| Oracle® Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Conversion 11g Release 1 (11.1.1) E10800-01 |
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Home > Administrator's Guide for C... > Working with PDF Conversions
| Oracle® Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Conversion 11g Release 1 (11.1.1) E10800-01 |
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Home > Administrator's Guide for C... > Working with PDF Conversions
Inbound Refinery can convert native files to PDF by either exporting to PDF directly using Oracle Outside In PDF Export (included with Inbound Refinery) or by using third-party applications to output the native file to PostScript and then using a third-party PDF distiller engine to convert the PostScript file to PDF. PDF conversions require the following components to be installed and enabled on the Inbound Refinery server:
| Component Name | Component Description | Enabled on Server |
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| PDFExportConverter | Enables Inbound Refinery to use Oracle OutsideIn PDF Export to convert native formats directly to PDF on multiple platforms without the use of any 3rdParty tools. | Inbound Refinery Server |
| WinNativeConverter | Enables Inbound Refinery to convert native files to a PostScript file with either the native application or OutsideInX and convert the PostScript file to PDF using a third-party distiller engine on Windows platforms. | Inbound Refinery Server |
| OpenOfficeConversion | Enables Inbound Refinery to convert supported native files direct to PDF on multiple platforms using Open Office. | Inbound Refinery Server |
This section describes how to work with PDF conversions. The section includes the following topics:
This section covers the following topics:
File extensions, file formats, and conversions are used in Content Server to define how content items should be processed by Inbound Refinery and its conversion add-ons. You must configure each content server to send files to refineries for conversion. When a file extension is mapped to a file format and a conversion, files of that type will be sent for conversion when they are checked into the content server. You can configure your file extension, file format, and conversion mappings in your content servers using either the File Formats Wizard or the Configuration Manager.
All conversions required for Inbound Refinery are available by default in Content Server. For more information about configuring file extensions, file formats, and conversions in your content servers, refer to "About MIME Types" and "Using the File Formats Wizard".
Conversions available in the content server should match those available in the refinery. When a file format is mapped to a conversion in the content server, files of that format will be sent for conversion upon checkin. One or more refineries must be set up to accept that conversion. You set the conversions that the refinery will accept and queue maximums on the Conversion Listing page. All conversions required for Inbound Refinery are available by default in both Content Server and Inbound Refinery. For more information about setting accepted conversions, refer to "Setting Accepted Conversions".
To set PDF files as the primary web-viewable rendition, complete the following steps:
Log into the refinery.
Select Conversion Settings, then select Primary Web Rendition. The Primary Web-Viewable Rendition Page is displayed.
Select one or more of the following conversion methods. Note that for a conversion method to be available, the associated components must be installed and enabled:
Convert to PDF using PDF Export: when running on either Windows or UNIX, Inbound Refinery uses Outside In PDF Export to convert files directly to PDF without the use of third-party applications. PDFExportConverter must be enabled on the refinery server.
Convert to PDF using third-party applications: when running on Windows, Inbound Refinery can use several third-party applications to create PDF files of content items. In most cases, a third-party application that can open and print the file is used to print the file to PostScript, and then the PostScript file is converted to PDF using the configured PostScript distiller engine. In some cases, Inbound Refinery can use a third-party application to convert a file directly to PDF. For more information about file formats that can be converted using this option, see "Supported File Formats". For this option to be available, WinNativeConverter must be enabled on the refinery server. In addition, when using this option, Inbound Refinery requires the following:
A PostScript distiller engine.
A PostScript printer.
The third-party applications used during the conversion.
Convert to PDF using OpenOffice: when running on either Windows or UNIX, Inbound Refinery can use OpenOffice to convert some file types directly to PDF. For more information about file formats that can be converted using this option, see "File Formats Converted to PDF by Open Office". For this option to be available, OpenOfficeConversion must be installed on the refinery server. When using this option, Inbound Refinery requires only OpenOffice.
Convert to PDF using Outside In: Inbound Refinery includes Outside In, which can be used with WinNativeConverter on Windows to create PDF files of some content items. Outside In is used to print the files to PostScript, and then the PostScript files are converted to PDF using the configured PostScript distiller engine. For more information about file formats that can be converted using this option, see "File Formats Converted by Outside In Technology". When using this option, Inbound Refinery requires only a PostScript distiller engine.
Inbound Refinery will attempt to convert each incoming file based on the conversion method assigned to the format by the Content Server. If the format is not supported for conversion by the first selected method, Inbound Refinery will check to see if the next selected method supports the format, and so on. Inbound Refinery will attempt to convert the file using the first selected method that supports the conversion of the format.
For example, consider that you select both the Convert to PDF using third-party applications option and the Convert to PDF using Outside In option. You then send a Microsoft Word file to the refinery for conversion. Since the Microsoft Word file format is supported for conversion to PDF using a third-party application (Microsoft Word), Inbound Refinery will attempt to use the Convert to PDF using third-party applications method to convert the file to PDF as the primary web-viewable rendition.
If this method fails, Inbound Refinery will not attempt the Convert to PDF using Outside In method. However, if you send a JustWrite file to the refinery for conversion, this file format is not supported for conversion to PDF using the Convert to PDF using third-party applications method, so Inbound Refinery will check to see if this format is supported by the Convert to PDF using Outside In method. Since this format is supported by Outside In, Inbound Refinery will attempt to convert the file to PDF using Outside In.
Click Update to save your changes.
When using the Convert to PDF using Third-Party Applications method or the Convert to PDF using Outside In method, click the corresponding PDF Web-Viewable Options button. The PDF Options Page is displayed.
Set your PDF options, and click Update to save your changes.
When converting documents to PDF using WinNativeConverter, a distiller engine and PDF printer must be obtained, installed and configured. This is not necessary when converting to PDF using either Outside In PDF Export or OpenOffice to open and save documents to PDF.
WinNativeConverter can use several third-party applications to create PDF files of content items. In most cases, a third-party application that can open and print the file is used to print the file to PostScript, and then the PostScript file is converted to PDF using the configured PostScript distiller engine. In some cases, WinNativeConverter can use a third-party application to convert a file directly to PDF. For details on file formats that can be converted to PDF using third-party applications, see "File Formats Converted to PDF Using Third-Party Applications".
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Note: A distiller engine is not provided with Inbound Refinery. You must obtain a distiller engine of your choice. The distiller engine you choose must be able to execute conversions via a command-line. The procedures in this section use AFPL Ghostscript as an example. This is a free, robust distiller engine that performs both PostScript to PDF conversion and optimization of PDF files during or after conversion. |
To install the PDF printer, complete the following steps:
Obtain and install a distiller engine on the computer where Inbound Refinery has been deployed.
Start the System Properties utility:
Microsoft Windows: Start, Programs, Oracle Content Server, <refinery_instance>, Utilities, System Properties.
Open the Printer tab.
Click Browse next to the Printer Information File field and navigate to the printer information file installed with your distiller engine.
Enter a name for the printer in the Printer Name field.
Enter the name of the printer driver in the Printer Driver Name field. This name should match the name used in the printer driver information file.
Enter the port path in the Printer File Port Path field. For example, c:\temp\idcout.ps
Click Install Printer and follow the printer install instructions when prompted.
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Note: Once a printer is installed, the fields on the System Properties Printer tab are disabled. If the installed printer is deleted, the Printer tab is enabled again and the printer must be reinstalled. |
Click OK to apply the change and exit System Properties.
To change third-party application settings, complete the following steps:
Log into the refinery.
Select Conversion Settings, then select Third-Party Application Settings. The Third-Party Application Settings page is displayed.
Click the Options button for the third-party application. The corresponding options page is displayed. The following third-party application options pages are specific to Inbound Refinery:
Change the third-party application options.
Click Update to save your changes.
To configure timeout settings for PDF file generation, complete the following steps:
Log into the refinery.
Select Conversion Settings, then select Timeout Settings. The Timeout Settings page is displayed.
Enter the Minimum (in minutes), Maximum (in minutes), and Factor for the following conversion operations:
Native to PostScript: the stage in which the original (native) file is converted to a PostScript (PS) file.
PostScript to PDF: the stage in which the PS file is converted to a Portable Document Format (PDF) file.
FrameMaker to PostScript: these values apply to the conversion of Adobe FrameMaker files to PS files.
PDF to Post Production: the stage in which any processing is performed after the file has been converted to PDF format.
For more information about how timeout settings are calculated and examples, refer to the Inbound Refinery Administration Guide.
Click Update to save your changes.
Inbound Refinery includes Outside In version 8.3.2. When using Outside In to convert graphics to PDF, you can set the margins for the generated PDF from 0–4.23 inches or 0–10.76 cm. By default, Inbound Refinery uses 1-inch margins on the top, bottom, right, and left.
To adjust these margins, complete the following steps:
Use a text editor to open the intradoc.cfg file located in the refinery DomainDir/ucm/ibr/bin directory.
Change the following settings:
OIXTopMargin= OIXBottomMargin= OIXLeftMargin= OIXRightMargin=
To change the margin units from inches to centimeters, set the following:
OIXMarginUnitInch=false
Save your changes to the intradoc.cfg file.
Restart the refinery.
This section covers the following topics:
Inbound Refinery can use OpenOffice to convert some file types directly to PDF. This is done by configuring the OpenOffice listener, which must be running in order for conversions to be successful. Typically, you must be logged in to the computer on which OpenOffice is installed in order for OpenOffice to be able to open and process any documents. However, the OpenOffice listener can be run in headless mode with no graphical user interface.
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Note: Before setting up the OpenOffice listener to run in headless mode, confirm that documents can be converted to PDF using OpenOffice running in a non-headless mode. Also, turn off any extra screens that start up before OpenOffice can be used, such as startup dialogs, tip wizards, or update notices. These cause the refinery process to time out, because conversions will not proceed until these screens are cleared and they are not displayed in headless mode. |
This section covers the following topics:
To convert documents to PDF using OpenOffice without being logged in to a Windows host, you must create a custom service to run the OpenOffice listener in headless mode. The Windows Resource Kits provide the INSTSRV.EXE and SRVANY.EXE utilities to create custom services.
To set up a custom OpenOffice service, perform these steps:
In the MS-DOS command prompt, type the following command:
<path>\INSTSRV.EXE <service_name> <path>\SRVANY.EXE
where <path> is the path to the Windows Resource Kit, and <service_name> is the name of your custom service. This name can be anything, but should be descriptive to identify the service. When done, a new service key is created in your Windows registry.
Open the Registry Editor by selecting Start, then select Run, entering regedit, and clicking OK. The Registry Editor is displayed.
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Caution: Backup your registry before editing it. |
Backup your registry by selecting File, then select Export, entering a name for the backup file, and clicking Save. Remember the location to which the backup file is saved should you need to restore the registry.
Navigate to the new registry key created in the first step and select the new service key. The new key is located at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\<service_name>
With the new key selected, choose Edit, then select New, then select Key, and name it Parameters.
Right-click on the Parameters key, select New, then select String Value, and name the value Application.
Right-click on the Application string and select Modify.
Type in the full path to soffice.exe, appended with -headless. For example:
C:\Program Files\OpenOffice2.0\program\soffice.exe –headless
Close the Registry Editor and restart the computer.
Once the computer has successfully restarted, select Start, then select Settings, then select Control Panel, then select Administrative Tools, then select Services to open Windows Services. The Windows Services screen is displayed.
Right-click the service you just created, select Properties, and ensure that the service is set up to start automatically
Select the Log On tab and enable This account. This enables the service to run using a specific user account
Enter the same user credentials that the Inbound Refinery is using to run.
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Note: The Inbound Refinery user will need to have the right to log on as a service on the Inbound Refinery computer. |
Start the service, accept the changes and close Windows Services.
To convert documents to PDF using OpenOffice without being logged in to a UNIX host, the OpenOffice listener must run in headless mode with no graphical user interface, using a virtual buffer display (X server).
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Important: Each UNIX environment is unique. This information is a general guideline for setting up the OpenOffice listener in headless mode on UNIX platforms. An example of the procedure for Red Hat EL4 is also included. |
In general, to configure the OpenOffice listener to run in headless mode on UNIX platforms, you must perform the following steps:
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Note: Before setting up OpenOffice to run in headless mode, ensure that Inbound Refinery is installed and configured correctly to successfully convert documents to PDF using OpenOffice in non-headless mode. |
Create a startup script to run Inbound Refinery when the system boots up.
Configure a virtual X server and create a startup script to run it when the system boots up, to enable OpenOffice to run.
Create a startup script to run OpenOffice in headless mode when the system boots up.
Configure the system to run the startup scripts in the following order:
Start Inbound Refinery
Start the virtual X server
Start OpenOffice
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Note: The virtual X server must be started prior to starting OpenOffice, or OpenOffice will not run. Additionally, remember to ensure that the web server is also configured to run when the system boots up. |
This section covers the following topics:
When running on Windows, Inbound Refinery can use Microsoft Office to convert Microsoft Office files to PDF files. The following Microsoft Office versions are supported:
Microsoft Office 2003
Microsoft Office 2007
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Note: Support for Microsoft Office 2007 excludes support for Microsoft Project 2007. |
Please note the following important general considerations:
Microsoft Office is used to convert Microsoft Office files to PDF when the Convert to PDF Using third-party applications option is selected on the Primary Web-Viewable Rendition page.
Inbound Refinery can convert a number of special features in Microsoft Office files into links in the generated PDF files. You set the conversion options for Microsoft Office files using the Third-Party Application Settings page.
To keep a conversion of a Microsoft Office file from timing out, all functions requiring user input should be disabled. These include password protection, security notifications, such as disabling of macros, and online access requests to show online content or participate in user feedback programs. For details on how to disable these and other similar features, refer to the Microsoft documentation for each product.
If a Microsoft Office file was converted to a PDF file successfully, but one or more links in the file could not be converted to links in the PDF file, the conversion status of that file is set to Incomplete. To prevent this from happening, you can set AllowSkippedHyperlinkToCauseIncomplete=False in the intradoc.cfg configuration file located in the refinery DomainDir\ucm\ibr\bin\ directory.
Consider the following when running Inbound Refinery on Windows and using Microsoft Word to convert Word files to PDF:
Any information in a Word file that is outside of the document's print area will not be converted to PDF.
Password-protected files will time out unless the need for a password is removed.
On Word 2003, make sure that you turn off Show content and links from Microsoft Online on the Tools, then select Options, then select General tab under the Online category, and opt out of the Customer Experience Improvement Program on the Tools, then select Options, then select General tab under the Customer Feedback category. If you do not, these files might time out.
Options for the conversion of Word links to PDF can be found on the Word Options Page.
The following types of links in Word files can be converted to PDF:
Absolute URL links (for example, http://www.company.com). You can also use links that specify targets on the page (for example http://idvm001/ibr/portal.htm#target). Note that in order to be processed as an absolute URL link, Word must return the http:// prefix as a part of the link. All supported versions of Microsoft Word automatically enforce this rule.
Relative URL links (for example, ../../../../portal.htm). Note that these links do not contain any server name or protocol prefix.
Mailto links (links to e-mail addresses; for example mailto:support@company.com). Note that in order to be processed as an e-mail link, Word must return the mailto: prefix as a part of the link. All supported versions of Microsoft Word automatically enforce this rule.
Table of Contents links (converted to bookmarks in the generated PDF file).
Bookmarks (internal links to auto-generated or author-generated bookmarks).
Standard heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc., which are converted to bookmarks in the generated PDF file).
Links to footnotes and endnotes.
UNC path links (for example, \\server1\c\TestDocs\MSOfficeXP\word\target.doc). This option is not currently available on the Word Options panel. To enable this functionality, you must set the ProcessWordUncLinks=true variable in the refinery connection's intradoc.cfg file (DomainHome\ucm\ibr\bin\intradoc.cfg). In general, UNC paths have no relevance in a web browser; a UNC path is not a URL. Therefore, the PDF must be opened outside of the web browser for UNC path links to be resolved correctly. If you are using UNC path links, you might want to configure the Reader on client computers to open PDF files outside the browser.
Links in text boxes are not converted.
Linked AutoShapes and objects (for example, pictures or WordArt objects) located in tables are not converted.
You might notice in some generated PDF files that the "hotspot" for a link is sometimes slightly off from the actual text (within a character or two). To date there are no know problems related to this occurrence, and there is currently no solution.
Consider the following when running Inbound Refinery on Windows and using Microsoft Excel to convert Excel files to PDF:
Any information in an Excel file that is outside of the document's print area will not be converted to PDF.
Password-protected files will time out unless the need for a password is removed.
On Excel 2003, make sure that you turn off Show content and links from Microsoft Online on the Tools, then select Options, then select General tab under the Online category, and opt out of the Customer Experience Improvement Program on the Tools, then select Options, then select General tab under the Customer Feedback category. If you do not, these files might time out.
Options for the conversion of Excel links to PDF can be found on the Excel Options Page.
Only external links are converted to PDF links. This is because, in the current implementation, it is impossible (or extremely difficult) to know which page of the generated PDF file will contain the target of an internal link (bookmark).
Only the following types of links in Excel files can be converted to PDF:
Absolute URL links (for example, http://www.company.com). You can also use links that specify targets on the page (for example http://idvm001/ibr/portal.htm#target). Note that in order to be processed as an absolute URL link, Excel must return the http:// prefix as a part of the link. All supported versions of Microsoft Excel automatically enforce this rule.
Relative URL links (for example, ../../../../portal.htm). Note that these links do not contain any server name or protocol prefix.
Mailto links (links to e-mail addresses; for example mailto:support@company.com). Note that in order to be processed as an e-mail link, Excel must return the mailto: prefix as a part of the link. All supported versions of Microsoft Excel automatically enforce this rule.
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Note: The Excel Options panel does not have separate settings for absolute URL links and relative URL links. If the Process Excel URL Links option is selected, absolute URL links and relative URL links are all converted to PDF. |
UNC path links (for example, \\server1\c\TestDocs\MSOfficeXP\word\target.doc). This option is not currently available on the Excel Options panel. To enable this functionality, you must set the ProcessExcelUncLinks=true variable in the refinery connection's intradoc.cfg file (DomainHome\ucm\ibr\bin\intradoc.cfg). In general, UNC paths have no relevance in a web browser; a UNC path is not a URL. Therefore, the PDF must be opened outside of the web browser for UNC path links to be resolved correctly. If you are using UNC path links, you might want to configure the Reader on client computers to open PDF files outside the browser.
Links are only converted if they are located in cells. Links in text boxes, WordArt objects, and so forth are not converted. In the generated PDF file, the hotspot for the link is the cell that contains the link.
The Scaling on the Page Setup for the worksheet must be set to Adjust to: ### % normal size (and not 'Fit to Page'). Further, the closer to 100% the scale is set, the better your results will be.
Consider the following when running Inbound Refinery on Windows and using Microsoft PowerPoint to convert PowerPoint files to PDF:
Any information in a PowerPoint file that is outside of the document's print area will not be converted to PDF.
Password-protected files will time out unless the need for a password is removed.
On PowerPoint 2003, make sure that you turn off Show content and links from Microsoft Online on the Tools, then select Options, then select General tab under the Online category, and opt out of the Customer Experience Improvement Program on the Tools, then select Options, then select General tab under the Customer Feedback category. If you do not, these files might time out.
Options for the conversion of PowerPoint links to PDF can be found on the PowerPoint Options Page.
PowerPoint has two types of links: Hyperlinks, which behave the same in all Office applications, and Action Settings. The MSOfficeConverter.exe supports the following Action Settings: Hyperlink to: Next Slide, Previous Slide, and URL. All other links should be inserted as hyperlinks.
The following types of hyperlinks in PowerPoint files can be converted to PDF:
Absolute URL links (for example, http://www.company.com). You can also use links that specify targets on the page (for example http://idvm001/ibr/portal.htm#target). Note that in order to be processed as an absolute URL link, PowerPoint must return the http:// prefix as a part of the link. All supported versions of Microsoft PowerPoint automatically enforce this rule.
Relative URL links (for example, ../../../../portal.htm). Note that these links do not contain any server name or protocol prefix.
Mailto links (links to e-mail addresses; for example mailto:support@company.com). Note that in order to be processed as an e-mail link, PowerPoint must return the mailto: prefix as a part of the link. All supported versions of Microsoft PowerPoint automatically enforce this rule.
Bookmarks (internal links to auto-generated or author-generated bookmarks).
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Note: The PowerPoint Options panel does not have separate settings for absolute URL links and relative URL links. If the Process PowerPoint Hyperlinks option is selected, absolute and relative URL link are all converted to PDF. |
UNC path links (for example, \\server1\c\TestDocs\MSOfficeXP\word\target.doc). This option is not currently available on the PowerPoint Options panel. To enable this functionality, you must set the ProcessPowerPointUncLinks=true variable in the refinery connection's intradoc.cfg file (DomainHome\ucm\ibr\bin\intradoc.cfg). In general, UNC paths have no relevance in a web browser; a UNC path is not a URL. Therefore, the PDF must be opened outside of the web browser for UNC path links to be resolved correctly. If you are using UNC path links, you might want to configure the Reader on client computers to open PDF files outside the browser.
PowerPoint hyperlinks can only be processed if PowerPoint presentations are converted in the Slides format.
It is technically possible to have a link on an object (for example, a text box) over a link on an individual line of text. Because of the way the PDF is assembled, only the link on the object will be active in the generated PDF file. Logically, any given spot in a PDF can only be assigned one action; so the top action is performed.
Consider the following when running Inbound Refinery on Windows and using Microsoft Visio to convert Visio files to PDF:
Any information in a Visio file that is outside of the document's print area will not be converted to PDF.
Visio files created using the Cross-Functional Flowchart template might cause a pop-up dialog to appear when Visio attempts to open the file, and thus the refinery process will time out unless this dialog is cleared manually on the refinery computer. To prevent this from happening, do not base files on the Cross-Functional Flowchart template. You can use Outside In to convert Visio files based on the Cross-Functional Flowchart template. However, please note that Visio links are not converted by Outside In.
Password-protected files will time out unless the need for a password is removed.
On Visio 2003, make sure that you turn off Show content and links from Microsoft Online on the Tools, then select Options, then select General tab under the Online category, and opt out of the Customer Experience Improvement Program on the Tools, then select Options, then select General tab under the Customer Feedback category. If you do not, these files might time out.
Options for the conversion of Visio links to PDF can be found on the Visio Options Page.
The following types of links in Visio files can be converted to PDF:
Absolute URL links (for example, http://www.company.com). You can also use links that specify targets on the page (for example http://idvm001/ibr/portal.htm#target). Visio does not enforce some of the link rules that are enforced by other Office applications. Therefore, the author of the Visio document must use the http:// prefix as a part of the link. If the prefix is not found, the link will be converted as a relative URL link; this will likely not produce the link in the PDF as desired. Without the author applying this prefix, there is no way for the conversion engine to distinguish the link from relative and mailto links.
Relative URL links (for example, ../../../../portal.htm). Note that these links do not contain any server name or protocol prefix.
Mailto links (links to e-mail addresses; for example mailto:support@company.com). Visio does not enforce some of the link rules that are enforced by other Office applications. Therefore, the author of the Visio document must use the mailto: prefix as a part of the link. If the prefix is not found, the link will be converted as a relative URL link; this will likely not produce the link in the PDF as desired. Without the author applying this prefix, there is no way for the conversion engine to distinguish the link from absolute and relative links.
Bookmarks (internal links to auto-generated or author-generated bookmarks). When Process internal Visio links is selected on the Visio Options panel, all internal document links to other sheets are included in the generated PDF.
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Important: For proper conversion of internal links in Visio 2003, you must clear the address field when creating the link. By default, the address field is populated with the file name of the file in which the link occurs. If this is not cleared, the link is converted as a link to the original file and prompts the user to download the original file when the link is clicked. |
UNC path links (for example, \\server1\c\TestDocs\MSOfficeXP\word\target.doc). This option is not currently available on the Visio Options panel. To enable this functionality, you must set the ProcessVisioUncLinks=true variable in the refinery connection's intradoc.cfg file (DomainHome\ucm\ibr\bin\intradoc.cfg). In general, UNC paths have no relevance in a web browser; a UNC path is not a URL. Therefore, the PDF must be opened outside of the web browser for UNC path links to be resolved correctly. If you are using UNC path links, you might want to configure the Reader on client computers to open PDF files outside the browser.
All Microsoft Visio files should be set up so that the printer paper size and orientation matches the drawing page size and orientation. Otherwise, links will not be converted correctly (they will be placed in the wrong location). For example, if the printer paper is set to Letter/Landscape, the drawing page should also be set to Letter/Landscape.
In the generated PDF file, the hotspot for a Visio link is a square that encompasses the shape; even if the shape itself is not a square.
Both relative and absolute links can be converted to PDF in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio files.
Example absolute link:
http://machine/ucm/groups/public/documents/addacct/000123.pdf
Example relative link:
..\addacct\000123.pdf
When creating links, absolute and relative links each have advantages and disadvantages. Absolute links are easy to copy and paste, however, relative links can eliminate issues if the content server is migrated to a new machine or if the IP address and DNS names change; relative links will always be relative to the location of the web viewable file for the document you are checking in.
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Important: The following procedure applies to Inbound Refinery with Microsoft Office installed, using the Convert to PDF using third-party applications option. This procedure does not apply to configurations using Inbound Refinery on UNIX. |
To use relative links in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio documents, complete the following steps:
Log into the refinery.
Select Conversion Settings, then select Third-Party Application Settings. The Third-Party Application Settings page is displayed.
Click the Options button for the third-party application. The corresponding options page is displayed.
Click Update to save your changes.
Use relative links, instead of absolute links, when authoring documents. It is important to understand that these links will be relative to the location of the web viewable file for the document you are checking in:
Example 1: Relative linking with the same document type and security
Let's say you wanted to create a link to document 000123. If the document was checked into security group "public" and document type "adacct", this document has a web viewable URL of:
http://machine/ucm/groups/public/documents/adacct/000123.pdf
Now if you check document 000456 into the same security group and document type, its web viewable URL would be:
http://machine/ucm/groups/public/documents/adacct/000456.pdf
Since the URL path is identical to 000123, your relative URL link in the document for 000456 would only need to be:
000123.pdf
Example 2: Relative linking to a different document type
Using the same document names, if you checked document 000456 into the same security group but a different document type, its web viewable URL would look like:
http://machine/ucm/groups/public/documents/adcorp/000456.pdf
This means that your relative URL link needs to go up one directory and then into "adacct" to find 000123.pdf. So the relative URL link would be:
..\adacct\000123.pdf
Example 3: Relative linking to a different document security
Now if you also change the security group of document 000456, its web viewable URL would look like:
http://machine/ucm/groups/secure/documents/adcorp/000456.pdf
This means that the relative URL link will need to go up three directories and then back down to 000123.pdf. So the relative URL link would be:
..\..\..\public\adacct\000123.pdf
Check the documents into the content server. When converting the documents to PDF, the refinery will create links relative to the location of the web viewable file for each document you are checking in.
This section covers the following topics:
The vast majority of PDF conversion issues fall into one of the following categories:
When a file is checked into the content server, a PDF is not generated.
A PDF is generated, but there are problems with the output.
When troubleshooting PDF conversion issues, you should first try to identify if the issue is related to just one specific file, all files of that type, or all files. For example, if you are having problems converting a Microsoft Excel document to PDF, try checking in other Microsoft Excel documents; preferably files that are smaller and less complex. If the problem is specific to a single file, the problem is most likely related to something within the file itself, such as file corruption, file setup and formatting, and so forth.
PDF not generated:
If a PDF is not generated when a file is checked into the content server, complete the following basic troubleshooting steps:
Look at the Inbound Refinery and agent logs and identify which step of the conversion process failed (printing to PostScript, PostScript to PDF conversion, etc.). For more information about viewing Inbound Refinery and agent logs and enabling verbose logging for agents, refer to the Inbound Refinery Administration Guide.
If the file is timing out during conversion, first try checking in another, smaller, less complex file of the same type. If multiple files are timing out, adjust your timeout values and re-submit the files for conversion. For more information about configuring timeout values, refer to the Inbound Refinery Administration Guide.
If the file is failing to print to PostScript, try printing the file to PostScript manually. Most failure to print to PostScript issues are related to the following possible causes:
The IDC PDF Converter PostScript printer is not installed.
The IDC PDF Converter PostScrpt printer is not named or set up properly.
If the file is printing to PostScript successfully but failing to convert to PDF, again first try checking in another, smaller, less complex file of the same type. If the problem is not specific to a single file, or you cannot identify a problem within the files that is causing the conversion to fail, the problem is most likely related to the distiller engine that you are using.
Content items are often converted incorrectly, or not at all, for the following reasons:
Information within the document is outside of the document's print area: Depending on the native application used to create the document and how your system is set up, a document is sometimes printed to a PostScript file, and the PostScript file is then converted to PDF. Therefore, any information in the document that is outside of the document's print area will not be included in the generated PDF.
Inbound Refinery is trying to convert a file that is not appropriate for the conversion engine: For example, if a file from an application other than Microsoft Word has the extension doc, the document is opened in Microsoft Word, which is not correct. The conversion will then fail.
The third-party application that is used for conversion starts up with items that require user interaction, such as startup dialogs, tip wizards, or update notices: This prevents Inbound Refinery from processing and converting the files correctly, and the conversion will time out. Always make sure that you turn off all such features before using a third-party application for conversion purposes.
The Inbound Refinery's Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is frozen: This is usually associated with failed attempts to convert invalid file formats. Restarting Inbound Refinery will usually fix this problem.
Inbound Refinery did not have enough time to process the file: You can detect this by filtering for the conversion status PassThru in Repository Manager. You can also look at the Inbound Refinery and agent log files. Prevent future occurrences of this problem by increasing the appropriate conversion factor on the Timeout Settings page in the Inbound Refinery administration interface.
The content item was converted correctly but you cannot view the generated PDF file in Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader. You might be using an old Acrobat version. In order to ensure that you can view all generated PDF files correctly, you should always use the latest version of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader.
A Microsoft Office file and a link within that file does not convert correctly. It is possible that the link is not formatted correctly or is not supported by Inbound Refinery. For details, see "Converting Microsoft Office Files to PDF".
The following are symptoms of Inbound Refinery setup and run issues:
Inbound Refinery has been installed, but no files are being converted.
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| File formats and conversion methods not set up for file type in the content server. | Use the File Formats Wizard or Configuration Manager in the content server to set up the file formats and conversion methods for PDF conversion. For more information, refer to the Inbound Refinery Administration Guide. |
The IDC PDF Converter Printer is missing from the list of local printers and documents are stuck in GENWWW. Rebooting the server did not resolve the issue.
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| The Print Spooler service might not be running. | This service ensures that all installed printers are available, including the IDC PDF Converter printer. Check in the Windows services console (accessible by selecting Control Panel, then selecting Administrative Tools, then selecting Services) to make sure this service is running and set to start automatically.
If the service is not running, the Inbound Refinery will not be able to locate and use the IDC PDF Converter printer and documents will be stuck in GENWWW. With the startup type of the Printer Spooler service set to Automatic, this service will start every time the computer boots. After starting the Print Spooler service, you can use Repository Manager to resubmit the documents stuck in GENWWW. Assuming that there are no other conversion issues, the system should now be able to convert documents to PDF successfully. |
Inbound Refinery is not converting any files to PDF, and the following error message appears in the Inbound Refinery log:
Unable to convert. The printer 'IDC PDF Converter Printer' is not installed.
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| The IDC PDF Converter printer is not installed. | Install the IDC PDF Converter printer. |
Inbound Refinery is not converting any files to PDF, and the following error appears in the Inbound Refinery log:
Step MSOfficeToPostscript forced conversion failure passthru by conversion engine with error: ''Unable to convert. The printer 'IDC PDF Converter' is not printing to 'c:/temp/idcoutput.ps'.''
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| The IDC PDF Converter printer is not printing to the correct port. | Make sure the IDC PDF Converter printer is set to print to the correct port. The default port is c:\temp\idcoutput.ps.
The default port can be changed by adding the |
Inbound Refinery conversions keep timing out.
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| Files are password protected. | Password-protected files will bring up a dialog window during conversion, which will cause the conversion to time out if the dialog is not cleared manually. Remove password protection from files before checking them in. |
| Your timeout settings are not sufficient. | Adjust your timeout settings. For more information about configuring timeout values, refer to the Inbound Refinery Administration Guide. |
Microsoft Word files fail to convert.
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| Automatic spell checking and grammar checking are causing the conversions to time out. | Make sure that you turn off the Excel options to perform spell checking and grammar checking automatically. |
| You are using Word and your security level is too high and is causing the conversions to time out. | Make sure that you set the Word security level to low. This means that Word will not prompt you to enable/disable macros when you open a file that contains macros. |
| You are using Word 2003 and the Customer Experience Improvement Program is causing the conversions to time out. | Make sure that you turn off Show content and links from Microsoft Online on the Tools, Options, General tab under the Online category, and opt out of the Customer Experience Improvement Program on the Tools, Options, General tab under the Customer Feedback category. |
|
Note: For more information about converting Microsoft Word files, see "Converting Microsoft Word Files to PDF". |
Microsoft Excel files fail to convert.
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| Automatic calculations are causing the conversions to time out. | Make sure that you turn off the Excel option to perform calculations automatically. |
| Automatic spell checking and grammar checking are causing the conversions to time out. | Make sure that you turn off the Excel options to perform spell checking and grammar checking automatically. |
| You are using Excel and your security level is too high and is causing the conversions to time out. | Make sure that you set the Excel security level to low. This means that Excel will not prompt you to enable/disable macros when you open a file that contains macros. |
| You are using Excel and the Customer Experience Improvement Program is causing the conversions to time out. | Make sure that you turn off Show content and links from Microsoft Online on the Tools, Options, General tab under the Online category, and opt out of the Customer Experience Improvement Program on the Tools, Options, General tab under the Customer Feedback category. |
|
Note: For more information about converting Microsoft Excel files, see "Converting Microsoft Excel Files to PDF". |
Microsoft PowerPoint files fail to convert.
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| Automatic spell checking and grammar checking are causing the conversions to time out. | Make sure that you turn off the PowerPoint options to perform spell checking and grammar checking automatically. |
| You are using PowerPoint and your security level is too high and is causing the conversions to time out. | Make sure that you set the PowerPoint security level to low. This means that PowerPoint will not prompt you to enable/disable macros when you open a file that contains macros. |
| You are using PowerPoint and the Customer Experience Improvement Program is causing the conversions to time out. | Make sure that you turn off Show content and links from Microsoft Online on the Tools, Options, General tab under the Online category, and opt out of the Customer Experience Improvement Program on the Tools, Options, General tab under the Customer Feedback category. |
|
Note: For more information about converting Microsoft PowerPoint files, see "Converting Microsoft PowerPoint Files to PDF". |
Microsoft Visio files fail to convert.
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| You are using Visio and the Customer Experience Improvement Program is causing the conversions to time out. | Make sure that you turn off Show content and links from Microsoft Online on the Tools, Options, General tab under the Online category, and opt out of the Customer Experience Improvement Program on the Tools, Options, General tab under the Customer Feedback category. |
|
Note: For more information about converting Microsoft Visio files, see "Converting Microsoft Visio Files to PDF". |
FrameMaker files fail to convert.
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| The files are structured FrameMaker files. | Structured FrameMaker files will most likely fail to convert. A dialog box is displayed when a structured FrameMaker file is opened, which will cause the conversion to time out unless the dialog box is cleared manually. |
WordPerfect files fail to convert.
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| The files are old WordPerfect files. | WordPerfect files created in versions prior to version 6 might not be processed effectively. Convert these files to a more recent version of WordPerfect before checking them in. |
The following are symptoms of display issues for PDF files generated by Inbound Refinery:
When attempting to open PDF files in Microsoft Internet Explorer, a blank PDF file is displayed.
| Possible Causes | Solutions (refer to:) |
|---|---|
| An old version of Adobe Acrobat Reader is being used that does not support in-place activation. | http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/q177/3/21.asp&NoWebContent=1 |
| You have a slow connection, the server has a high load, or the PDF file is very large. | http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/q177/3/21.asp&NoWebContent=1 |
| The ActiveX control is corrupt. For Adobe Acrobat Reader 4 to use in place activation with Internet Explorer, the Pdf.ocx and Pdf.tlb files must be present in the <acrobat_install_dir>\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 4.0\Acrobat\ActiveX\ directory. | http://www.adobe.com/support/ |
When attempting to open a PDF file in a web browser, you receive the following error message:
"...File does not begin with '%PDF-'"
| Possible Causes | Solutions (refer to:) |
|---|---|
| The PDF file has an .mme file extension rather than a .pdf file extension. | http://www.adobe.com/support/ |
| The PDF file has an .mme file extension rather than a .pdf file extension. | http://www.planetpdf.com/mainpage.asp?WebPageID=304 |
When viewing PDF files generated by Inbound Refinery through a web browser, the PDF files do not open within the browser window.
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| Settings in Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat. | In Acrobat Reader or Acrobat, make sure the Preferences are set for Web Browser Integration/Display PDF in Browser. The exact setting depends of version of Acrobat Reader or Acrobat that you are using. |
When you try to print a PDF, the document will not print and the following message is displayed: Could not start print job.
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| You have Adobe Acrobat 6.0 installed. Adobe Acrobat 6.0 is unable to print a PDF when a filename and URL has more than 256 characters. URLs in workflow and subscription email notifications can easily exceed 256 characters. | Adobe has fixed this problem in Adobe Acrobat 6.0.1. Download and install Adobe Acrobat 6.0.1 or higher to solve this problem. |
When you view a PDF file, internal thumbnails (thumbnails of the pages within the PDF file) do not display properly. They might display with poor quality, display as grey rectangles, or not display at all.
| Possible Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|
| You are using Adobe Acrobat Reader 5 or 6, and the PDF file is being byte served from the web server.
As of Acrobat 5, internal thumbnails can be embedded in the PDF by the creating application, or the viewing application can attempt to create thumbnails dynamically from the rendered pages. If the thumbnail is being generated in Acrobat Reader dynamically, the PDF is being byte served from the web server, and the internal thumbnails are not embedded in the PDF, certain versions of Reader might not be able to render the internal thumbnails properly. This is because the full image data for a given page is on the web server and not available on the client to render the thumbnail image. It is also possible that certain versions of Acrobat Reader might not display internal thumbnails for any PDF that are byte served from the web server. |
Possible solutions include:
Use Acrobat Reader 7 or higher. This issue appears to be fixed in Acrobat Reader 7. Configure the application that is creating your PDFs (your PostScript to PDF distiller engine or other third-party application) to embed internal thumbnails. Disable byte serving of PDF files on the web server. |
