Report PDF Zip

[MikeC]

I would like someone to verify this please....

I have found an issue that has been around for quite some time and not even certain if it was reported as a bug or not previously. I do have a bit more information on it than prior old threads I found regarding the issue.

Zipping an Alpha created PDF will not happen. Any other pdf created outside of Alpha, whether v9 through today's current v10.5 builds 4091 / 3658 does work.....it will be included in a zip file. It also makes no difference what zip method is used--from the zip within email_send(), file.zip, zip_files, and another one I cannot recall---all will not zip when the pdf has been created via Alpha (from saving a report as pdf, using report.saveas(), report.archive(),...).

Attached find 3 files within the zip....a csv, a pdf created outside of the above versions (but distributed by Alpha!), and a pdf created via Alpha. Or use your own to make absolutely certain.

Use one of the following scripts by replacing the paths of where you save the files, where you want the zip to be saved, and/or your email address.

rpts=<<%A%
C:\Estimate.csv
C:\Customer.pdf
C:\QB_Time_by_Job_Detail.pdf
%A%

msg="TESTING"
rst=Email_send("your_email_address","Test Report for PDF",msg,rpts,"","",.f.,"","","",.t.,.t.)

if rst=0
  msgbox("Not Sent")
 else
  msgbox("Sent")
end if

'==============....Or use....=========================

file.zip("C:\Customer_Z.zip",rpts)

Thanks!

[Allen Klimeck]

Re: Report PDF Zip

We ran into this same issue when trying to make a backup routine no PDF made with Alpha would be in the zip.

Allen

[MikeC]

Re: Report PDF Zip

Allen,
Did you also notice that a PDF created outside of Alpha seems to work just fine? If this is true then it still could be either Alpha's use of the PDF driver or perhaps the Amyuni driver has been created a bit differently for Alpha....so it could be in Alpha's court or Amyuni's as far as a fix.

[Allen Klimeck]

Re: Report PDF Zip

If I had a PDF not made with the Alpha print driver it would be included in the zip. Only Alpha created PDF's were ignored and not included in the zip. Had to move to other things so this problem has been pushed to a back burner.

Allen

[MikeC]

Re: Report PDF Zip

Thanks again Allen. I just sent in a bug report on it and will post any response.

[MikeC]

Re: Report PDF Zip

I heard back from Selwyn and it works on his computer (of course!!). So I used a really bad, older computer I have and it also works!

So this tells me that these issues most likely are very computer specific due to some OS glitch. To see if there is a common denominator let's compare our systems and any glitches we have.

I am using XP Windows Media Center edition SP3 with 3gb ram, 2.8 dual core Pentium.

The problem PC is the most stable I have ever run---it can be 2-4 weeks between reboots as there is no reason to other than updates or just to do it.

My ONLY problem I currently have is what is referred to as a "context handler" issue. This is where it can take 30 seconds to a couple of minutes to either have the right click menu open, when trying to open a text file, or even copy/paste something. Not with every file but with enough to make it noticeable (and frustrating!).

ANYONE with this PDF issue please report back with your specs as it would be really nice to be able to identify the common denominator for this.

[MikeC]

Re: Report PDF Zip

I would really like to see if this issue can resolved. It may or may not be something that Alpha can fix as it does not happen on every PC and so could be a Windows' issue with an Alpha PDF. Regardless, the way it stands currently, any application that utilizes any zip function of Alpha's and tries to zip a PDF that has been created by Alpha may or may not work....this does make me think it has something to do with Alpha.

If the issue cannot be identified and fixed what then?
What should we tell end users of any application created for them....that depending upon what PC they use the report may or may not be included in a zip that is sent out via email or saved into a zip file?? I really do not think that would be a very salable product!!

[CALocklin]

Re: Report PDF Zip

I can confirm that I've had problems with the same issue. My computer is similar but with XP Pro. Mine has also been very stable. It did get shut down today though - the power went out. Prior to that was at least a week ago; maybe two or three.

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Report PDF Zip

The help file for File.zip() indicates the file list should be comma delimited. Mike, in your example you're delimiting the files with carriage returns and linefeeds. Might this account for what you're seeing ?

--------------------------------------
Later...

On further testing, using a comma delmited list, the file.zip() method did NOT include Mike's "customer.pdf" file. If that pdf was created with Alpha I'm getting the same resultes Mike (and others) have reported in this thread.

I'm running XP Pro SP3

-- tom

[MikeC]

Re: Report PDF Zip

Thanks Cal, Tom.
I checked the attributes of the PDFs generated with Alpha and those created outside of Alpha and are identical.

As I already submitted this as a "bug"/issue to Alpha and as Selwyn's PC does not have this problem (which one of my computers does not either), is there any possible work-around for this that would be generic enough to use in an application? I am thinking that perhaps an external open source zip program could be incorporated into Alpha which would zip the files when needed via xbasic.

Not preferable when you cannot use Alpha functions to keep everything within Alpha but I, and probably many others will now or eventually, need to have this working on ALL computers!

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Report PDF Zip

The wierdness continues.

Even if I rename the alpha created PDF I cannot zip it using the Alpha's file.zip() method.

Interestingly, if I use a third party utility I can zip the file just fine.

-- tom

[martinwcole]

Re: Report PDF Zip

I have not tried this, but if Alpha can zip a folder, try putting the reports in a folder and zipping that, and see what happens

[MikeC]

Re: Report PDF Zip

I had tested all this with many versions prior....but there were updates since then and it does work now in the current version of Alpha and the latest version of QReportBuilder v11 as well....so far with just limited testing....and am wondering if others still have the issue with the latest builds which negates my findings in that there will still be some PCs that this zip issue exists.

I don't like limiting something to only the latest build so will still try what Martin suggested; that way any version of Alpha can be made to work for zipping an Alpha created PDF.

[MikeC]

Re: Report PDF Zip

I have been experimenting a bit.....and now I know (remembered that is) why I was not developing this in v10 at first.....once opened in v10 it destroys (deletes) most of the embedded xdialog code and a few other things as well which makes it then useless in prior versions. And yes, just opening the form which has the embedded xdialog causes this--no design mode entered into. It works fine in v10 after this happens but have to resort to a backup for v9 in order to get the xdialog code back and such.

I have had other issues with xdialog compatibility between versions and as much as I like them these sort of issues will make me a bit hesitant--especially for using an embedded xdialog.

Contemplating not going forward with this Add-on project as when finished (which it is close to being), it may only be able to be used in one version of Alpha....or I would have to create versions for every version of Alpha from v9 onward. Kind of discouraging to say the least....makes me wonder if this is one of the reasons why there are so few add-ons created for Alpha.

Ok, finished ranting!!

:)

Thanks everyone for your help on this--it is greatly appreciated.