multiple PDF files
Printed From: www.exp-systems.com
Category: PDF reDirect
Forum Name: Programming
Forum Discription: VBA and Batch Tools to control PDF reDirect Pro
URL: http://www.exp-systems.com/Forum_exp/forum_posts.asp?TID=310
Printed Date: 22 Nov 24 at 6:31PM
Topic: multiple PDF files
Posted By: Stephen Fuld
Subject: multiple PDF files
Date Posted: 13 Mar 07 at 2:16PM
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I developed an application for a friend that creates completion certificates for classes her company gives. The application consists of Microsoft Word templates (one per course) with simple VBA macros to add required information, print copies for the customer, and save a copy under a file name that reflects the customer name, the course and the date. This all works fine. She now wants to save the copies as PDF files rather than Word documents. I installed the free version of PDF Direct and added code to the macro to print a copy to the PDF Direct printer. That worked with the first certificate, when I created a second certificate (new document in Word) without closing PDF Direct, the document never made t to PDF Direct. So, several questions: 1. Do I need the batch printer feature of the pro version to do this? 2. Will the pro version eliminate the need to click save in order to save the file? 3. A question only marginally unrelated to PDF Direct, but perhaps you could help. Since PDF direct will create the saved version, I no longer need the .doc version. However I seem to need to have the macro save it using "save as" in order to get the document renamed so PDF Direct can save it. Is there some way to get the document name and path to save it to DPF Direct without using the Save As method? If I have to, I can use save as, but when I try to kill the .doc version after saving the PDF version, Word won't allow me to kill it, even after I have closed the currently active document. How can I make fix this to make this simpler for my customer? |
Replies:
Posted By: Michel_K17
Date Posted: 14 Mar 07 at 12:45AM
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Hi, Lots of questions!  I am a bit surprised that the follow-on print files did not appear in the PDF reDirect Merge list: they should have. You might want to double-check your code. PDF reDirect Professional will give you quite a few advantages with respect to customizing your VBA code and automating the entire process. Apart from PDF reDirect Pro, you will also want the automation tool which is an ActiveX component with a whole slew of commands that will allow to set the output filename for example as well as fully automating the process (no clicks required by the user). Also (bonus), the ActivweX component comes with sample code including a sample MS Word document and code to get you started. You will want the latest "beta" version of PDF reDirect Pro and of the component which has all the goodies. It is described in details in the forum [ http://www.exp-systems.com/Forum_exp/forum_posts.asp?TID=51&FID=7&PR=3 - here ] and also includes the links to the downloads too. I hope that will address all of your questions. ------------- Michel Korwin-Szymanowski EXP Systems LLC |
Posted By: Stephen Fuld
Date Posted: 15 Mar 07 at 1:28PM
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Thanks for the reply. I will start playing with the active X control. It seems like it does exactly what I need. As for the problem with the free version, I duplicated it with no programming, just printing documents with Word. Perhaps I have misunderstood what it is supposed to do, but this is what I did. Create a new document (Document1). Put some text into it (I used a line of "a"s. Print it to PDFreDirect. The program starts up with the document listed and Document1 in the file field. Save it. but leave PDFreDirect open. Create a new document in Word (Document2) Put some text in to ("B"s) Print it to PDFreDirect. While there are now two documents in the merge screen, the file name is still lists Document1. If I then change the name in the file window to Document2 and save it, I get another copy of Document1, (i.e. "a"s) but with the name Document2. I expected that when I sent a second document to PDFreDirect, that the file name would change or at least that I could save the second document. Am I misunderstanding something? |
Posted By: Michel_K17
Date Posted: 15 Mar 07 at 8:30PM
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Hi Stephen, OK, I understand your explanation. What you are descibing is a limitation in PDF reDirect. Currently, when a new document is printed, I pass the name of the document via the command line. However, once it is running, the name of the document is not passed. What I need to do is to either setup an inter-app communication or to send a "message" to PDF reDirect so that it knows what the latest document is called. I have added that to my "todo list" for a future release. Thank you for the explanation. ------------- Michel Korwin-Szymanowski EXP Systems LLC |
Posted By: Stephen Fuld
Date Posted: 15 Mar 07 at 9:25PM
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Sounds good! I'm just glad it wasn't me! As I am moving to the active X control at your suggestion, I am not in a hurry for a fix. |