How to embed a PDF viewer in a page?

Advanced embedding techniques and libraries

Got more complex needs or dealing with a range of browsers? Let's dive into some alternative embedding techniques and third-party libraries:

1. Getting fancy with PDF.js

PDF.js by Mozilla gives you an open-source library that allows rich PDF interaction:

<!-- This code is simpler than it sounds, promise -->
<div id="pdf-viewer"></div>
<script src="pdf.js"></script>
<script>
  // Make that PDF dance with pdf.js!
  PDFJS.getDocument('your-pdf-path.pdf').then(function(pdf) {
    // Enough blabbering, let's render the first page
    pdf.getPage(1).then(function(page) {
      // Zoom, enhance... just kidding, just scaling it to fit here.
      var scale = 1; 
      var viewport = page.getViewport(scale);

      // Create a canvas and dunk it into our viewer
      var canvas = document.createElement('canvas');
      var ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
      canvas.height = viewport.height;
      canvas.width = viewport.width;
      document.getElementById('pdf-viewer').appendChild(canvas);

      // Now let's show that page!
      page.render({
        canvasContext: ctx,
        viewport: viewport
      });
    });
  });
</script>
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2. Nice and easy with PDFObject

Too many lines and curly braces for you? Simplify your life with PDFObject:

<!-- Let's go the easy route -->
<div id="pdf-viewer"></div>
<script src="pdfobject.js"></script>
<script>
  // PDFObject, hold my beer... and my PDF too
  PDFObject.embed("your-pdf-path.pdf", "#pdf-viewer");
</script>
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3. Built-in alternatives

Sometimes, basic <object> or <embed> tags may be all you need:

<!-- Resurrecting the good old Object tag -->
<object data="myPDF.pdf" type="application/pdf" width="100%" height="500px"> 
  <a href="myPDF.pdf">Fallback link to download the PDF, just in case.</a> 
</object>

<!-- Or - rekindling the love for Embed -->
<embed src="myPDF.pdf" type="application/pdf" width="100%" height="500px" /> 
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4. Harnessing Google’s power

Take advantage of Google's Document Viewer to display PDFs through an <iframe>:

<!-- Google Document Viewer, at your service -->
<iframe src="https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=your-pdf-path.pdf&embedded=true" 
        style="width:600px; height:500px;" frameborder="0"></iframe>
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5. Going dynamic with FlexPaper

Need some responsive design? FlexPaper is your friend.

<!-- FlexPaper, our knight in shining armor -->
<div id="flexpaper-viewer"></div>
<script src="flexpaper.js"></script>
<script>
    // Start the FlexPaper magic!
    FlexPaperViewer(
        'path-to-flexpaper-viewer.swf', 
        'flexpaper-viewer', { 
            // Configure it to your heart's content
            config : {
                SWFFile : 'your-pdf-path.pdf',
                Scale : 0.6,
                ... // Rest of your configuration
                localeChain: 'en_US'
            }
        });
</script>
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Cross-browser considerations

The browser circus

Making the web work equally on every browser may feel like playing whack-a-mole. Test across:

• Chrome: Out of the box good guy
• Firefox: Support by PDF.js is a plus
• Edge: Take PDFObject along, just in case
• Safari: Might want to pack PDF.js for the safari
• Opera: Should work fine, but test to avoid the fat lady singing

Fallback strategy

In case of mishaps, always provide a fallback link to the PDF:

<object data="myPDF.pdf" type="application/pdf" width="100%" height="500">
  <!-- When life gives you non-supporting browsers, make download links! -->
  <a href="myPDF.pdf">Download PDF</a>
</object>
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Troubleshooting common issues

SOS signals your embedding might send out

1. Browser Compatibility: Use PDF.js or PDFObject to keep everyone happy.
2. Mobile Support: Make sure to cater to our phone addicted generation.
3. Loading Performance: Keep an eye on how your PDFs perform.
4. Security and Privacy: Because we all care about it... right?