Managed PDF Conversion API

  • Thread starter Thread starter RadekP
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RadekP

Question : Is there any 100% managed-code API component on the market that
allows DOC/HTML -> PDF conversions similar to the activePDF wrapper
(http://www.activepdf.com) ? I would like to stress the word "conversions"
of existing Word document or HTML files. Can somebody share any experience ?

I would really appreciate

Regards

Radek
 
probably not unless the html is very simple. while you could find a managed
pdf writer, finding a robust managed html parser with a plugable rendering
engine is not likly. that is a rather huge project with a limited market.

note: activePDF uses IE to parse the html, then uses the IE print engine to
render the pdf (they supply a pdf print driver). a very clever solution.

-- bruce (sqlwork.com)
 
Hi!

You could use tools like PDF995 that install them as printers. Next, you
could automate Word, open the DOC/HTML within it and send it for printing to
PDF995 printer which shall produce the PDF for you.

--
Regards,
Kumar Gaurav Khanna
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RadekP said:
Question : Is there any 100% managed-code API component on the market that
allows DOC/HTML -> PDF conversions similar to the activePDF wrapper
(http://www.activepdf.com) ? I would like to stress the word "conversions"
of existing Word document or HTML files. Can somebody share any experience ?

I would really appreciate
Click to expand...


Wouldn't xml and xslt do the trick for the html?
 
You mean - transform (X)HTML with XSLT into something that is PDF creatable
? Sounds like a chalange. I do not believe this has been done before ...

Radek
 
RadekP said:
You mean - transform (X)HTML with XSLT into something that is PDF creatable
? Sounds like a chalange. I do not believe this has been done before ...
Click to expand...

Pretty sure it has, a college buddy says he did it for his final year
project. Never saw it perform though.

He used Java.

I'll ask him about it in more detail and update the thread when I hear
more.
 
Thanks Kumar for pointing out very interesting tool. I already do all of
that with activePDF but although richer in customization, activePDF is a bit
bulky and slow - its unmanaged API creates new virtual printer for each
conversion which takes unnecessary resources that tend to not even be freed
up in high volume conversions. What's particularly appealing and as I
checked fast is the PDF995's solution to convert files inside monitored
folder on-the-fly (http://www.omniformat.com/). This might lead into huge
performance cut without involving Word's or IE's printing APIs. Web
application could simply copy a file (in almost any format, including DOC,
HTML) into dedicated folder awaiting its conversion. Hmm.. I will see how
that works in practice....

Thanks again

Radek
 
Thanks Bruce. That's what I though. Would be nice to have simple and fast
managed-code API "even" utilizing print drivers for conversions. I guess
that's still a software gap-hole to fulfill...

Regards

Radek
 
The Apache Group has done this!! I forgot their website though since I last
read about it. They used XSLT to generate PDF.

ElreyRonald
 
its [activePDF's] unmanaged API creates new virtual printer for
each
conversion which takes unnecessary resources that tend to not even be freed
up in high volume conversions.
Click to expand...

The activePDF API does not create a virtual printer in each
instance...a pool is maintained to prevent that from happening...if
all the printers in the pool are in use, then of course, it needs to
create one. But once the virtual printer is created it is re-used.
checked fast is the PDF995's solution to convert files inside monitored
folder on-the-fly (http://www.omniformat.com/). This might lead into huge
performance cut without involving Word's or IE's printing APIs.
Click to expand...

FYI - PDF995 uses an OLD version of Ghostscript and their product
requires Word and prints to the PDF995 printer driver.

http://www.omniformat.com/faq.html


Tim
 
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