Automate saving pdf's?

MB

1. Keep trying with the included (with SWX 2005) Bluebeam pdf printer. (I have never been able to _ever_ get a file from this)
2. Purchase Adobe Acrobat, and print to a file using the Adobe Distiller (This is what I do, it came with my Dell system)
3. Install a pdf (ghostscript) printer onto a Linux server, share, print
   formatting link
   If you cannot get option #1 to work, and don't want to purchase additional software (Acrobat), then #3 is a cheap solution if you have a Linux server you can mess around with.

Dave

Try CutePDF printer

Dave Nay wrote:

I've tried Bluebeam with the SW task scheduler and it acts like it works, but saves no files. I also have Acrobat, and it works up till you need to save, and then it hangs because you have manually enter the part number and click save for each print to get it to proceed to the next.

I tried writing a macro, to do it with Bluebeam, but I can't get it to work. (I'm no programmer)

You would think SW would make the scheduler so it can to do it?

MB

I have used GhostScript with FreeDist and small SW-macro that open every drw in a folder and prints them out as .prn

One more vote for Cute...

Yeah, that is the same problem I have had with Bluebeam...it never seems to save a file to a location that I have ever been able to find.

To prevent Acrobat from asking for the file name, you need to modify the settings in you printer driver. First, make sure you are not in SWX, then go to Start->Settings->Printers and Faxes. Right click on the Adobe PDF printer, and open the Properties page. Click the "Printing Preferences" button from the General tab. Now uncheck the options for "View Adobe PDF results" and "Prompt for ADobe PDF filename". Click on OK until the boxes all go away. Now, when you print to the Acrobat PDF printer, it will save each file with the same name as the .SLDRW file. The files will be located in your "My Documents" directory. I have not found a way to change the default destination directory.

You can now use the SWX task scheduler to batch print your files.

Dave

Using this method I'm getting closer. I can get it to work saving part files to pdf. It saves the part number in the file, but I still can't get it to work using drawings. For some reason the file name is still not saving.

I'll keep trying.

MB

Dave,

Reason you can't generate bluebeam PDF's using batch mode is that the OEM version of Bluebeam has been disabled.

You would have to upgrade to Bluebeam Plus (149.95 USD) which allows the print driver to work as you expect it.

Just talked to Bluebeam sales person on another matter and remembered this posting.

FYI: DBWorks has a master document module that automatically generates a PDF using SW SAVEASPDF command. Not only is the PDF generated automatically (I have it set up for released revisions), but I can batch process a group of drawings. The created PDF is placed in a released folder and DBWorks "flips" the file reference so that when I select a released SW drawing from the PDM interface - I get the PDF version of the file. Should I need to check out the file and make revisions on the drawing - DBWorks "flips" the file reference back to SW and makes a compressed zip file of both the previous revision of the SW drawing and released PDF (later is for naming convention rather than smaller size). You can go back to reveiw previsous drawing revisions in either SW or PDF. Sure beats having to manage SW drawing, E-Drawing, and PDF of the same drawing.

Len

I haven't been able to print to the Bluebeam printer even when printing directly from SWX. It never asks for a filename, nor does it use the current filename from SWX and save it to a location that I can find.

I suspect that it may be broken due to having some sort of incompatability with the Adobe drives being installed at the same time.

Dave

For Bluebeam try save as, and choose PDF from file list drop down.

"McBurger" wrote in news:24Wdnax snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

I wrote an API program (in Python (because I can :)) that gets the dependancies of the currently active document, and then creates a new macro that in turn opens the drawing for each part, saves it as a PDF, then closes the drawing.

I then use tools/macro/run macro to run the batch PDF macro I just created.

Note to those who want to do the same. The old-school SWX macros (*.swb) were plain text files, easy to create. Not like the new hi-tech VBA abomination.

I hate it myself when someone says, "I wrote a program that does that for me, but I'm not sharing." Unfortunately, the program I wrote is not worth sharing right now because it makes too many simplifying assumptions based on how I manage my files. Maybe later, or for the proper consideration ;)

William Wicker.

FYI:

Just making sure all the bases are covered....... PDF generation using Bluebeam has to be enabled in the SW Tools Add-Ins.

Len