Hacked AdobeViewer.app with userstyle1.css

tselling · 05-19-2010, 06:29 PM

Ok, so I got tired of waiting for this to be provided officially or by another hacker so I did a bit of research. I managed to hack the AdobeViewer.app from my pb360 (version 14.2) with a hex editor. It allows a user accessible userstyle1.css file to have your own fonts, margins, etc with the AdobeViewer.app (ie for DRM'd epubs to include library epubs without having to remove the DRM).

Many thanks go to those who ported poterm for the pocketbook so I could actually get the orginal file, and to others who have hacked the sony readers that gave me the idea.

You can get my hacked version here: http://drop.io/pb360ade

Unzip the file and put the AdobeViewer.app file into "system/bin" directory on your pb360. The userstyle1.css file goes into the top directory of your pb360. Not where I would have wanted it but exact number of characters dictated it. Be sure to modify userstyle1.css to pick up your own fonts in the system/fonts directory (and change margins, alignment, etc to your preference). You may need to do some research for everything you can actually control with the stylesheet.

Hopefully this benefits others.... but it comes with no guarantees. Use at your own risk, etc, etc (but I only changed the location of the stylesheet). Let me know if any problems downloading it. Don't forget to select AdobeViewer instead of fbreader if you changed the default.

Logseman · 05-19-2010, 07:41 PM

I'll try it yet and tell you. Thanks for your time!

Logseman · 05-19-2010, 07:46 PM

I'm afraid I don't get it to work. When I open a PDF file with Adobeviewer it returns me to the last book I've finished reading, not to the one I'm opening...

tselling · 05-19-2010, 08:47 PM

The css file will not help for PDF files, only epubs (at least as far as I know).... but AdobeViewer.app should still open it. Make sure that the stylesheet file is named correctly and in the right place. It should be "userStyle1.css" and should be in the very top directory on your reader (not on the sdhc card). Likewise make sure you have the correct fonts on your reader in the /system/fonts directory on your reader (not the sdhc card) that are referenced in userStyle1.css.

kacir · 05-20-2010, 03:08 AM

Fantastic.
I do not read epubs in adobeviewer, but for people that read DRM protected epubs this is a godsend.
Thank you very much.

fjtorres · 05-20-2010, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tselling

Don't forget to select AdobeViewer instead of fbreader if you changed the default.

Or to rename it and make it a third/fourth choice by editing the extensions.cfg file appropriately.

Thanks!
I'm no fan of ADE but this might actually make it usable.

fjtorres · 05-20-2010, 09:15 AM

Out of curiosity; could you do the same process work on the 15.1 adobe viewer?
Not presuming to ask, just wondering if the process is limited to the older version.

tselling · 05-20-2010, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Out of curiosity; could you do the same process work on the 15.1 adobe viewer?
Not presuming to ask, just wondering if the process is limited to the older version.

Yes, it could easily be applied. But I don't have the 15.1 firmware installed since it is reportedly buggy. Is there anything really worth upgrading for in 15.1?

jackie_w · 05-20-2010, 10:05 AM

You have made my day, tselling, thank you so much!

I have been happily using this facility on my hacked Sony.

Now - how about adding a new tiny app, as has been successfully done in the Sony hack.

We could keep a bunch of our personal CSS files in a special system directory (e.g. system/css). The app would present us with a menu of those files and when one was selected it would be copied into the root directory as the special file "userStyle1.css". I know one could do this manually (using poterm or connecting to the PC) but an app would be so much more convenient.

This would "put the cherry on the top" and I feel sure someone of your skill and ability would enjoy bringing joy to so many (well me, at least)

fjtorres · 05-20-2010, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tselling

Yes, it could easily be applied. But I don't have the 15.1 firmware installed since it is reportedly buggy. Is there anything really worth upgrading for in 15.1?

The most notable feature of Adobe Viewer in 15.1 is smaller side numbers (since they can't be avoided) and more zooming factors.

As I said, I was just wondering if the ADE-CSS tweak was only doable with 14.2 or if it might work with newer versions. Since it is, would you mind documenting the process for posterity?

Who knows? Maybe a future version of ADE will have a compelling feature or two beyond DRM support? (Not holding my breath, but...)

Or maybe the boys in Kiev will take notice and make the tweak official and permanent.

jackie_w · 05-20-2010, 11:42 AM

Seems I was celebrating too soon. I also am having problems.

It seemed to work fine with my test file. However when I tried opening a couple of different epubs it opened my test file again.

None of these epubs are commercial so DRM isn't an issue.

Also, FYI, I couldn't get it to work at all if I renamed it to ADE2.app in system/bin and changed extensions.cfg

mgmueller · 05-20-2010, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjtorres

The most notable feature of Adobe Viewer in 15.1 is smaller side numbers (since they can't be avoided) and more zooming factors.

As I said, I was just wondering if the ADE-CSS tweak was only doable with 14.2 or if it might work with newer versions. Since it is, would you mind documenting the process for posterity?

Who knows? Maybe a future version of ADE will have a compelling feature or two beyond DRM support? (Not holding my breath, but...)

Or maybe the boys in Kiev will take notice and make the tweak official and permanent.

Meaning, you're using 15.1? I've never tried it because of the reports about it being buggy. Can you recommend it? Is it stable enough?

fjtorres · 05-20-2010, 03:04 PM

I'm using 15.1, yes.
I installed it and got a couple crashes and was ready to go back to 14.2 when the word got out that a fix (15.2?) was due real.soon.now. So I waited...
Still...
...waiting...
I get about a crash/hang a week.
Which is...almost tolerable... but only because my first eink reader was/is a BeBook. So I'm used to regular crashes. Compared to the BeBook, 15.1 is a rock of stability.
Compared to 14.2? Not quite. I can see how it got out of Beta, though...
Everytime I get one I think about going back to 14.2 but since it means a full recharge first, I put it off...
Anyway, I live in 15.1 but I don't use ADE much.
I tried the new sizes and they're well-chosen but you can't get rid of the side numbers or the status bar, much less both as I prefer.
And since there's no way in... heck... I'm going to reward Adobe for hijacking epub I don't buy Adobe-drm'ed ebooks and I have no real need for ADE except when reading Calibre-captured magazines which are slavishly formatted for ADE's quirks and interpretations of the spec.

YMMV.

tselling · 05-20-2010, 05:08 PM

I reuploaded the zip file. I copied the file directly from my PB360 to ensure I have the same version that is running for me without any problems. I have been using two test files, one with DRM and one without. I modified the css file slightly to fix a problem with one of my library books that has huge margins. I also added the fonts that I used in the css file. I also put the files in the directories they should be on the pb360. Maybe that will help since people can copy as is to their PB360 main memory and try it first before they need to start modifying any files.

http://drop.io/pb360ade

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Seems I was celebrating too soon. I also am having problems.

It seemed to work fine with my test file. However when I tried opening a couple of different epubs it opened my test file again.

None of these epubs are commercial so DRM isn't an issue.

Also, FYI, I couldn't get it to work at all if I renamed it to ADE2.app in system/bin and changed extensions.cfg

jackie_w · 05-20-2010, 09:58 PM

Thank you for responding.

I have re-downloaded and tried a couple of my epubs with your fonts and CSS. That seemed to go OK. So I have now updated to my fonts and CSS. So far so good. I will see what happens tomorrow with more extended use. Now I'm really confused, but keeping my fingers crossed.

After the testing earlier today I had a further complication when my reader suddenly became unreadable by the PC and I had to reformat it all. I wondered whether the hacking had caused the problem. Now I'm wondering whether it was the other way round and the internal memory was already in trouble when I started to test your hack. Only time will tell.

05-19-2010, 06:29 PM	#1
tselling Addict Posts: 366 Karma: 510 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: NookColor (MiRage/CM7.2 & Moon+ Reader Pro)	Hacked AdobeViewer.app with userstyle1.css Ok, so I got tired of waiting for this to be provided officially or by another hacker so I did a bit of research. I managed to hack the AdobeViewer.app from my pb360 (version 14.2) with a hex editor. It allows a user accessible userstyle1.css file to have your own fonts, margins, etc with the AdobeViewer.app (ie for DRM'd epubs to include library epubs without having to remove the DRM). Many thanks go to those who ported poterm for the pocketbook so I could actually get the orginal file, and to others who have hacked the sony readers that gave me the idea. You can get my hacked version here: http://drop.io/pb360ade Unzip the file and put the AdobeViewer.app file into "system/bin" directory on your pb360. The userstyle1.css file goes into the top directory of your pb360. Not where I would have wanted it but exact number of characters dictated it. Be sure to modify userstyle1.css to pick up your own fonts in the system/fonts directory (and change margins, alignment, etc to your preference). You may need to do some research for everything you can actually control with the stylesheet. Hopefully this benefits others.... but it comes with no guarantees. Use at your own risk, etc, etc (but I only changed the location of the stylesheet). Let me know if any problems downloading it. Don't forget to select AdobeViewer instead of fbreader if you changed the default. Last edited by tselling; 05-19-2010 at 07:17 PM.

05-20-2010, 09:15 AM	#7
fjtorres Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,327 Karma: 34035087 Join Date: May 2009 Location: 26 kly from Sgr A* Device: PRS-T1, KT, PB701/IQ, K2, PB360, BeBook One, Axim51v, TC1000	Out of curiosity; could you do the same process work on the 15.1 adobe viewer? Not presuming to ask, just wondering if the process is limited to the older version. Last edited by fjtorres; 05-20-2010 at 09:22 AM.

05-20-2010, 11:42 AM	#11
jackie_w Wizard Posts: 2,094 Karma: 3332928 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: UK Device: Sony PRS-350/650/T1, PB360, KoboGlo, KoboAuraHD	Seems I was celebrating too soon. I also am having problems. It seemed to work fine with my test file. However when I tried opening a couple of different epubs it opened my test file again. None of these epubs are commercial so DRM isn't an issue. Also, FYI, I couldn't get it to work at all if I renamed it to ADE2.app in system/bin and changed extensions.cfg Last edited by jackie_w; 05-20-2010 at 11:44 AM.

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05-19-2010, 08:47 PM	#4
tselling Addict Posts: 366 Karma: 510 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: NookColor (MiRage/CM7.2 & Moon+ Reader Pro)	The css file will not help for PDF files, only epubs (at least as far as I know).... but AdobeViewer.app should still open it. Make sure that the stylesheet file is named correctly and in the right place. It should be "userStyle1.css" and should be in the very top directory on your reader (not on the sdhc card). Likewise make sure you have the correct fonts on your reader in the /system/fonts directory on your reader (not the sdhc card) that are referenced in userStyle1.css.

05-20-2010, 03:08 AM	#5
kacir Wizard Posts: 2,554 Karma: 2601959 Join Date: May 2006 Device: PocketBook 360, before it was Sony Reader, cassiopeia A-20	Fantastic. I do not read epubs in adobeviewer, but for people that read DRM protected epubs this is a godsend. Thank you very much.

05-20-2010, 10:05 AM	#9
jackie_w Wizard Posts: 2,094 Karma: 3332928 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: UK Device: Sony PRS-350/650/T1, PB360, KoboGlo, KoboAuraHD	You have made my day, tselling, thank you so much! I have been happily using this facility on my hacked Sony. Now - how about adding a new tiny app, as has been successfully done in the Sony hack. We could keep a bunch of our personal CSS files in a special system directory (e.g. system/css). The app would present us with a menu of those files and when one was selected it would be copied into the root directory as the special file "userStyle1.css". I know one could do this manually (using poterm or connecting to the PC) but an app would be so much more convenient. This would "put the cherry on the top" and I feel sure someone of your skill and ability would enjoy bringing joy to so many (well me, at least)

05-20-2010, 03:04 PM	#13
fjtorres Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,327 Karma: 34035087 Join Date: May 2009 Location: 26 kly from Sgr A* Device: PRS-T1, KT, PB701/IQ, K2, PB360, BeBook One, Axim51v, TC1000	I'm using 15.1, yes. I installed it and got a couple crashes and was ready to go back to 14.2 when the word got out that a fix (15.2?) was due real.soon.now. So I waited... Still... ...waiting... I get about a crash/hang a week. Which is...almost tolerable... but only because my first eink reader was/is a BeBook. So I'm used to regular crashes. Compared to the BeBook, 15.1 is a rock of stability. Compared to 14.2? Not quite. I can see how it got out of Beta, though... Everytime I get one I think about going back to 14.2 but since it means a full recharge first, I put it off... Anyway, I live in 15.1 but I don't use ADE much. I tried the new sizes and they're well-chosen but you can't get rid of the side numbers or the status bar, much less both as I prefer. And since there's no way in... heck... I'm going to reward Adobe for hijacking epub I don't buy Adobe-drm'ed ebooks and I have no real need for ADE except when reading Calibre-captured magazines which are slavishly formatted for ADE's quirks and interpretations of the spec. YMMV.

05-20-2010, 09:58 PM	#15
jackie_w Wizard Posts: 2,094 Karma: 3332928 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: UK Device: Sony PRS-350/650/T1, PB360, KoboGlo, KoboAuraHD	Thank you for responding. I have re-downloaded and tried a couple of my epubs with your fonts and CSS. That seemed to go OK. So I have now updated to my fonts and CSS. So far so good. I will see what happens tomorrow with more extended use. Now I'm really confused, but keeping my fingers crossed. After the testing earlier today I had a further complication when my reader suddenly became unreadable by the PC and I had to reformat it all. I wondered whether the hacking had caused the problem. Now I'm wondering whether it was the other way round and the internal memory was already in trouble when I started to test your hack. Only time will tell.


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