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VB Automation with Distiller

VzBAdobe
Registered: Sep 20 2007
Posts: 2

I have been using Adobe Acrobat Elements to produce convert Postscript files to PDF through MS Access. After a recent upgrade from Acrobat Elements version 6.0 to 7.0, I noticed that I am getting an error:
 
“ActiveX component can't create object”
 
I’m using the VB automation method proposed in the “Adobe Acrobat 7.0.5 – Acrobat Distiller API Reference’ document.
 
Dim pdf As PdfDistiller
pdf.FileToPdf "My Test File.ps", "", ""
 
(This is after creating a reference to the AcroDist.exe installed at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Distillr\acrodist.exe.)
 
Some additional observations:
• Properties and methods of the PdfDistiller object are viewable in the Object Browser.
• Several other objects like the PDFMaker result in the same error.
• The reference has been re-created several times.
• Late Binding the object didn’t work either:
o Set pdf = CreateObject("ACRODISTXLib.PdfDistiller")
 
Any thoughts on why this might be happening?
 
Thanks in advance!
 
Jeff

My Product Information:
Acrobat Standard 7.0.9, Windows
dthanna
ExpertTeam
Registered: Sep 28 2005
Posts: 248
I believe (someone from Adobe would need to confirm this) that the APIs were disabled in Elements in AE7.

Also, be sure that what ever you are doing is in accordance with the EULA - for the most part Acrobat cannot be accessed / driven in an automated fashion. The only general exception being that everything (data and apps) are on a local workstation and the work is manually initiated.

For an automated tool, you would need to investigate in Adobe's LifeCycle PDF Generator ES which supports either a user or CPU based pricing model.

Douglas Hanna is a member of the Production Print Technology team at Aon.
www.aonhewitt.com