CRIMP Alert: A Compiled List of PDF Managing and Search Tools

Posted by Derek Cornish
Feb 7, 2008 at 05:59 AM

Alexander Deliyannis wrote:
> >Archivarius will take quite a bit of your drive
>because it stores text versions of the files it indexes. The benefit is that you can
>view its findings from within the program without opening the actual file (or even
>having access to it, as it may be on a disconected network drive). Once you know what you
>want, double clicking will open the original file.
> >Brilliant!
>alx
>

This is how Redree’s recently retired “Wilbur” freeware indexed search software [http://wilbur.redtree.com/ ] handles pdf files, too.The text versions of the pdf files are kept in a folder under “My Documents”. I think it is probably how most programs using pdftotext.exe work, although I can’t speak for Archivarius.

Redtree is now developing a new freeware program, named Wilma, which is still in beta [http://wilma.redtree.com/en/help/index.html]. To quote the developer: “The current version makes use of the multiplatform capabilities of RealBasic to provide native desktop interfaces for Linux, Mac and Windows machines, while C++ is used for the core functionality.”

Wilma does not use the Windows system registry. It doesn’t work on WIN98 or ME (but Wilbur still works on WIN9x and XP). Wilma may work on Vista - I don’t know. Since the focus of its developer in on Linux, information about how to use pdftotext as one of its external analyzers on Windows tends to be rather sparce. Consequently I am still using Wilbur, which was designed for Windows.

Derek