pdfLaTeX hyperref external PDF named destination interoperability across viewers
27.5K reputation · 07 Aug 2020, 20:14 UTC
Goal: Verify that a link created with \href{target.pdf#nameddest}{text} in a pdfLaTeX document reliably jumps to the named destination in the target PDF when opened in various PDF viewers.
Constraints: The behavior depends on the PDF version emitted by pdfLaTeX (default 1.5), the hyperref option hypertexnames, and how each viewer interprets /Dest entries versus the /Names tree. Some viewers honor the named destination, others default to the first page or treat the string as a page number.
Uncertainty: It is unclear which combination of hyperref settings and target-PDF generation yields consistent navigation across Adobe Acrobat Reader, Okular, Evince, and macOS Preview without requiring page-number fallbacks.
Which hyperref configuration (hypertexnames true/false) and PDF version produce the most portable named-destination links? Do any viewers require the destination to be stored in the /Names tree instead of /Dest entries? Is there a reliable way to test link behavior without relying on explicit page numbers?
