[RESOLVED] Combining PDF files

[Pasvorto]

I have a routine that uses Crystal reports. It generates 2 PDF files. Now, I want to arrive at one PDF file that combines those two. Sales does not want to continue sending two files to the customer. Unfortunately, which two reports get generated is determined by what gets entered by the sales person, so I really can't hard code it. For instance, I have five different page one reports and three different page two reports. So, if I hard coded it, I would have to choose between 15 different report (combinations) in order to create one file. In addition, I would have 15 reports to maintain, rather than five or three, if things change.

[Siddharth Rout]

Why not download a freeware which does what you want?

http://www.brothersoft.com/pdf-merge-25708.html

[Pasvorto]

Unfortunately, the security implemented at my company does not allow me to download freeware. Arghh...

[Siddharth Rout]

Unfortunately, the security implemented at my company does not allow me to download freeware. Arghh...

lolz...

See if this helps then

http://www.eggheadcafe.com/community...e-two-pdf.aspx

[Pasvorto]

Certainly a place to start. Thanks. I was hoping for something easy, like a shell command that concatenates the files. But, nothing is easy, right?

[Siddharth Rout]

Wish it was that easy...

Or maybe I don't know of such a method if it exists...

[Tom Moran]

I was hoping for something easy, like a shell command that concatenates the files. But, nothing is easy, right?

Actually it is that easy with a tried and true utility... pdftk. It's used in companies large and small and has been for years. To merge multiple pdf files you would shell the following one liner"

pdftk file1.pdf file2.pdf cat output 123.pdf

Your problem is your company. They need to provide you the tools necessary to accomplish your assigned task at hand. If you can't download freeware, I would campaign for having whoever can download freeware to obtain this tool for you.

If your company has a policy against using freeware period then your company needs to purchase the tools you need. A relatively inexpensive, but powerful, piece of PDF manipulation software is QuickPDF.

Here are the web links for each.

For pdftk: http://www.pdftk.com/#docs

For QuickPDF: http://www.quickpdflibrary.com/promo...vb-activex.php

Good luck!

[Siddharth Rout]

Very True Tom. It is very easy only if the company policies allow it. Else I am not aware of this possible with any inbuilt windows utilities.

[Tom Moran]

Very True Tom. It is very easy only if the company policies allow it. Else I am not aware of this possible with any inbuilt windows utilities.

You're absolutely correct. There is no native windows or VB6 solution AFAIK. Even if he were to use the egghead code referred in your earlier post... that requires Adobe Acrobat which is a far more expensive solution if the company doesn't already own it.

I don't understand some companies... they ask you to perform a task and then don't (or won't) provide the proper tools. It's like handing a box of nails to a carpenter and telling him to go pound nails and not providing (or allowing him to obtain) a hammer.

Sheesh!

[Siddharth Rout]

I don't understand some companies... they ask you to perform a task and then don't (or won't) provide the proper tools.

Ask me about it



I am from a non software background (Basically I am from BPO Operations) and I help them with their websites, Excel Macros, small vb6 programs but they refuse to give me vb6 or a basic HTML Editor...!!!!

[Pasvorto]

I'm told to swim upstream. "Oh, by the way, can you take this anvil along with you?"

[Pasvorto]

OK. I was able to get a copy of pdftk. It works pretty slick in manual mode. Now, I need to be able to use a shell command to invoke it. I have no problem with the Shell command, per se. However, at the time I need to combine the PDFs, I don't have their names. The program creates the PDF by concatenating a couple variables and adding the PDF suffix. From what I can see of pdftk, I either need the supply a name or "PROMPT". I can't use PROMPT because, in addition to being a PITA, the user would not have that information at hand.

If any of you pdftk experts could give me some direction, I would be most appreciative.

Thanks.

[Pasvorto]

I added thsi code:

        '-------------------
        ' test PDF merging
        '-------------------
        '
        Dim RESULT As Integer
        Dim parm1 As String
        Dim parm2 As String
        Dim PARM3 As String
        Dim output As String
        Dim strfolder As String
        strfolder = "Z:\DAD\QUOTES\"
        parm1 = strfolder & glbQuoteNumber & "Quote.pdf"
        parm2 = strfolder & glbQuoteNumber & "Quote Page 2.pdf"
        PARM3 = strfolder & glbQuoteNumber & "TEST COMBINED PDF.PDF"
        output = strfolder & PARM3
        RESULT = Shell(strfolder & " PDFTK.EXE " & parm1 & " " & parm2 & " CAT OUTPUT " & output)
        '
        '---------------------

I get an invalid procedure call on the RESULT = line

[Pasvorto]

I changed the code to read:

PARM3 = strfolder & glbQuoteNumber & "TEST COMBINED PDF.PDF"
output = PARM3
call Shell(strfolder & " PDFTK.EXE " & parm1 & " " & parm2 & " CAT OUTPUT " & output)

I don't get the error anymore, but it does not create the merged file either. I traced it and the line is being processed.

[Tom Moran]

1. The reason you don't get the error is you origially Dimmed RESULT as an integer. The return for a Shell command should be dimmed as Variant.

2. Take out leading space in PDFTK.EXE. Right now your sending SHELL "Z:\DAD\QUOTES\ PDFTK.EXE" It should be Z:\DAD\QUOTES\PDFTK.EXE

3. My guess is qlbQuoteNumber may also be giving you unwanted spaces. I don't see that variable declared in your code so I'm guessing it's an Integer. Trim it and assign to string before you assign it to another string variable. Ex: qlbQuoteNum$ = Trim(Str(qlbQuoteNumber)). Then pass the String instead of the Integer.

Be careful of spaces! Even in filenames. I generally make it a practice to replace spaces in file names with an Underscore, _ , instead of a space.

Tom

[Pasvorto]

Trial and error has shopw that the spaces are the problem.
This screws it up ""Quote Page 2.pdf"". When I use "Quote_Page_2.pdf" and "TEST_COMBINED_PDF.PDF", everything works fine. So, if I can't get around the spaces, I need to change the routine that creates the page 2 document to add the underscore.

[Tom Moran]

Cool! Glad you got it.

Spaces can be evil

[Pasvorto]

Yeah, I hear ya. Spaces, quotes, and DOS (command line) just don't mix.