Okular, Evince, Mupdf

[deleted]

Today I was asked to fill in a PDF form. Okular doesn't seem to be able to. So I googled and find out that Evince should do the trick. I was surprised to find out that the software centre indicated that this application was already installed by default in budgie. (Only the uninstall option is presented). The menu doesn't show Evince (only Okular). So I tried to deinstall Evince and reinstall it. But still this program isn't shown in de menu. Am I missing something?
I could also install MuPDF. It seems to be a nice Open Source program but I haven't installed software outside the software centre jet. Should I use tar.xz, tar.gz or apk ?

ATG

Look for Atril Document Viewer in the menu. It's a fork of Evince, which is why you can't find it. It's confusing, I know. 🙂

[deleted]

ATG The name "Atril" is also unknown. But indeed .... the document viewer seems to be the one. It's under the category "grafics"... strange logic (for me).

This viewer doesn't support a signature...

HolySoap

It's the document viewer under the Office category.

[deleted]

HolySoap First fill in the form with the viewer and than a signature with xournal or something like that?

ATG

[deleted]

Sorry, robby! Atril's sometimes found outside Mate, so I guessed it was what Budgie used. As I'm on Mate, I can't help further. Hope you get it sorted.

[deleted]

ATG All right! Thanks!

elfprince

MasterPDFEditor program has a free version. It has the ability to fill forms, and sign as well. Need to download and extract.

SOLUSfiddler

elfprince

It's a monster of a PDF editor, can do almost everything, stupid me though cannot install it to the applications menu...
I have to doubleclick on its executable folder after extracting...

SOLUSfiddler

SOLUSfiddler elfprince
Found out how to create an entry in the applications menu:
Install "menulibre" if you haven't already done so, run it and go through the steps to create a new entry.
Click on the icon "New Starter" and the one below it and replace that with whatever the name of your new application is (in my case: Master PDF Editor) - that's going to be shown in the applications menu.

SOLUSfiddler

[deleted]

elfprince Have to sign up if you want to use the editing part.

[deleted]

Okay... need some dummy step-by-step help 😅
I see 3 versions on code-industry.net: dep, rpm and tar.gz. I think tar is not supported on Solus. So dep or tar.gz?
What instructions should I use in the terminal to install?

elfprince

Tar.gz is supported. Deb, and rpm are not.

brent

elfprince Would love the functionality of a pdf with writable forms. Just to be clear, none of the repo pdf tools and programs have this, right?
If this function does not exist in repo then I may hunt the tarball down for masterpdf. Thank you.

(I still print and hand-deliver signed mailed forms like it was the 90's or something...)

[deleted]

As far as I can see it not necessary to install this program. Just run it. That is why SOLUSfiddler offered a way to create an entry in the applications menu. I think I understand
Thanks!

elfprince

[deleted] If you look in the settings of the free version, you will find document fill out options too. :-)

[deleted]

elfprince Yes but it adds a watermark when saving the document. There is however free software to delete the watermark. But it is cumbersome and time-consuming.
I'm trying Foxit now... It takes about 30 minutes to build in Manjaro but it seems to work. But it will be difficult to get it up and running in Solus. MuPDF doesn't support signs jet, but may be in the future. It's open source so that's nice. For now I think I will install NitroReader with wine...

brent

[deleted] In my Windows daze, Foxit (or SUmatra) did NOT have forms capability
@SOLUSfiddler : you are right this is a feature-rich beast
elfprince Went to install and voila didn't need no stinkin install. In the windows day we called this a "standalone app": a basic exe. Master PDF is a basic exe with it's feature folders already linked. The proprietary worries me slightly, but this is a tool I'd use to sign forms for sure. Thank you.

SOLUSfiddler

I too know FOXIT (READER) from my long-gone Windows days. I remember the software getting more and more blown up if not to say bloated the older it got and the more they kept "developing" it. I stopped using it after I started realising that I couldn't find features anymore.
They went totally OTT with it.
Master PDF Editor is full, too, but its developers don't brag so much about it and give you a free version for as long as you want including regular updates (!!).
That's where I don't mind a little bit of propriatoriness on my computer... 😄

SOLUSfiddler

brent

SOLUSfiddler Boy I don't look back to those days often, but you are absolutely right. A generation ago many software creators did not know of the word 'overkill' as some programs became over-developed, bloated, and garish. They always seemed to decimate and make unrecognizable the thing that attracted the consumer to the software in the first place. Foxit was one of them. Word was the other...I could name a lot of Mac and PC programs this happened to...including an entire graphics 'suite' that starts with an A...
...since I'm not a developer one could counter-argue that such evolution was necessary so who knows?
[deleted] This is great information and glad you got the signature and watermark you were looking for.

[deleted]

I agree PDFeditor is quite nice. But the watermark is a no-go for me. I spend some time to figure out Foxit Reader. I couldn't find a download for Linux from the FoxIt webside. Got version 2.1 (x64) from an other side and was surprised how easy it installs. Just double click to extract and than double click to run the .run file. That's all! But sadly there was no option for handwritten signatures. Find out that this option is added with version 2.4 and improved with 2.4.4. Find some where a version (x86) and it didn't install. Finally found these links:
http://cdn01.foxitsoftware.com/pub/foxit/reader/desktop/linux/2.x/2.4/en_us/FoxitReader.enu.setup.2.4.4.0910.x86.run.tar.gz
http://cdn01.foxitsoftware.com/pub/foxit/reader/desktop/linux/2.x/2.4/en_us/FoxitReader.enu.setup.2.4.4.0911.x64.run.tar.gz
Installed the x64 version and it works perfectly. The interface is less complex than PDFeditor. The hand written signature is "hidden" under menu item "protect".