forum SignWriting List Forum
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From:  Bill Reese
Date:  Wed Sep 20, 2000  12:30 am
Subject:  Re: Acrobat converts .ps files into .pdf files


Stuart,

Of course, you could cut and paste that into a file instead of typing ...
except for the "(alt)255". What's that for anyway?

If you want to use a default filename instead of naming a file each time, you
could do the following:

@ECHO OFF
ECHO Starting SignWriter ...
ECHO {ALT}255
if "%1"=="" goto name
prn2file/P2 %1.ps
goto end
:name
prn2file/P2 psfile1.ps
:end
sw

This would make a file called psfile1.ps each time. If you would want to keep
that file every time you start signwriter, you could do something like below.
This batch file would look to see if the file exists. If so, it would
designate another name, psfile2.ps. I've extended it to include up to 7
different files. Of course, this wouldn't work in a single session of
SignWriter - it would only work for each subsequent session. But it might help
an "Uh-oh" when you do a subsequent session of SignWriter and remember that you
wanted to save the previous print file.

Additionally, once all default filenames are taken, it would ask you to either
provide a name or delete some default files.

@ECHO OFF
ECHO Starting SignWriter ...
ECHO {ALT}255
if "%1"=="" goto name
prn2file/P2 %1.ps
goto end
:name
if exist psfile1.ps goto next2
prn2file/P2 psfile1.ps
goto end
:next2
if exist psfile2.ps goto next3
prn2file/P2 psfile2.ps
goto end
:next3
if exist psfile3.ps goto next4
prn2file/P2 psfile3.ps
goto end
:next4
if exist psfile4.ps goto next5
prn2file/P2 psfile4.ps
goto end
:next5
if exist psfile5.ps goto next6
prn2file/P2 psfile5.ps
goto end
:next6
if exist psfile6.ps goto next7
prn2file/P2 psfile6.ps
goto end
:next7
if exist psfile7.ps goto noname
prn2file/P2 psfile7.ps
goto end
:noname
echo All default names used
echo Either delete unneeded default files
echo (psfile1.ps, psfile2.ps, psfile3.ps, psfile4.ps, psfile5.ps, psfile6.ps,
psfile7.ps) or
echo Rerun and provide filename:
echo Syntax: SWSTART filename
goto stop
:end
sw
:stop




Bill



Stuart Thiessen wrote:

> At 11:20 09/19/2000 -0700, you wrote:
>
> >Thanks for this information, Stuart. So you are saying that Adobe
> >Acrobat 4.0 may possibly not have a way to make a postscript file
> >from a DOS file, without other programs? I am surprised...but you may
> >be right. I will look into this ;-)
>
> As Angus mentioned, the key problem is that SignWriter cannot direct its
> Postscript output to a file at this time without an additional utility such
> as PRN2FILE.
>
> >Your idea about asking a programmer to help me tweak SignWriter is a
> >nice one, except I have no programmer. Work on SignWriter 5.0 has
> >stopped, because I have no money at this time.
>
> You could do a "quick and dirty" way of doing what I am talking
> about. Using Windows Notepad, MSDOS Edit, or any other text editor, type
> the following to a file called SWSTART.BAT. In the place of {ALT}255, hold
> the ALT key while pressing the number 255 on the key pad.
>
> @ECHO OFF
> ECHO Starting SignWriter ...
> ECHO {ALT}255
> prn2file/P2 %1.ps
> sw
>
> You call this program at the DOS prompt by saying: SWSTART {filename} where
> you replace {filename} with whatever file you want to use for your
> postscript filename. This would always send all printed output designated
> for LPT2 to whatever filename you designated. You will need to rename this
> file to something else in between print jobs or tell PRN2FILE to print to a
> different filename with each job.
>
> If anyone has Pascal experience, I believe it would just be a matter of
> telling SW to give an interface option of going to file and then ask for a
> filename. Then the pascal code would call PRN2FILE to set up the
> redirection of LPT2 or whatever port to that filename. Then the rest of
> the existing code would run to actually create the postscript output. I
> have so little Pascal experience that I am not sure I could do it. If it
> were in BASIC or possibly C, I might have a chance to make that kind of
> small change.
>
> >Good luck with your SignWriting workshops, Stuart - I sent you a box
> >of SignWriting literature to distribute to the participants - did you
> >receive it?
>
> I did receive the workshop materials! Thanks!! The Deafestival committee
> was quite impressed that you would send the materials that they listed Deaf
> Action Committee for SignWriting in the program book. So, that is
> great. Hope it all comes together well.
>
> Take care,
>
> Stuart
>
> Stuart Thiessen
> 4616 Hickman
> Des Moines, IA 50310
> (515) 280-0005 Pager ()

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