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Start here
Overview
Getting started
The workspace
Working with PDFs
Reading and navigating
Annotating
Comments
Organizing pages
Fill and sign
Saving and exporting
Keyboard shortcuts
Reference
Privacy and limitations
Troubleshooting
Developing
Building
Architecture
Workspace format
Porting notes
Testing
Releasing
Contributing
Elyra
Elyra
Refr
Getting started

Getting started

Requirements

  • A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later)
  • macOS 13 Ventura or later

Install

  1. Download Refr-<version>-arm64.dmg from Releases.
  2. Open the disk image and drag Refr to Applications.
  3. Open Refr from Applications or Spotlight.

Refr is signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it opens without a Gatekeeper warning. To build it yourself, see Building from source.

The first launch

When you start Refr without a file, it opens a six-page sample report, so you can try the tools right away. Nothing you do to the sample affects anything on disk.

If Refr quit with unsaved changes last time, it asks Restore unsaved changes? Choose Restore to open them in a new tab, or Discard to delete the recovery copy. See The recovery copy.

Opening files

Refr opens PDF files (.pdf) and Refr/PdfSpace workspaces (.pdfspace). You can open a file in any of these ways:

  • Press ⌘O, or click + at the right end of the title bar, and pick one or more files.
  • Drag files from Finder onto the Refr window.
  • Pick a file under Recent files in the Home view.
  • In Finder, choose Open With › Refr, or drop a file on Refr's icon in the Dock.
  • From Terminal: open -a Refr report.pdf.

Each file opens in its own tab. Refr keeps up to eight documents open at once, so close one (⌘W) before you open a ninth.

Opening a PDF never changes it. Refr reads the file into memory, and every edit applies to that in-memory copy until you save a workspace or export a new PDF.

The Home view

Click the house icon next to the Refr name, or press ⇧⌘H, to show Home. It has four shortcuts:

Card Does
Open a file Opens a PDF or .pdfspace workspace
Create a PDF Starts a new document with one blank A4 page
Open the sample Opens the sample report in a new tab
Combine files Appends pages from other PDFs to the current document

Below the cards, Recent files lists the last ten files you opened or saved. Files that no longer exist are left out. Press ⇧⌘H again, or click a tab, to go back to your document.

Creating a new PDF

Press ⌘N, choose File › New Blank PDF, or click Create a PDF. The new document has one blank A4 page (595 × 842 pt). Add text, drawings and pages, then export it.

Next steps

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