Multiple auto file name generation w/ PDFWriter?
Kit
I've read through all the archived posts I can find on this subject,
yet I still need some help.
I have modified my pdfwriter.ini file (modifying the win.ini file did
nothing) so that the 'Save As' dialog box for the Acrobat PDFWriter is
suppressed. This works great, however it doesn't accomplish everything
I need - I want to be able to batch print dozens of reports at one
time and have it choose new names each time it automatically saves the
PDF file. I thought I should be able to do this using a format such
as:
PDFFileName=janreport*.pdf
However, this gives me the error:
Acrobat PDFWriter Error: Unable to create output file, job canceled.
If I change it back to:
PDFFileName=janreport.pdf
...it works fine, only that doesn't help me print out all these
reports to PDF. :) Basically I need to convert a few hundred invoice
reports from Access into PDF files which will then be burned to an
archive CD. I just want to avoid having to manually name each file.
I've read through the pdfwapi file on the Adobe site, as well as done
some searching there and on the web. I did find this one site:
http://www.zeon.com.tw/pdfdrive/pdfname.htm
That told me to use the *.* format, but that didn't work for me. Can
anyone suggest how I might accomplish this goal? I am using Acrobat
version 3.02 on Windows 98ME. I doubt it makes a difference, but I'm
also using Access 97.
Thanks in advance!
Kit
--
k...@forevervain.com
webcam: http://www.forevervain.com
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,
But Vanity is a gift you give yourself." -Steve
Matti Vuori
> (...)
> I thought I should be able to do this using a format such
> as:
>
> PDFFileName=janreport*.pdf
>
> However, this gives me the error:
>
> Acrobat PDFWriter Error: Unable to create output file, job canceled.
> I've read through the pdfwapi file on the Adobe site, as well as done
> some searching there and on the web. I did find this one site:
>
> http://www.zeon.com.tw/pdfdrive/pdfname.htm
>
> That told me to use the *.* format, but that didn't work for me.
That page seems to be documenting DocuCom PDF Driver, not Adobe's PDF
Writer.
Matti Vuori
Kit
wrote:
>That page seems to be documenting DocuCom PDF Driver, not Adobe's PDF
>Writer.
Oops. That explains why the wildcads wouldn't work. Is there any other
way to do this, however?
Justin Holland
I hope I am not boring you with this question but it seems to me that
writting full PDF files to archive is too hard and inflexible. Why
don't you create PDF forms and archive only FDF's?
Assuming that your form/s are consistent. FDF data files can be easily
written and named accordingly using basic scripting skills. Another
advantage of the FDF is that data can be easily presented in
alternative formats at a later date if desired or imported to another
database, reporting system or even delivered via dynamic web pages.
This is much easier than trying to extract this data from PDF's. The
appropriate PDF from can be stored in the directory with the relevant
FDF files or the alternate location of the PDF form can set in the FDF
file.
Justin Holland
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Roy Walter
pathname is the full path for your PDF file. It's also a good idea to reset
the ini flags when you're done.
--
Roy Walter
Brook House Limited
http://www.brookhouse.co.uk
Kit <k...@forevervain.com> wrote in message
news:CDD3791179E7FB6E.FCB5B4A4...@lp.airnews.net...
Dan Sideen
me. IF you can create a pdf file with a known file name, you should be able
to (depending on the application) use a batch file of VB Script
If your application supports command line printing, do something like this:
myapp {filetoprint} /p (or whatever switch you need to automatically print
rename {fixed pdf file name} {filetoprint.pdf}
Use the FOR command to do all files in a directory.
Using VB Script, you would have your application load the file, print it,
and then rename the fixed output file
"Kit" <k...@forevervain.com> wrote in message
news:CDD3791179E7FB6E.FCB5B4A4...@lp.airnews.net...
Aandi Inston
>If you figured out a way to suppress the dialog box, you're away ahead of
>me.
PDFWriter API has this information.
> IF you can create a pdf file with a known file name, you should be able
>to (depending on the application) use a batch file of VB Script
>
>If your application supports command line printing, do something like this:
>
>myapp {filetoprint} /p (or whatever switch you need to automatically print
>rename {fixed pdf file name} {filetoprint.pdf}
Command lines should be dead and gone in Windows.
It would be better to look at the problem like this:
If the application supports right-click printing via the context menu,
you can use ShellExecute from the Windows API to send the print verb
for a particular file. You don't have to know where the application is
installed or how to run it; only the name of the document.
----------------------------------------
Aandi Inston qu...@dial.pipex.com http://www.quite.com
Please support usenet! Post replies and follow-ups, don't e-mail them.
Roy Walter
supress the Save As dialog you need to set the following flag in the
PDFWriter ini file:
PDFFileName=namethis.pdf
This suppresses the Save As dialog. Note that the dialog remain suppressed
until you clear this ini value. Note also that the pdfwriter ini file
differs depending on the Windows version.
--
Roy Walter
Brook House Limited
http://www.brookhouse.co.uk
Dan Sideen <dans...@home.com> wrote in message
news:S_p96.314224$_5.70...@news4.rdc1.on.home.com...
Kit
wrote:
>"Dan Sideen" <dans...@home.com> wrote:
>
>>If you figured out a way to suppress the dialog box, you're away ahead of
>>me.
>
>PDFWriter API has this information.
I was able to suppress it for ONE file at a time using the
instructions from the API. The problem was I needed to be able to
batch print hundreds of reports to PDF and I wanted it to go through
all of them without asking me for names.
I never did figure out how to do it with PDFWriter itself; and I
needed this rather quickly so I couldn't go the programming route
given than I had no clue even where to start.
What I ended up doing was purchasing the PDFWriter driver offered by
Docucom (http://www.zeon.com.tw/pdfdrive.htm). That allows me to
configure the INI file such that I could put in a standard report name
*plus* an asterisk, giving me successive names such as:
janreport1.pdf
janreport2.pdf
janreport3.pdf
.
.
.
janreport(n).pdf
...and so on and so on. The number appears wherever you put the
asterisk.
Just thought I'd share my solution. Thanks for all the suggestions!