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--- software:troubleshoot:ps2pdf [2009/10/04 15:09] – admin
+++ software:troubleshoot:ps2pdf [2009/10/04 17:44] (current) – admin
@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 When trying to convert a ps file to pdf, we should use the following command:
   ps2pdf in.ps out.pdf
-With the above command the papersize is letter on my system (Because of its US locale setting). For a4 papersize we should use:
+With the above command the papersize defaults to the system locale setting, which is letter. For a4 papersize we should use:
   ps2pdf "-sPAPERSIZE=a4" in.ps out.pdf
-Mind the double quotes. This command doesn't produce an a4 page size.\\ \\ Because ps2pdf is just a kind of wrapper for gswin32c, trying the following command below directly with gswin32c produces an a4 page:
+Mind the double quotes. Curiously this command doesn't produce an a4 page size.\\ \\ Because ps2pdf (or specifically ps2pdf.bat) is just a kind of wrapper for gswin32c, trying the following command below directly with gswin32c produces an a4 page:
   gswin32c "-sPAPERSIZE=a4" -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dNOPAUSE -dQUIET -dBATCH -o out.pdf -f in.ps
 while:
   gswin32c "-sPAPERSIZE=letter" -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dNOPAUSE -dQUIET -dBATCH -o out.pdf -f in.ps
-Produces an letter sized pdf file.\\ \\ To find out why ps2pdf doesn't work as expected, I try to dissect the procedure.
+Produces a letter sized pdf file.\\ \\ To find out why ps2pdf doesn't work as expected, I try to dissect the procedure.
 ===== Windows NT cmd files =====
 In the ghostscript lib directory (C:\Program Files\gs\gs8.56\lib) there are the following related files:
-  * ps2pdf.cmd
+  * ps2pdf.bat
-  * ...
+  * ps2pdfxx.bat
+See below for their contents.
-==== ps2pdf ====
+==== ps2pdf.bat ====
 <code dos>
-/* $Id: ps2pdf.cmd 6300 2005-12-28 19:56:24Z giles $ */
+@echo off
-/*
+@rem $Id: ps2pdf.bat 6300 2005-12-28 19:56:24Z giles $
- * This file is maintained by a user: if you have any questions about it,
- * please contact Mark Hale (mark.hale@physics.org).
- */
-/* Convert PostScript to PDF 1.4 (Acrobat 4-and-later compatible). */
+rem Convert PostScript to PDF 1.4 (Acrobat 4-and-later compatible).
-/* The PDF compatibility level may change in the future: */
+rem The default PDF compatibility level may change in the future:
-/* use ps2pdf12 or ps2pdf13 if you want a specific level. */
+rem use ps2pdf12 or ps2pdf13 if you want a specific level.
-parse arg params
+rem The current default compatibility level is PDF 1.4.
+echo -dCompatibilityLevel#1.4 >_.at
+goto bot
-gs='@gsos2'
+rem Pass arguments through a file to avoid overflowing the command line.
-inext='.ps'
+:top
-outext='.pdf'
+echo %1 >>_.at
+shift
+:bot
+if not %3/==/ goto top
+call ps2pdfxx %1 %2
+</code>
-if params='' then call usage
+==== ps2pdfxx.bat ====
+<code dos>
+@echo off
+@rem $Id: ps2pdfxx.bat 6300 2005-12-28 19:56:24Z giles $
+rem Internal batch file for calling pdfwrite driver.
-options=''
+rem The files that call this one (ps2pdf*.bat) write the command-line
+rem options into _.at, and then pass the last 2 (or fewer) arguments
+rem to this file.
-/* extract options from command line */
+call gssetgs.bat
-i=1
+echo -q -dSAFER -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sDEVICE#pdfwrite >_.at2
-param=word(params,i)
-do while substr(param,1,1)='-'
-	options=options param
-	i=i+1
-	param=word(params,i)
-end
-infile=param
+if "%OS%"=="Windows_NT" goto nt
-if infile='' then call usage
-outfile=word(params,i+1)
-if outfile='' then do
-	outfile=infile''outext
-	infile=infile''inext
-end
-gs options '-q -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile='outfile options '-c save pop -f' infile
+rem	Run ps2pdf on any Microsoft OS.
-exit
-usage:
+if %1/==/ goto usage
-say 'Usage: ps2pdf [options...] input[.ps output.pdf]'
+if %2/==/ goto usage
-exit
+rem Watcom C deletes = signs, so use # instead.
+rem We have to include the options twice because -I only takes effect if it
+rem appears before other options.
+:run
+echo -sOutputFile#%2 >>_.at2
+copy /b /y _.at2+_.at >NUL
+echo -c .setpdfwrite -f %1 >>_.at2
+%GSC% @_.at @_.at2
+goto end
+:usage
+echo Usage: ps2pdf [options...] input.[e]ps output.pdf
+goto end
+rem	Run ps2pdf on Windows NT.
+:nt
+if not CMDEXTVERSION 1 goto run
+if %1/==/ goto ntusage
+if %2/==/ goto nooutfile
+goto run
+:ntusage
+echo Usage: ps2pdf input.ps [output.pdf]
+echo    or: ps2pdf [options...] input.[e]ps output.pdf
+goto end
+:nooutfile
+rem We don't know why the circumlocution with _1 is needed....
+set _1=%1
+set _outf=%_1:.PS=.pdf%
+if %_1%==%_outf% goto addsuff
+call ps2pdfxx %1 %_outf%
+goto postsuff
+:addsuff
+call ps2pdfxx %1 %1%.pdf
+:postsuff
+set _1=
+set _outf=
+:end
+rem	Clean up.
+if exist _.at erase _.at
+if exist _.at2 erase _.at2
 </code>
+===== Problem found =====
+From the above code, it seems that the windows version of ps2pdf doesn't parse options as written in the [[http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/doc/AFPL/6.50/Ps2pdf.htm|manual]]:
+<code>
+...
+The usage for ps2pdf is
+    ps2pdf [options] input.[e]ps output.pdf
+...
+</code>
+If I use the following command:
+  ps2pdf "-sPAPERSIZE=a4" in.ps out.pdf
+Analyzing this command from the 'windows' point of view::
+  - ps2pdf.bat is invoked. It gets three arguments: %1, %2 and %3. Specifically:\\ %1 = "-sPAPERSIZE=a4"\\ %2 = in.ps\\ %3 = out.pdf
+  - The text **-dCompatibilityLevel#1.4** is written to a text file called **_.at** which resides in the same directory as your working directory.
+  - If the third argument, %3, is not empty, append the first argument, %1, to the file **_.at**
+  - Shift all arguments out one further, repeat previous step above until only last two arguments are left.
+  - once finished the following command is called:\\ ps2pdfxx %1 %2\\ with %1: in.ps, %2: out.pdf and all [options] are stored in the file **_.at**
+  -

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