pdfopen / pdfclose don't work with Acrobat/Adobe Reader XI

The name of the DDE server for version Adobe Reader XI (i.e. version 11) must be AcroViewR11, cf. Big Changes in the DDE Naming Convention for Acrobat X. According to the error message you still use acroview.

In the blog entry you can also read, that for Adobe Acrobat XI the DDE server would be AcroViewA11.

For those of you that are still using the Adobe Reader as a previewer with WinEdt 7 (rather than the more suitable application for this task: SumatraPDF) and are considering upgrading to AR 11 here is what you should know.

The AR 11 installer "forgets" to update the registry with the new DDE Service (in fact it puts old AcroViewR10). Consequently WinEdt will not be able to perform forward search or close the file that is being locked by AR before it is recompiled. You can read more about it on:

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4792194

or google for more (it affects all applications that rely on DDE service with Adobe)...

A solution (if you still insist on using AR): In WinEdt start Options Interface. In Advanced branch open PDF Macros and double-click on Adobe Blues. At the end you will find something like:

// If you must manually modify any of these variables do it here:
//
// Assign(!"PDF-Caption",!"Adobe Reader");
// Assign(!"Acro-DDE_Topic",!"Control");
// Assign(!"Acro-DDE_Service",!"AcroviewR11");

Remove the comment in the last line and execute the macro (Ctrl+F9). If you have full Acrobat (rather than a free reader) then the service is probably AcroviewA11 or else just Acroview for Acrobat Pro (try a few values until it works for your version).

And remember these instructions for the next Adobe version...

I just tested it with WinEdt 7.0. It runs without changes after the installation of Reader XI.

I do not know the menu of WinEdt 5.5, but under WinEdt 7.0 you can choose Options -> Execution Modes-> PDF Viewer. There you can add 4 different pdf viewers. Choose one and search the path for your Acrobat reader. Activate it with clicking on Alternative Reader x and Apply. Afterwards I was able to display a pdf file with Acrobat Reader XI.