Very Simple Task - Open a PDF File - How?

[Farns]

Good afternoon,

I have a valid AutoIt support question and kindly provide the details of my system:

AutoIt Version: V3.3.10.2 [X32]
Windows Version: WIN_2012 [X64]
Language: 0409

##################################################################

I'm a new user with this software, I downloaded it literally hours before the server died for several days, so I wasn't able to ask for help or read forums during that time. 

I'm trying to use AIS to automate a few simple tasks.  Step one is to open a PDF file, and I can't even make it do that.  I've searched the forums.  I watched an hour's worth of 403Forbidden's tutorials and learned a ton of other stuff, but not this.  Everything I'm reading seems to be from very advanced users, and so nobody's addressing the basics that I can find. 

I have made little actions work, and compiled them to EXEs, and most of it's going well.  I can launch programs, do other things, but I cannot open a PDF file. 

I feel like I'm following the documentation, but it's not working.  Can somebody please help me see what I'm doing wrong?  Here is my script.  It launches Acrobat and then nothing.  No errors, no response, nothing. 

Run("C:Program Files (x86)AdobeAcrobat 11.0AcrobatAcrobat.exe")
FileOpen("C:_PODWorkOCTConsolidationScript_DailyAuto1SideCombo.pdf")

 

 

I apologize in advance for the newbie question, I'm not unfamiliar with this type of work, I've dones this and more with similar systems, but they lack functionality that I need in AutoIT so I want to migrate everything over. 

Thanks,

Farns

 

 

[Danp2]

FileOpen() will open the file within AutoIt, not Acrobat. You need to issue a single Run command where the file to be opened is passed as part of the initial parameter. You may also be able to just Run("C:_PODWorkOCTConsolidationScript_DailyAuto1SideCombo.pdf")

[Farns]

Ahh.  Well that would make sense why the open command wasn't working   I did just try the Run command, to the path of my PDF, and again, no response.  No errors, no result.  I see Exit Code = 0 at the bottome of SciTE, so maybe I am getting some feedback, I just need to figure out how to interpret that.  I hadn't noticed it before. 

I found a post where the application was defined as a variable, and the file was too, and then a run command to put the two together and make it launch and open the file in the same stroke, but that didn't seem to want to work either. 

If NONE of the commands were working, I'd assume an installation problem or something like that.  But since I can launch apps, that all must be fine, and I'm just to dumb to figure this out :-)  I will keep studying. 

Farns

[BrewManNH]

Don't use Run to open a PDF unless you're using the PDF reader program to open it.

Use ShellExecute to open a file that has an associated executable set to open that type of file. For example if you don't have adobe reader on the PC using acrord32.exe to open it won't work, but ShellExecute will open it with whatever PDF program the computer has associated with it.

[Farns]

Ahhh!  Ok ShellExecute seems to be doing the trick.  I'll dive deeper into my project later this afternoon, but I think this puts me on the right track, BrewMan, thank you! 

I can see this is extremely powerful and flexible software.  99% of it I will probably never use.  All I need it for at this point in my life is to open a file, map some mouse coordinates and clicks, and that's it.  Super simple.  But I will study it's other features and see else I can learn how to make it do!  Thanks so much!

Farns

[Farns]

Yep, it worked great.  thank you very much!  I'm off to learn what I need for the next step!