asked on

Batch process 200 TXT files in one go with PDF creator using the supplied convert2pdf.vbs script

I am using source forge PDFCreator to batch process 200 TXT files to PDF.
I am using W2000 and can drag and drop up to about 8 files on the file convert2pdf.vbs which is a script included with the installation of PDFCreator. If I Drag and drop the whole 200 the popup message complains as follows
"Unable to process - arguments list is too long"
I need to be able to process all 200 at once so I am not sitting there all day.
Can anyone provide a simple batch file that I can use to feed the TXT files ( which are all in one directory ) to the convert2pdf.vbs script.

****************

' Convert2PDF script
' Part of PDFCreator
' License: GPL
' Homepage: http://www.sf.net/projects/pdfcreator
' Version: 1.0.0.0
' Date: September, 1. 2005
' Author: Frank Heindörfer
' Comments: This script convert a printable file in a pdf-file using
' the com interface of PDFCreator.

Option Explicit

Const maxTime = 30 ' in seconds
Const sleepTime = 250 ' in milliseconds

Dim objArgs, ifname, fso, PDFCreator, DefaultPrinter, ReadyState, _
i, c, AppTitle, Scriptname, ScriptBasename

Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

Scriptname = fso.GetFileName(Wscript.ScriptFullname)
ScriptBasename = fso.GetFileName(Wscript.ScriptFullname)

AppTitle = "PDFCreator - " & ScriptBaseName

If CDbl(Replace(WScript.Version,".",",")) < 5.1 then
MsgBox "You need the ""Windows Scripting Host version 5.1"" or greater!", vbCritical + vbSystemModal, AppTitle
Wscript.Quit
End if

Set objArgs = WScript.Arguments

If objArgs.Count = 0 Then
MsgBox "Syntax: " & vbtab & Scriptname & " <Filename>" & vbcrlf & vbtab & "or use ""Drag and Drop""!", vbExclamation + vbSystemModal, AppTitle
WScript.Quit
End If

Set PDFCreator = Wscript.CreateObject("PDFCreator.clsPDFCreator", "PDFCreator_")
PDFCreator.cStart "/NoProcessingAtStartup"
With PDFCreator
.cOption("UseAutosave") = 1
.cOption("UseAutosaveDirectory") = 1
.cOption("AutosaveFormat") = 0 ' 0 = PDF

'The following are required to set security of any kind
.cOption("PDFUseSecurity") = 1
.cOption("PDFOwnerPass") = 1
.cOption("PDFOwnerPasswordString") = "password"

'Set document Information

.cOption("UseStandardAuthor") = 1
.cOption("StandardAuthor") = ""

.cOption("UseCreationDateNow") = 1
.cOption("StandardCreationdate") = ""

.cOption("StandardModifydate") = ""
.cOption("StandardSubject") = ""
.cOption("StandardTitle") = ""

DefaultPrinter = .cDefaultprinter
.cDefaultprinter = "PDFCreator"
.cClearcache
End With

For i = 0 to objArgs.Count - 1
With PDFCreator
ifname = objArgs(i)
If Not fso.FileExists(ifname) Then
MsgBox "Can't find the file: " & ifname, vbExclamation + vbSystemModal, AppTitle
Exit For
End If
if Not .cIsPrintable(CStr(ifname)) Then
MsgBox "Converting: " & ifname & vbcrlf & vbcrlf & _
"An error is occured: File is not printable!", vbExclamation + vbSystemModal, AppTitle
WScript.Quit
End if

ReadyState = 0
.cOption("AutosaveDirectory") = fso.GetParentFolderName(ifname)
.cOption("AutosaveFilename") = fso.GetBaseName(ifname)
.cPrintfile cStr(ifname)
.cPrinterStop = false

c = 0
Do While (ReadyState = 0) and (c < (maxTime * 1000 / sleepTime))
c = c + 1
Wscript.Sleep sleepTime
Loop
If ReadyState = 0 then
MsgBox "Converting: " & ifname & vbcrlf & vbcrlf & _
"An error is occured: Time is up!", vbExclamation + vbSystemModal, AppTitle
Exit For
End If
End With
Next

With PDFCreator
.cDefaultprinter = DefaultPrinter
.cClearcache
WScript.Sleep 200
.cClose
End With

'--- PDFCreator events ---

Public Sub PDFCreator_eReady()
ReadyState = 1
End Sub

Public Sub PDFCreator_eError()
MsgBox "An error is occured!" & vbcrlf & vbcrlf & _
"Error [" & PDFCreator.cErrorDetail("Number") & "]: " & PDFcreator.cErrorDetail("Description"), vbCritical + vbSystemModal, AppTitle
Wscript.Quit
End Sub

RobSampson

Are all of these files in one folder? You should be able to set up a parent script that takes, say 10 files at a time and called the VBS like this:
wscript c:\convert2pdf.vbs file1.txt file2.txt "file 3.txt" ....etc

If they are all in the one folder, this becomes much easier....

Regards,

Rob.

William Elliott

i just threw this together. name it findnrun.vbs and throw it in the same directory as the Convert2PDF.vbs.

haven't tested it, but it looks like it should do what you need.
double click on it and it will tell you what to do.

On Error Resume Next
Dim fso, folder, files, NewsFile,sFolder

Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
sFolder = Wscript.Arguments.Item(0)
If sFolder = "" Then
Wscript.Echo "No Folder parameter was passed"
Wscript.Echo "findnrun.vbs <folder location With all the pdf files>"
Wscript.Echo "example:"
Wscript.Echo "cscript findnrun.vbs c:\temp\pdf"
Wscript.Quit
End If
Set NewFile = fso.CreateTextFile(sFolder&"\FileList.txt", True)
Set folder = fso.GetFolder(sFolder)
Set files = folder.Files

For each folderIdx In files
NewFile.WriteLine(folderIdx.Name)
Next
NewFile.Close

Const ForReading = 1
Set objDictionary = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objTextFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile(sFolder&"\FileList.txt", ForReading)
i = 0
Do While objTextFile.AtEndOfStream <> True
strNextLine = objTextFile.Readline
objDictionary.Add i, strNextLine
i = i + 1
Loop
Set objShell=CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
For Each objItem in objDictionary

objShell.Run("cscript Convert2PDF.vbs " & objitem )

Next

kes3

ASKER

Rob, Weeilo - thanks.

Rob : I want a script where I don't have to name the TXT files in the batch file.

Weellio : PDFCreator does not like more than one copy of itself running at once. What is needed is a window then a delay say of 1.5 mins before a new window is called to give PDF creator enough time to finish the previous file run ( some of the TXT files are huge ).

Thanks ...

RobSampson

kes3, that's fine. What I meant by sample was, if all of your files are in one folder, it's easy to set up a VBS that can read all of the file names, and start the Convert2PDF.vbs file for you.

Regards,

Rob.

kes3

ASKER

Rob, Yes they are all in one folder. Thanks.

RobSampson

Hi try this, but make sure to test it. I'm not sure if your Convert2PDF.vbs will wait for it to finish its processes before it will go back to this script. As you said it doesn't like running itself more than once at a time, this could be a problem,......

'===================
strFolderPath = "C:\Temp\"
intMaxFiles = 10
strExtension = ".txt"
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objFolder = objFSO.GetFolder(strFolderPath)
Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
intFiles = 0
strArgs = ""
For Each objFile In objFolder.Files
      strFileName = Mid(objFile.Name, InStrRev(objFile.Name, "\") + 1)
      If LCase(Right(strFileName, 4)) = strExtension Then
            intFiles = intFiles + 1
            strArgs = strArgs & " """ & strFileName & """"
            If intFiles = intMaxFiles Then
                  strCommand = "wscript.exe """ & Replace(WScript.ScriptFullName, WScript.ScriptName, "") & "Convert2PDF.vbs""" & strArgs
                  Set objExec = objShell.Exec(strCommand)
                  While objExec.Status
                   ' wait until the script finishes
                  Wend
                  intFiles = 0
                  strArgs = ""
            End If
      End If
Next
MsgBox "Done"
'================

Regards,

Rob.

kes3

ASKER

Thanks Rob.
It produces the same error as when I try to process more than 8 or so files with Convert2PDF.vbs by dragging them onto that file. The error is given in a pop up box : "Unable to execute - arguments list is too long". I think this means the command line cannot accept all the file names on the same line. Can we have a batch file / vbs file that has all 200 dragged onto it but only passes one at a time to convert2pdf.vbs.

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William Elliott

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kes3

ASKER

Folks,
I got them both working after a fashion so I'll distribute points evenly : I discovered that I can open PDFCreator and drag all 200 TXT files into there and it does the lot.
Many Thanks
Kez3

RobSampson

Fair enough! How strange that it can be done like that, but not directly onto the VBS. The GUI must do something else......maybe pass single files behind the scenese.....

Anyway, well done.

Rob.

William Elliott

heh, i even knew that,.. never tried 200, but quite a few.

thanks