James G. Sack (jim) wrote: > Tracy R Reed wrote: >> We need to be able to produce custom forms such as invoices, packing >> lists, receipts, etc. We have been doing it with LaTeX but there are two >> problems with it: >> >> 1. The first is technical. LaTex is good at books and articles etc. but >> it is not so great at making forms. For example it considers each page >> individually so columns will not necessarily line up across pages >> depending on how wide the biggest thing in the column is etc. Its job is >> really as a typesetting program where the author provides the content >> and LaTeX generates the presentation. We need something that will let us >> specify both the content and the presentation. >> >> 2. Only a couple people here know LaTeX. >> >> We would like to be able to have our web design staff create our forms >> for us. We can make great looking forms on the screen exactly how we >> want them using XHTML/CSS. And if we hit print it turns out great. The >> problem is how can we render XHTML/CSS to postscript in an automated >> fashion? We have to be able to do it from a shell script or perl or >> python. The first thing that always comes to mind is somehow scripting >> Mozilla but I am not aware of a way to script it in this way much less >> do it on a headless server. Others have suggested OpenOffice but it >> would have the same problem as mozilla. And if it is possible nobody >> seems to know anyone who has actually done it. >> >> Ideas? > > I looked at this a few months ago, and I believe there _used to be_ > support for printing via the command line > remote control of unix mozilla (mozilla -remote ...) > http://www.mozilla.org/unix/remote.html > but that the print command is presently broken and/or disabled. > > man firefox still points to the above page in the "firefox -remote" section. > > Maybe more info might be avail on some developers' list? > > hmmm, maybe I go poke around the source again.
Support for print is missing, 'though I still think it may have worked in ancient times. At least I found the source code module to keep an eye on, xpfe/components/xremote/src/XRemoteService.cpp as it that were any consolation <grin>. ..jim -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
