Automating the import of multi-page PDFs

Mon Jan 26 15:00:02 PST 2009

If that is an option for Christopher, I'd certainly agree that this
approach is a good one, Art. 

As for the direct import issue, I went back and searched the archives
and found the discussion in October 2006, but couldn't find a definitive
answer to the direct import of multiple-page PDFs into Frame. You
suggested the alternative approach of the RTF for the text at that
point, too, along with a second trip through with a PNG export to take
care of the graphics. This makes sense, and long term, I agree it's
better to have content you can edit and reuse than to have it
constrained in PDFs. 

A quick search
(http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&fkt=3213&fsdt=46573&q=import+(multip
age+OR+multi-page+OR+multiple+page)+PDFs+into+(FM+OR+Framemaker)&btnG=Go
ogle+Search&aq=o&oq=) suggests there are tools out there that will split
up a PDF into individual pages (see, for instance, the splitter and
merger tools on Planet PDF), but I didn't find a batch import tool in
the same quick glance. 

One other interesting-sounding tool on Planet PDF is PDF Fly,
http://www.pdfstore.com/details.asp?ProdID=742. It sounds promising for
getting graphics out of a PDF for putting into FM. Perhaps there's a
user or two on the list who can enlighten us about its efficacy?

Jim

________________________________

From: Art Campbell [mailto:art.campbell at gmail.com] 
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2009 4:24 PM
To: Pinkham, Jim
Cc: Christopher Seal; framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Re: Automating the import of multi-page PDFs

Well,  I'd disagree, slightly. I think the import-via-RTF fits under the
umbrella of copying the original text and reformattting it, which was
one of Christopher's original options. It just isn't copying it directly
from the Word Perfect source.

Putting a wrapper around a sequence of PDFs would work, but I'd always
want to leave the door open to having to correct the originals or to
roll them forward into a newer version in the years to come. 

So I'd opt for having editable text.

Art

Art Campbell
art.campbell at gmail.com
 "... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent
and a redheaded girl." -- Richard Thompson
                                                     No disclaimers
apply.
                                                              DoD 358

On Mon, Jan 26, 2009 at 5:00 PM, Pinkham, Jim <Jim.Pinkham at voith.com>
wrote:

	Yes, but I think that's a workaround, Art, and not the exact
solution
	Christopher is asking for. I recall considering an approach a
year or
	two back where I would have imported some of our subsupplier
brochures,
	MSDSs, Product Data Sheets, catalogs, etc. in their full-color,
	graphically rich PDFs into FM (to facilitate indexing,
bookmarking,
	pagination, etc.) had there been a feasible way to do so. I
believe
	someone on the list suggested there is a plug-in out there that
will
	either a) directly allow multi-page PDF import all at once or b)
	automatically split a PDF into all of its component pages for
easier
	import. If memory still serves, the cost of the tool wasn't
worth it for
	our needs, but that's not to say it wouldn't be for someone
else. Anyone
	recall such a tool?

	Jim

	-----Original Message-----
	From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com
	[mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Art
Campbell
	Sent: Monday, January 26, 2009 3:42 PM
	To: Christopher Seal
	Cc: framers at lists.frameusers.com
	Subject: Re: Automating the import of multi-page PDFs

	Unless there's a gotcha that you didn't mention, the easiest
route would
	be to SaveAs in Acrobat (or any of several third-party programs)
to
	create an RTF file. Then open the RTF files in Frame, wash out
any
	hidden characters by saving as MIF and reopening those files,
and then
	apply the FM look-alike template and go on...

	Although you may be able to open the original Word Perfect files
in
	Frame, that import filter isn't as robust, in my opinion.

	Art

	Art Campbell
	        art.campbell at gmail.com
	 "... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52
Vincent
	and a redheaded girl." -- Richard Thompson
	                                                    No
disclaimers
	apply.
	                                                             DoD
358

	On Mon, Jan 26, 2009 at 4:29 PM, Christopher Seal
	<cseal at sympatico.ca>wrote:

	> A project requires that FM is used to publish a collection of
reports
	> that were created in WordPerfect. The reports in the
collection must
	> look like the original reports - this is a condition.
	>
	> I can either copy text from the WordPerfect file and paste
into the FM

	> document (then format), or I can import sequential pages from
the PDF
	> version of each report.
	>
	> The report collection will be published as PDF.
	>
	> As there are hundreds of PDF pages to be imported (if I go
that
	> route), I was wondering if there is an automated method of
doing this.

	> Any suggestions would be welcome.
	>
	> I am using FM7.2/WP11
	>
	>
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