Using annotation tools

Quick reference for all annotation tools, menu options, and PDF viewer controls available in the PDF annotation editor on iOS devices.

Toolbar options

The following options are available in the annotation editor.

Back

It returns you to the previous screen or your file list without closing the app.

Menu

Use Save or Exit without Saving options to help ensure your changes are preserved or intentionally discarded.

Search

Finds specific words or phrases in the PDF. Enter a search term in the search field to highlight matching results throughout the document. Use the forward and backward navigation arrows to move between search results.

The following search options refine your search results:

Match case: When enabled, the search distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase letters. For example, searching for "PDF" returns only "PDF" and not "pdf" or "Pdf".
Whole words only: When enabled, the search returns only complete word matches. For example, searching for "page" returns only "page" and not "pages" or "pageview".

Presentation mode

Displays the PDF in full screen. Use this mode when you want to present or read without the annotation tools.

View options

Changes how the PDF appears on your screen. You can switch between page layouts, fit-to-screen modes, or scrolling views.

More options (three dots icon)

Annotation
Open the Annotation types menu. Select an annotation tool from list and tap the PDF to apply the annotation. For more information, see Annotation types.
Show Annotation
Toggles annotation visibility. When disabled, annotations are hidden but not deleted.

Menu options

Note: The following menu options are applicable to the new PDF workflow. The other options Edit and Secure are visible in menu list but not applicable.

Home: Opens the page navigation options, annotation, bookmarks, and reading options. For more information, see Home menu options.
Annotation: Opens the annotation toolbar with annotation list such as drawing, highlighting, and commenting tool and others. For more information, see Annotation types.
Presentation: Opens the presentation options to start presentation mode from the beginning or current page. For more information, see Presentation mode.

Home menu options

The following options are available from the Home tab in the annotation editor.

View Continuous Page: Scrolls continuously through all pages in the document.
One Page: Displays one page at a time.
Page Width: Fits the page width to the screen width.
Bookmark: Adds a bookmark to the current page, or opens the bookmark list if bookmarks exist.
Annotation List: Opens a consolidated list of all annotations and comments in the document.
Go to Page: Opens a field where you enter a page number to go directly to that page.
Read Text: Reads the PDF content aloud by using text-to-speech. Select Read All to read from the beginning, or Read From Here to read from the current page.

Annotation types

IBM MaaS360 provides the following annotation types in the full-screen annotation editor:

Freehand tool: Draws freehand lines or marks on the PDF. Use this tool to underline, circle, or highlight content.
Emphasis (highlight): Highlights selected text with a color overlay to draw attention to important content.
Select tool: Selects and moves existing annotations. Use this tool to reposition drawings.
Comments tool: Adds a comment marker to the PDF. Tap anywhere on the page to place the marker and enter your text note. Attaches a sticky-note style comment to a specific location or selected text on the page. Comments are listed separately in the annotation list.
Select all: Selects every annotation on the current page. Use this option to move, edit, or delete multiple annotations at the same time.
Underline: Draws a line beneath the selected text to indicate its significance.
Strikethrough: Draws a line through selected text to indicate deletion or removal.
Pencil (freehand drawing): Draws freehand lines on the PDF page. You can select the line color from the color palette.
Rectangle: Draws a rectangular shape on the page to highlight or frame a region.
Oval: Draws an oval or circular shape on the page.
Arrow: Draws an arrow line on the page.
Line: Draws a straight line on the page.
Text box: Inserts a text box on the page where you can type notes. You can select the font size and color.
Eraser: Removes annotations from the page. Tap Eraser, then tap a specific annotation to delete it, or tap Erase all to remove all annotations from the PDF.

Presentation mode

Presentation mode displays the PDF in full screen without the standard navigation interface. This mode is designed for presenting documents or reviewing content without distractions.

Note: Annotations that are created during the presentation are automatically saved to the PDF document. To remove annotations, use the eraser tool.

To start presentation mode, select one of the following options from the Presentation menu.

From Beginning: Starts the presentation from the first page of the document.
From Current Page: Starts the presentation from the page that you are viewing.

The following annotation tools are available during presentation mode and a color palette opens with the Freehand drawing and Highlighter.

Freehand drawing tool: Draws freehand annotations directly on the presentation slides. Tap the pen icon to activate the tool, then draw on the slide to highlight key points. You can also select a color from the color palette.
Highlighter tool: Highlights content on the presentation slides with a semi-transparent color overlay. Tap the highlighter icon to activate the tool. You can also select a color from the color palette.
Eraser tool: Removes annotations from the current slide. Tap the eraser icon, then tap individual annotations to delete them. The eraser removes both freehand drawings and highlights.
Laser pointer: Use the laser pointer to draw attention to specific areas of the page during a presentation.