________________________________
From: Hal Vaughan <hal@halblog.com>
To: "users@global.libreoffice.org" <users@global.libreoffice.org>
Sent: Saturday, 23 February 2013, 18:25
Subject: Re: [libreoffice-users] Exporting Text File to PDF (One Page At A time)
On Feb 23, 2013, at 7:23 AM, Tom Davies <tomdavies04@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
Hi :)
Perhaps "Print to file" and choose Pdf instead of Ps as the file-type and restrict to just
"Selected pages".
I've been looking at that - it's one thing I found as a possibility, but I did find out how to
control the PDF export so I can set all the options. The part I found confusing was the wording
on one reference page that led me down a blind alley for 5-6 hours. But that showed me it was
possible, so when I finally found a different example, I was able to do it through the export
filters.
However OpenSource is set-up to have specialist programs that can work together to produce
output for a wide range of different requirements.
If you were planting flowers would you use a butter knife to dig the holes? Would you use a
trowel to cut your hedges? Would you use a hedge strimmer to spread butter on a slice of bread?
Yes, I understand the analogy, but the tools are completely there in LibreOffice, so it's not like
using a trowel to cut hedges. It's using a different kind of clipper.
Everything to do it is there, perfectly accessible to a BASIC macro, the only problem is that
documentation for this kind of thing can often be quite difficult to find.
There are times when we won't use a trowel to cut hedges, but we may use another sharp edged tool
that originally wasn't designed for hedges. There could be any number of reasons for that, it
doesn't matter what they are, it does matter that a person knows their yard and their hedges and
the setup and has a valid reason for not using a hedge trimmer. For instance, I do have power
hedge trimmers, but there are some hedges in my yard where a sickle works much better.
So there are times when one may use a different tool - and there can be plenty of valid reasons
for doing so.
But, again, the tools are right there in LibreOffice, and, fro a programming perspective, they're
easy to access (it was finding the information that took a lot of searching and using just the
right search terms to get different search results). So using a macro in LibreOffice is nothing
like using a butter knife to dig holes. LibreOffice is the right tool for the right job. I still
have to clean up my code and add comments, but when I do, I'll be posting it.
And, honestly, I think it's a good thing that I didn't accept that answer (that there's better
tools) because if I hadn't, we wouldn't know this can be done so easily. One can not only export
a PDF, but have full control over every setting in the PDF export through a BASIC macro.
The documentation and examples of this are for Java, but it's all accessible.
Typically the proprietary route is to make 1 program that does everything. It is not a
specialist in those extra rarely used things so does a fairly lousy job. Also when i want a
midnight snack i have to get my boots on and the trowel and the hedge strimmer and a ton of
other things i wont need when all i wanted was a little slice of toast with a bit of jam. The
OpenSource route is to put only the right tool in my hand (well, a choice of right tools). The
OpenSource is not a "can't do" attitude. It's a "use the right tool for the job" approach.
Again, not a valid analogy in this case - there than the point about wanting a midnight snack, but
having to get your boots on and the trowel and hedge trimmer and a ton of other things.
If LibreOffice will do this job and do it well, then all I need is a midnight snack. I don't have
to add other tools to my system to do the job. I have one tool that will do this task and do it
well. It's customizable and it means processing the file one time - and not dealing with issues
that might come up if I use multiple programs where each might make other changes to the files or
make adaptations requiring finding what I call a "settings cocktail" (in other words, having to
find just the right settings on everything).
One other point: The answer I was responding to was, as I see it, quite useless. One big reason
was because he said LO was not the best tool - but then did not give one suggestion on what to use
instead.
I think, if you're starting with an ODT file, that's already in LO, if LO will convert it to a
multi-page PDF with a macro, then that's the best tool for the job. It saves steps in the long
run and does the job directly, without the need of any more programs or tools.
Hal
Regards from
Tom :)
From: Hal Vaughan <hal@halblog.com>
To: "users@global.libreoffice.org" <users@global.libreoffice.org>
Sent: Saturday, 23 February 2013, 8:16
Subject: Re: [libreoffice-users] Exporting Text File to PDF (One Page At A time)
On Dec 28, 2012, at 5:01 AM, lordmax tdf <lordmax-tdf@email.it> wrote:
Hi to all
Il 28/12/2012 02:02, Girvin R. Herr ha scritto:
Hal Vaughan wrote:
I'm exporting ODT files to PDF, but I want to export only 1 page at a
time, so I'm using a BASIC macro to handle this.
I've been searching, but since somewhere around 3-4am EST, I have not
been able to access oooforum.org and most links lead to there.
I can't find examples elsewhere that show me how to export a PDF file
from in BASIC or how to specify, again, from BASIC, what pages to export.
Can anyone give me links for examples that are not on oooforum.org?
Or tell me what classes I would be using for this so I can look them
up in the IDL to find out how to specify the page (or pages) to export
and how to use the PDF exporter?
Thank you.
Hal
If you need a single pdf for every page of your document it's better to create a single pdf
and then separate every page with an external program specialized in this.
I haven't been able to get back to this for a while.
So I have to ask why one would say this? In many cases the purpose of doing something from a
macro inside LibreOffice is to have an integrated solution so one doesn't depend on having to
run external programs.
I've been looking into this and this is quite possible - granted, it took me about 6-8 hours to
find all the details, but it's possible. I'll be posting a sample within the next few days.
It just seems to me saying it's better to do something else is a "can't do" attitude that
defeats much of what one would want to do with macros.
Hal
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