All of a sudden, I am unable to properly download or convert to PDF format. The result is as in the attached screenshot. Print as PDF to DT (Mac) works fine.
Please help!
At least the text looks as if it were a PDF. And since printing works ok, you should probably give more details: which URL or file is that coming from, how do you convert to PDF, where does this screenshot come from?
What’s the filename & extension and how did you create/download/convert/import it?
It is every single PDF file found by DevonAgent and exported to DT as webarchive. Normally when I do this, PDF files are exported over as a viewable PDF. Same corruption happens when I “convert to PDF” existing web archive files inside of DT,
A PDF exported as a web archive? Is such a file exported to the desktop fine and viewable via Quick Look?
No, when I export the same file to the desktop and try to view it I get the same characters.
As DEVONagent wasn’t updated lately, did you update e.g. macOS? What’s the URL of such a file and does it work if you export the PDF as a PDF?
when I used the “Clip to DT” browser plugin and choose PDF the file is fine. The issue seems to be that DT, at least for me, seems to have lost the ability to export a set of mixed-type files properly.
MacOS is up to date but I don’t remember the last update. Yes, as per below, it works if I export as PDF. For example:
but not as webarchive. Even the tile is exported incorrectly. First title is from export as PDF and second from export as webarchive. Thats probably because the title is taken from the first line of the file.
Opening this URL in DEVONagent’s browser window and exporting it as a PDF or web archive works as expected here (latest versions of Big Sur & Monterey). How do you exactly export it and which macOS version do you use (up to date could also be the latest update of e.g. Catalina or Big Sur)?
No, Monterey 12.2.1.
Doesn’t matter how I export- from DA, from browsers, or converting an existing webarchive inside DT,result is the same.
Do you use any browser plug-ins, e.g. for viewing PDFs? As DEVONagent’s latest update dates back to last summer, it’s behaviour didn’t change for a while. Although I wonder what’s the point of web archives containing PDFs?
no plugins
I don’t understand your question, what do you mean PDFs inside of web archives? When I export webpages from Devon agent of Devon think, I generally use the web archive format. Of course, some of those pages are PDF’s but they used to export fine in PDF format even when choosing webarchive for exporting. Is there some other way to export a search result easily when you have results of different file types?
Anyway, I am considering changing all exporting to PDF because of all the issues these days with the various pop-up boxes
A PDF exported as a web archive is internally just a web archive wrapper plus the raw PDF document. And that’s a proprietary file format which works only on Apple platforms and using the few apps supporting web archives (e.g. Safari, DEVONthink/agent etc.). Not to mention that DEVONthink (and other apps) can handle a PDF much better if it’s not contained in a web archive.
OK, I have to admit I never thought about it because PDFs exported in that way worked fine for my purposes and it was an easy way to bulk export from DA.
Since it’s not working now I don’t see any solution other than shift completely to PDF for export or somehow do two different exports from a Devon agent search result. Is there even a way to sort or otherwise identify quickly PDF files inside of the search results from Devon agent?
One idea is to use one search set accepting only PDF results and another search set for the other formats. Another one is to search in the results for pdf. And finally, did you check whether rebooting the computer in safe mode fixes the issue?
“did you check whether rebooting the computer in safe mode fixes the issue?”
I may give that a try later but in the meantime, your suggested alternative seem fine to me.
Thanks for the help and I will keep you apprised.