We have some very complex and detailed reports that Adobe Acrobat cannot
really handle well. We tested the ZEON PDF driver and it works much better
than Acrobat. It costs about $40 per copy and is callable from within the
VFP app. The ZEON website is at http://www.zeon.com.tw
HTH
Hal
Yes,
We do qtys of that now. In particular, we had allot of reports directly
printed to HP laserjet 5si that were in PCL format, printed, packaged,
mailed and sent to customers...
We have now converted all reports to PDF format, and hosted them on a
download page from our web site.. I am doing my part to save a _ton_ of
trees <smile>...
I use PCL2PDF.EXE tool from the following address. I programmatically
control the creation of the reports within a VFP framework - data driven
process. We make about 25 new books/reports a day (each book can be about
500k) with this tool...
Nice thing about this tool - it doesn't care what you pass to it, I have
passed .TXT files and it converts to PDF. Also, certain BMPs will convert to
PCL...
The author: A Mr. Neil Geddes has answered several of my questions, all
within one day - very good service!
Visual Software
Tel: +44 1306 742 425
Fax: +44 20 7691 7007
E-mail: geddes@visual.co.uk
Internet: http://www.visual.co.uk
hth
<MessageFrom>
<Name First="John" Last="Gunvaldson"/>
<Function Title="Database Developer" Group="SQL" Company="DataQuick
Information Systems." />
<Contact Email="jgunvaldson@dataquick.com" Phone="858-597-3278"/>
</MessageFrom>
-----Original Message-----
From: profox@leafe.com [mailto:profox@leafe.com]On Behalf Of Ed Leafe
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2001 11:54 AM
To: Multiple recipients of ProFox
Subject: VFP and Acrobat
Hey guys,
Any of you have any experience creating documents in VFP? We're
currently serving up web pages for users to print, but we'd like to
incorporate Acrobat into the site to be able to send the users PDFs
instead.
___/
/
__/
/
____/
Ed Leafe
Hey guys,
Any of you have any experience creating documents in VFP? We're
currently serving up web pages for users to print, but we'd like to
incorporate Acrobat into the site to be able to send the users PDFs
instead.
___/
/
__/
/
____/
Ed Leafe
Check out http://www.west-wind.com. Rick has info and utilities that do it
that there.
-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Leafe [mailto:ed@leafe.com]
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2001 2:54 PM
To: Multiple recipients of ProFox
Subject: VFP and Acrobat
Hey guys,
Any of you have any experience creating documents in VFP? We're
currently serving up web pages for users to print, but we'd like to
incorporate Acrobat into the site to be able to send the users PDFs
instead.
___/
/
__/
/
____/
Ed Leafe
We invoke Adobe Distiller to create our PDFs at report generation time and
then we post them to our web site for our users to view=2E Here's the procedure
(refer to the pc_Destination=3DFILE section):
PROCEDURE Gen_Report1_3
PARAMETERS pc_RptFile, pc_Destination, pn_NumCopies, pc_FileName
&& This procedure will send the report (via param) to either the screen or
printer (via param)=2E
* pc_RptFile =3D name of =2Efrx
* pc_Destination =3D desired output (Screen or Monitor, Printer, File) *=20=
pn_NumCopies =3D number of loop iterations to print multiple copies (will be 1
for screen!)
* pc_FileName =3D filename output (for PDF output)
* mjb 10-09-00 changed the name of this procedure (added 1_3) because it
stayed resident after this
* exe was done, and another report exe tried to use this paragraph of code
instead
* of the generic gen_report=2Eprg procedure that was included with its exe=2E
* mjb 01-02-01 added DIMENSION statement to fix error in errorlog ("LAPRINTERS
is not an array=2E")
local MyLoop, lnCount, lnNumPrinters, laPrinters, lcCurrentPrinter,
lcPDFPrinter
dimension laPrinters(1)
&& mjb 12-05-00 added code to programatically switch printers instead of
telling user to do it manually
if pc_Destination =3D "File" then
lcCurrentPrinter =3D SET("printer",2)
lnNumPrinters =3D aprinters(laPrinters)
for lnCount =3D 1 to lnNumPrinters
if "DISTILLER" $ upper(laPrinters(lnCount)) then
lcPDFPrinter =3D laPrinters(lnCount)
exit && get out of loop; found printer we're looking for!
endif
endfor
if vartype(lcPDFPrinter) =3D "C" and !empty(lcPDFPrinter) then
set printer to NAME (lcPDFPrinter)
endif
if vartype(oDistiller) <> "O" then && mjb 06-29-01 create only as=20=
necessary
to optimize performance
release oDistiller && get rid of whatever existed
oDistiller =3D createobject("pdfDistiller=2EpdfDistiller=2E1") && Instantiate
Acrobat Distiller
wait clear
endif && instantiate distiller object as necessary
endif
with oFrm=2EcntFileInfo=2ElstFileList
for MyLoop =3D 1 to pn_NumCopies
do case && decide which output
case pc_Destination =3D "Printer"
report form (pc_RptFile) to printer noconsole case pc_Destination =3D=20=
"File"
local JustTheFile && get the filename minus the path
JustTheFile =3D justfname(pc_FileName) &&
substr(pc_FileName,rat("",pc_FileName)+1)
JustTheTime =3D ttoc(datetime(),2)
=2EAddItem(JustTheTime + " " + JustTheFile)
report form (pc_RptFile) noconsole to file (evaluate('"' + pc_FileName +
'"'))
set printer to NAME (lcCurrentPrinter) && mjb 12-05-00
oDistiller=2EFileToPDF((pc_FileName),"","")
wait clear && clear out wait wind if going to file
otherwise
KEYBOARD '{CTRL-F10}' PLAIN && -- Force preview into maximized window =20=
report form (pc_RptFile) to printer noconsole preview
exit && don't loop for preview!!!
endcase && decide which output
endfor
endwith
ENDPROC && Gen_Report1_3
HTH,
Michael J=2E Babcock MCP
KePRO
777 East Park Drive
PO Box 8310
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8310
mbabcock@kepro=2Eorg
>>> "ed@leafe=2Ecom" 08/17/01 03:03PM >>>
Hey guys,
Any of you have any experience creating documents in VFP? We're currently
serving up web pages for users to print, but we'd like to incorporate Acrobat
into the site to be able to send the users PDFs instead=2E
Hi Ed,
there's the original Acrobat PDFWRITER. It's acting like any other
printerdriver. Only problem is, that the outputfilename is set via an INI
value. This is of no problem with standard Desktop apps, but at a Webserver
it could happen that two or more instances are trying to generate a PDF,
overwriting each others INI values. Either you put some sort of
semaphore-locking around your printing (Rick Strahl has a Adobe-Wrapper
class for download), or revert to the AMUNI PDFwriter, which has a regular
COM Object interface and even a FLL for further control (and VFP examples).
See their ads in FPA or http://amyuni.com/pdfpd.htm#pdfconvdesc
Servus
wOOdy
|_/| ---- ProLib - programmers liberty -----
(.. ) Our 5 MVPs make the Fox run... See us
- / at www.prolib.de or www.AFPages.com
-----Original Message-----
From: profox@leafe.com [mailto:profox@leafe.com]On Behalf Of Ed Leafe
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2001 8:54 PM
To: Multiple recipients of ProFox
Subject: VFP and Acrobat
Hey guys,
Any of you have any experience creating documents in VFP? We're
currently serving up web pages for users to print, but we'd like to
incorporate Acrobat into the site to be able to send the users PDFs
instead.
___/
/
__/
/
____/
Ed Leafe
You can download wwPDF visual class from www.westwind.com. It's really easy to use. But there may be some problems relating COM object if you want your web server create PDF file on the fly and return it to your users (user's browser). For other purpos
Hope this helps.
PhuTri
-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Leafe [mailto:ed@leafe.com]
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2001 11:54 AM
To: Multiple recipients of ProFox
Subject: VFP and Acrobat
Hey guys,
Any of you have any experience creating documents in VFP? We're
currently serving up web pages for users to print, but we'd like to
incorporate Acrobat into the site to be able to send the users PDFs
instead.
___/
/
__/
/
____/
Ed Leafe
What is the price of that tool (PCL2PDF.EXE)?
Right now, we're using ActivePDF Server. It's quite expensive, and it will
only install on Windows NT, or 2000. To use it, you have to instantiate it
as an object (aka OCX). So, we're not sure if some other machine could make
use of the software from across a LAN. Right now, for our purposes it's no
big deal - we have a VFP app that can act as the print server which is
installed on an NT box (but was there something about instantiating objects
over-the-wire - DCOM?)
In any event, ActivePDF Server looks to be very easy to use, and can be
easily controlled programmatically (as with our 'VFP print server app').
But if there is a cheaper and easier way to get to PDF, I'd love to hear
it. A couple questions are, 1) can the software be controlled via program
code (e.g. setting the output file, tell it to append vice overwrite, and
so on), 2) does it install on Win98, and 3) what are the licensing costs
(and is there some mass-distribution deal).
TIA,
-Charlie
>Yes,
>
>We do qtys of that now. In particular, we had allot of reports directly
>printed to HP laserjet 5si that were in PCL format, printed, packaged,
>mailed and sent to customers...
>
>We have now converted all reports to PDF format, and hosted them on a
>download page from our web site.. I am doing my part to save a _ton_ of
>trees <smile>...
>
>I use PCL2PDF.EXE tool from the following address. I programmatically
>control the creation of the reports within a VFP framework - data driven
>process. We make about 25 new books/reports a day (each book can be about
>500k) with this tool...
>
>Nice thing about this tool - it doesn't care what you pass to it, I have
>passed .TXT files and it converts to PDF. Also, certain BMPs will convert to
>PCL...
>
>The author: A Mr. Neil Geddes has answered several of my questions, all
>within one day - very good service!
Here are a few solutions which are inexpensive, which I am currently
looking at.
http://www.daneprairie.com/id32.htm I have used it, quite easy to work
with.
also, for a somewhat complete collection try here.
www.pdfzone.com
This Solution is the one that sounds most interesting to me. Maybe because
its free.
http://www.fytek.com/text2pdf.html
Bob Lee
<snip>
> What is the price of that tool (PCL2PDF.EXE)?
> But if there is a cheaper and easier way to get to PDF, I'd love to hear
> it. A couple questions are, 1) can the software be controlled via program
> code (e.g. setting the output file, tell it to append vice overwrite, and
> so on), 2) does it install on Win98, and 3) what are the licensing costs
> (and is there some mass-distribution deal).
>
> TIA,
> -Charlie
>
>
> >Yes,
> >
Hi Charlie,
http://www.visual.co.uk/Order.html
Pcl2Pdf from Visual is priced at: $345.00 for dos, Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000
Friday, I was successfull adding pcl soft fonts prepended directly into the
pcl source code - and then created pdf files - this process was directly
supported by VFPs excellent string functions, in as much as I was able to
take large pcl files, have vfp search for a particular hp escape sequence -
and replace it with my soft font escape identifier - very, very fast!
hth
John C. Gunvaldson, CNE, MCP
Database Developer
SQL Server
Visual FoxPro
www.dataquick.com
-----Original Message-----
From: profox@leafe.com [mailto:profox@leafe.com]On Behalf Of Charlie
Coleman
Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2001 1:48 PM
To: Multiple recipients of ProFox
Subject: RE: VFP and Acrobat
What is the price of that tool (PCL2PDF.EXE)?
Right now, we're using ActivePDF Server. It's quite expensive, and it will
only install on Windows NT, or 2000. To use it, you have to instantiate it
as an object (aka OCX). So, we're not sure if some other machine could make
use of the software from across a LAN. Right now, for our purposes it's no
big deal - we have a VFP app that can act as the print server which is
installed on an NT box (but was there something about instantiating objects
over-the-wire - DCOM?)
In any event, ActivePDF Server looks to be very easy to use, and can be
easily controlled programmatically (as with our 'VFP print server app').
But if there is a cheaper and easier way to get to PDF, I'd love to hear
it. A couple questions are, 1) can the software be controlled via program
code (e.g. setting the output file, tell it to append vice overwrite, and
so on), 2) does it install on Win98, and 3) what are the licensing costs
(and is there some mass-distribution deal).
TIA,
-Charlie
<< snipped >>