Using WordML/Word 2007 exported to PDF

Hi,

I have this scenario very particular and i had been researching the web and kind of don't find an easy solution or someone that has done it before.

We are trying to use Word 2007 to create document templates for the creation of documents such as reports or forms to be printed. This template should be managed by a custom application where it will be managing the mapping of the data an execution to create the document.The word template should be stored in a web folder where the application by parameters should invoke the template, fill the available nodes on the document and render it for the user. And make a render to PDF.

I have tried 2 implementations of this mechanism and doesn't seems to be easy to manage or implement.

1st we used word executable to be invoked by lets say a Windows service, which listens for requests by a client app, the service receives the path of the template document and the data, which then the service uses this information to invoke the Word, store the template in the instance of word 2007
merge it with the data and do a saveas PDF, this method worked using the plug-in SaveAsXPS-PDF provided by MS. The problem was that to make the mappings from the data to the docuement, and XSD had to be created mapped to the word template, plus because we used Word 2007 ActiveX object it was not so stable and in many times it failed.

2nd we used the new Packaging namespace of .NET 3.0 to created the wordml and using content control to make the mapping to created the documents but since we are not using word 2007 to create the PDF there is no easy way to convert this WordML to PDF and the mappings and creation of the templates was not so easy to create.

The best options to create PDF documents programmatically at this moments had been using ActiveReports .NET since it's designer is like a Access Reports designer, drag and drop some controls and set the data source. but this work its not for end-user.


I'm open to suggestions and research. Any one had seen this scenario before

Hi Fredo, I'm interested in the method you mentioned how to make the PDF with word or WordML.
What's the "plug-in SaveAsXPS-PDF provided by MS"? Can it have ability to transform the word template to the PDF? I can't find the way in Office 2003/2007 that can do this work.

And btw, once you can convert word to PDF, have you any idea how to convert PDF to word or ppt? I spent so much time reading the openxml materials but still cannot find the right way. My PDF is generated by xslt/fo technology and I wanna reuse these codes.

Regards,