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Howto Use PDFedit Without Installation (the trick is "klik")


It's only going to take 2 minutes, before you can have the new, shiny version of PDFedit running on your Linux desktop system. (You need to have Qt installed).

Steps (short version, no explanation)


1) Install the klik client. Do this as user(!), not as root: wget klik.atekon.de/client/install -O -|sh
2) Visit http://pdfedit.klik.atekon.de/
3) Click on the big blue arrow icon (bottom of page).
4) Confirm questions you may be asked (read the hints).
5) Wait for your PDFedit to automatically start up.
6) Next time, start PDFedit by clicking on the icon on your desktop labelled "pdfedit_0.2.3.cmg"

Steps (long version, with a few explanations)


1) Install the klik client. Do this as user, not as root!
- run this command in a terminal window (konsole), or from a "mini-cli" ([alt]+[f2]): wget klik.atekon.de/client/install -O -|sh
- you may be asked for the root passwort, or to run an extra script as root. This serves to add 7 lines to /etc/fstab, needed by klik to allow userspace loopmounting of klik-ed filesystem image archives
- once the klik client is installed, you'll be able to run all klik-ed GUI software in userspace without installation. Your system's package management will stay intact, your system's libraries will not be touched. klik delivers "self contained" packages, embedded in a single file.

2) Visit http://pdfedit.klik.atekon.de/
- this is the page for the PDFedit application on the klik server.
- the page gives an overview of statistics concerning this klik-ed package, and a screenshot that is auto-fetched from freshmeat (if there is one there).
- the page also has various links to other interesting tidbits: user comments about their initial klik+pdfedit experience (given directly upon installation throught the single line edit box that will also pop up for you); the maintainer+"recipe info" for the package; a wiki page to leave comments and discuss special issues with the package.

3) Click on the big blue arrow icon.
- that blue arrow leads to the activation of the special klik://pdfedit link.
- after the klik client installation (step 1), KDE and Konqueror should be able to handle klik://-type URLs just fine.
- Firefox, Operan and elinks should also be able to use them. Otherwise, see the klik User's FAQ: http://klik.atekon.de/wiki/index.php/User%27s_FAQ
- you can also start the klik://-style URL handler script from the commandline: $HOME/.klik klik://pdfedit , or even simply ~/.klik pdfedit .
- what then happens, is that your system fetches a "recipe" to build the pdfedit_*.cmg image from the klik server. This image most likely will be built from one or more Debian packages as "ingredients".
- don't worry if you have an RPM-based system (SUSE, Redhat, Mandriva,...) when the dialog says it will fetch a *.deb package. That is OK. klik will convert it automatically, after it arrived.

4) Confirm questions you may be asked (read the hints).
- you'll see at least one info box telling you which "ingredient file" the recipe uses.
- the conversion may take a few seconds. It takes place in /tmp/klik/pdfedit/. Stay patient. (If the /tmp/klik/pdfedit/ tempdir is not deleted afterwards, you may do so yourself, manually).

5) Wait for your PDFedit to automatically start up.
- PDFedit will automatically start up after successful conversion.
- you can play and work with it right away, if you want.
- once you're done, and you close PDFedit again, an icon with the name "pdfedit_*.cmg" will be on your Desktop. Leave it there to restart it, or move it to any location you want.

6) Next time, start PDFedit by clicking on the icon on your desktop labelled "pdfedit_0.2.3.cmg"
- to re-run the klik-ed PDFedit, just click or double-click on the .cmg file.
- you may notice an entry automatically created in your "K menu", enumerating all klik-ed applications. (If you move away the .cmg from your desktop, the menu will not work, until you started the .cmg at least once from its new location.)
- you can also start a .cmg from the commandline/terminal: $HOME/.zAppRun /path/to/your/pdfedit_*.cmg

Notes

Note: Please provide feedback to the klik developers. Visit http://pdfedit.klik.atekon.de/comments/ and fill in the form at the bottom of the page.


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 Comments [Hide comments/form]
There is a package in Debian and Ubuntu called pdfedit.
As of October 2007, Debian unstable carries pdfedit 0.3.2, Ubuntu gutsy carries 0.3.1.
-- cscfpc15.cs.uwaterloo.ca (2007-10-18 23:54:11)