PDFCreator with OpenOffice files

Question

I use a Windows Web Server 2008 with ruby, PDFCreator, Microsoft Office, and OpenOffice to convert files to PDF automatically. The setup works ok for Microsoft Office files but I have not been able to get it to work automatically with OpenOffice files (e.g. .sxw). PDFCreator is able to convert .sxw files without problem when I do it manually but throws the following error when I try it with my ruby script below.

Error: 1 Description: The ActiveX-Server has not been started! Please use function \"cStart()\" to start the ActiveX-Server!

def convert( filename, data )
  require 'win32ole'

  dirpath = File.join( '/', 'files' )
  filepath =  File.join( dirpath, filename )
  puts filepath
  filepath_out = File.join( dirpath, 'output.pdf' )
  begin
     File.open( filepath, 'wb+' ) { |f| f.write( data ) }
     puts File.exists?( filepath ).inspect
     pdfcreator = WIN32OLE.new( 'PDFCreator.clsPDFCreator' )
     event = WIN32OLE_EVENT.new( pdfcreator )
     event.on_event( 'eReady' ) do
        File.open( filepath_out, 'rb' ) { |f| update_attribute( :data_converted, f.read ) }
        $printed = true
     end
     event.on_event( 'eError' ) do
        pdfcreator.cClose()
        raise 'error'
     end
     if !pdfcreator.cIsPrintable( filepath )
        raise 'error'
     end
     pdfcreator.cStart( '/NoProcessingAtStartup' )
     pdfcreator.setproperty( 'cOption', 'UseAutosave', 1 )
     pdfcreator.setproperty( 'cOption', 'UseAutosaveDirectory', 1 )
     pdfcreator.setproperty( 'cOption', 'AutosaveFormat', 0 )
     pdfcreator.setproperty( 'cDefaultprinter', 'PDFCreator' )
     pdfcreator.cClearCache()
     pdfcreator.setproperty( 'cPrinterStop', false )
     pdfcreator.setproperty( 'cOption', 'AutosaveDirectory', File.dirname( filepath_out ) )
     pdfcreator.setproperty( 'cOption', 'AutosaveFilename', File.basename( filepath_out ) )
     $printed = false
     pdfcreator.cPrintfile( "C:\\files" + File.basename( filepath ) )
     started_at = Time.new
     loop {
        pdfcreator.cOption( 'UseAutosave' ) # noop to get ready event
        break if $printed
        if ( Time.new - started_at )>TIMEOUT
           raise 'timeout'
        end
        sleep 0.5
     }
  rescue => e
     raise e
  ensure
     begin
        pdfcreator.cClearCache()
        pdfcreator.cClose()
     rescue
     end
     begin
        File.delete( filepath ) if File.exists?( filepath )
        File.delete( filepath_out ) if File.exists?( filepath_out )
     rescue
     end

  end

Any ideas?

Thanks, Peder

Answer 1

Strange. Now it is working!