Hacking ExtendedPDF for Evolution/Kontact?

Hey Guys,

I've been slowly working towards replacing my Windows production box with a Linux system and have successfully found replacements/workarounds for nearly every function I need. Thank you to everyone who has helped with that mission!

At this point, I beleive I have a working "proto-type production box" for my commercial real estate appraisal business, except making PDF files from my MS Outlook contact manager. On occassion, I need to convert an e-mail or task into a PDF, with hyperlinks intact, for insertion into the addenda of a PDF appraisal report.

I'm currently using Evolution as a MS Outlook replacement, as it seems to be an adequate substitute in form as well as function. I have located several PDF creation programs, and even virtual PDF printers, but they do not have hyperlink functionality; they just convert hyperlinks to a blue underlined font, without the link.

As a workaround, I've been copying & pasting into OpenOfficeWriter and converting to PDF from within OO; this works beautifully, except I lose any graphics formatting in the process. After some research, I've learned that OpenOffice PDF creation is done by ExtendedPDF, which is a macro script, and available for download as a plug-in module for prior OO versions from 2 to the present 3.x. This got me to thinking, is there a way to install or "HACK" this macro to work as a virtual printer within Evolution?

The installation guide I downloaded with the extendedPDF module seems to indicate it will only work with StarOffice and OpenOffice, by modifying some text in a *admin file for printer spooling. Seems to me this could be done to install ExtendedPDF as a virtual PDF printer for any program that converts from text? Do any of you Linux software/programmer gurus have any thoughts on this? Possible, or not? If so, how?

Alternatively, although I like the Gnome Evolution program, I'm not married to it yet; KDE Kontact looks like a viable alternative in form and function, and perhaps that program will allow me to convert e-mail/tasks to PDF with hyperlinks with some minor tweakage? Anyone here done that yet?

If I want to press this issue without modifying my workflow, it looks like my options are:

1. Find a contact/e-mail/task manager that provides for PDF hyperlink conversion
2. Modify or "hack" my Evolution program; preferably with Extended PDF that I know works
3. Hope that developers/programmers eventually add this feature to compete with MS Outlook

You guys have been awesome with all of your prior alternative suggestions. I will eagerly await whatever great ideas you come up with this time!!! Thanks in advance guys!

 

sudo apt-get install cups-pdf

http://freshmeat.net/projects/cupspdf/

 

I appreciate the reply, but I already have the latest version of cups-pdf; that is the program I was referring to that makes PDFs, but converts hyperlinks to a blue underlined font without the link. I really need the hyperlink!

Is there ANY way to hack a virtual PDF printer to do this? Install a PDF plugin in Evolution that will do this? How about proprietary software for Linux that will do this? Maybe I'm a blasphemer, but I'm not opposed to paying for it, as long as it does what I need it to do!!!

Thanks!

 

Hmmm...just an FYI for anyone else looking for an answer to this same problem.

Posted same message on another forum. The respondent indicated cups-pdf does indeed create PDF with hyperlink functionality; they further suggested that the PDF viewer might be the problem.

Sure enough, after using Evince, Okular, and a host of lesser known PDF viewers, Adobe Reader recognized the hyperlink. So, it appears THAT problem is solved...

Now, I'd like to know WHY does Adobe Reader recognize the hyperlinks, but Evince, Okular, and other Linux PDF viewers do not? They recognize links created by ExtendedPDF in OpenOffice, so why not cups-pdf?

I'm happy my "problem" is solved, and beggars can't be choosers....but I'm trying to get away from these vendor "lock-ins"...anyone know of a Linux-based PDF viewer that recognizes hyperlinks created by cups-pdf virtual printer? Thank you!