Drac's PDF Viewer with Thumbnails 1.5.0

What it does​

XenForo shows an attached PDF as a plain file icon, and clicking it downloads the file or opens a new tab. Drac's PDF Viewer shows page 1 of the PDF as the thumbnail, and when someone clicks it the PDF opens in a pop-up viewer on the same page. They read it, close it, and they are still in the thread.

Features​

• Page-1 thumbnails - in posts, in the editor's attachment list and anywhere XenForo shows attachments. Drawn by your server when a PDF is uploaded (pdftoppm, mutool, Ghostscript or Imagick - whichever you have installed) or, if your host has none of those, drawn by the visitor's browser.
• Drawn once, then remembered - a thumbnail drawn in the browser is saved on the server as the PDF's real thumbnail (you choose who may do that: uploader and staff by default, any member, or nobody) and also kept in the visitor's browser, so the same PDF is never downloaded and redrawn on every visit.
• Same-page viewer - zoom, a page box, keyboard keys, Ctrl+wheel and pinch-to-zoom, pages drawn as you scroll so even long PDFs open quickly, and a full-screen layout on phones. Built on PDF.js and SweetAlert2 (both included).
• Two pages side by side (new) - a book-style spread (1+2, 3+4...) so a long PDF needs half the scrolling. A second button keeps the first page on its own as a cover (1 | 2+3 | ...). The viewer opens wider to make room, and your visitors' choice is remembered. You choose the default in the settings; single page stays the default so nothing changes until you want it to. Phones and one-page PDFs always show a single page.
• Old PDFs too - an Admin CP tool draws thumbnails for PDFs that were uploaded before the add-on, in your browser, with a progress bar.
• Status and tools page - shows which rendering programs your server has, with a one-click test of each.
• Download button - optional, in the viewer's toolbar.
• Open in the browser - optional: PDFs opened directly (Ctrl+click, a copied link) display in the browser instead of downloading.
• Careful with hostile files - rendering runs under memory and time limits so a booby-trapped PDF cannot take your server down, and a PDF that cannot be drawn simply keeps its file icon - the upload is never refused.

What's new​

• 1.5.0 (Nov 2026) - two pages per screen (added on request), plus this add-on can now be bought on its own for $5.00 with its own license key, or as part of the six-add-on set with the universal key.
• 1.3.x (Oct 2026) - all settings now live under one Drac's Addons menu in the Admin CP, with a single License key page.
• 1.2.0 (Oct 2026) - license key check and a support form at Drac's Shop for license holders.
• 1.1.0 (Oct 2026) - thumbnail cache: each thumbnail is drawn once and kept on the server and in the browser instead of being redrawn on every page view; tool for backfilling old PDFs.
• 1.0 (Oct 2026) - first release: thumbnails and the same-page viewer.

Requirements​

XenForo 2.3.13 or newer. A PDF rendering program on the server is optional - without one, thumbnails are drawn in the visitor's browser.

Price and license​

• This add-on on its own: $5.00 - you get this add-on and its own license key, which unlocks this add-on only.
• All six Drac's Shop add-ons: $20.00 - you get every add-on and one universal license key that unlocks all of them. That is $10 less than buying the six one by one ($30.00).
• Lifetime updates and support with every order - one payment, no subscription.
• One license key covers one forum domain.

Buy it here: Drac's Shop - after paying you land on a receipt page with your download link(s) and your license key.


How the license works

• Enter your key in the Admin CP under Drac's Addons -> License key. That one page holds every Drac key: the first box is the universal key (the six-add-on set); each installed add-on also has its own box, here named "Key for Drac's PDF Viewer only".
• If both boxes are filled in, the add-on's own key is the one it uses. A one-add-on key only unlocks the add-on it was bought for.
• Each add-on checks its key with the license server once a day, and again whenever the key or your forum's address changes. It sends only the key, your forum's domain name and the add-on's name - no member data and no forum content.
• If the license server cannot be reached, an add-on that was already licensed keeps working for 7 days.
• Without a valid key an add-on stays off and your forum behaves like stock XenForo; the add-on's settings page and the License key page tell you why.

Install​

1. Buy it at Drac's Shop and download the zip from your receipt page.
2. Admin CP -> Add-ons -> Install/upgrade from archive and upload the zip (do not unzip it).
3. Admin CP -> Drac's Addons -> License key and paste your key.
4. Find it under Drac's Addons -> PDF Viewer: the settings, and a status page that shows which rendering programs your server has.

Upgrading from an earlier version works the same way: upload the new zip over the old one. Back up your forum before installing or upgrading any add-on.

Support​

License holders can ask for help with the form at https://moonbloodgarden.com/vexcor/support - you will need your license key. Questions before you buy are welcome in this thread.

All the Drac's Shop add-ons live together under one Drac's Addons menu in the Admin CP: the first one you install creates the menu and the last one you uninstall removes it.