Adobe PageMaker and XML/PDF

[mrjamin]

Hi all,

I have a bit of a problem. Basically, a potential client is looking to get himself a new website. The guy runs a magazine called "Blahblah" which is a local entertainments listings magazine. All the layout is done on PageMaker 6 (windows). He would like to go database driven for the website and ideally wants to keep all of the events in a database so they can be dynamically displayer on a website, and also have the ability to export them into PageMaker.

I'm a PHP programmer and can easily export the contents of a database table to PDF or XML, but my potential client isn't sure on PageMaker's import capabilities. I'm assuming that it'll handle PDFs ok - anybody know for sure? The adobe website was pretty much useless! Better yet, does PageMaker have any database connectivity built-in?

Any help would be massively appreciated.

MrJ

[MisterMe]

Originally posted by mrjamin
Hi all,

I have a bit of a problem. Basically, a potential client is looking to get himself a new website. The guy runs a magazine called "Blahblah" which is a local entertainments listings magazine. All the layout is done on PageMaker 6 (windows). He would like to go database driven for the website and ideally wants to keep all of the events in a database so they can be dynamically displayer on a website, and also have the ability to export them into PageMaker.

I'm a PHP programmer and can easily export the contents of a database table to PDF or XML, but my potential client isn't sure on PageMaker's import capabilities. I'm assuming that it'll handle PDFs ok - anybody know for sure? The adobe website was pretty much useless! Better yet, does PageMaker have any database connectivity built-in?

Any help would be massively appreciated.

MrJ First off, Adobe no longer targets PageMaker toward the professional publishing market. The venerable DTP app is now targeted against Print Shop Deluxe. You need to convince your potential client of the graces of InDesign or another modern app.

[mrjamin]

Originally posted by MisterMe
First off, Adobe no longer targets PageMaker toward the professional publishing market. The venerable DTP app is now targeted against Print Shop Deluxe. You need to convince your potential client of the graces of InDesign or another modern app.

no chance - tried that approach. The guy runs the magazine by himself and is pretty computer illiterate - he's been using pagemaker for the last 5 or 6 (maybe more - how long's it been around?) and is reluctant to change!

[Sun Baked]

Adobe has announced PageMakers death a couple times, but InDesign and/or FrameMaker may better suit the guys needs better.

They have a PageMaker -vs- Indesign -vs- FrameMaker pdf.

http://www.adobe.com/products/framemaker/pdfs/idn2_vs_pm7_vs_fm7_ue.pdf

As stated PageMaker is basically Adobe PrintShop, while Indesign is now the Page Layout app, and FrameMaker is a "XML/Page Layout word processor" good enough to handle very large documents or cross media publishing.

[mrjamin]

yeah, i found the PDF. Unfortunately there's no way I can persuade this guy to change his software (see above!).

I guess I'm just gonna have to suggest cut and paste from a dynamically generated page :(

Oh well, life goes on...

[mrjamin]

I found my answer!

PageMaker has its own markup language. Its very ugly and crude, but works a treat.

Last chapter in the PageMaker 6.5 manual for anyone who's interested