January 20, 2020 Blog FileMaker FileMaker Techniques ExcelFilemakerMicrosoft WordMS ExcelMS OfficeMS WordPDFWord Converting Word & Excel to PDF in FileMaker Document storage is a crucial capability of a FileMaker database. Microsoft Word and Excel files are among the most commonly stored files, and PDF has become the go-to format for file sharing. It’s helpful to preview and share Word and Excel files in PDF format in order to avoid sharing the original file. There’s also a need to display these files without having to install Office apps for all FileMaker users. AppWorks has developed a lightweight tool to accomplish this task, as demonstrated by the GIF above. No FileMaker plugins or 3rd party APIs are being used; this is all accomplished using native OS and FileMaker scripts. Use case: For example, you can modify an invoice in MS Word and upload it to the database. FileMaker can then automatically convert the file to PDF and send it to the desired recipient. A copy of the sent PDF file is stored in FileMaker for auditing purposes. Automating this workflow can be a great timesaver. Manual workflow: Modify the Word documentExport as PDFUpload the Word documentUpload the PDF file Automated workflow: Modify the Word documentUpload the Word document While plugins exist for this very purpose, this method does not require any plugins, thus alleviating issues around maintaining plugin updates. This method relies entirely on native Windows or MacOS tools to accomplish the same task quickly and reliably. Features Reliable and accurate conversionsFastEasy to manage and modifyNo recurring or upgrade feesSupports MS Office versions as old as Office 2003Supports bookmarks based on headings or bookmarks in Word Quick implementation into FileMaker databases using FileMaker Server 18 or later (Upgrades are easy, please contact us if this is a challenge for you)Smart logic to detect if a file was already converted and if a new PDF file should be generated if the source file changedHuman readable logs Supported conversions: .doc to .pdf.docx to .pdf.xls to .pdf.xlsx to .pdf If you’re interested in converting files to PDF in your FileMaker database, we’re happy to help implement this functionality in your solution. You can contact us here. Please note that implementing this technique requires FileMaker Server 18 and above, and that the maximum supported file size is 64 MB. By Karl Jreijiri
11 Comments Josh Ormond Posted on 5:05 PM - January 20, 2020 So, no info about the technique and no sample file? Reply Eleanor Fulton Posted on 11:03 AM - January 21, 2020 Hi Josh, We’d be happy to schedule a consultation call with Karl if you wish. Reply Josh Ormond l Posted on 5:23 AM - January 22, 2020 I had a chat with Matt about the article. I appreciate the willingness to reach out. Reply Audrey Akhavan Posted on 3:23 PM - January 24, 2020 I was also hoping for details and a demo file. ♀️ Reply Matt V Posted on 12:03 PM - January 21, 2020 Karl/Eleanor, could I use this technique with other file formats potentially? Reply Karl Jreijiri Posted on 12:32 PM - January 21, 2020 Hi Matt, This tool can be modified to support other file formats. Which file types are you interested in converting to/from? Reply Matthew Voogt Posted on 1:00 PM - January 21, 2020 Finale (.musx) and Sibelius (.sib). These are sheet music publishing applications. Email me if you have more info. Reply john r Posted on 1:33 PM - January 21, 2020 will this work offline?? Reply Karl Jreijiri Posted on 6:28 AM - January 22, 2020 This solution is targeted towards network deployments. If you’re on MacOS, try using Automator to convert files to PDF using MS Word or Excel. Please let us know if you’d like us to assist you with that. Reply Grant Cleveland Posted on 11:29 AM - September 4, 2020 To Whom It May Concern: My name is Grant Cleveland, CIO of FOCUS Health. We are in need of a tool such as this. We run on FMS v19.x and we are curious if this is a server-side solution. Further, we work with PHI and PII content, so we cannot have the conversion process leave our datacenter as some products do on the market. Thank you in advance for your response! Reply Shawn Posted on 2:52 PM - September 8, 2020 Hello Grant, this is a server-side solution. I’m sending you a detailed email with dates and times you can connect with us one on one to go over your solution for you. I’m sure we can come up with a way to make this work for you. Reply