Attempting to use PubCat

[Dark Rubes]

I have Publisher 2007 and I'm trying to use the PubCat application to merge
two .pub files together. I would like to merge my newsletter (a portrait
publication) with a calendar at the end (in landscape orientation). I've
downloaded the application, but when I try to use it, I get an error message
that's way too fast to read. PubCat then closes.

I did a cursory search of my PC, and then tried to install .NET 2.0.
However, in the installation process it said I already had it. I then tried
installing the latest version (3.5), and it installed successfully. However,
PubCat still will not work for me. Is there something I'm missing here?

If it helps, I'm using Vista Home Premium. Thanks for your time.

 

[Ed Bennett]

I have Publisher 2007 and I'm trying to use the PubCat application to merge
two .pub files together. I would like to merge my newsletter (a portrait
publication) with a calendar at the end (in landscape orientation). I've
downloaded the application, but when I try to use it, I get an error message
that's way too fast to read. PubCat then closes.

Run the application from the command prompt, and you will be able to
read the error message.

 

[Dark Rubes]

I did that. I get the following message:

"Apparent user error caused the program to release the following response:
Argument missing."

I even redownloaded it from your site, and I'm still getting the same error.
I've found a workaround for now in that I just convert the publications to
PDF and then join the two. However, I'd really like to get PubCat working. It
sounds like a wonderful program for Publisher that MS ought to have to begin
with.

Dark Rubes

 

[Ed Bennett]

"Apparent user error caused the program to release the following response:
Argument missing."

What syntax are you invoking the program with? Did you read the Readme file?

 

[Dark Rubes]

Yes, I read the readme. The first time I double-clicked on the executable
file and got the very fast error message. Once I used command prompt, I typed:

C:\Users\Owner\Desktop\PubCatmerger\PubCat.exe

I then got the error message again. Either way that I try it, I get that
error message.

 

[Ed Bennett]

Yes, I read the readme.

Try re-reading it. The Readme contains explicit instructions on the form
of the command-line you need to use. You have to specify an input file,
output file, and location in the input file at which to put the output
file, at the bare minimum.

For example, to insert file2.pub at the end of file1.pub, when both are
in the same folder as the program, and the current working folder is
also that folder, you use the syntax

pubcat.exe /if=file2.pub /of=file1.pub /ae

 

[Dark Rubes]

OK, I'm typing in exactly what you have here as an example, after moving the
two files I'm trying to combine to the same folder as PubCat. This is what
I'm typing in:

C:\Users\Owner>C:\PubCatmerger\PubCat.exe\if=2008-2009calendars.pub\of=3rd_quarter.pub\ae

I get the following message: "The directory name is invalid."

The PubCat file is in C:\ and the Publisher files are both in the PubCat
folder. I'm typing the syntax exactly the way you describe it in the readme
and I'm getting nothing.

 

[Dark Rubes]

OK, I'm typing in exactly what you have here as an example, after moving the
two files I'm trying to combine to the same folder as PubCat. This is what
I'm typing in:

C:\Users\Owner>C:\PubCatmerger\PubCat.exe\if=2008-2009calendars.pub\of=3rd_quarter.pub\ae

I get the following message: "The directory name is invalid."

The PubCat file is in C:\ and the Publisher files are both in the PubCat
folder. I'm typing the syntax exactly the way you describe it in the readme
and I'm getting nothing.

I think it's treating this an attempt to find a directory with CMD and not
run the program, despite the fact that I'm using a .exe extension to denote
an executable program.

EDIT: I tried typing this in:

C:\Users\Owner>C:/PubCatmerger/PubCat.exe /if=20082009calendars.pub
/of=3rd_quarter.pub /tp=9ae /a /rt=none

In this instance I changed the 2008-2009calendars to 20082009calendars just
in case the hypen was throwing it off and I threw in the spaces so it would
be just as the example

I got this error message: "An error of unknown origin caused the program to
release the the following respons: There was a problem loading either the
source or target file."

Taking out the tp= part I got the same message.

What now?

 

[Ed Bennett]

C:\Users\Owner>C:/PubCatmerger/PubCat.exe /if=20082009calendars.pub
/of=3rd_quarter.pub /tp=9ae /a /rt=none

First, the "tp" part should be "/tp=9", not "/tp=9ae"; if you wanted the
pages at the end of the publication, you would use "/ae" instead.

In this instance I changed the 2008-2009calendars to 20082009calendars just
in case the hypen was throwing it off and I threw in the spaces so it would
be just as the example

Are the files in the C:\Users\Owner folder? Or are they in the
C:\Users\Owner\Documents folder?

 

[Dark Rubes]

Oh yeah, I figured out the tp=9 part. It's an one or the other deal.

And I moved the all of the files to the C:/ directory so that their location
is C:/Pubcatmerger. At least I'm not getting the "invalid directory" or
"argument missing" errors now. I'm at least trying to eliminate the majority
of the user error.