Exporting to an OPML app then PDF

[idea2go]

Hi,

I'm traveling and need to send my OmniOutliner work to others to review. I need a non-editable format such as PDF.

I notice there is an export to other apps feature. Is there any iPad app that can accept my outline and then out it as PDF in some reasonable formatting. I don't need every nicety preserved but I do need the essence of the heirarchy and the embedded notes within the outline etc.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. I saw similar thread http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=23886 but it is not what I'm really looking for, and there aren't many solutions on that thread either.

- Paul

[DerekM]

Have you tried either of the HTML options available when you choose to send via email? Those would be my recommendation for your situation. The dynamic HTML allows you to collapse and expand sections. The simple HTML option is just a static page with everything expanded.

[idea2go]

That does it, thanks Derek!

I hadn't thought to look whether the email format options were different from the export format options.

[Animgif]

Is there a reason the "export" and "email" options are different? I regularly want to put my outlines in PDF format for sharing with colleagues so I have to email a dynamic HTML to myself and then open that PDF in a PDF Creator app from my inbox and then email the PDF from there. It would be a lot easier for my workflow to just export the HTML file directly to PDF Creator instead of having to do the interim step.

[Ken Case]

Is there a reason the "export" and "email" options are different? I regularly want to put my outlines in PDF format for sharing with colleagues so I have to email a dynamic HTML to myself and then open that PDF in a PDF Creator app from my inbox and then email the PDF from there. It would be a lot easier for my workflow to just export the HTML file directly to PDF Creator instead of having to do the interim step.

I'm not seeing different options: "Send via Mail", "Export" [to a server], and "Send to App" all list the same five format options for me: OmniOutliner, OPML, Dynamic HTML, Simple HTML, and Plain Text.

When we add support for exporting as PDF it will also show up in those lists, but we haven't written that code yet. (It's more complicated than the other formats because we have to try to make good decisions about splitting arbitrarily wide and long content across fixed-size pages. We do support PDF export in OmniGraffle, OmniGraphSketcher, and OmniPlan, where those decisions are more obvious.) Not that we don't plan to add that support—it's just that automatic document syncing is a higher priority.

[DerekM]

Is there a reason the "export" and "email" options are different? I regularly want to put my outlines in PDF format for sharing with colleagues so I have to email a dynamic HTML to myself and then open that PDF in a PDF Creator app from my inbox and then email the PDF from there. It would be a lot easier for my workflow to just export the HTML file directly to PDF Creator instead of having to do the interim step.

There actually is a difference in the options on iOS 5. Something changed in iOS 6 that enabled all the formats for the Send to App option.

[Animgif]

There actually is a difference in the options on iOS 5. Something changed in iOS 6 that enabled all the formats for the Send to App option.

Ken...I just saw your post. Apologies I wasn't articulate in my question. I was actually speaking of the "send to app" functionality to which Derek referred and not the actual "export" function.

Derek...Does this mean we might see this functionality in a forthcoming update? If so, that would be fantastic and absolutely welcome news. I'm on iOS 6 and am still only seeing the 3 original options in "send to app" (OO, OPML and Plain Text).

[DerekM]

Derek...Does this mean we might see this functionality in a forthcoming update? If so, that would be fantastic and absolutely welcome news. I'm on iOS 6 and am still only seeing the 3 original options in "send to app" (OO, OPML and Plain Text).

Really? That's odd. Seeing as these options appeared without us changing anything, perhaps it's not seeing any available apps for those formats. Which apps show up as options if you select the OO format?

[Animgif]

Really? That's odd. Seeing as these options appeared without us changing anything, perhaps it's not seeing any available apps for those formats. Which apps show up as options if you select the OO format?

To get granular, these are the options I have on each--

Send via Email has OO, OPML, dHTML, HTML and Plain Text.

Export has OO, OPML, dHTML, HTML and Plain Text

Send to App has only OO, OPML ad Plain Text (HTML and dHTML are missing)

When I try to export OO format I am given PDF Expert and GoodReader as options. Plain Text gives me a bunch more, including both CreatePDF and PDF Converter (the two apps I use to open HTML and create PDF files from mail).

Also, to confirm, I emailed myself a dHTML and opened it from mail directly into PDF Converter without a problem (I also had GoodReader and Quickoffice as other options, for example).

[DerekM]

Interesting... We'll have to take a look at what Launch Services is using to check for apps. Just having GoodReader installed isn't enough to get the HTML options to appear. You can try installing Dropbox and see if that enables all of them, that seems to work in my testing. With both GoodReader and Dropbox installed, I can use the HTML exports to send to GoodReader. It'll likely work the same with the PDF apps you use.

[Animgif]

Thank you! Very interesting, adding DropBox included some apps (including DropBox, GoodReader, and PDF Expert but not all of apps displayed by Mail. One that was conspicuously missing, unfortunately, was PDF Converter. One step forward, however!

[Animgif]

I just realized (in a DUH) moment why it adds some but not all applications...it's because it sends the HTML file in a ZIP file. Is that a step that's actually necessary?

[DerekM]

It will only be zipped when necessary which I believe is mainly when there's attachments. Basically it gets zipped anytime it results in multiple files or a file package. This is done because a number of apps will not accept a folder of files.

[Animgif]

Every single one of mine gets zipped when being sent to an application whereas none of them have attachments (that I know about--I've never added an attachment to any outlines). The only file in the ZIP file is the HTML file (as verified by GoodReader and Dropbox). When I send the same file via email as a dynamic HTML file (as opposed to sending to an app) it does not get zipped...it goes as a HTML extension.

Edit: Just tested "send to app" with a brand new, unedited, blank document. Sending a Dynamic HTML and Simple HTML document was sent as a ZIP file.

[DerekM]

Ah, ok. I did not actually check using the send to app option, sorry :) I'll file on bug on this.

[Animgif]

Thanks, Derek. This will be unbelievably helpful to me once it's resolved!

[Animgif]

Ah, ok. I did not actually check using the send to app option, sorry :) I'll file on bug on this.

Derek, I would be interested to hear if this is something that is ever going to get fixed. I note that it still hasn't been updated in version 1 and version 2 exhibits the same behavior (zipping HTML and dynamic HTML files even when there are no other associated resources).

Thanks, Chase

[DerekM]

Ah, well we're not purposely not fixing :) It just hasn't been reported by anyone else so unfortunately has been getting pushed off. I gave it another bump.

[Animgif]

Thanks, Derek. I really appreciate it. I promise not to take it as a personal slight. :D