Re: Save as PDF script step doesn't work from runtime


Guy, XPS is an alternative. However, it is limited to WinXP, Server
2003, and Vista. The latest service pack for the OS must be installed
before XPS. And it also requires MS Core XML Services 6.0 be
installed first.

That may be fine in an organization's controlled (well, relatively
controlled) computer environment, with standardized OS, etc. But it
wouldn't be suitable for distribution in unknown systems (home
systems). So, for my particular use, doPDF will have to do (and seems
to do quite well).

XPS would be handy in a different situation or in shops that have an
all-Microsoft policy and would not want third-party utilities.

Thank you for the suggestion.




On Mon, 7 Jul 2008 10:14:29 -0400, "Guy" <guy@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

goto

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/xps/viewxps.mspx

Download the English (US) Microsoft XPS Essentials Pack

for the xps stuff.

Guy
"Guy" <guy@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:g_GdnW7eTqEMvO_VnZ2dnUVZ_o_inZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ONE OTHER APPROACH...

Windows has it's own portable docuement format called XPS... it is a
pseudo printer that converts to a format opened by a browser but is
completely formatted. goto microsoft for the details and download. It
does require a free download.

Guy

"Nelson" <noreply@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:fg63741ufqmnog6ebd7r7rfs4ornr10nqp@xxxxxxxxxx
Here's the follow-up and the solution adopted to get a FileMaker
runtime program to save output as PDF files.

Criteria: The solution must be easy, flexible, and free. (1) It must
be easy to use -- preferably completely transparent to end users. They
should be able to simply select PDF and send output to a file. (2) It
must be easy to implement and include in my installation package.
(Learning one complex system this year is quite enough thank you.) (3)
it must be easy on end-users' computers (of unknown types and software
environments), making no significant changes that might impact their
systems. (4) It must be free. It would make no sense to distribute a
free utility to the small, charitable and volunteer groups I help if
there are fees and (often onerous) licensing requirements and copying
restrictions connected to one small aspect of the package.


Two approaches were considered:

(1) Forego FileMaker's output formatting functions for PDFs. From FM,
find the records that meet some criteria, sort them as appropriate,
and save them in Excel format or even to a CSV or tab-delimited file.
Then write a separate program that will take that file and format its
data in many specific ways to re-create the Preview Layout. This
approach is not a feasible or pleasant prospect.

(2) Use a virtual printer to grab output, convert it to PDF format,
and save it to disk. Apparently, many others have travelled this road
already. There is an abundance of PDF converters that will install a
printer driver and save output from almost any application, including
the major ones, to PDF files. And some of these are free. Much
better.

Five of these were considered, applying the criteria above.


FreePDF XP 3.24 (7-2007) Free

FreePDF doesn't create PDF files itself. Rather, it sends Postscript
output to a separate PDF converter. "This Postscript File will be
converted to PDF by GhostScript (a separate product). Requirements:
Windows 2000, XP or Server 2003 (This means it won't work if end users
have Windows 98 or Me.). It also requires "The Windows Driver Library
"Driver.cab" Further, it requires and will install something called
"Redmon." It also installs monitoring software: "The FreePDF XP
Assistant (fpAssist.exe) must be started at User-login." It's not
considerate to install a polling loop to eat up users' CPU cycles for
an infrequently needed function. Perhaps the best thing to say about
FreePDF is that it's free.


CutePDF Writer 2.7 (3-5-2008) Free

Like the others of this type, CutePDF will work with almost any app
that can send output to a printer. Like FreePDF, CutePDF does not
create PDF files. It reuires a PS2PDF converter such as Ghostscript,
but it prefers to take you to their web site where you can have the
wonderful opportunity to buy their "professional" product. It runs on
Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000/NT/XP/Vista. If you look inside the package,
you'll find many advertising files for various products. Ugh.


PrimoPDF 4.0.2 Free

The free version runs on Windows 98/Me/2000/NT/XP/Vista. The Pro
version requires Windows 2000/XP/Vista. It also requires Microsoft
.NET 2.0 Framework, which it can download and install along with
Windows Installer 3.1. Considering the unknown state of end user
machines, I looked at this no further.


Ghostscript 8.60 PDF converter (8-2007) Free

This converts files to PDF and can display them on screen or save them
to disk. It can be used as a standalone program (Interactive Mode),
or it can be called from other applications, which is what many of the
above do. Ghostscript is not for the faint of heart (or time). It
has a seemingly endless list of settings and options, and it has its
own syntax to go along with them. It may work well, but for casual
use in a small part of a simple program, its complexity exceeds its
value.


...and the winner is:


doPDF 6.0.265 (6-26-2008) Free

What a pleasure -- Simple, free, and entirely self contained. It too
works with almost all application programs that can send data to a
printer. It does not require Adobe Acrobat or GhostScript or any
other converter to be installed to generate the PDF file. It has no
poller but just responds when data is sent to its virtual printer. It
runs on Windows 2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista, but not on 98/Me. To save
PDF output in FileMaker runtime, all you have to do is select the
virtual printer instead of a physical (local or network) printer.
Easy.

Testing it in a few ways (FM 85A, WinXP-SP2), doPDF always saved FM
output in PDF format just as it would have printed. doPDF always
created PDF files that were identical to FileMaker's Preview Mode
display. Indeed its output is closer to FM's printed output than FM's
built-in Save As PDF function, which has some differences (including
pagination and consequent number of pages) between the Save As PDF
results and printed results.






.

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