Problem with "Export as PDF"

users
#1

Hi,
   I have not tried this previously but wish to do so now. My problem is
that I want to export a selection of text in the main document but when I
select "Export as PDF" the 'Range' option is greyed out. I cannot select
anything and the default is 'All'. Is there a setting somewhere that I am
missing? I am using LO version 4.2.4.2 in Windows 7.

Thanks,

Paddy

#2

Hi,

I have tried this on windows (XP) and linux (Fedora) and I can not reproduce it. A couple of basic questions:

I am assuming you are talking about a writer document?
is the document odf, doc, docx?

Cheers

#3

Hi Pat,

I have copied this back to this list for comment. I am afraid I cannot reproduce. Maybe someone with a windows 7 install could help?

BTW, one of the quirks of this list is that a simple "reply" does not copy the list! Either "reply all" or "reply list" does this trick :slight_smile:

Cheers

#4

Till we can figure out your issue, you might want to try an external program to create the PDF file.

For Windows, I use doPDF - which is free. I have used it from XP, Vista, and Win7 systems. I have been using it for all of the other packages that I need a PDF printout instead of a paper one. Once installed, it will show up as a printer, so you will "print to PDF" instead of exporting.

The "range option" makes me thing Calc instead of Writer. But like a printer, if you can print a "range" of pages to the printer, you can do the same to doPDF, since it acts like a printer, but the output is to a file and not paper.

I also wonder if something was corrupted in your user config files. That can happen, and has for me on both Windows and Ubuntu/Linux, mostly for printer issues before 4.1.x came out. If so, it might be fixed by renaming [while LO is closed] the user config folder and then let LO recreate it when you open LO. This is what you need to do for a clean install of LO, since it "clears out" the user profile and associated data.

#5

Thanks guys,
   Firstly, my apologies for the "Reply to All" issue. My fault I should
have checked. Will try not to let it happen again.
  I have been using a pdf printer driver for years (using Primo PDF
currently) but I was interested in the "editable pdf' feature when using
Export as PDF from LO.
  I will try the possible solution of re-creating the config folder and see
what happens. Once I have done this I will report back

#6

I have copied this back to this list for comment. I am afraid I cannot reproduce. Maybe someone with a windows 7 install could help?

I have LO 4.1.2.3 (I know, I'm one iteration behind in my updates!); I am running Win7 Home Premium. I have no problem exporting a selection from an odf doc to pdf.

When I highlighted a selection and then chose "Export as PDF… ", the options box opens with the "All" selection chosen. But I can change to "Pages" or "Selection" with no problem. When I choose "Selection," it exported just that selection into a pdf document.

BTW, one of the quirks of this list is that a simple "reply" does not copy the list! Either "reply all" or "reply list" does this trick :slight_smile:

I agree -- except that I don't think this is a quirk, but a poor decision on the part of the list owners. If this is intended as a discussion list, then setting the default to kill the discussion on the list by sending the reply to the sender of the email is counter to the declared intention. I encourage the owners to change the default.

Doug

#7

Hi :slight_smile:
No need to apologise about the "Reply to all" thing. It's just a weird
setting that quite a lot of new people seem to have trouble with and even
people who have been here for years sometimes have trouble with it too.

It's good to hear you have a work-around to "take the edge off" while you
try for a better answer from LO. Hopefully people here might be able to
help with that
Good luck and regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#8

Where do I find the User Config folder on a Windows machine? Just for
interest, I thought I would try carrying out a new installation, which I
did after downloading version 4.2.5.2, but I am still having the same issue

#9

Hi Pat,

location for user profile is detailed in:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/UserProfile

about your issue:

select what export seems incompatible with the option for "Embed
OpenDocument file",
maybe a bug.

Miguel Ángel.

#10

Thanks Brian and thanks to everyone else who gave advice. Changing the name
of the config folder did the trick. It now works as it should. I appreciate
the help.

#11

Thanks Miguel. . .
I always forget the URL for the info page. Since each Windows version, XP, Vista, Win7, Win8, seems to place the config folders in different locations, I never remember where they are. For Ubuntu-based Linux it is almost always in the same hidden "folder tree".

Also, advice for any user of LO if they do not do this already - it is a very good idea to keep a "working" backup of user config files/folders. I do this for LO and Firefox. That way, if an issue start to occur, I just replace the current folder[s] with the working backup one [not copy/paste, but delete current one and copy/paste backup one] For Firefox, having all of the bookmarks, passwords, etc., backed up is a lot better than rebuilding these things. LO has some user info that a user might want kept/saved so they do not need to recreate it. Like all of the modifications and add ons that are seen/used/modified in the "Tools" menu.

on a different note - - "Embed OpenDocument file"?

To be honest I never have needed to send someone an editable PDF file. If they need to edit the document, then I send them the .doc or .odt file[s]. The original reason for PDF documents was to have a version of the document that can be read and printed, but not allow the person to modify the document. So I do not send out editable PDF files. That is not to say I never use PDF files that have "fields" to type in your content. I do - every time I fill out my Federal and State tax forms.

#12

Hi :slight_smile:
If it needs to be editable then a "hybrid" Pdf might be best
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuVZcygoZsI&feature=youtu.be
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#13

I would not really call it a bug. If you only want to export a part of the
document as PDF and embed the odf then how much of the odf should be
embedded. If only part of the document would be embedded then how would
LibreOffice know what to throw away.

I'd recommend, take a copy of the document and remove the unwanted parts
and then do the export with the embed option enabled.

/Niklas