DECW$BOOK converter

[rbeasley3]

Does anyone know if there a tool to convert VAX/VMS documents from DECW$BOOK format to PDF or other formats that can be read on a PC?

Thanks in advance,

- Ron Beasley (734-330-7931)

[Volker Halle]

Ron,

you could use DECW$BOOKREADER from DECwindows on OpenVMS. Run an X-server on your PC (e.g. Xming), direct your DECwindows display to it using $ SET DISPL/CREATE/NODE=ip-address-of-PC/TRANSPORT=TCPIP, then $ MC DECW$BOOKREADER - assuming you have DECwindows installed on your OpenVMS system.

There is also VTB on the Freeware CD, which allows you to read .DECW$BOOK files on a VT terminal.

Index of /openvms/freeware/v30/vtb (digiater.nl)

And the WASD Web server on OpenVMS has HYPERREADER, which allows to read .DECW$BOOK files through a WEB browser.

None of those tools can 'convert to PDF'.

Volker.

[Volker Halle]

The public DECUServe OpenVMS server DECUServe on-line is running the WASD Web Server. You could create an account on the node, upload your .DECW$BOOK file and create a personal WEB page. Then you could use WASD Hyperreader to read your DECW$BOOK file via a normal WEB browser from your PC.

DECUServe on-line

Volker.

[Dave Lennon · Accepted solution]

Just to add a bit more here.

This is the (commercial) tool that is normally used to create those .decw$book files, I'm not sure if it can convert from that format to another.

DECdocument

http://www.ttinet.com/decdocument.html

There is a bit newer version of the VTbook tool, renamed to "DECUS VTBOOK" at:

https://www.digiater.nl/openvms/decus/vs0174/vtbook/

There is also a tool based on that for VMS called MGBOOK:

https://vmssoftware.com/software/freeware/MGBOOK.zip

You'll probably want to check out this discussion: Reading OpenVMS documentation on Windows at:

https://community.hpe.com/t5/operating-system-openvms/reading-openvms-documentation-on-windows/td-p/4240800#.ZD9MpUnML4Y

Here is a link to the latest/last version of ODL-PC that I could find:

http://web.archive.org/web/20060920041754/http://h71000.www7.hp.com/odl/index.html

let us know if you are able to get it to work on recent Microsoft Windows versions.

Regards,

Dave

[rbeasley3]

Thanks, Volker and Dave for your responses!

- Ron

[Sunitha_Mod]

@rbeasley3 

Hi Ron, 

Excellent! 

We are extremely glad that your concern has been addressed.