From: bill@bill.ab.umd.edu (Bill Bame)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Having problems converting files using the CDA converter library.
Date: 25 Jan 93 13:55:23 GMT
Reply-To: bill@office.ab.umd.edu
Organization: M.I.E.M.S.S.

In article <C1E6MG.ELu@acsu.buffalo.edu>, kalisiak@acsu.buffalo.edu (Christophe M. Kalisiak) writes:
>Hello all,
>
>	I am trying to convert a file (which has its origins in DECwrite
>for VMS V1.1) to another format. I can choose from any of a number of
>output formats, including: HPCL, TIFF, IMG (GEM Artline or Ventura 
>Publisher), BMP (Microsoft Windows), CUT (Dr. Halo), PCX (PC Paintbrush),
>DCX, PCX, or MacPaint. Unfortunately, PostScript is not one of the
>available formats. If it were, then I would not be posting this message...

I'm not sure I understand.  You can save files from DECwrite to postscipt
by choosing "Print...", selecting postscript as the output format, then
clicking the radio button that send the output to a file instead of to
a printer.  You can also use CDA converter to do the job, but it's not
as simple doing it directly from decwrite.

>	I have access to the CDA converter library (V1.1) as well as the 
>optional GKS graphics software (V4.1). I have tried to EXPORT my test 
>document from within DECwrite, but the problem is that the only two 
>formats that DECwrite and this other software have in common is TIFF 
>and MacPaint, which both fail during EXPORT. If anyone would like further 
>clarification, I can write down exactly what happens and reply via email.

Unfortunately neither format (macpaint or TIFF) can describe compound
documents - they are specifically for storage of bitmapped images.  Well
that's not exactly true with TIFF, but the CDA->TIFF converter doesn't
know that.  When you try to do a CDA->TIFF (or CDA->macpaint) conversion,
the converter looks for "image aggregates" (i.e. pictures) to convert and
ignores text, diagrams, and other stuff.

>	What would probably solve my problem is a PostScript to PCL (the HP
>PCL 4 format) converter, but I don't know of one (I couldn't find one in
>the VAX_LIST.TXT file). Otherwise, if anyone has any tips as to why the 
>CDA converter would not be working, that would also be appreciated.
>

From your first paragraph I assumed that you wanted the final output to be
in postscript format.  If (as you imply in this paragraph) you want the output
in PCL format, find a copy of GHOSTSCRIPT (a P.D. postscript intepreter) -
with a little work it can convert postscript to PCL.  I don't remember off
the top of my head where you can GHOSTSCRIPT for VMS, but it must be at one (or
more) of the usual VMS archive sites.

>Thanks,
>-- 
>Chris Kalisiak		     | "Pound for pound, lame puns are your best
>kalisiak@acsu.buffalo.edu    |   entertainment value." -- Gogo Dodo, Tiny Toons
>V076N3W7@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu| "Stimpy, your wealth of ignorance astounds me."
>V076N3W7@ubvms.bitnet	     |   -- Ren Hoek, Ren and Stimpy
>

If you have any more questions on this, feel free to contact me via email.

-Bill
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