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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Software Issues and Discussion => Topic started by: Yesnaby on March 25, 2008, 02:40:26 AM
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Can anyone help me with getting this macro working?
I went to the Aminet website and looked up the docs for the macro. It says you need "gs850" and gives a website for obtaining this. I went to this website and downloaded what I could, but it was difficult as the page kept constantly refreshing and it took ages. Having got the ghostscript version I dearchived it and put it in my Programs partition, but it didn't work. I also tried an assign, which stopped the requesters asking for the program, but when I tried the macro it didn't convert anything at all.
I want to be able to use this, as PDF is quite a good way of sending lengthy documents to friends who don't have Amigas and are using Gates Crates!!! My son has Adobe Acrobat reader, and it is fantastic at decoding and printing PDFs.
Any help would be appreciated.
Regards to everyone, and it's nice to be back.
Kathy
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sent the same thread out awhile back and didn't get a response.
hope someone does this time. likewise nothing got converted so cant be of much help. :-(
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Thanks for replying zyphoid, and glad to know it's not just me!!!!
I hope someone has an answer.
Regards
Kathy
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one more shot.. Doesn't anyone know how to accomplish this? :-?
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Sorry, I just skimmed your message, but have you tried downloading the Ghostscript archive from Aminet? It may be more up-to-date and reliable. It also includes an installer, I believe.
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yea though there's like 20 different ones. if you are familiar with the installation process, and have used it, post us a guide please. This would be an awesome solution in converting our files for other systems to read. :-)
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I can't help you on this, but there are online text to PDF converters like http://www.pdfonline.com/
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I tried to get that script working a long time ago without much success. Not that I spent a lot of time on it.
Since I use a Postscript printer these days, I use the Postscript outputs from FW97 and Pagestream to send directly to the printer, or use with with Ghostscript to "print preview", convert to PDF or convert to various image formats.
Download GSGUI from Aminet (http://aminet.net/search?query=gsgui) which gives instructions on downloading Ghostscript and setting it up. The new MUI version means you don't need to also have RxMUI installed (though the RxMUI version does work fine as well).
I'm currently using GS8.5 with good results. There's a little bit of work in setting it all up, but not major. I can archive my GS8.5 install and make it available for download if that helps?
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@ castellen
thanx! I'll fiddle with it tonight. ;-)
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Hi Kathy,
If memory serves me right you used to be from the Manchester area of the UK, is that correct?
With regard to whoosh's website, as you load it up, or before you do so, amend your settings/preferences, if you are using IBrowse then you need to go to the HTML/images part of settings and click the load images cycle options and change them so that the images are not loaded up, as they take up a lot of memory, and time, just click on use, and carry on, then you can change them back when you have finished with whoosh's site.
Right, with regard to GS8.60, which is the latest version released by the author, his worshipful "whoosh-ness", it requires that once you have all the necessary files from his site that you place them all in a main gs860 directory, or a directory that is assigned as GS860. There are command files that need to go in a "bin" directory, others that need to go in a "fonts", ".", "doc", "examples" and a "lib" & "resource" directory. Once you have all the files in whichever partition you want to put them in the directories I have mentioned, you need to assign them as a permanent feature in your user-startup, for example as:
assign GS860: xxdrivexx:GS860
assign GS860Data: GS860:lib
assign GS860Fonts: GS860:fonts
assign GS860Resource: GS860:Resource
assign Ghostscript: Turboprint:ghostscript/
The Ghostscript assign is just in case you wish to use the TurboPrint printing system, but you can use the GS860 more up to date Ghostscript printing capabilities by assigning to where the Ghostscript files are in the GS860 file structure.
I have used the Convert2PDF script and it works fine for text files, but does not save images in the file from FW'97, well not for me as yet, but I have used it very little for this, as I use the far superior capabilities of PageStream. PageStream can interpret many PDFs, with it's pdf.filter into the PageStream format, and save them as PDFs from any document it creates, though it only supports older PDFs for importing, so Acrobat8 documents it does not interpret properly.
The Convert2PDF macro needs a document to convert loaded on the screen, and once you highlight the Convert2PDF menu, it loads up a progress bar to show it is reading the file, then it brings up a requester asking you where you want to save the pdf you want to create, basically simplicity itself, but has the limitation of not saving images in the file, well not for me as yet, though it may depend on what file format of graphic you use, but I believe it may just not support graphics, but someone else may know better.
Oh, I should mention that the Convert2PDF script needs to be edited to show where your GS860 files are located. The section that needs to be amended is towards the bottom of the script file itself, but should be quite easy as long as you have a text editor handy, even "ED" will do.
Hope this helps
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It is a different "Ghostscript" to the one I am using with TurboPrint. I went to the Aminet site when I started having problems with this macro, and this was where I got the information about the "whoosh" website.
Regards Kathy
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I'll give that a whirl too, but I really wanted to convert from FinalWriter as I use it all the time. Thanks anyway.
Regards Kathy
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Can this ONLY be done with a postscript printer?
Regards Kathy
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Yes I did Nearly-Right - someone's got a good memory. I'm glad to be away from the place, and it's must nicer being where I am. However, social services are still the same sods here as everywhere else - but that's a different story!!!!!
No I don't use IBrowse - couldn't get along with it so I use AWeb, which I find much better.
I do, however, use TurboPrint. I find it is a brilliant program, and their Florian is very helpful. I have asked him about printer drivers for various second hand printers I have picked up, and he has always come back with an answer. It's lovely to know there is still someone who so actively supports the Amiga and makes such a good printing facility.
I abandoned ED years ago. I now use EdWord, or if that refuses to insert anything more into a large file I use QED. I like QED too, and have used it for many years, but it seems to lack many of the editing facilities of EdWord - unless I am using it wrongly!!!
I'm not really bothered about sending graphics to anyone in PDF format - I can easily send a JPEG file as an email attachment - but I often need to send text files to others, and if I send it as an attached text file created in EdWord to some people I get emails back telling me they can't read it. I used to wonder why, since I have a converter with which I can make Word documents into ASCII files, but having seen the performance on my son's Gates Crate that he has to go through each time he encounters an unknown file - a whole list of programs as options into which to load the file - I wonder no more!! What a performance!!
So PageStream will do that will it? I had PageStream2 some time ago, but abandoned it because I hate menus and only usually use the buttons in FinalWriter. I was aware it was a good program, and only abandoned it for this one reason. I never tried PageStream3. Is it still available commercially? I wouldn't mind trying it again. I seem to remember PageStream2 had a FinalCopy importer, which may do also for FinalWriter. Maybe I could interchange to suit myself - or maybe I should learn to walk before I start to run!!!! I have tried a number of programs and some I still have on my hard drive. Others I have abandoned as being surplus to requirements, or because they didn't seem to work properly for me. Let me know about PageStream.
I have only once amended a script - and by some miracle it worked!! It will be quite a challenge doing that again.
By the way Nearly-Right where do you come from?
Regards Kathy
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@Kathy (regarding PageStream):
Yes, PageStream is still sold (it's now at version 5).
You can buy it for *ANY* platform (including Amiga), here:
http://www.pagestream.org
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Thanks for that. I don't like buying online, so I usually send the money to a friend of mine who is used to doing it and he sends for it for me. I'll certainly go on the website and have a look though.
Regards Kathy
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Many thanks for that. I went to the PageStream site and asked a load of questions. Tonight I got a reply and that may well be my way forward. All I need to do now is persuade my son he should buy a program that is compatible with the Amiga!!!!!!!
Regards Kathy
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Hi
If you want to create a pdf from Final Writer you can print it to a postscript file. Then you can use ghostscript to convert the ps file to a pdf. If you use gsgui, go to the convert settings tab and choose "pdfwrite" as the "Device" and change the drop down menu next to the "go" button so it is on "convert".
Hope this helps
billy