Creating PDFs and email on Windows and Mac OSX ?

[J__]

Hello,

I am interested enabling my database app to print a pdf of a report or from from Filemaker.

- I also want save this pdf somewhere. After the file is saved, i want to send the file (a pdf) to someone via email as an attachment.

- It has to work on Windows and Mac OS X.

I like SMTPIt for email and it works on Windows and Mac. So, i think the mail attachment part is covered.

Does anyone have any recommendations on products and/or techniques?

thanks,

sincerely,

J__

[Fenton]

If I wanted to write it once, to work on both platforms, I'd use the Troi File plug-in. Well, maybe I'd use AppleScript on the Mac, because I already have. But it would be tempting to use Troi File for both, to keep the code more consistent. Though you would have to split the code anyway, for some of the file manipulation, but definitely for the PDF routines.

It could also probably be done with command line on Windows, but, if you knew it, you wouldn't be asking this question -]

There is an example that comes with the plug-in (one of many examples) which is specifically for printing multiple PDF's.

The following is I think one of the powerful features of the plug-in, allowing you to find locations on either platform:

TrFile_FindFolder( folderswitch )

folderswitch specifies the name of the wanted special folder.

Not all special folders are available for each platform. On both Mac OS and Windows you can specify:

-Desktop = desktop folder

-System = system folder

-Temporary = hidden temporary folder on the startup disk

-Root = top folder on the startup disk

-Startup = startup items folder in the system folder [ not on Mac OS X, fej ]

On Mac OS you can also specify:

[ some of these are outdated, OS 9 only; but Trash & Preferences work in X, fej ]

-Applemenu = apple menu folder in the system folder

-Controlpanels = control panels folder in the system folder

-Extensions = extensions folder in the system folder

-Preferences = preferences folder in the system folder

-Shutdown = shutdown items folder in the system folder

-Trash = trash folder on the desktop

On Windows you can also specify:

-Fonts = the fonts folder

-Mydocuments = the My Documents folder

-Programs = the programs folder inside the start menu

-Startmenu = the Startup items folder

-Windows = the Windows folder

[QuinTech]

For Windows, PDF Factory from www.fineprint.com is a good product and can save the file with a custom name and email it.

Jerry

[J__]

Fenton,

Thanks for the response. I have actually been looking at the troi file plug-in. And for file manipulation - like copying the file to a specific directory that is a must.

however, print the layout or report to a PDF is a question.

I know I can do this with Apple OS X pdf feature, but do I get to specify where I want to save it and name it? Nope. Not programmatically anyway. And I do want to control where those pdfs are printed to - because they i'm going to keep the filename and path in the database , so it can be opened again... i don't want them to put it in thei 'my documents' or 'documents' folder ... so I guess I'm needing a pdf printing solution for the mac (and windows, but jerry might have something there), which allows me to specify the filename to save as... thanks

j__

[J__]

Jerry,

thanks for the suggestion, i'll check it out.

the part i'm missing is how do you set the filename from inside of filemaker?

i want to do that through script - not through user intervention.

Should be a button "Send Information" and in response, it

1. creates a pdf file, which I have programmatically named

2. saves it to a folder of my specifying via script

3. sends the pdf via email

thanks for the suggestion on pfdfineprint - or did you mean pdfFactory?

sincerely,

J__

[QuinTech]

With pdfFactory, you set the name from pdfFactory, but it is possible (if i remember from my testing) to set it from FM instead. I'm pretty sure, though, that you would need the Troi File plug-in.

FinePrint is the company that produces PdfFactory. I think pdffactory.com and fineprint.com lead to the same place.

J