Longshot Question about PBB's

Hi Everyone,

I know it's a longshot but I was curious if anyone had heard anything about PBB's eventually being able to read other file formats besides .docx. Specifically, .pdf's. I know that it's low on their priority list, but I'm just curious because I have quite a few .pdf files that need to be converted by hand (most won't let me copy and paste the text as they put a non-Logos readable image of the text in the .docx instead of just plain text [I've also tried with .txt and .rtf with the same results) and I don't want to start all of that work if eventually PBB will read .pdf's.

By chance has anyone heard anything or should I start my project?

Thanks all.

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Comments

Fred Chapman

Right now Logos seems to be sticking with the .docx format. I have not heard anything to indicate that will change in the near future. There are some good converters out there, but the ones that seem to be best are the ones that you will have to pay for. There are a couple of online converters that people have said work well.

Graham Criddle

Hi Ryan - and welcome to the forums

All the indications I have seen state that .docx files are - and will continue to be - required for PB generation.

Sorry!

Graham

DominicM

The problem has alway been that PDF's would be classified as second class citizens.

Perhaps you could copy perinent bits to a notefile and add a link to the PDF

Bur I would proceede with the conversion for the long term option

Room4more

Hi Everyone,

I know it's a longshot but I was curious if anyone had heard anything about PBB's eventually being able to read other file formats besides .docx. Specifically, .pdf's. I know that it's low on their priority list, but I'm just curious because I have quite a few .pdf files that need to be converted by hand (most won't let me copy and paste the text as they put a non-Logos readable image of the text in the .docx instead of just plain text [I've also tried with .txt and .rtf with the same results) and I don't want to start all of that work if eventually PBB will read .pdf's.

By chance has anyone heard anything or should I start my project?

Thanks all.

I m somewhat at a lost. I just opened a pdf, highlighted the text and right-clicked ‘copy’ then opened MSWord ’07 and pasted then saved as a docx then started a new pb and used that file.

Everything worked. Are we missing something?

Graham Criddle

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/343712#Comment_343712

Hi Robert

I m somewhat at a lost. I just opened a pdf, highlighted the text and right-clicked ‘copy’ then opened MSWord ’07 and pasted then saved as a docx then started a new pb and used that file.

Everything worked. Are we missing something?

I don't know the specifics of Ryan's case but some PDF documents do not allow text copying. It depends on how the security on the documents is set up.

Graham

Room4more

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/343716#Comment_343716

True. Graham.

RyanB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/343718#Comment_343718

Hi Robert,

For some of my .pdf's I can do that too. However,
there are other .pdf's that I have that won't let me do that. Whether I
try to cut and paste or use a converter (I've tried several) it will
only produce an image of the text and not the text itself. I suspect it
has something to do with how the .pdf was originally created.

Fred Chapman

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/343720#Comment_343720

I suspect it has something to do with how the .pdf was originally created.

I am not as familiar with the "under the hood" stuff when it comes to .pdf's as others on the forum may be, but what you describe is my experience as well; and I suspect you are right as to the cause. Maybe one of the converters that cost a little money would take care of that??

Room4more

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/343720#Comment_343720

Hi Robert,

For some of my .pdf's I can do that too. However, there are other .pdf's that I have that won't let me do that. Whether I try to cut and paste or use a converter (I've tried several) it will only produce an image of the text and not the text itself. I suspect it has something to do with how the .pdf was originally created.

Understandable. So if you did not create the pdf but got it from the internet or whatever, then there may be some signature issues. If there are no proprietary issues and not too big, attach it. Then I will play with it. If you do not mind.

I will be gone for the rest of the afternoon, so it may be a spell…..I got a few more minutes....

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/343731#Comment_343731

I suspect it has something to do with how the .pdf was originally created.

I am not as familiar with the "under the hood" stuff when it comes to .pdf's as others on the forum may be, but what you describe is my experience as well; and I suspect you are right as to the cause. Maybe one of the converters that cost a little money would take care of that??

Wikipedia has Portable Document Format (PDF) information => http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format

PDF can include images (or pictures) of book pages, which can be read (or printed), but does not have text digitized for copy and paste.

Keep Smiling [:)]

Rosie Perera

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/343720#Comment_343720

If the PDF does not have readable/selectable text in it, then it was probably made from scanned images of pages. However some good OCR software can do a decent job of converting it to readable text nonetheless. Several recommended PDF converters that can do OCR (optical character recognition) have been mentioned on this other thread: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/46204.aspx

Robert G. Mettler

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/343743#Comment_343743

but does not have text digitized for copy and paste.

That is because it is a PRINTER DOCUMENT FORMAT (like Postscript) designed for hard copy output that keeps pagenation and font control intact.

That precludes it being a viable format for text reflow, editing, copy and paste, and so forth; hence the difficulty in converting it to other formats.

Robert

JT (alabama24)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/343720#Comment_343720

Whether I
try to cut and paste or use a converter (I've tried several) it will
only produce an image of the text and not the text itself.

Ryan - To add to the conversation a little bit… PDF stands for Portable Document Format. Think of it more like a briefcase carrying other file formats underneath. PDF's were designed to look the same no matter what computer or printer they were moved to. The PDF's you are having problems with were created with scanned images… more like a photograph than a text document. As others have mentioned, if you were to get GOOD OCR software, you might be able to make a text document. This could be, however, a costly and time consuming endeavor.

RyanB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/343811#Comment_343811

Thank you to everyone for your insight and recommendations. I truly appreciate it. I'll try some of the methods, links and advice mentioned in the posts above and hope that I have some success. (I'm especially intrigued by OCR).

Again, thank you to all for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.

tom

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/344152#Comment_344152

From the thread: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/42728.aspx

POSSIBLE: Using a new Logos 5 feature (shh... it's top secret!) we could even support viewing these "page facsimile" documents inside the Logos desktop software, and support offline viewing of the ones you chose to keep locally. (Which could be just your own, or even specific documents you'd found at BibleFile from others.) This would at last answer the "let me import PDF's and other documents!" request from some users. (For an example of performance of image-based document display, instead of PDF, see http://books.logos.com/. You can also full-text search these image-based resources. Try searching for Eph 2:8).

Rosie Perera

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/344189#Comment_344189

From the thread: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/42728.aspx

POSSIBLE: Using a new Logos 5 feature (shh... it's top secret!) we could even support viewing these "page facsimile" documents inside the Logos desktop software, and support offline viewing of the ones you chose to keep locally. (Which could be just your own, or even specific documents you'd found at BibleFile from others.) This would at last answer the "let me import PDF's and other documents!" request from some users. (For an example of performance of image-based document display, instead of PDF, see http://books.logos.com/. You can also full-text search these image-based resources. Try searching for Eph 2:8).

Ooh, cool! I guess it's not top secret anymore. [:)]