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Author Topic: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing  (Read 5793 times)

Contro

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Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« on: December 28, 2015, 07:39 PM »
And I hope, if possible, a script for solving this problem :

When we insert a pdf as object only the first page is seen. Double click goes to the pdf document inserted in the word document.

When we print the word document to pdf only the first page of the initial pdf inserted is printed.....

I would like a script able to recognize the pdf inserted and print in the correct way.
So, in the simpler way, obtain a final pdf file with all the pages inserted.....

Is this possible ?

I know other answers like convert the pdf to word, or to jpg pages.....

 :-*

P.D. I was thinking in an autohotkey script to print and combine the files conveniently.....

Sure there is a code somewhere in the word document with the pdf file inserted as a link....

 :-[

Target

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #1 on: December 28, 2015, 08:06 PM »
apologies for the dumb question, but just what are you trying to achieve?

it sounds like you're embedding a PDF into a word document and expecting it to behave like a normal word doc, but I'm not sure (FWIW it won't). 

Also important to know how you're embedding the file as this has implications for its behaviour

You can copy and paste the content from a PDF into word, though different versions might give a different experience


Contro

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #2 on: December 28, 2015, 08:52 PM »
It's simpler for me.
I am trying to mantain the order....
I usually use a basical word document. Then print to pdf. And combine with other pdf.
This is not very confortable. I have to calculate where insert the pdf's.....


MW have an apparent advantage if i am able to link pdf files to my basical word document. I only need to expand when printing the final document. A sort of combines the files from the word document.

 :-[

Target

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #3 on: December 28, 2015, 09:48 PM »
so why not use a dedicated tool like PDF split and merge instead of kludging it with word (I assume you're using word to establish some sort of work flow)?

Renegade

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #4 on: December 29, 2015, 01:35 AM »
Don't even try to work with PDFs if you can avoid it. You will have nothing but pain. PDF is a one-way thing.
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Contro

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #5 on: December 29, 2015, 02:25 AM »
so why not use a dedicated tool like PDF split and merge instead of kludging it with word (I assume you're using word to establish some sort of work flow)?
I am combining the pdf files in that way, but I have to insert manually the pdf's.....

Yes I would like to use word to establish the work flow is possible because I begin my work with a word file. Then insert the pdf objects, and finally trying to print in order.....

 :-*

The trick to get is how to print the pdf inserted as object.....
The trick is the script to combine and mount all the documents in a final pdf from the word file as the rule.

 :-[

Contro

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #6 on: December 29, 2015, 02:28 AM »
Don't even try to work with PDFs if you can avoid it. You will have nothing but pain. PDF is a one-way thing.

Bad news then.


How can I insert a code to indicate to vinculate a PDF inside another ?

(Something similar to link a several text pages to a word document)

 :-\

IainB

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2015, 06:40 AM »
I could be wrong, of course, but I recall reading somewhere (possibly New Scientist?) that, according to research (from something named the US Dept. of Climate Change and Incomplete Research, or something) in 2014, it was the high correlation of problems like this - i.e., difficulties when working on and manipulating PDF files - with increased suicides in the Los Angeles area that gave rise to the hypothesis that Adobe may have inadvertently invented the ultimate "killer app".

Curt

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #8 on: December 29, 2015, 09:07 AM »
Celebrating New Year a little (too) early, wrong IainB? Most people are aware that such killer app was first introduced by Slartibartfarst, but it turned out to merely be a killer nap.

I agree with Renegade, PDF is not to play with, only to fight with.

When I once had a printing job like the one Contro described, I printed each document (1 Word + 3 Pdf) - and only afterwards, I manually mixed the printed papers, to make it look as if it all was one big printing job.

If I had to do it again, I would first convert one or the other format. All pdf, or all Word.



Contro

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #9 on: December 29, 2015, 02:19 PM »
Then we have other problem to solve. I am sure is possible to solve :

Joining PDF files in windows from the command line

Joining PDF files in windows from a batch file

Joining PDF files in windows from an autohotkey file

Mergint PDF files in windows from an autohotkey script able to determine where put the pages from each component PDF in the final PDF

An interactive script of course....
 :-*


Curt

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #10 on: December 29, 2015, 04:45 PM »
$everal programs can merge pdf files. [deleted]. I do hope 2016 is going to bring you some money at last.



« Last Edit: December 31, 2015, 05:53 PM by Curt »

Target

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #11 on: December 29, 2015, 06:12 PM »
just to be clear on this

if you have multiple PDFs you want to combine - this is doable using existing tools

if you have multiple PDFs that you want to cut up and combine in some automated fashion, you're pretty much out of luck

I've never used it but you probably need something like adobes authoring tool (or equivalent) to manipulate PDF's in the manner you seem to require




Edvard

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #12 on: December 29, 2015, 08:58 PM »
One word: PDFTK
https://www.pdflabs....ftk-the-pdf-toolkit/
Screenshot_2015-12-29_18-44-37.png

Seriously, don't let the lackluster description fool you.  PDFTK is a powerful program with lots of options for splitting and combining, plus a ton of other functions.  If you can't swing the price of Adobe Acrobat XI  :-* , then PDFTK is your best bet.


P.S. - I hate MS Word.  As in, passionately.  At least, in the context of working in a print shop.  If a customer gives me a Word file, I hand it right back and tell him to make me a PDF.
Just sayin'...

Also, about the XI love...
I've also always felt PDFs to be a pain in the rear end to deal with after creating, and they still are, but I can personally attest that Acrobat XI is one sweet piece of gear for dealing with that.  I work in printing also, so I have it because where I work has a contract/subscription/whatever and I use it every day.  If only it wasn't prohibitively expensive for home users, I'd straight up have a copy even though I don't use Windows anymore.  Everything up to Acrobat X was useful, but not amazing.  XI is.


Target

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #13 on: December 29, 2015, 11:14 PM »
I thought of that, but its not exactly intuitive, and he would need to be able to clearly lay out all the steps.

if it was laid out in a text file I suppose you could read that into a batch...hmmm...

Contro

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #14 on: December 30, 2015, 12:50 PM »
Interesting of course. I open another post : Assemble PDF documents

I actually assemble pdf documents with adobe acrobat DC. But not in automated way.
I am investigating this :

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat.html

Edvard

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Re: Microsoft Word seems the most stupid thing
« Reply #15 on: December 30, 2015, 11:41 PM »
I thought of that, but its not exactly intuitive, and he would need to be able to clearly lay out all the steps.

if it was laid out in a text file I suppose you could read that into a batch...hmmm...

Lots of folks have made GUIs for PDFTK, more or less useful.  PDFLabs has one bundled with the download, but others are:
- GUIPDFTK
http://www.paehl.de/pdf/gui_pdftk.html
- PDFTK4All
http://pdftk4all.sourceforge.net/
- PDFTKBuilder
http://www.angusj.co...pdftkb/#pdftkbuilder

IIRC, I even came up with a GUI for it written in AHK that did a few trivial operations; it's really not too difficult once you get the hang of what you want done and how to interact between the GUI interface and the command line options. I also have a small batch script I wrote for my wife for bundling numbered PDFs in a folder to a single multi-page PDF.  In other words, I found PDFTK's learning curve challenging but not insurmountable.