Getting Started with Java for FRC

FIRST General Forum
1

When I try to copy a section of instructions from the “Getting Started with Java for FRC” pdf I get one word per line. Is there a way to copy instructions such that it reads correctly?

Here is an example. I copied two lines and pasted them into this post.

Installing
the
NetBeans
Plugins:
Sun
SPOT
Java
SDK
for
FRC
and
WPILib
The
FRC
Plugins
add
the
FRC
specific
components
to
your
standard
NetBeans
…

This makes it extremely difficult to summarize instructions for others to follow. I could send a link but then I have to include which page and paragraph to browse through, or they have to read the whole thing. Students don’t normally do that do they?

I’ve also tried including the instructions as a picture but then I have to save the pdf picture of the page and include the tif or jpg in the email…

So I typed it in by hand. Not terribly efficient. If there were some method to set Adobe PDF Reader to read correctly, or word or notepad or email to replace carriage returns with spaces. But I must be missing something as it shouldn’t do this should it?

2

I do not use Adobe PDF reader but I know on Foxit you could set the mode to allow copying of text.

3

I’ve been looking at alternatives to adobe reader. I really don’t want ads, nor annoying pay me messages, nor constant updates, or nag messages to pay for an upgraded version. Some of the available software allows us to edit pdfs, or mark them up, which might be nice to have.

4

Which version of the document is acting like this? Google Chrome’s built-in PDF reader has no trouble copying and pasting sections from it.

5

I just tried http://first.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/First/GettingStartedWithJava.pdf
from a different PC and it copies okay too. This PC is using Adobe Acrobat 10.0.0.396 with Firefox 3.6.13.

Also tried adobe 9.3.0.148 on Firefox 3.6.13 and its working there too. Don’t know why it started working okay.