Month: February 2017

This is a simple PDF Converter which watches in a directory for
incoming Excel documents and converts them to PDF. Ghostscript and a
Postscript printer has to be installed.

path_to_watch = "D:\\share\\"


before = dict ([(f, None) for f in os.listdir (path_to_watch)])
def convert(filename):
    tmpfile = path_to_watch + 'tmp\\'+filename+'.ps'
    if filename[-3:]=='xls':
        pythoncom.CoInitializeEx(pythoncom.COINIT_APARTMENTTHREADED)
        myExcel = win32com.client.DispatchEx('Excel.Application')
        Excel = myExcel.Workbooks.Open(path_to_watch+filename, 0, False, 2)
        Excel.PrintOut(1, 5000, 1, False, 'Rumborak PDF-Writer Plus 1.0 RC5', \
          True, False, tmpfile)
        Excel.Saved = 1
        Excel.Close()
        myExcel.Quit()
        del Excel
        del myExcel
        os.popen('c:\\gs\\gs8.15\\bin\\gswin32c.exe -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -r300 -dNOPAUSE \
           -dBATCH -dSAFER -sPAPERSIZE=a4 \
           -sOutputFile="'+path_to_watch+filename+'.pdf" "'+tmpfile+'"')
        #os.remove(path_to_watch+filename)
        os.remove(tmpfile)
        pythoncom.CoUninitialize()
while 1:
  time.sleep (0.1)
  after = dict ([(f, None) for f in os.listdir (path_to_watch)])
  added = [f for f in after if not f in before]
  if added and added[0][-3:]=='xls':
      starttime = time.clock()
      print "File ", ", ".join (added), "added to queue"
      convert(added[0])
      stoptime = time.clock()
      print "OK. It took", stoptime-starttime, 'seconds.\n'
  before = after

For Outlook automation it is nesseccary to use the makepy utility. You do this either from the tools menu of the Pythonwin-Editor (installed with Pywin32 or ActivePython) or you call the file c:\python23\Lib\site-packages\win32com\client\makepy.py. You then have to select the Outlook Object Library (“Microsoft Outlook 10.0 Object Library” for Office 10.0 or known as Office XP).

After that Python generates cachefiles into the directory c:\python23\Lib\site-packages\win32com\gen_py or c:\temp\gen_py to tell Python more about the Outlook object library.

Here is a well known example which dumps all adressbook entries from your default adressbook:

import codecs, win32com.client
# This example dumps the items in the default address book
# needed for converting Unicode->Ansi (in local system codepage)
DecodeUnicodeString = lambda x: codecs.latin_1_encode(x)[0]
def DumpDefaultAddressBook():
    # Create instance of Outlook
    o = win32com.client.Dispatch("Outlook.Application")
    mapi = o.GetNamespace("MAPI")
    folder = mapi.GetDefaultFolder(win32com.client.constants.olFolderContacts)
    print "The default address book contains",folder.Items.Count,"items"
    # see Outlook object model for more available properties on ContactItem objects
    attributes = [ 'FullName', 'Email1Address']    
    for i in range(1,folder.Items.Count+1):
        print "~~~ Entry %d ~~~" % i
        item = folder.Items[i]
        for attribute in attributes:
            print attribute, eval('item.%s' % attribute)
    o = None
DumpDefaultAddressBook()

One more example how to automate Microsoft Powerpoint and printout a
postscript file with a specified postscript printer (yes, more than one
printers can be installed on the system).

Multithreadding:

Unlike Word and Excel Powerpoint can not run in multiple instances.
If you want to use Powerpoint server based you must implement code to
handle the Powerpoint processes.

How to call the function:

You simply call the function with the name of the Word file, Postscript file and the printername which you want to use.:

e.g.:

make_ps.powerpoint(‘c:\test\powerpointfilename.ppt’, ‘c:\test\psfilename.ps’, ‘My Postscript Printername’)

The source code:

def powerpoint(powerpointfile, psfile, printer):
    pythoncom.CoInitializeEx(pythoncom.COINIT_APARTMENTTHREADED)
    myPowerpoint = win32com.client.DispatchEx('Powerpoint.Application')
    myPpt = myPowerpoint.Presentations.Open(powerpointfile, False, False, False)
    myPpt.PrintOptions.PrintInBackground = 0
    myPpt.PrintOptions.ActivePrinter = printer
    myPpt.Saved = 1
    myPpt.PrintOut(1, 5000, psfile, 0, False)
    myPpt.Close()
    #myPowerpoint.Quit()
    del myPpt
    #del myPowerpoint
    pythoncom.CoUninitialize()

One small example how to automate Microsoft Word and printout a
postscript file with a specified postscript printer (yes, more than one
printers can be installed on the system).

Multithreadding:

Unlike
Powerpoint Microsoft Word can run in multiple instances – If a program
creates more Word processes you will see them in the task manager.

How to call the function:

You simply call the function with the name of the Word file, Postscript file and the printername which you want to use.:

eg.
make_ps.word(‘c:\test\wordfilename.doc’, ‘c:\test\psfilename.ps’, ‘My Postscript Printername’)

The source code:

import win32com.client, pythoncom, time

def word(wordfile, psfile, printer):
    pythoncom.CoInitializeEx(pythoncom.COINIT_APARTMENTTHREADED)
    myWord = win32com.client.DispatchEx('Word.Application')
    myWord.Application.ActivePrinter = printer
    myDoc = myWord.Documents.Open(wordfile, False, False, False)
    myDoc.Saved=1
    myWord.Application.NormalTemplate.Saved = 1
    myWord.PrintOut(True, False, 0, psfile)
    while myWord.BackgroundPrintingStatus > 0:
        time.sleep(0.1)
    myDoc.Close()
    myWord.Quit()
    del myDoc
    del myWord
    pythoncom.CoUninitialize()

Submits data to a website and / or clicks on a specific button using COM.

# Use the makepy utility for the "Microsoft Internet Controls (1.1)"
# object library to get early binding.
from win32com.client import Dispatch
from time import sleep

ie = Dispatch("InternetExplorer.Application")  #Create browser instance.
ie.Visible = 1      # Make it visible (0 = invisible)
ie.Navigate("http://www.google.com")
while ie.ReadyState != 4:    # Wait for browser to finish loading.
    sleep(1)

doc = ie.Document   # Get the document.
while doc.readyState != "complete": # Wait for document to finish
    sleep(1)
   
doc.f.q.value = "qwerty"    # form name is 'f'; search field name is 'q'
doc.f.submit()  # Submits form using default button (in this case, btnG)
# OR alternatively you can specify which button to click as follows...
# doc.f.btnI.click()    # click on button 'btnI'

# Note:  You can also reference the forms by the order in which they
# appear in the forms collection.  For example, you could use the
# following code as well which references the first form.
# doc.forms[0].q.value = 'qwerty'

One more example how to automate Microsoft Excel and printout a
postscript file with a specified postscript printer (yes more than one
printer can be installed on the system).

But unlike Word you can not check the background printing status in
Excel with the method "BackgroundPrintingStatus". This shouldn`t make
problems. I didn`t found an afvantage of this feature.

Multi-Threadding:

Unlike Powerpoint Excel works in more than one instances.

How to call the function:

You simply call the function with the name of the Word file, Postscript file and the printername which you want to use.:

The source code:

def excel(excelfile, psfile, printer):
    pythoncom.CoInitializeEx(pythoncom.COINIT_APARTMENTTHREADED)
    myExcel = win32com.client.DispatchEx('Excel.Application')
    myExcel.Application.AskToUpdateLinks = 0
    Excel = myExcel.Workbooks.Open(excelfile, 0, False, 2)
    Excel.Saved = 1
    Excel.PrintOut(1, 5000, 1, False, printer, True, False, psfile)
    Excel.Close()
    myExcel.Quit()
    del myExcel
    del Excel
    pythoncom.CoUninitialize()
excel('c:/test/excelfilename.xls', 'c:/test/psfilename.ps', 'My Postscript Printername')