How to change the hit highlight color in PDF files

Last Reviewed: September 8, 2004

Article: DTS0182

Applies to: dtSearch Desktop 6, dtSearch Web 6

dtSearch uses Adobe Reader to highlight hits in PDF files, and Adobe Reader does not provide an option to change the highlight color. Instead, it always uses the highlight color you have set up in Windows (in Adobe Reader 5) or white-on-black (in Adobe Reader 6).

To change the option in Windows, which will affect Adobe Reader 5 only (not Adobe Reader 6):

1.  Click Start > Settings > Control Panel > Display

2.  Click the "Appearance" tab.  

3.  In Windows XP, click "Advanced" to access the settings for specific items.

4.  Change the color setting for "Selected Items".

The default color setting for Selected Items is white-on-blue.  This is the color used to highlight the selected item in menus and other lists in Windows.  If you change it to black-on-yellow, Adobe Reader will show highlights in yellow. (And from then on your Windows menus and list boxes will use yellow highlights as well.)

dtSearch Web

When a user searches PDF files in dtSearch Web, the user's own Windows color settings will determine how hits are highlighted.  Therefore, there is no way for the web site to change this setting.  Instead, each user can follow the procedure above to change the hit highlight color.