---
Title: Viewer component
Added: v2.0.0
Status: Active
Last reviewed: 2019-03-25
---
# [Viewer component](../../../lib/core/viewer/components/viewer.component.ts "Defined in viewer.component.ts")
Displays content from an ACS repository.
See it live: [Viewer Quickstart](https://embed.plnkr.co/iTuG1lFIXfsP95l6bDW6/)
## Contents
- [Basic usage](#basic-usage)
- [Transclusions](#transclusions)
- [Class members](#class-members)
- [Properties](#properties)
- [Events](#events)
- [Keyboard shortcuts](#keyboard-shortcuts)
- [Details](#details)
- [Integrating with the Document List component](#integrating-with-the-document-list-component)
- [Custom file parameters](#custom-file-parameters)
- [Supported file formats](#supported-file-formats)
- [Content Renditions](#content-renditions)
- [Configuring PDF.js library](#configuring-pdfjs-library)
- [Extending the Viewer](#extending-the-viewer)
- [Custom layout](#custom-layout)
- [Printing](#printing)
- [See also](#see-also)
## Basic usage
Using with node id:
```html
<adf-viewer
[showViewer]="true"
[overlayMode]="true"
[nodeId]="'d367023a-7ebe-4f3a-a7d0-4f27c43f1045'">
</adf-viewer>
```
Using with file url:
```html
<adf-viewer
[overlayMode]="true"
[urlFile]="'filename.pdf'">
</adf-viewer>
```
Using with shared link:
```html
<adf-viewer
[overlayMode]="true"
[sharedLinkId]="'WWDg_afiTU6lHEgr4fAbQA'">
</adf-viewer>
```
Note that if you have a URL which contains a shared link ID, you should extract the
ID portion and use it with the `sharedLinkId` property rather than using the whole
URL with `urlFile`.
### [Transclusions](../../user-guide/transclusion.md)
The [Viewer component](viewer.component.md) lets you transclude content for the toolbar (and toolbar buttons),
the sidebar, thumbnails, and the "Open with" and "More actions" menus.
See the [Custom layout](#custom-layout) section for full details of all available tranclusions.
## Class members
### Properties
| Name | Type | Default value | Description |
| ---- | ---- | ------------- | ----------- |
| allowDownload | `boolean` | true | Toggles downloading. |
| allowFullScreen | `boolean` | true | Toggles the 'Full Screen' feature. |
| allowGoBack | `boolean` | true | Allows `back` navigation |
| allowLeftSidebar | `boolean` | false | Allow the left the sidebar. |
| allowNavigate | `boolean` | false | Toggles before/next navigation. You can use the arrow buttons to navigate between documents in the collection. |
| allowPrint | `boolean` | false | Toggles printing. |
| allowRightSidebar | `boolean` | false | Allow the right sidebar. |
| allowThumbnails | `boolean` | true | Toggles PDF thumbnails. |
| blobFile | [`Blob`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Blob) | | Loads a [Blob](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Blob) File |
| canNavigateBefore | `boolean` | true | Toggles the "before" ("<") button. Requires `allowNavigate` to be enabled. |
| canNavigateNext | `boolean` | true | Toggles the next (">") button. Requires `allowNavigate` to be enabled. |
| displayName | `string` | | Specifies the name of the file when it is not available from the URL. |
| fileName | `string` | | Content filename. |
| maxRetries | `number` | 30 | Number of times the Viewer will retry fetching content Rendition. There is a delay of at least one second between attempts. |
| mimeType | `string` | | MIME type of the file content (when not determined by the filename extension). |
| nodeId | `string` | null | [Node](https://github.com/Alfresco/alfresco-js-api/blob/development/src/api/content-rest-api/docs/Node.md) Id of the file to load. |
| overlayMode | `boolean` | false | If `true` then show the Viewer as a full page over the current content. Otherwise fit inside the parent div. |
| sharedLinkId | `string` | null | Shared link id (to display shared file). |
| showLeftSidebar | `boolean` | false | Toggles left sidebar visibility. Requires `allowLeftSidebar` to be set to `true`. |
| showRightSidebar | `boolean` | false | Toggles right sidebar visibility. Requires `allowRightSidebar` to be set to `true`. |
| showToolbar | `boolean` | true | Hide or show the toolbar |
| showViewer | `boolean` | true | Hide or show the viewer |
| sidebarLeftTemplate | [`TemplateRef`](https://angular.io/api/core/TemplateRef)`<any>` | null | The template for the left sidebar. The template context contains the loaded node data. |
| sidebarRightTemplate | [`TemplateRef`](https://angular.io/api/core/TemplateRef)`<any>` | null | The template for the right sidebar. The template context contains the loaded node data. |
| thumbnailsTemplate | [`TemplateRef`](https://angular.io/api/core/TemplateRef)`<any>` | null | The template for the pdf thumbnails. |
| urlFile | `string` | "" | If you want to load an external file that does not come from ACS you can use this URL to specify where to load the file from. |
| urlFileViewer | `string` | null | Viewer to use with the `urlFile` address (`pdf`, `image`, `media`, `text`). Used when `urlFile` has no filename and extension. |
### Events
| Name | Type | Description |
| ---- | ---- | ----------- |
| extensionChange | [`EventEmitter`](https://angular.io/api/core/EventEmitter)`<string>` | Emitted when the filename extension changes. |
| goBack | [`EventEmitter`](https://angular.io/api/core/EventEmitter)`<`[`BaseEvent`](../../../lib/core/events/base.event.ts)`<any>>` | Emitted when user clicks the 'Back' button. |
| invalidSharedLink | [`EventEmitter`](https://angular.io/api/core/EventEmitter)`<any>` | Emitted when the shared link used is not valid. |
| navigateBefore | [`EventEmitter`](https://angular.io/api/core/EventEmitter)`<MouseEvent \| KeyboardEvent>` | Emitted when user clicks 'Navigate Before' ("<") button. |
| navigateNext | [`EventEmitter`](https://angular.io/api/core/EventEmitter)`<MouseEvent \| KeyboardEvent>` | Emitted when user clicks 'Navigate Next' (">") button. |
| print | [`EventEmitter`](https://angular.io/api/core/EventEmitter)`<`[`BaseEvent`](../../../lib/core/events/base.event.ts)`<any>>` | Emitted when user clicks the 'Print' button. |
| showViewerChange | [`EventEmitter`](https://angular.io/api/core/EventEmitter)`<boolean>` | Emitted when the viewer is shown or hidden. |
## Keyboard shortcuts
| Name | Description |
| ---- | ----------- |
| Esc | Close the viewer (overlay mode only). |
| Left | Invoke 'Navigate before' action. |
| Right | Invoke 'Navigate next' action. |
| Ctrl+F | Activate full-screen mode. |
## Details
### Integrating with the Document List component
Below is the most simple integration of the Viewer and
[Document List](../../content-services/components/document-list.component.md) components within your custom component:
```html
<adf-document-list
currentFolderId="-my-"
(preview)="showPreview($event)">
</adf-document-list>
<adf-viewer
[(showViewer)]="showViewer"
[overlayMode]="true"
[nodeId]="nodeId">
</adf-viewer>
```
The component controller class implementation might look like the following:
```ts
export class OverlayViewerComponent {
@Input()
showViewer: boolean = false;
nodeId: string;
showPreview(event) {
if (event.value.entry.isFile) {
this.nodeId = event.value.entry.id;
this.showViewer = true;
}
}
}
```
### Custom file parameters
You can provide custom file parameters, for example a value for the `mimeType` or `displayName` when using URL values that have no file names or extensions:
```html
<adf-viewer
[displayName]="fileName"
[allowGoBack]="false"
[mimeType]="mimeType"
[urlFile]="fileUrl">
</adf-viewer>
```
### Supported file formats
The [Viewer component](viewer.component.md) consists of separate Views that handle particular file types or type families based on either a file extension or a mime type:
- PDF View
- application/pdf
- \*.pdf
- Image View
- image/png
- image/jpeg
- image/gif
- image/bmp
- image/svg+xml
- \*.png
- \*.jpg
- \*.jpeg
- \*.gif
- \*.bpm
- \*.svg
- Text View
- text/plain
- text/csv
- text/xml
- text/html
- application/x-javascript
- \*.txt
- \*.xml
- \*.js
- \*.html
- \*.json
- \*.ts
- Media View
- video/mp4
- video/webm
- video/ogg
- audio/mpeg
- audio/ogg
- audio/wav
- \*.wav
- \*.mp4
- \*.mp3
- \*.webm
- \*.ogg
### Content Renditions
For those extensions and mime types that cannot be natively displayed in the browser, the Viewer will try to fetch the corresponding rendition using the [renditions service api](../services/renditions.service.md).
For the full list of supported types please refer to: [File types that support preview and thumbnail generation](http://docs.alfresco.com/5.2/references/valid-transformations-preview.html).
### Configuring PDF.js library
Configure your webpack-enabled application with the PDF.js library as follows.
1. Install pdfjs-dist
```sh
npm install pdfjs-dist
```
2. Update `vendors.ts` by appending the following code. This will enable the [viewer component](viewer.component.md)
and compatibility mode for all browsers. It will also configure the web worker for the PDF.js
library to render PDF files in the background:
```ts
// PDF.js
require('pdfjs-dist/web/compatibility.js');
const pdfjsLib = require('pdfjs-dist');
pdfjsLib.PDFJS.workerSrc = './pdf.worker.js';
require('pdfjs-dist/web/pdf_viewer.js');
```
3. Update the `plugins` section of the `webpack.common.js` file with the following lines:
```js
new CopyWebpackPlugin([
...
{
from: 'node_modules/pdfjs-dist/build/pdf.worker.js',
to: 'pdf.worker.js'
}
])
```
The [Viewer component](viewer.component.md) should now be able to display PDF files.
### Extending the Viewer
You can define your own custom handler to handle other file formats that are not yet supported by
the [Viewer component](viewer.component.md). Below is an example that shows how to use the `adf-viewer-extension`
to handle 3D data files:
```html
<adf-viewer [nodeId]="nodeId">
<adf-viewer-extension [supportedExtensions]="['obj','3ds']" #extension>
<ng-template let-urlFileContent="urlFileContent" let-extension="extension">
<threed-viewer
[urlFile]="urlFileContent"
[extension]="extension">
</threed-viewer>
</ng-template>
</adf-viewer-extension>
</adf-viewer>
```
Note: you need to add the `ng2-3d-editor` dependency to your `package.json` file to make the example above work.
You can define multiple `adf-viewer-extension` templates if required:
```html
<adf-viewer [nodeId]="nodeId">
<adf-viewer-extension [supportedExtensions]="['xls','xlsx']" #extension>
<ng-template let-urlFileContent="urlFileContent">
<my-custom-xls-component
urlFileContent="urlFileContent">
</my-custom-xls-component>
</ng-template>
</adf-viewer-extension>
<adf-viewer-extension [supportedExtensions]="['txt']" #extension>
<ng-template let-urlFileContent="urlFileContent" >
<my-custom-txt-component
urlFileContent="urlFileContent">
</my-custom-txt-component>
</ng-template>
</adf-viewer-extension>
</adf-viewer>
```
### Custom layout
The [Viewer component](viewer.component.md) lets you transclude custom content in several different places as
explained in the sections below.
#### Custom toolbar
You can replace the standard viewer toolbar with your own custom implementation:
```html
<adf-viewer>
<adf-viewer-toolbar>
<h1>toolbar</h1>
</adf-viewer-toolbar>
</adf-viewer>
```
Everything you put inside the "adf-viewer-toolbar" tags will be rendered instead of the
standard toolbar.
#### Custom toolbar buttons
If you are happy with the custom toolbar's behaviour but want to add some extra buttons
then you can do so as shown in the following example:
```html
<adf-viewer>
<adf-viewer-toolbar-actions>
<button mat-icon-button>
<mat-icon>alarm</mat-icon>
</button>
<button mat-icon-button>
<mat-icon>backup</mat-icon>
</button>
<button mat-icon-button>
<mat-icon>bug_report</mat-icon>
</button>
</adf-viewer-toolbar-actions>
</adf-viewer>
```
The result should look like this:
#### Custom sidebar
The [Viewer component](viewer.component.md) also supports custom sidebar components and layouts.
Set the `allowRightSidebar` property to `true` to enable this feature.
The custom sidebar can be injected in two different ways. The first way is to use
transclusion, which will display all content placed inside the `<adf-viewer-sidebar>` element:
```html
<adf-viewer [allowRightSidebar]="true">
<adf-viewer-sidebar>
<h1>My info</h1>
</adf-viewer-sidebar>
</adf-viewer>
```
The second way to customize the sidebar is to use template injection but note that this only works
when using the viewer with `nodeId`.
```html
<ng-template let-node="node" #sidebarTemplate>
<adf-content-metadata-card [node]="node"></adf-content-metadata-card>
</ng-template>
<adf-viewer [allowRightSidebar]="true" [sidebarRightTemplate]="sidebarTemplate"></adf-viewer>
```
#### Custom thumbnails
The PDF viewer comes with its own default list of thumbnails but you can replace this
by providing a custom template and binding to the context property `viewer` to access the PDFJS.PDFViewer
instance.
Provide the custom template as in the following example:
```javascript
import { Component, Input } from '@angular/core';
@Component({
selector: 'custom-thumbnails',
template: '<p> Custom Thumbnails Component </p>'
})
export class CustomThumbnailsComponent {
@Input() pdfViewer: any;
...
}
```
```html
<ng-template #customThumbnailsTemplate let-pdfViewer="viewer">
<custom-thumbnails [pdfViewer]="pdfViewer"></custom-thumbnails>
</ng-template>
<adf-viewer [thumbnailsTemplate]="customThumbnailsTemplate"></adf-viewer>
```
#### Custom "Open With" menu
You can enable a custom "Open With" menu by providing at least one action inside the
`adf-viewer-open-with` tag:
```html
<adf-viewer [nodeId]="nodeId">
<adf-viewer-open-with>
<button mat-menu-item>
<mat-icon>dialpad</mat-icon>
<span>Option 1</span>
</button>
<button mat-menu-item disabled>
<mat-icon>voicemail</mat-icon>
<span>Option 2</span>
</button>
<button mat-menu-item>
<mat-icon>notifications_off</mat-icon>
<span>Option 3</span>
</button>
</adf-viewer-open-with>
</adf-viewer>
```
#### Custom "More actions" menu
You can enable a custom "More actions" menu by providing at least one action inside the `adf-viewer-more-actions` tag:
```html
<adf-viewer [nodeId]="nodeId">
<adf-viewer-more-actions>
<button mat-menu-item>
<mat-icon>dialpad</mat-icon>
<span>Action One</span>
</button>
<button mat-menu-item disabled>
<mat-icon>voicemail</mat-icon>
<span>Action Two</span>
</button>
<button mat-menu-item>
<mat-icon>notifications_off</mat-icon>
<span>Action Three</span>
</button>
</adf-viewer-more-actions>
</adv-viewer>
```
#### Custom zoom scaling
You can set a default zoom scaling value for pdf viewer by adding the following code in `app.config.json`.
Note: For the pdf viewer the value has to be within the range of 25 - 1000.
"adf-viewer": {
"pdf-viewer-scaling": 150
}
In the same way you can set a default zoom scaling value for the image viewer by adding the following code in `app.config.json`.
"adf-viewer": {
"image-viewer-scaling": 150
}
By default the viewer's zoom scaling is set to 100%.
### Printing
You can configure the Viewer to let the user print the displayed content. The
component will show a "Print" button if the `allowPrint` property is set to
true.
```html
<adf-viewer [allowPrint]="true">
...
</adf-viewer>
```
You can also use the `print` event to get notification when the user prints some
content.
## See also
- [Document List component](../../content-services/components/document-list.component.md)