Is it possible to create PDFs using a command line? *nix or PC OS?

I need to convert SGML files to PDF without using EPIC Editor. I'm
trying to establish a case to build PDF files and develop in a
UNIX/Linux environment. No, I don't hate Windows--I use it at home. We
use Solaris systems at work to file and organize our SGML files. We use
EPIC Editor in Windows because have to use Adobe Acrobat version 6 --
it's a long story but we have to use version 6 and we're having a lot
of Windows XP/UNIX network rights problems.

My immediate solution is to get rid of the PCs and to simply use a UNIX
environment. But I need to publish technical documents -- thousands of
them -- in PDF format.

And, of course, I have a limited budget, very limited. So limited that
I'm looking to Open source solutions to build my proof of concept.

Thanks,

alex@techdoc

Hi,

On 13 Apr 2006 07:38:21 -0700 "ac@techDoc" <alex.cordero@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Is it possible to create PDFs using a command line? *nix or PC OS?

When this should be interpreted as "convert some files to PDF": yes, of
course. Why would a GUI be needed for that?

> I need to convert SGML files to PDF without using EPIC Editor.

Have a look at openjade (http://openjade.sourceforge.net/) and jadetex
(http://jadetex.sourceforge.net/).

> And, of course, I have a limited budget, very limited. So limited that
> I'm looking to Open source solutions to build my proof of concept.

Google should really, really help you. And since your problem seems
more related to SGML than to PDF, I'd suggest asking in comp.text.sgml,
too.

-hwh

>When this should be interpreted as "convert some files to PDF": yes, of
>course. Why would a GUI be needed for that?

Not that we 'have' to have a GUI. But presently the people I have to
put this together for like using the Adobe Acrobat GUI because they're
also bookmarking in it. Something else that I have to automate at a
later date.

thanks Hans. I hadn't thought of the SGML group. I'll take a look at
those Jade tools.

-ac@TechDoc

I don't know if xpdf takes SGML as input but you might look into to. 
Search google with: +download +xpdf

A Man <uce@ftc.gov> writes:

> I don't know if xpdf takes SGML as input but you might look into to. 
> Search google with: +download +xpdf

xpdf doesn't generate PDF files... it interprets and displays them.

-- 
Micah J. Cowan
Programmer, musician, typesetting enthusiast, gamer...
http://micah.cowan.name/

ac@techDoc wrote:

> Is it possible to create PDFs using a command line? *nix or PC OS?
> 
> I need to convert SGML files to PDF without using EPIC Editor. I'm
> trying to establish a case to build PDF files and develop in a
> UNIX/Linux environment. No, I don't hate Windows--I use it at home. We
> use Solaris systems at work to file and organize our SGML files. We use
> EPIC Editor in Windows because have to use Adobe Acrobat version 6 --
> it's a long story but we have to use version 6 and we're having a lot
> of Windows XP/UNIX network rights problems.
> 
> My immediate solution is to get rid of the PCs and to simply use a UNIX
> environment. But I need to publish technical documents -- thousands of
> them -- in PDF format.
> 
> And, of course, I have a limited budget, very limited. So limited that
> I'm looking to Open source solutions to build my proof of concept.

Making a PDF from PostScript is easy; the open source way is to use
GhostScript. 

The issue that you will have is typesetting the SGML. It has to be
transformed into typesetting instructions that can be used to set type and
makeup pages. These eventually get turned into PS/PDF. Whether these stages
are explicit, and you unix pipe them together or hidden in a shrinkwrapped
product is a different issue.

What sort of typesetting quality do you want?

-- 
Eric

On Thu, 13 Apr 2006, ac@techDoc wrote:

> Is it possible to create PDFs using a command line? *nix or PC OS?

This is routine, and is used for many technical books, journals, reports, 
etc.  Read up on the American Math Society's electronic document program.

> I need to convert SGML files to PDF without using EPIC Editor. I'm
> trying to establish a case to build PDF files and develop in a
> UNIX/Linux environment. No, I don't hate Windows--I use it at home. We
> use Solaris systems at work to file and organize our SGML files. We use
> EPIC Editor in Windows because have to use Adobe Acrobat version 6 --
> it's a long story but we have to use version 6 and we're having a lot
> of Windows XP/UNIX network rights problems.
>
> My immediate solution is to get rid of the PCs and to simply use a UNIX
> environment. But I need to publish technical documents -- thousands of
> them -- in PDF format.

ConTeXt is used for this, and many documents are produced in multiple
forms (e.g., screen and print) from the same source.  The command-line
tool is texexec:

$ man texexec
[...]
   --convert=FORMAT

     Convert the input file to ConTeXt format from FORMAT before pro-
     cessing.  In most cases, this conversion will result  in  a  TeX
     file.  Currently supported input FORMATs are xml and sgml.

ConTeXt uses pdftex to convert the TeX file to pdf format.  This is a very 
good batch formatter with microtypographic capabilities.  When my wife 
took a document formatted with TeX to her printer he remarked that it had 
been years since he'd seen a document formatted as nicely.

The DocBook system is another SGML based tool that can generate pdf's via 
pdftex.  My understanding is that some large commercial publishers have 
in-house production systems using SGML sources and ultimately feeding a 
TeX formatting engine.

> And, of course, I have a limited budget, very limited. So limited that
> I'm looking to Open source solutions to build my proof of concept.

There are some outstanding examples on the ConTeXt web site 
<http://www.pragma-ade.com>.  This site produces shock and awe in 
people who work for Adobe; M$ employees turn green after viewing these 
documents.

-- 
George N. White III  <aa056@chebucto.ns.ca>

If your SGML files are valid XML files (:>) then try XSL-FO from Apache
or AntennaHouse.

Regards
Dominic