In Search of the Lonesome Yodel (PDF)

[Richmond]

So, Apache Open Office (as it is now called - Oracle having fobbed it 
off) does a reasonably good job of importing a PDF where each separate 
entity remains a separate entity (hope you are following me
there), although it screws up quite markedly if it contains embedded 
pictures:

http://www.openoffice.org/

LibreOffice seems unable to do this, and I don't know anything at all 
about Microsoft Office.

However, it will (or, can) only save the result in bl**dy awkward 
formats such as .ODG
that, when imported into Livecode (as text) gives us a textField 
calculated to give anyone
an even bigger headache than importing a PDF file directly (as text) 
into Livecode.

GIMP can import PDF documents as non-editable images that one can export 
into yer bog-standard JPG, PNG and SO-ON formats; but that is not really 
much cop for anything.

This:

http://pdf.my-addr.com/free-online-pdf-to-eps-convert.php

will convert PDF files into EPS files, online; but for some funny reason 
( Jacques???? ) the
EPS import function in Metacard IDE version 4.1. engine 4.5.0-dp-4 build 
1030 crashed when
I attempted to import the resultant EPS into a stack.

Linux people can also have "fun" with their Terminal Emulators with this:

convert ~/file.pdf ~/file.eps  where 'file.pdf' is the name of your PDF 
you wish to convert

one can also have a reasonable amount of "fun" by installing 'ps2eps' 
and having a high old time
with the Terminal Emulator again:

step one:  convert PDF to Postscript:

pdf2ps [file].pdf

step two: convert Postscript to EPS:

ps2eps [newfile].ps

one can also b*gg*r around with "pdftops" like this:

pdftops -eps [file].pdf

one can also go "Ha,Ha, Doolally, Bonk" all the way down the main street 
with a rubbish bag on one's head.

I have tried aal but the last, so far!

Richmond Mathewson.

P.S. The "Lonesome Yodel" reference; something from my lost youth; check 
the guy out:

http://www.hankwangford.co.uk/hanks_page.html