Approach to PDF input within LC

[Graham Samuel]

Thanks to Jan Schenkel for his interesting reply, which I'm thinking about.

Meanwhile, following on my previous mails on this subject, from more research I think there is another solution - I can buy a freely distributable library component (DLL) which as an External to LC will provide the functionality I need, but of course I have to glue it to my LC code. The LC User Guide says:

> LiveCode provides an external interface which allows you to extend it using a lower level language (often C). For example, if you have preexisting code that performs processing in a lower level language, you can write a user interface in LiveCode and then call this library by writing a simple wrapper around it using LiveCode's externals interface. LiveCode supports transmitting data to and from externals, as well as drawing into image objects within LiveCode windows, manipulating the player object, and more.

Er, yes. The only tutorial material I can find is about **writing** Externals, something I wish to avoid like the plague. As before, I'm asking for pointers, in this case to the implementation of a 'simple wrapper' in a Windows environment. What I'm really trying to avoid is having to learn a new (well, probably quite old) development environment and a new (to me) language - the whole grammar of the API, at least. Maybe there are no short cuts, in which case I will have to go back to school. But it seems hard, after all the struggles I've had over the years to bootstrap my way out of low-level coding.

As ever, any suggestions gratefully received.

TIA

Graham