Javier, James, Karen, Dennis:
Thanks very much for your inputs. I’m just now starting up the Snagit utility ... we’ll see. But I’m going to Google as you recommend. I’ll report back with code when I’m up and running. Again, thanks. Bruce From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Javier Valencia Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 1:09 PM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - RE: PDF Reporting. Was: Report Designer: Merging ... Bruce, There are many free utilities that will convert a PDF document to multiple jpg (or other graphic format) via an interface. However, what you need is one that has the capability of running it as batch process from a (DOS) command line. I have an application where documents are scanned into a multipage TIFF document and then I use a batch program with command line capability to convert the document to PDF which are then stored as a PDF files with a link to the document in a R:Base table. The entire process is done in the background and without user intervention. Different application but the principle is the same. I came up with this solution since I was able to scan and store multi-page TIFF documents in the database but I had no way to display them in reports. Google “PDF to image converter with command line“ and you should be able to find something that will work for you Javier, Javier Valencia, PE O: 913-829-0888 H: 913-397-9605 C: 913-915-3137 From: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bruce A. Chitiea Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 1:03 PM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - PDF Reporting. Was: Report Designer: Merging ... Thanks Karen: Necessity, the mother of the cool. Just talked to TechSmith, makers of the Snagit capture utility. Snagit includes the Snagit Printer, which converts PDF (among other formats) files to whatever <grfx-format> file you want. Snagit Printer kicks out individual page images as individual graphics files. Suggests an answer to your question. I’m thinking that: LAUNCH Snagit.exe | <something or other> ... in a looped RMD might walk the PDF file list right proper. Even if Snagit requires manual entry per page, this sure beats collecting and re-scanning this mess. I’ll let you know. Bruce From: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Karen Tellef Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 10:33 AM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - Re: Report Designer: Merging Data Fields and PDFs That does sound like a cool appliation! Printing data on the page header and footer is a great idea! If you find a nice solution that involves converting the PDF let us know. I'm assuming this would NOT work is the PDF is >1 page, right? Karen -----Original Message----- From: Bruce A. Chitiea <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > To: RBASE-L Mailing List <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Fri, Mar 7, 2014 12:25 pm Subject: [RBASE-L] - Re: Report Designer: Merging Data Fields and PDFs Karen: You’re absolutely right on both scores. I’m going to explore the PDF-to-<grfx format> direction so that I can use the Variable Image embedment approach, which works super-well from within the Page Style Band. So that’s it for this thread for now. BACKGROUND ISSUE Just for background – this may resonate with some – I’m managing document production in a lawsuit discovery process involving five teams of attorneys each wanting their slice from a stack of several hundred documents containing several thousand pages. I want to shape the battlefield by being so “dead-bang on” with document identification that there’s no document confusion for anyone to exploit. So far, these pages come to me individually PDF’d, serially named <Document-PageNo>, appropriately stored. RBASE totally handles all this metadata, no issue. We need a report which prints this metadata on each page so that none floats anonymously around the courtroom. This report would: 1. Retrieve each page filename into a vImage variable located in the Page Style Band; 2. Print this variablized document page image as background; 3. Print the relevant metadata ( serial number and such ) in Page Header and Footer Bands; 4. Kick out the printed, serialized page; 5. Repeat for each page. So that’s the deal. This works with <grfx-format> files, it’d be REALLY BLUE-COOL to go direct with PDFs. I’m just sayin’. Bruce From: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> [mailto:[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]?> ] On Behalf Of Karen Tellef Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 9:25 AM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - Re: Report Designer: Merging Data Fields and PDFs Looking at my notes document, I see numerous responses that you cannot embed a PDF file inside a report. But I kept one recommendation that said if you have the PDFMerge add-on, you can print your other RBase report data to a PDF and then use PDFMerge to "insert a page" to insert the other PDF file as another page to the report. Karen -----Original Message----- From: Dennis McGrath <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > To: RBASE-L Mailing List <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Fri, Mar 7, 2014 11:11 am Subject: [RBASE-L] - RE: Report Designer: Merging Data Fields and PDFs I may be wrong, but I don't think you can display an external PDF file in a report. You may have to convert it to a JPG Dennis McGrath Software Developer QMI Security Solutions 1661 Glenlake Ave Itasca IL 60143 630-980-8461 [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> [mailto:[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]?> ] On Behalf Of Bruce A. Chitiea Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2014 4:49 PM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - Report Designer: Merging Data Fields and PDFs All: I need a report placing Page Header and Footer fields over single-page PDF images of financial documents. A Variable Image Control embedded within the Page Style Band appears to not accept PDFs ( although this could be a dimensional thing ). I can easily use Variable Image Controls within Page Style Bands to print graphics within reports, so this is about embedding PDFs, not the basic use of the Page Style Band. Any pointers? Thanks. Bruce
