PDF Converter Help Please

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KPollard
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:28 pm

PDF Converter Help Please

Post by KPollard »

I have Compare It installed and am trying to use the PDF converter. This is how I have the option set up under Options>Options>Converters:

Name: Pdf2Text
Mask: *.pdf
Command: C:\Program Files\Compare It!\pdftotext.dll
Arguments: {$Source_File} {$Converted_File}

When I try to compare two PDF files created with Adobe PDF creator, it still returns unreadable. Can you tell me what I am doing wrong?

Thanks!

grigsoft
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Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2003 7:37 pm
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Post by grigsoft »

You should not create new filter - there is already built-in converter for PDF, just make sure it is not turned off.

KPollard
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:28 pm

Post by KPollard »

Where do I check to see if it is on/off? I'm not seeing any PDF converters within the Options tab, except for the one that I set up.

Thanks!

grigsoft
Site Admin
Posts: 1673
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2003 7:37 pm
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Post by grigsoft »

Hmm, it should be in Converters page. Which version of CompareIt do you have?

KPollard
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:28 pm

Post by KPollard »

Version 3.5.5.1164

grigsoft
Site Admin
Posts: 1673
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2003 7:37 pm
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Post by grigsoft »

Please upgrade to latest version - pdf support was only added in 3.81. While it's possible to use any converter, supplied pdf2text is dll, not an application, so it requires special handling from CompareIt itself.

KPollard
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:28 pm

Post by KPollard »

I upgraded to version 3.86. I do see the various converters in the options and they are all checked. However, when I created new PDF's and tried to compare they still don't compare correctly. Should CompareIt automatically create the text file and compare the text files? Is there something else I need to do in order for the conversion to take place?

thanks!

grigsoft
Site Admin
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Post by grigsoft »

This version still needs pdftotext.dll. Did you copied it too? Check settings of pdf converter - if it could not find dll, it will tell you about it.
Otherwise it should convert files automatically. You can also try to force conversion by using View>ViewAs>PDF menu command.

KPollard
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:28 pm

Post by KPollard »

The force compare worked! Looks like CompareIt will work for our upcoming project where we'll be comparing about 150 PDF's. Thanks so much for your help!

jchoffman
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2008 9:30 am

Re: PDF Converter Help Please

Post by jchoffman »

KPollard wrote:I have Compare It installed and am trying to use the PDF converter. This is how I have the option set up under Options>Options>Converters:

Name: Pdf2Text
Mask: *.pdf
Command: C:\Program Files\Compare It!\pdftotext.dll
Arguments: {$Source_File} {$Converted_File}

When I try to compare two PDF files created with Adobe PDF creator, it still returns unreadable. Can you tell me what I am doing wrong?

Thanks!
I have a similar issue in that the app only displays the first few pages of the document then has (?) at the end of both documents I am comparing. Is there a funny setting somewhere I missed?

I have just upgraded to the latest tool (Beta, V4), I have downloaded and copied the dll into the directory where the app is run from and I have enabled the converter. :roll:

fyz
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:20 am

Post by fyz »

Hi,

It seems that your pdf file is corrupt. I think you can try a utility called Advanced PDF Repair to repair your PDF file. It works rather well for my corrupt PDF files. Its web address is http://www.datanumen.com/apdfr/

Hope this helps.

Alan

jchoffman
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2008 9:30 am

PDF Repair tool

Post by jchoffman »

Hi there

Thanks for the suggestion. I actually think the bit that can't be converted is actually text that was copied into the doc as an image before creating the pdf, hence any OCR converter won't pick it up as it's not recognised as text but as an image (and images can't possibly be converted, like putting a picture in a thousand words :p)

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