So far we have only used FileConverterPro (FCpro) as a Windows service with a REST/SOAP web service interface. Now we have also made it an independent C# / .NET component. This allows us to implement all document conversion functions available in FileConverterPro (FCpro) directly in other applications. Based on this, we will soon create the FCpro converter as an independent application with a command line and as a Windows service with directory monitoring (hotfolder). We will also integrate this converter component directly into PDFMerge / EasyMerge or in EMailArchiver and other applications.

This FCpro C# / .NET component is not offered by us as an independent product and is only used in our applications and in individual software projects. An example & test application is available for the FCpro converter component, with which all FCpro conversion functions can be tried out interactively.

 

Functions of the FCpro component test application:

• Standalone test application to interactively test the FCpro PDF & to be able to test PDF/A conversion functions
• Creates – PDF, PDF/A, text, image preview, thumbnail view from various file and container formats (ZIP, EML, MSG…)
• FCpro convert profile functions: create, copy, edit, export/import profile
• Configuration of the number of parallel processes for conversion
• One or more files can be dragged & Drop area to be dragged. The resulting files (PDF, TXT, JPEG, PNG) are placed in the source file folder.

Download – FileConverterPro (FCpro) Component test application ~600MB >>>
Download – OmniPage OCR Engine as an option for FCpro (ca. 235MB) >>>

New features of FCpro version 1.0.118:

• Extensions for placeholder pages when processing container (ZIP, MSG, EML..) files – Previously, container files in which one of the contained files could not be converted or could not be processed further could not be processed , only be selected whether a placeholder page is inserted or not. The status of the job never showed an error and a PDF result file was always generated. In the job query, there was no additional information about whether individual parts were not converted or whether placeholder pages were inserted.

The FCpro conversion profile can now be configured:

• • Whether to include placeholder pages or not.
  • Whether always a PDF result file (with or without placeholder pages), or whether no PDF should be generated. If a component of the container cannot be converted or processed, the job receives the status “Error”,
  • In addition to files that cannot be converted, PDF files that cannot be processed further are also recognized for containers. e.g. if they have a PDF restriction / password protection and therefore cannot be combined into one PDF file.
  • A separate placeholder page log can be activated on the server in which the use of placeholder pages is logged.
  • Every use of a placeholder page can also be logged via an SMTP email.
  • If a placeholder page was added to a job, you get this information via the web service job query.

   

• Web Service – REST – Improvements / Enhancements:

REST endpoint UploadJobEx6 – Previously, some parameters were always overwritten by the FCpro service if they were not configured. This has now been changed so that only those parameters that are passed and set via the REST endpoint UploadJobEx6 overwrite the job parameters.

GetJob function(jobGuid) call provides more information:

There are some new lines in the job information

• • PlaceholderUsed (true/false)
  • ProcessId
  • ProcessName
  • SettingsName (name of the FCpro converter profile used)

ProcessName provides information about which converter was used to convert the PDF. Either “FileConverterPro” (internal) or by an “external” component (e.g. MS Office)

Sample response to a GetJob function(jobGuid) call:

{
“GetJobResult”: {
“ConversionStartedDate”: “/Date(1637056353767+0200)/”,
“ConversionStartedDateISO”: “2021-11-16T11:52:33+02:00”,
“CreationDate”: “/Date(1637056352797+0200)/”,
“CreationDateISO”: “2021-11-16T11:52:32+02:00”,
“Errors”: “”,
“FinishedDate”: “/Date(1637056366843+0200)/”,
“FinishedDateISO”: “2021-11-16T11:52:46+02:00”,
“JobGuid”: “84726eef-0383-4094-b15f-de7ce122dce7”,
“JobID”: 255,
“JobLabel”: “C:\\Users\\Admin\\AppData\\Local\\DropConverterProE\\Downloads\\211116-115230\\20211116115232058.pdf”,
“PageCount”: 1,
“PdfData”: null,
“PlaceholderUsed”: false,
“ProcessId”: -1,
“ProcessName”: “FileConverterPro”,
“SettingsName”: “default”,
“Status”: 5,
“UserName”: “admin”
}
}

 

• Update of all basic components (PDF2PDFA</a >, OCR, PDFCompressor, PDFSign )

• Quit MS Office automatically – Sometimes it happens that the FCpro service is installed on a workstation on which a user is working. During FCPro processing, MS Office applications are “cleaned up” at regular intervals and automatically terminated. Previously also if MS Office was not configured and used as a converter. That has now changed. MS Office processes are only cleaned up if MS Office is also configured and used as a converter.

• Common PDF2PDFA component – The FCpro PDF to PDF/A converter was developed by our PDF2PDFA standard component to use the same unified converter in all our applications. FCpro is now also able to create ZUGFeRD 2.1.1-compliant files with XRechnung profiles.

• FCPro version number can be used as a variable for the creator / creator field to be able to store in the PDF with which FCpro version the document was created.

• SWF – Flash file generation has been removed – Since the Flash SWF format is no longer supported in IT for security reasons, the generation of this additional file format has been removed from all FCpro functions.

• iOCR – Recognizing and correcting defective text in existing PDFs – For more information, see AutoOCR >>>

• Terminating OCR processes that have been running for too long due to timeout – If the OCR process for a job takes too long and the specified timeout value is reached, the job and all associated sub-processes are aborted terminated automatically.

Corrections and bug fixes:

• Access problems have arisen with the parallel processing of ZIP containers, with TIFF files and parallel processes. – Error “Can not access the file”
• The PDF (password) protection was not executed for the PDFExport settings and PDFSign.
• The container sorting (ZIP, MSG, EML…) by file name / folder did not work.
• The configurable JPEG quality settings for the additional preview and thumbnail images to be generated were not applied.
• Setup – When installing without an internet connection, the iOCR engine was not automatically installed.

Download – FileConverterPro (FCpro) ~600MB >>>
Download – OmniPage OCR Engine als Option für FCpro (ca. 235MB) >>>