Hi Dan, You can grab the Mac OS X installer package for pdftotext from Carsten Blüm's web page: http://www.bluem.net/en/mac/packages/
Just download the latest version, which is pdftotext 3.01pl5 (13/07/2011, 686 KB, for Intel Macs). Double-clicking the Installer.pkg on the pdftotext.dmg installs the pdftotext utility but not the suite of other xpdf utilities. If you need to install the full version of xpdf, I'd check the macports web pages about Lion problems, and also read the instructions for Xcode 4.3 migration of macports before proceeding. Using the command; pdftotext <filename.pdf> in Terminal creates a .txt version of the file in the same directory as the pdf file. This does not convert pdf files that are purely graphics images. If you want to run this from the Terminal command line, I'd recommend that you get the free Go2Shell utility from the Mac App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/go2shell/id445770608?mt=12 This is a low-footprint app that opens up a Terminal window in the directory of the file you've highlighted in Finder, and saves you having to type long pathnames either for the file you want to convert (although you can do a Command-C copy in Finder and then a Command-V paste in Terminal), or cd to a change directory to that pathname before applying your command. Alternatively, you can put an AppleScript wrapper around the pdftotext command and use this from the GUI. Just open your AppleScript Editor (use Command+Shift+U in Finder to go to your Utilities folder, press "a p" to go to the AppleScript Editor and use Command+Down Arrow or Command+O to launch it) and paste in the following code (staring below the line labeled "Cut Here", and ending with the line "end run"): ---Cut Here--- (* Use pdftotext to create a text version of the selected PDF file Created 17 May 2011 *) on run tell application "Finder" set chosenFile to the selection as alias end tell do shell script "/usr/local/bin/pdftotext " & quoted form of POSIX path of chosenFile end run Since Lion now hides the Library file for your account, and you'd usually store this AppleScript in a Library/Scripts folder, I'll post a neat solution for unhiding your ~/Library folder from Doug Adams' AppleScripts for iTunes web pages on "Installing AppleScript under Mac OS X Lion". Simply go to the "download this AppleScript applet" link on the "Make Users Library Folder VIsible" page at: http://dougscripts.com/itunes/2011/07/installing-applescripts-under-os-x-lion/ Opening the downloaded applet will make the Library folder on your account visible without having to type a command on the Terminal command line or download and run an application like TinkerTool to reconfigure your account preference settings. Either compile the AppleScript with Command-K, or else select a pdf file in Finder and switch back to the AppleScript Editor with Command-Tab, then run the AppleScript with Command-R (which also compiles it) to test this. You can save the file to the Library/Scripts folder on your home directory, with a name of your choice (e.g., "PDF to Text"). (You may need to create this folder if this is the first time you are using AppleScripts.) If you also bring up the preferences menu before quitting the AppleScript Editor with Command-comma, and check the box for "Show Script menu on menu bar" on the general tab, "PDF to Text" (or whatever name you saved) will show up under the "AppleScript" menu on the status menu bar. Another alternative to navigating to the status menu bar (VO-M-M or Control-F8) and navigating to the "PDF to Text" entry of the AppleScript menu is to use Automator, and set this up as a service by pasting text into the "run AppleScript" action. This was also previously described in the forum posts in the "Re: something like pdf2txt on the mac?" thread: http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries%40googlegroups.com/msg45375.html HTH. Note that both the AppleScript and Automator solutions also allow you to process multiple PDF files that you have selected in Finder. Cheers, Esther On Mar 2, 2012, at 9:25 AM, .dan. wrote: > > I tried to install the macport version of xpdf. The universal version is: > > xpdf 3.02pl5 > > I get an error message saying the "3.02pl5" dependency is not present. > > Has anyone install this package? It is for use in terminal and converts the > text in a pdf file into text among other things. > > > XB > IC|XC > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en.
