# wdavince – Windows Application for PDF Conversion

Version: 2.1.1

Part of DaVince Tools

Last Modified: March 2, 2003

## Command Syntax:

(Please note that the square brackets "[" and "]" specify optional parameters; do not enter the brackets as part of the command)

wdavince [file1] [file2] … [filen]

or

wdavince file.dcf

Arguments:

file1, file2, filen: Specify the name(s) of a file to be converted

file.dcf : A DCF file to execute when first starting up the program (must have a ".dcf" extension)

## Description

wdavince is a Windows application used for converting files to PDF. It creates a GUI interface to the "DaVince Tools" command line converters. The features of this application include:

- GUI interface for converting files to PDF. Same interface is used for all converters.
- Drag and drop files and/or directories for conversion, either from within the application or from the Windows desktop
- Save conversion options to a command file
- Run previously saved command files
- Graphically choose converter and profile
- Convert files in a watched folder (new)
- Profile names are displayed along with their description
- Automatically launch PDF viewer after conversion (all files/many to one conversion only)
- Conversion output is in scrollable window and can easily be copied to the clipboard
- Application settings are automatically maintained between sessions (new)
- Customizable tools menu allows for running other applications like tiffdump and pdfmaze
- On-line documentation available from the Help menu
- Link to home page and registration information available from the Help menu

Below is a screen shot of wdavince:

##

## Converter Options

Converter and Profile | Select appropriate converter and profile. This is automatically filled in with the first file added to the conversion list ("default" profile is assumed). A description of the profile is displayed if a "description" option is included in the profile.
Title, Subject, Author | The title, subject and author fields that will be filled in the newly created PDF file.
Create 1 PDF for: All Files, Each File, Each Folder | Either combine multiple files into one PDF, create one PDF for each file, or create one PDF for each folder, respectively.
Include Subdirectories | Include subdirectories when converting folders.
Overwrite Existing PDF Files | Used when "Each File" is set, disabling this option will skip converting a file if the resulting PDF file already exists AND the PDF file date is newer than the original file date.
Open PDF After Conversion | Used when "All Files" is set, enabling this option will automatically launch the PDF viewer with the just converted PDF file.
Output PDF File/Output Directory | When "All Files" is set, "Output PDF File" specifies the PDF filename to create. If blank, the name of the PDF file will be the converter's default name. For example, "tiff.pdf" is the default name when converting TIFF files. When "Each File" or "Each Folder" is set, "Output Directory" specifies the folder where the newly created PDF files will be stored. If left blank, the PDF files will be stored in the same directory as the data file or folder.

## Menu Options

File Menu: |
Save to DCF… | Save current settings to a DaVince command file. This command file can be executed later by using the "Run Command File…" menu option.
Exit | Exit the Program
Edit Menu: |
Reset Fields | Reset fields to their default value
Refresh | Refreshes directory and file lists
Cut, Copy, Paste | Cut, copy or paste field data to or from the clipboard
Run Menu: |
Run | Convert the specified files
Run Command File… | Execute a DaVince command file.These files can be created manually or automatically using the "Save to DCF…" menu option.
Watch Folder(s)… | Display watch folder window.
Tools Menu | This menu is customizable, which is used to launch other applications. It also may be completely removed if desired. The default installation includes menu items for opening PDF files, tiffdump and pdfmaze.
Help Menu |
DaVince Tools Help… | On-line help in HTML format
DaVince Home Page | Product web site
Tip of the Day… | Display tip of the day window
Register | Link to registration information
Install License Key… | Prompt for the license key received when registering the product and install it.
About DaVince Tools… | A dialog box displaying the version number and the registration status.

## How to Specify Files or Folders for Conversion

There are several ways in which a file or folder can be specified for conversion:

- Double click files in the file list box in the upper right corner of the application window.
- Drag and drop files from the file list box or the folder box to the conversion box at the lower right corner of the application.
- Drag files or folders from the desktop or another window to the application window.
- Drag files or folders from the desktop or another window to the application's shortcut, if available.

Files and folders listed in the conversion box can be reordered by dragging and dropping them from within the same window. Files and folders can be removed from the conversion box by right clicking on them and choosing the delete option from the popup menu.

The output of a sample conversion appears below:

##

## Using the Watch Folders Feature

The watch folders feature can be accessed by either selecting the item under the run menu or by clicking on the appropriate button in the button bar. The watch folder window appears as follows:

This feature allows one to have a folder watched for incoming files. As files appear in one or more defined folders, they are converted to PDF using the specified converter and profile. For a frequently watched folder, the settings can be saved to a DCF file using the "Save…" button. This allows the folder to be watched later by using the "Run Command File…" menu option and specifying this DCF file. After conversion, the original file can be moved from the watch folder to the PDF folder, it can be deleted, or it can be left alone.

Under the "Edit" menu, the single option "Reset Fields" resets all fields (except the watch folders field) to the original settings.

## Limitations of Unregistered Version

The unregistered version of "DaVince Tools" allows full use of all program features. Unregistered copies will create an unregistered notice within the PDF file, and the Windows application will notify the user of its unregistered status after each conversion. This notice within the PDF file will disappear for all future conversions after you register your copy of "DaVince Tools". Previous conversions will have to be re-run in order to remove the unregistered notice. You are encouraged to register your software by clicking on the "Register" menu item under the "Help" menu.

## Customizing the Tools Menu

The Tools menu is completely customizable. It can also be removed from the application if desired. The Tools menu is defined in the wdavince.ini file. It is located in the "[toolsmenu]" section. To remove the tools menu, rename the "[toolsmenu]" name or delete the section in its entirety (for example: "[_toolsmenu]"). Below is a sample line from the "[toolsmenu]" section:

`010=title:"TIFF Dump",exe:"tiffdump.exe %i",inputext:tif,input:"TIFF file(*.tif,*.tiff)|*.tif;*.tiff",params:"console,open"`

The first parameter in the line ("010") specifies the ordering sequence of the item in the Tools menu. The actual value is not important, but its ordering sequence is important. The ordering sequence is based on the alphanumeric sorting sequence of the items and does not need to be sequential. Alphanumeric sorting requires leading zeros in numbers. This means a sequence value of "15" would appear before a value of "3", but not "03".

The sequence value is followed by an equals sign ("="). This is then followed by a series of comma delimited parameters used for defining the menu item. The following parameters are allowed for defining the tool menu item:

title | The title to use in the menu. Create the shortcut character by inserting an ampersand character (&) before the shortcut character. To create a separator bar in the menu, use a single dash as its title ("-")
exe | The filename of a data file or executable file with any associated parameters. It should be located either in the "DaVince Tools" exe directory, or it should be in the path, otherwise, the full pathname must be specified. Single quotes should surround the data file or executable file name if the path contains spaces. If an executable file name is used and an input file parameter is expected, use "%i" in the command line. If the command expects an output file to be specified, use "%o" in the command line. The "%i" and "%o" options will fill in the input and output filenames on the command line by displaying the appropriate file dialog box to the user.
input | The filter definition to be used in the open dialog box.
inputext | The default file extension to be used with the input file.
output | The filter definition to be used in the save dialog box.
outputext | The default file extension when creating the output file, which is used by the save dialog box.
params | Additional comma delimited parameters that can be used to define the behavior of the tool. This item must be enclosed in quotes since it uses the same delimiter. These parameters are: console - Run the tool in the "DaVince Tools" console window. open - open the output file with its default viewer. For example, a PDF file will be opened by Acrobat Reader or Exchange. When using the open parameter with "exe" parameter, you must include the "%o" option in order for this to work. To open an existing file (i.e. a previously created PDF file), include the inputext and input parameters (the exe parameter is not needed). Snother way to open an existing file is to include the inputext, input and exe parameter of "%i" (the params parameter is not needed in this case).

## About DaVince Tools:

Visit the DaVince Tools web site at http://www.davince.com for the latest version of this software and the latest documentation. DaVince Tools is shareware and software registration is urged if you find these programs useful. You can register the software on-line at http://www.davince.com.

DaVince Tools was written in C++ using the DaVince Class Library, written by the same author as this program. The DaVince Class Library is a C++ library for developing PDF and TIFF applications. Contact the author at info@davince.com for more information on the availability of the class library.