[masonjar]

I can convert the 500 page pdf to png and import using companion but then it's in one file and there seems to be no quick way to get around it?
It would be nice if each song was in a separate listing. Or is there a fast way to get to page 400 for example? Thanks

[Zubersoft]

You have multiple options for breaking up big PDFs:

1) You can use external programs to break up the PDF into smaller ones containing just one song. There is another forum post on this.

2) You can reuse the same file over and over by creating a song using the large PDF, then setting the page range at the bottom left of the song editor screen to a few pages (1-3 for example). Once the song is created, long press it, and select "Copy Song". Change the page range title for the next song you want in your library.

3) Create bookmarks at different page positions in the song. Then you can tap the center for the overlay, then tap on the star for bookmarks, then tap on the bookmark to skip to.

I'm still looking into other options for handling Real Book PDFs such as index files, but I just haven't had time to deal with this issue yet.

Mike

[masonjar]

You have multiple options for breaking up big PDFs:

1) You can use external programs to break up the PDF into smaller ones containing just one song. There is another forum post on this.

2) You can reuse the same file over and over by creating a song using the large PDF, then setting the page range at the bottom left of the song editor screen to a few pages (1-3 for example). Once the song is created, long press it, and select "Copy Song". Change the page range title for the next song you want in your library.

3) Create bookmarks at different page positions in the song. Then you can tap the center for the overlay, then tap on the star for bookmarks, then tap on the bookmark to skip to.

I'm still looking into other options for handling Real Book PDFs such as index files, but I just haven't had time to deal with this issue yet.

Mike

I appreciate the suggestions but I think the easiest now is to use Adobe Reader and then if I narrow down the selections for a gig I can use mobile sheets. At a jam session, selections may be called from several different real books. Ideally the songs contained in them would all be presented in alphabetical order in Mobile Sheets. Maybe someday? Thanks again.

[Zubersoft]

The problem is: how is Mobilesheets supposed to automatically identify what songs are in a PDF, and what their start/end pages are? If there is no table of contents, or bookmarks, or an index file, I would have no way of figuring that out (besides doing image processing, which would probably be incredibly error prone and not worth trying). Does your PDF have a TOC or bookmarks by chance?

[GraemeJ]

I think it is down to the user of MS to do some of the basic work, such as introducing bookmarks, splitting PDF's, etc.

There's plenty of software (both free and paid for) out there to undertake these tasks and I think it's a bit too much to ask of MS to undertake such tasks - it is not a prime purpose of the software. A little time spent doing this stuff before importing into MS is time well spent.

[Marshland]

There are Fake Book index PDFs available which are very useful, just search, then click on the found song to launch the relevant book at the required page. All Mobilesheets would need to do is to be able to launch (or switch to) the PDF from the index links.

For gig use I would recommend using an external program to extract the relevant pages and create a single song PDF. This also gives you the option to improve on the original scan and crop it for use on your own tablet.

[GraemeJ]

For gig use I would recommend using an external program to extract the relevant pages and create a single song PDF. This also gives you the option to improve on the original scan and crop it for use on your own tablet.

Yes - I suppose that was where I was heading in my last post. A bit of additional effort, before importation, can pay big dividends in usability.

[miles_muso]

I'm still looking into other options for handling Real Book PDFs such as index files, but I just haven't had time to deal with this issue yet.

Mike

Hi Mike

Firstly, thanks for a great Android app. I've only just started using it, but I can see us getting on famously!

I've just sent you a long question about this topic using your 'Contact Me' page, but I thought I'd post here as well, as it's quite relevant.

There is an existing pdf index format known as pdfb. pdfb files are freely available for many real books. The pdfb file is basically just a semicolon-delimited text file and looks like this:

Code:

PDFB1;Real Book 1, 6th Edition;file:///sdcard/Documents/The Real Book Volume 1, 6th Ed.pdf;
140;A Fine Romance;Kern;Jerome;;Medium Ballad;;4/4;;
262;A Man And A Woman (Un Homme Et Une Femme);Lai;Frances;;Medium Even 8ths;;4/4;;
302;A Night In Tunisia;Gillespie;Dizzy;;Medium Afro Latin;;4/4;There's better versions, this one doesn't switch from latin to swing.;
388;A String Of Pearls;Gray;Jerry;;Medium Swing;;4/4;;
392;A Sunday Kind Of Love;Prima;Louis;;Medium Swing;;4/4;;
10;African Flower (Petite Fleur Africaine);Ellington;Duke;;Medium Latin;;4/4;;
11;Afro Blue;Santamaria;Mongo;;Med Fast Latin;;4/4;;
12;Afternoon In Paris;Lewis;John;;Medium Swing;;4/4;;
13;Airegin;Rollins;Sonny;;Bop;;4/4;;
14;Agua De Beber (Water To Drink);Jobim;Antonio Carlos;;Medium Bossa;;4/4;;
etc.......

The first line is the name of the book to be created and location of the reference pdf file.  The rest of the file is a set of data for each page, where the field names are as follows:

Page number (in the pdf); Song Title; ArtistSurname; ArtistFirstname;AKA field (but it worked out better to put this in brackets in the Song Title); Style; TimeSig; Comment

I've asked if it's possible to use something like this for importing fake books, maybe by using the pdfb file as a look-up table and adding the data as metadata when splitting the real book into separate pdf sheets - one for each song.

Perhaps someone else on this forum has had some success with this type of approach?

[Zubersoft]

I will plan on adding support for pdfb files, as the spec looks pretty straightforward. That should make it easier for users who have those available.

[scoleman]

Mike,

Does this mean that MSPro will not have the option of extracting a range of pages from a pdf when you add a new song (like the current MS has)? I've really found that useful.

[Zubersoft]

I already do support that through the page ordering option on the song editor screen. You can enter the pages you want from the file, and it will use just that. The plan discussed above for supporting index files would make use of the page ordering internally to pick the correct pages as expressed in the index file.

Mike

[scoleman]

Ok, got it. I'd prefer it didn't take the original file out of the library though. (I could be missing something somewhere I know).

[Zubersoft]

It doesn't take the original file out of the library. You can always go back to viewing the full file by switching the page ordering back to the original value. For example, if it was originally 1-362, and you switched it to be only 5, you can just enter 1-362 and the full file is viewable again. I don't make any modification to the original file - it's just a selection of which pages the song will access.

Mike

[scoleman]

Got it. So the ability to actual break up (extract) selected pages in a pdf will not not be possible in the MSPro the way it is in now?

[gdpresley@yahoo.com]

I am not getting the problem. If I can pick the pages and ranges etc and make a song, readjust etc why do I want MSPro to physically alter the original fakebook. Unless I am missing something existing code looks good with indexing capability later. My concern is that if MSPro tries to do everything it will diminish it's primary purpose. I don't mind using other software for jpgs, pdf etc preparation.

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