ReportToPDF & Terminal Server

[Tom]

This took me just short of forever to figure out what my real problem
actually is. I have a microsoft access database using the ReportToPDF
function found at http://www.lebans.com/reporttopdf.htm. An amazing little
program. On my development machine, a 2003 server (without Terminal
Services installed) that I use RDP to access, it works great. Once I
installed the database on my production Terminal Server, it lost the ability
to embed fonts into the PDF. To recap my hardware & software scenario,

2003 Development Server - Access 2003 Installed - Remote Access vis RDP -
Works great

2003 Production Terminal Server (Terminal Services & Access Runtime
Installed) - Works but with Limited Functionality/Won't Embed Fonts

Thinking it had to be some minor difference between the two machines, I
checked available fonts, user permissions, compared installed programs,
duplicated available printers, uninstalled programs, etc. Nothing worked.
I finally realized it was only working on servers without Terminal Services
installed. So, something must be happening when access runtime is installed
as a terminal services app because that's when I lose the ability to do it,
even if I give the test account domain admin privaleges. When runtime is
installed normally, it works fine. I even installed a full version of
access 2003 as an available terminal server application and that didn't work
either, so it's not just runtime, it's effecting access period.

At this point, I'm completely stumped. I'm just looking for some
suggestions or ideas on what you'd try because I don't know what to do next.
This program works so slick that I want to be able to use it, but I guess
I'm open to alternative suggestions that can be coded and work without user
intervention.

Thanks!

 

[Stephen Lebans]

Hi Tom,
I have zero experience with Terminal Services so cannot help you if the
issue is caused by TS. ReportToPDF does require that a printer driver be
available as the default printer on each system and that Access can export
the report to Snapshot format.

Are you sure that the machine which will not embedd fonts has the updated
patch as described below?

There was a bug introduced for Font Embedding in the last release.

At the top of your modReportTOPDF module is the function signature:


Public Declare Function ConvertUncompressedSnapshot Lib "StrStorage.dll" _
(ByVal UnCompressedSnapShotName As String, _ ByVal OutputPDFname As String,
_ Optional ByVal CompressionLevel As Long = 0, _ Optional ByVal
PasswordOwner As String = "", _ Optional ByVal PasswordOpen As String = "",
_ Optional ByVal PasswordRestrictions As Long = 0, _ Optional
PDFNoFontEmbedding As Long = 0 _


) As Boolean


The very last line of the Sig is missing the ByVal declaration:


Optional PDFNoFontEmbedding As Long = 0 _


Should be changed to:


Optional ByVal PDFNoFontEmbedding As Long = 0 _



--

HTH
Stephen Lebans
http://www.lebans.com
Access Code, Tips and Tricks
Please respond only to the newsgroups so everyone can benefit.

 

[Tom]

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for taking a look. I can export the same report, fonts and all, to
snapshot format without a problem, which makes it so frustrating. At what
point in the process are the fonts embedded, which dll handles that? The
only other thing I can think of is that maybe terminal services doesn't like
what you're using as the temp folder to process everything in. Otherwise,
it doesn't make much sense. I've never run into anything like this before,
usually what works on one has no problem working on the other. I guess
there is a first time for everything.

Thanks for your input,

Tom

P.S. If I didn't think this was such an awesome solution I'd let it go, but
it's worth it. I also noticed a couple other user posts with the same
unresolved problem, so it's not just me. Another one of my post's yielded
this reponse:

"I'd say you need to e-mail Stephen. Sounds like a bug and being wrapped up
in .DLL's, there is no way your going to be able to figure out what it is.

JimD"

 

[Stephen Lebans]

The embedding of fonts is handled internally by the DyanPDF library(they are
not embedded within the Snapshot file). There is no bug as the embedding
feature works properly within a standard Windows session. If you have
verified that you have patched the function signature as I indicated in my
first reply to you, then it becomes a TS issue at this point.

Firs tthing to try is to use the latest version of DynaPDF.DLL. Since you
are also having Font embedding issues under TS then I would suggest you go
directly to www.DyanForms.DLL and download the latest version. You'll find
the DunaPDF.DLL in the BIN folder. Make sure you Search and Delete any
existing versions of DynaPDF.DLL on your system.
Next, you can read through their Help PDF document to better understand the
mechanism DynaPDF uses to embedd fonts.

--

HTH
Stephen Lebans
http://www.lebans.com
Access Code, Tips and Tricks
Please respond only to the newsgroups so everyone can benefit.

 

[Tom]

Stephen,

Thanks for the suggestion! Grabbing the most recent version of the
DynaPDF.DLL did the trick. They must have resdesigned how it interacts with
the registry, which was causing a problem with terminal server.

Thanks again!

Tom

P.S. I also identified this solution on experts-exchange and gave you credit
for pointing me in this direction. Keep up all the great work!