Article 14 — equality before law
One PDF per page, streamed efficiently
When you upload a PDF, Shelf stores the full file once in cloud storage. The reader uses presigned URLs and HTTP Range requests so PDF.js can fetch only the bytes it needs — you are not waiting for a entire 200 MB file before page one appears.
After the first open, Shelf caches PDF bytes in IndexedDB (LRU, roughly five documents / 80 MB) so reopening the same paper feels instant, even on slower connections.
Article 14 — equality before law
Highlighting and notes
Select text on HTML notes or use the highlight toolbar on PDFs. Pick yellow, green, blue, or pink — colors persist on the page for later revision. Click a highlight to attach a note or remove it.
PDF pen mode supports small, medium, and large stroke sizes with optional auto-straightening for cleaner diagrams and underlines.
Basic Structure doctrine limits Parliament's power to amend the Constitution beyond its core identity.
Kesavananda Bharati (1973) established that certain features cannot be destroyed by amendment.
Explain this highlight
Reading comfort
Night mode inverts page bitmaps for late sessions. Scroll position, zoom, and current PDF page restore when you return — locally and, when signed in, synced to your account so another device picks up where you left off.
- Keyboard shortcuts for page navigation in the reader
- Schedule reading creates a planner task linked back to the page
- Undo for recent PDF page deletes within a session
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Highlights & notes list
Use the list button in the PDF toolbar to browse every mark on the current page — highlighted text, pen strokes, and attached notes. The list loads in the background while you keep reading.
Click any snippet to jump back to that spot in the PDF or HTML document. PDFs scroll to the correct page and position; long lists paginate so heavily annotated papers stay fast.
Article 14 — equality before law
Why highlights matter for Tutor
Highlights are not just cosmetic. When you ask Tutor from the reader panel, selected text becomes context for the answer. Mark the paragraph you care about, open Ask AI, and get an explanation grounded in that exact passage from your upload.
Basic Structure doctrine limits Parliament's power to amend the Constitution beyond its core identity.
Kesavananda Bharati (1973) established that certain features cannot be destroyed by amendment.
Explain this highlight
Parsed text vs original PDF view
Choose parsed mode when you want selectable text, highlights that export cleanly, and Tutor that reads the same words you see. Choose original PDF when the publisher layout — columns, footnotes, scanned diagrams — matters more than copy-paste.
You can switch modes per page without re-uploading. Processing runs asynchronously after upload; the reader shows progress and opens as soon as bytes are available, then enriches when HTML is ready.
Drop your PDF here
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Parsed
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Highlight colors and meaning
Use colors consistently: yellow for definitions, green for case holdings, pink for doubts to revisit. Highlights persist per page and sync with your account — reopen tomorrow and your markup is exactly where you left it.
Selected text powers Ask Tutor (⌘L): the model receives your highlight as primary context, so explanations stay tied to the passage you marked.
Article 14 — equality before law
Pen, eraser, and sketch overlays
On supported pages, draw directly over the document for quick arrows, circles, or handwritten margin notes. Pen mode disables global keyboard shortcuts so keystrokes never jump you out of the reader while you annotate.
Sketch notebooks are separate page types with ruled backgrounds — ideal for diagrams that do not belong on top of a PDF.
Basic Structure doctrine limits Parliament's power to amend the Constitution beyond its core identity.
Kesavananda Bharati (1973) established that certain features cannot be destroyed by amendment.
Explain this highlight
Sidebar, outline, and navigation
Toggle the library sidebar with ⌘B to jump collections without leaving the reader. Arrow keys flip PDF pages; typed page numbers work when you know the exact jump.
Long judgments and textbooks benefit from split view: keep the index or a second PDF open beside the main passage — covered in our workspace article.
Drop your PDF here
Parsed text or original PDF view
Parsed
Highlight & Tutor
Original
View as PDF
Performance and offline reopen
Large PDFs stream with range requests — you do not wait for the full file before page one renders. Reopen uses an IndexedDB byte cache on your device so repeat visits feel instant even on slow networks.
Install Shelf as a PWA for an app-like reader chrome with less browser UI distraction.
Article 14 — equality before law
From reading to revision
Export highlights mentally into Tutor threads: ask for short notes from today's yellow marks, or a mind map linking three cases you highlighted this week.
Link planner tasks to the exact page so Friday's calendar block opens the PDF with highlights already in place — no hunting through folders.
Basic Structure doctrine limits Parliament's power to amend the Constitution beyond its core identity.
Kesavananda Bharati (1973) established that certain features cannot be destroyed by amendment.
Explain this highlight