visio to pdf truncated URLs 

I am using the PDFMaker (not the PDF print driver) component in my
visio application to convert my VISIO drawing to a PDF file.

The Visio drawing has a bunch of objects (boxes, circles, etc.) with
url hyperlinks.

The problem arises when the URL has a "?" in it. The newly created PDF
file completely deletes the "?" and the portion of the URL after that.

i.e. 

URL: ://www.google.com - WORK FINE

URL: http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=07030

GETS CUT OFF to "http://maps.google.com/maps"


ANY HELP would be appreciated!!!

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Request for Question Clarification by wonko-ga on 01 Jun 2005 21:33 PDT

I have taken the Google URL you provided below that was being cut off,
embedded it into various shapes within two simple Visio documents, and
created a corresponding PDF file for each document.  My process does
not have the URL cut off problem.

You can download the samples from
http://rapidshare.de/files/2122863/Visio_to_PDF.zip.html.  If they
accomplish what you are looking for, let me know, and I will let you
know how I did it, including programs and versions.

If my samples are not what you are looking for, please try to better
describe your source document or, if possible, post a link to a sample
Visio document I can download to apply my process to.

Sincerely,

Wonko

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Clarification of Question by nmelwani-ga on 02 Jun 2005 09:12 PDT

Hi Wonko

Thank you for your response. 

I have looked at your posted zip file with the 2 Visio & PDF files. 

CLARIFICATION:

The Objects in Visio need to have the hyperlink (i.e. create an
object, select the object, hit Ctrl+k and insert the hyperlink)? The
hyperlink is not part of the text displayed in the object but actually
a hyperlink for the object.

Now when you convert this to PDF using PDF Maker, the URL gets truncated.

Hope this helps?

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Request for Question Clarification by wonko-ga on 02 Jun 2005 10:09 PDT

Thank you for the clarification.  I am now able to reproduce your
problem.  I will let you know if I find a better solution than the
comments already posted.

Sincerely,

Wonko

Have you tried with other tools??

For example:
http://www.pdf995.com

http://www.jawspdf.com

http://www.primopdf.com

Google search:
Free pdf creator

Hope it helps.
Phossil.

I have tried most of them - they either do not support Visio in a non
print driver mode or they do not process hyperlinks.

In order to preserve the internal hyperlinks, the document needs to be
converted to a PDF via a script/application. Generally the print
driver type PDF applications (including Adobe) do not process
hyperlinks.

I'm not a PDF format expert, but you could try to directly edit the
file using a simple text editor. (Windows Notepad is quite slow at
editing large files. I am using WinVI for this. http://www.winvi.de )


Some parts of PDF files are compressed so maybe you will have to
decompress it. This is a PDF tool that also can uncompress these
parts:
http://www.paehl.com/pdf/?GUI_for_PDFTK

First generate your PDF file including the incorrect URLs. 
Then start that program, select "Uncompress a PDF only" and select
your PDF. It will be uncompressed to another PDF file with
"_uncompressed" attached to its file name.

Then open the file using your text editor and use the searching
function to find your URL. Correct the URL, save the File and try to
open it in Acrobat.
If the link doesn't work, maybe there are other places where the URL
appears so you have to correct these too.
When everything works, you can recompress the PDF file using the same
tool you used to uncompress if you want (this might save quite some
space).

I hope this helps you.

Thank you pheres !!

This could also be done by opening the PDF file with Acrobat and
editing the URL directly in the PDF.

But what I am looking for is an automated fix. Visio already contains
the URL, like word - when I export to PDF - I want the URLs to remain
intact.

I have over 200 Visio files with over a dozen links in each. The
manual process of editing each and every URL is way too cumbersome;
especially because the VISIO files change every other week.


Anyone able to offer a Fix. I am willing to double the answer price.

Oh, I didn't assume that it's that many files. 

You could circumvent the ? in the URL by using a URL shortcut service
like http://tinyurl.com/ .

That is still far from automated but you have to edit 'only' your 200
visio files and only once ;)

Did you try Adobe Pdf Writer ?, it available for free
(non commerical use aka private use). I've used it alot, 
and in my opponion there is only one that's even better, 
and that the adobe distiller which is a costy thing. 

Adobe created the standard so I guess if any should be able
to create a workable driver then that should a adobe ...

Adobe Pdf Writer http://www.acropdf.com/acropdf.exe
Some info on it http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-4702.php