Project

Discover effective ways to view `PDF` files stored in directories outside your Vue.js project application.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/70160691/ asked by the user 'svms54' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/5313655/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/70161010/ provided by the user 'match' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/9203110/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Viewing PDF Files in Your Vue.js Application

If you're a beginner in Vue.js, you might encounter the challenge of wanting to view PDF files that are stored outside your Vue project folder. This situation is common when your PDF files are managed by a backend server or stored independently on your local machine. You may want to provide links within your application that allow users to access these documents seamlessly. However, there are specific browser security measures that complicate this process. Let's delve into this topic and explore potential solutions.

The Problem

You might be trying to implement links to PDF documents stored on your local drives, such as:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

While this approach correctly generates the URL, clicking the link often results in no action, or in some browsers, it prompts a blocked page error (about:blank-blocked). This is due to the browser's refusal to navigate from a http(s):// protocol source to a file:// protocol source. Here's a closer look at the issue:

Security Restrictions: Modern web browsers protect users by preventing access to local files from online content. This security measure exists to safeguard against potential vulnerabilities that could expose sensitive file structures on your system.

The Solution

Serving PDF Files Through a Web Server

Since you cannot access local files directly via file:// links in a web application, the recommended solution involves serving those PDF files through a web server. Here's a step-by-step approach:

Set Up a Local Web Server: You can use tools like XAMPP, WAMP, or Node.js to create a simple local web server. This allows you to host your files, turning them into accessible web resources.

Store PDF Files in the Server Directory: Move your local PDF files into a directory that is accessible by the local web server. For instance, if using XAMPP, you might place the files in the htdocs folder, like so:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Link to the Files Using HTTP: Update the links in your Vue.js application accordingly to point to the hosted PDF files. For example:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Running the Application Locally with file:// URLs

If you prefer running your Vue.js application as a standalone project without a local server setup, here's another option you can consider:

Change the Application to Use file://: If your Vue app is running as a local application (like with Electron), you may set it up to utilize file:// protocol. But remember, this method limits shareability and functionality depending on the deployment context.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while accessing PDF files directly from your Vue.js application using a file:// link is not feasible due to browser security measures, serving these files through a local web server is a viable solution. This method streamlines access to your documents and maintains the security protocols intended by modern web browsers. By setting up a simple local web server and updating your link paths, you can enable users to view PDF files effortlessly.

Feel free to share your experiences with Vue.js and accessing files outside of your project! If you have further questions, don't hesitate to ask for help.