[OS X TeX] Lion PDF Kit based viewers and changed behavior with the hyperref package

[Herbert Schulz]

On Jul 27, 2011, at 8:35 AM, Orlando Alvarez wrote:

> I have noticed a change in behavior when viewing pdflatex files using a Lion pdf viewer based on Apple's PDF Kit (Preview, Skim, TeXShop-64). Using Adobe Acrobat or Snow Leopard PDF Kit based viewers results in the (IMO correct) old behavior. It does not matter whether the pdflatex file is generated using Lion (TeXLive 2011) or Snow Leopard (TeXLive 2010).
> 
> The change of behavior has do to with how hyper-links are displayed. The problem occurs when I use the hyperref package with the option "colorlinks=false". When viewing a pdf file in a viewer, this option places a small colored rectangle around the link. The color of the rectangle is the same one used to color the link if you use the option "colorlinks=true". 
> 
> This historical behavior has changed in Lion PDF Kit based viewers but is still present in Acrobat X. In Lion PDF Kit viewers, the colored rectangle is missing and the link is active but you have no visual cue to its existence. It seems to me that this may be a bug in the Lion PDF Kit.
> 
> The reason I prefer to use the "colorlinks=false" option is that I print mostly in black and white. The link rectangle does not print but the link text prints black as in a journal. If you use "colorlinks=true" then the link text prints as a shade of gray.
> 
> Below I enclose a minimal LaTeX file that reproduces this behavior.
> 
> Best,
> Orlando
> 
> \documentclass[12pt]{article}
> \usepackage[pdftex,colorlinks=false]{hyperref}
> 
> \begin{document}
> \section{One}\label{sec:one}
> 
> This is section one.
> \newpage
> 
> \section{Two}\label{sec:two}
> 
> This is a link to Section~\ref{sec:one}
> 
> \end{document}

Howdy,

Have to admit I don't like the rectangles because they make the link hard to read. But I make the links a dark gray color so the document prints fine but there is just enough contrast with the black text to see that there is a link there.

Good Luck,

Herb Schulz
(herbs at wideopenwest dot com)