Lisp to join/combine pdf files

[sadhu]

I have several A4 pages in pdf format printed from autocad. Since these pages are printed via lisp I have their local addresses in lisp variables.

(setq page1 "\\pdf\page1.pdf" etc.)

 

I then use "PDF Merge Tool" to combine these pages manually to create a single pdf file - instruction manual.

 

Is it possible to combine pdf file via Lisp ?

All help is appreciated.

[Spaj]

I assume you have the AutoCAD source .DWG. Why not publish to a single multipage .PDF file directly from AutoCAD?

[sadhu]

Spaj : These pdf files are printed within a lisp routine that changes certain values, freezes /unfreezes layers, adds lines etc according to user input. The dwg is only in model space. So I don't think I can use publish.

[BIGAL]

I take it your Pdf merge tool is a external program if so you can use "Shell" which opens a operating system window that you can send commands to.

 

Something like ("shell" "notepad")

[sadhu]

Hi,

This might be of help to someone.

 

Mearging pdf files can done quite easily with Ghostscript.

read here

 

Roy_043 posted this :

(defun KGA_String_Join (strLst delim)   
(if strLst (apply  'strcat (cons (car strLst)         
(mapcar '(lambda (a) (strcat delim a)) (cdr strLst)))) ""   ) ) 


; (CombinePdf  
;   "C:\\Program Files\\gs\\gs8.61\\bin\\gswin32c.exe" 
;   '("D:\\Tmp\\A.pdf" "D:\\Tmp\\B.pdf") ;   "D:\\Tmp\\Total.pdf" ; ) 
; Note: Existing trgFile will be overwritten. 

(defun CombinePdf (gsExe srcFileLst trgFile)
(startapp     (strcat       gsExe " "       "-dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -dQUIET -sDEVICE=pdfwrite "      
                                         "-sOutputFile=\"" trgFile "\" "      
                                        "\"" (KGA_String_Join srcFileLst "\" \"") "\""     )   ) )

You need to install Ghostcript - it's a freeware.

Edited October 11, 2016 by sadhu

[BIGAL]

A further version thanks to roy_043

 

;Plots layouts by range
; By Alan H Feb 2014
(defun AH:pltlays ( / pdfname lay numlay numend)
(SETVAR "PDMODE" 0)
(setvar "fillmode" 1)
(setvar "textfill" 1)
(setq plotnames '())
(if (not AH:getval2) (load "getvals"))
(ah:getval2 "Enter start tab number" 6 4 "Enter end tab number" 6 4)
(setq numlay (ATOI val1))
(setq numend (ATOI val2))
(setq len (+ (- numend numlay) 1))
(setq dwgname (GETVAR "dwgname"))
(setq lendwg (strlen dwgname))
(setq dwgname (substr dwgname 1 (- lendwg 4)))
(repeat len
(vlax-for lay (vla-get-Layouts (vla-get-activedocument (vlax-get-acad-object)))
(if (= numlay (vla-get-taborder lay))
 (setvar "ctab" (vla-get-name lay))
) ; if
(setq pdfname (strcat (getvar "dwgprefix") "pdf\\" dwgname "-" (getvar "ctab") ".pdf" ))
) ; for
(setq lay nil)
(setvar "textfill" 1)
(setvar "fillmode" 1)
   (COMMAND "-PLOT"  "Y"  "" "dwg to Pdf"
       "Iso full bleed A3 (420.00 x 297.00 MM)" "m" "LANDSCAPE"  "N"   "W"  "-6,-6" "807,560" "1=2"  "C"
       "y" "Designlasercolour.ctb" "Y" "n" "n" "n" pdfName "N" "y"
   )

(setq numlay (+ numlay 1))
(setq plotnames (cons pdfname plotnames))
) ; end repeat
(setq trgfile (strcat (getvar "dwgprefix") "pdf\\" dwgname "-D" val1 "-D" val2 ".pdf")) 
) ; defun
(AH:pltlays)
(if (not combinepdf)(load "mergepdfs"))
(combinepdf gsExe plotnames trgFile )

(setq plotnames nil
          val1 nil
          val2 nil)
(princ)

 

;MergePdfs
;Merges multiple pdf (or eps) files into one
;
; make a batch file ?
;gs -sDEVICE=pdfwrite \
;    -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -dSAFER \
;    -sOutputFile=combined.pdf \
;    first.pdf \
;    second.pdf \
;    third.pdf [...]
;Ghostscript ([url]http://www.ghostscript.com/[/url]) can be used to combine PDFs.
; Something like this should work: by Roy_043
(defun KGA_String_Join (strLst delim)
(if strLst
(apply
'strcat
(cons
(car strLst)
(mapcar '(lambda (a) (strcat delim a)) (cdr strLst))
)
)
""
)
)

(setq gsexe "C:\\Program Files\\gs\\gs9.19\\bin\\gswin64c.exe")

; Note: Existing trgFile will be overwritten.
(defun CombinePdf (gsExe srcFileLst trgFile)
(startapp 
(strcat
gsExe " "
"-sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -dQUIET  "
"-sOutputFile=\"" trgFile "\" "
"\"" (KGA_String_Join srcFileLst "\" \"") "\""
)
)
)

GETVALS.lsp

[Mostafa hisham]

Hello sir 
i have merged the code of plot (ah:pltlays)  with the lisp of merge pdf 
but it don't merge the pdfs 
can you help me about that ?? 
i have uploaded the lisp that i have made and i which you help me about that 
thanks in advance 
 

plot lisp & GETVALS lisp inside it .lsp

[BIGAL]

Its a 5 year old post, you need to mention that you need to download Ghostscript and check where you save it to 

 

eg (setq gsexe "D:\\gs\\gs9.55.0\\bin\\gswin64c.exe")

[Mostafa hisham]

thanks about that 
I need to delete the other separate pdfs 
can I make that ?? 

[Tbiddle]

Did you get anywhere on the deleting of the single separate pdfs?  I also need this.  My only thought is to have it dump the single pages in a tmp folder.

[rlx]

just a thought (in case you don't have ghostscript or unable to install it) first attach each separate pdf to a dwg (script / lisp) and then publish all dwgs to a single pdf.

[BIGAL]

If you look at my code the list of file names is made here (setq plotnames (cons pdfname plotnames)) and the files are in a directory \PDF under the current dwg location, there is VL-delete-file . So could do a Foreach loop and delete files.