VBSCRIPT PPT conversion script - vbscript

Question

I'm attempting to convert PPT files to PPTX files using VBSCRIPT. I haven't used VB in a very long time & am pretty unfamiliar with the framework. I'm attempting to modify a script that converts PPTX/PPT to PDF, however without much luck. Here's an example of what I've got so far...
Option Explicit
Dim inputFile
Dim objPPT
Dim objPresentation
Dim objPrintOptions
Dim objFso
Dim pptf
If WScript.Arguments.Count <> 1 Then
WriteLine "You need to specify input and output files."
WScript.Quit
End If
inputFile = WScript.Arguments(0)
Set objFso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
If Not objFso.FileExists( inputFile ) Then
WriteLine "Unable to find your input file " & inputFile
WScript.Quit
End If
WriteLine "Input File: " & inputFile
Set objPPT = CreateObject( "PowerPoint.Application" )
objPPT.Visible = True
objPPT.Presentations.Open inputFile
Set objPresentation = objPPT.ActivePresentation
objPresentation.SaveAs "out.pptx", Microsoft.Office.Interop.PowerPoint.PpSaveAsFileType.ppSaveAsOpenXMLPresentation
objPresentation.Close
ObjPPT.Quit
Things turn pear shaped around the objPresentation.SaveAs line; obviously its illegal syntax - however I'm not sure of the best route here. Any help would be much appreciated. Also if there are other variables (or a link to api documentation) for converting doc->docx, and xls->xlsx.
Thanks in advance.
EDIT:
I found a solution to this myself; sorry I stopped checking in on this thread a few days after posted it. I found a documentation page for this code & noticed one function in particular (convert2): http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/ff743830.aspx
I'll mark the answer below as the answer; because it came first (although I haven't tested it). If you're interested - heres my code; AFAIK it only converts in between various PowerPoint formats (in either direction). Also FYI I modified this script from another popularly googlized script on the topic; the only line I changed was one of the last (the convert2 mehtod). Anyways... (also - this requires office 2010; per the documentation)
Usage:
CSCRIPT scriptName.vbs C:\inputfileName.ppt C:\outputFileName.pptx
Option Explicit
Sub WriteLine ( strLine )
WScript.Stdout.WriteLine strLine
End Sub
' http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/aa432714(v=office.12).aspx
Const msoFalse = 0 ' False.
Const msoTrue = -1 ' True.
' http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/bb265636(v=office.12).aspx
Const ppFixedFormatIntentScreen = 1 ' Intent is to view exported file on screen.
Const ppFixedFormatIntentPrint = 2 ' Intent is to print exported file.
' http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/ff746754.aspx
Const ppFixedFormatTypeXPS = 1 ' XPS format
Const ppFixedFormatTypePDF = 2 ' PDF format
' http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/ff744564.aspx
Const ppPrintHandoutVerticalFirst = 1 ' Slides are ordered vertically, with the first slide in the upper-left corner and the second slide below it.
Const ppPrintHandoutHorizontalFirst = 2 ' Slides are ordered horizontally, with the first slide in the upper-left corner and the second slide to the right of it.
' http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/ff744185.aspx
Const ppPrintOutputSlides = 1 ' Slides
Const ppPrintOutputTwoSlideHandouts = 2 ' Two Slide Handouts
Const ppPrintOutputThreeSlideHandouts = 3 ' Three Slide Handouts
Const ppPrintOutputSixSlideHandouts = 4 ' Six Slide Handouts
Const ppPrintOutputNotesPages = 5 ' Notes Pages
Const ppPrintOutputOutline = 6 ' Outline
Const ppPrintOutputBuildSlides = 7 ' Build Slides
Const ppPrintOutputFourSlideHandouts = 8 ' Four Slide Handouts
Const ppPrintOutputNineSlideHandouts = 9 ' Nine Slide Handouts
Const ppPrintOutputOneSlideHandouts = 10 ' Single Slide Handouts
' http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/ff745585.aspx
Const ppPrintAll = 1 ' Print all slides in the presentation.
Const ppPrintSelection = 2 ' Print a selection of slides.
Const ppPrintCurrent = 3 ' Print the current slide from the presentation.
Const ppPrintSlideRange = 4 ' Print a range of slides.
Const ppPrintNamedSlideShow = 5 ' Print a named slideshow.
' http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/ff744228.aspx
Const ppShowAll = 1 ' Show all.
Const ppShowNamedSlideShow = 3 ' Show named slideshow.
Const ppShowSlideRange = 2 ' Show slide range.
'
' This is the actual script
'
Dim inputFile
Dim outputFile
Dim objPPT
Dim objPresentation
Dim objPrintOptions
Dim objFso
If WScript.Arguments.Count <> 2 Then
WriteLine "You need to specify input and output files."
WScript.Quit
End If
inputFile = WScript.Arguments(0)
outputFile = WScript.Arguments(1)
Set objFso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
If Not objFso.FileExists( inputFile ) Then
WriteLine "Unable to find your input file " & inputFile
WScript.Quit
End If
If objFso.FileExists( outputFile ) Then
WriteLine "Your output file (' & outputFile & ') already exists!"
WScript.Quit
End If
WriteLine "Input File: " & inputFile
WriteLine "Output File: " & outputFile
Set objPPT = CreateObject( "PowerPoint.Application" )
objPPT.Visible = True
objPPT.Presentations.Open inputFile
Set objPresentation = objPPT.ActivePresentation
Set objPrintOptions = objPresentation.PrintOptions
objPrintOptions.Ranges.Add 1,objPresentation.Slides.Count
objPrintOptions.RangeType = ppShowAll
' Reference for this at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/ff746080.aspx
objPresentation.convert2(output)
objPresentation.Close
ObjPPT.Quit

Answer 1

Normally you would do this in PowerPoint with ExportAsFixedFormat(...). Since you chose VBS, you have to use SaveAs(...).
I assume you would also want to be able to batch convert ppt/pptx into pdf rather than specify a full file name one by one...
Option Explicit
'http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/bb251061(v=office.12).aspx
Const ppSaveAsPDF = 32
Dim oFSO ' Public reference to FileSystemObject
Dim oPPT ' Public reference to PowerPoint App
Main
Sub Main()
Dim sInput
If wscript.Arguments.Count <> 1 Then
Wscript.Echo "You need to specify input and output files."
wscript.Quit
End If
' PowerPoint version must be 12 or later (PowerPoint 2007 or later)
Set oPPT = CreateObject("PowerPoint.Application")
If CDbl(oPPT.Version) < 12 Then
Wscript.Echo "PowerPoint version must be 2007 or later!"
oPPT.Visible = True
oPPT.Quit
Set oPPT = Nothing
wscript.Quit
End If
' Store Input Argument and detect execute mode (single file / Folder batch mode)
sInput = wscript.Arguments(0)
Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
If IsPptFile(sInput) Then
PPT2PDF sInput
ElseIf oFSO.FolderExists(sInput) Then
Wscript.Echo "Batch Start: " & Now
Wscript.Echo "Root Folder: " & sInput
BatchPPT2PDF sInput
Else
Wscript.Echo """" & sInput & """ is not a PPT file or Folder!"
End If
' Close PowerPoint app if no other presentations are opened
If oPPT.Presentations.Count = 0 Then oPPT.Quit
Set oPPT = Nothing
Set oFSO = Nothing
End Sub
Private Sub BatchPPT2PDF(sFDR)
Dim oFDR, oFile
Wscript.Echo String(50, Chr(151))
Wscript.Echo "Processing Folder: " & sFDR
For Each oFile In oFSO.GetFolder(sFDR).Files
If IsPptFile(oFile.Name) Then
PPT2PDF(oFile)
End If
Next
For Each oFDR In oFSO.GetFolder(sFDR).SubFolders
BatchPPT2PDF oFDR
Next
End Sub
Private Function IsPptFile(sFile)
IsPptFile = (InStr(1, Right(sFile, InStrRev(sFile, ".")), "ppt") > 0)
End Function
Private Sub PPT2PDF(sFile)
On Error Resume Next
Dim sPDF, oPres
sPDF = Left(sFile,InstrRev(sFile,".")) & "pdf"
Set oPres = oPPT.Presentations.Open(sFile, True, False, False) ' Read Only, No Title, No Window
Err.Clear
oPres.SaveAs sPDF, ppSaveAsPDF
oPres.Close
Set oPres = Nothing
If Err.Number = 0 Then
Wscript.Echo "OK" & vbTab & sPDF
Else
Wscript.Echo "X" & vbTab & sPDF & " [ERR " & Err.Number & ": " & Err.Description & "]"
Err.Clear
End If
End Sub