Category: AI

Vibe Coding: Crafting Effective AI Prompts for Custom Win2PDF Plug-ins

Vibe coding is a novel approach to software development that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to generate code based on desired functionality or “vibe.” It allows developers to express their intentions in a more abstract and intuitive way, rather than writing explicit, line-by-line instructions. This methodology is particularly useful for creating Win2PDF Plug-Ins, enabling faster development and innovative solutions for specific customer applications.

Vibe coding utilizes AI models trained on vast amounts of code and natural language. Developers provide high-level descriptions of what they want the Plug-In to achieve, and the AI interprets these descriptions to generate the corresponding code. Since Win2PDF has extensive online documentation with syntax descriptions and code examples, most AI programs can already generate Win2PDF Plug-Ins.

And while creating a custom Win2PDF Plug-In with the help of AI can be powerful, its success relies heavily on the quality and specificity of your prompts. We’ve been experimenting with a variety of different AI chatbots to see how they can handle generating code for Win2PDF Plug-Ins, and the results can vary widely depending on how the prompts are structured. We’ve tried this with Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, Anthropic Claude, and others.

Chatbots can create Win2PDF Plug-Ins

Based on our experience, here are some tips to help you write successful AI prompts.

Be Specific and Detailed

The more details you provide, the better the AI can understand your requirements. Avoid vague statements and instead, describe exactly what you want the Plug-In to do. For example:

Instead of: “Make a Win2PDF Plug-In for PDF watermarks.“

Try: “Create a Win2PDF Plug-In in C# that adds a custom watermark file to all pages of a PDF document except for the first page. Name the new file with the same name as the input file, but add “_watermarked” to the file name.“

Break Down Complex Tasks

If your Plug-In needs to perform multiple functions, break them down into separate prompts. This makes it easier for the AI to understand each part and generate the corresponding code. For example:

Instead of: “Write a PDF Plug-In to extract pages in different files with watermarks.“

Try:

  • “Write a Win2PDF Plug-In in C# to export pages 2-4 and 5-6 in separate files and add a watermark to both. “
  • “Use the Win2PDF command line “extractpages” and Win2PDF command line “watermark” commands.”
  • “The watermark should use the existing “confidential.pdf” file as the watermark.”

Specify the Programming Language

If you have a preference for a specific programming language (e.g., VB.NET, C#, Powershell), mention it in your prompt. This will help the AI generate code that is compatible with your existing setup.

Example: “Generate a program using C# that extracts text from the last page of the PDF and saves it to a text file using Win2PDF.“

Provide Context and Examples

Give the AI context about the existing Win2PDF environment and provide examples of the desired output. This can help the AI understand your needs better.

Example: “Write a Powershell program that will save the first page of a PDF file as a JPG image with a user-definable resolution. It should use the following command syntax: “win2pdfd.exe pdf2jpg “sourcepdf” “destjpg” pagenumber xresolution yresolution”, where the xresolution and yresolution are set to be 200. The output JPG files should be the same name as the input file name, but with a “_page1.jpg” added to the input file name.”

Iterate and Refine

Don’t expect perfect results from the first prompt. Review the generated code and provide feedback to the AI. You may need to refine your prompts and ask for modifications several times to achieve the desired outcome.

Example: “The generated code is close, but the encryption is not using AES-256. Please modify the code to use AES-256 encryption instead of the current algorithm.“

Also, to improve results, tailor your prompts for the AI you are working with. For Github Copilot, for example, browse to the Win2PDF.Samples repository before asking it to generate a Plug-In. Github Copilot will use the Win2PDF.Samples repository to produce better code that is more likely to work as expected.

If a generated Plug-In doesn’t work, try copying the Win2PDF documentation into the prompt and ask it again. For example:

Instead of: “Write a Win2PDF Plug-In in Windows Powershell that takes a single parameter with an input PDF and exports pages 2-4 and 5-6 in separate files and adds a watermark to both.”

Try: “Write a Win2PDF Plug-In in Windows Powershell that takes a single parameter with an input PDF and exports pages 2-4 and 5-6 in separate files and adds a watermark to both. The new files should be placed in the same folder as the source file. Use the Win2PDF command line win2pdfd.exe “extractpages” and Win2PDF command line “watermark” commands . The watermark should use the existing “confidential.pdf” file as the watermark. The documentation for the watermark command is: win2pdfd.exe watermark “sourcefile” “watermarkfile” “destfile” mode excludepre excludepost Where: “mode” is either “watermark”, “background”, “watermarklink”, or “backgroundlink” If mode is “watermark” or ““watermarklink”, the watermarkfile PDF is overlaid on top of all existing graphics on the page. If mode is “background” or “backgroundlink”, the watermarkfile PDF is placed underneath all existing graphics on the page. If the watermark file has click-able links, you can use the “watermarklink” or “backgroundlink” variation to keep these links active in the final PDF file. “excludepre” is the number of pages from the beginning of the document to skip applying the watermark. Set to 0 apply watermarkfile to all pages including the first page. Set to a negative value to include the watermark to the absolute value of the number of pages from the beginning of the document. “excludepost” is the number of pages from the end of the document to skip applying the watermark. Set to 0 to apply the watermarkfile to all pages including the last page. Set to a negative value to include the watermark to the absolute value of the number of pages from the end of the document. The documentation for the “extractpages” command is: win2pdfd.exe extractpages “sourcefile” startpage endpage “destfile” Extract pages from “sourcefile” starting at “startpage” to “endpage”, and save extracted pages in “destfile”. Any file names that contain spaces must be enclosed with quotation marks. The “sourcefile” can be a local file path, or an web address (URL) to an existing PDF. Returns 0 on success, and a Windows system error code on failure. If “sourcefile” and “destfile” are the same file, the file is modified in place. Any file names that contain spaces must be enclosed with quotation marks. The “sourcefile” can be a local file path, or an web address (URL) to an existing PDF. Returns 0 on success, and a Windows system error code on failure.”

While that looks complicated, it’s essentially the same prompt WITH copied documentation on how to use each of the commands we know the Plug-In will need to use, and the steps the Plug-In will need to perform. AI will understand this better than you or I, and the results are much improved.

Test Thoroughly

Always test the generated Plug-In thoroughly to ensure it works as expected. Pay attention to error handling and edge cases. Using AI to generate code is still not fool-proof, and in our experiments the code results frequently need to be tweaked to make them work as desired. Over time and with the rate of AI advancement, we expect this to be less of a problem in the future.

By following these tips, you can effectively communicate your needs to the AI and create custom Win2PDF Plug-Ins that meet your specific requirements.

If AI can’t get you the results you need, contact us with your specific requests and customizations for Win2PDF.

FTC Action Highlights Problems With PDF Software Subscriptions

Over the past decade, there has been an increasing trend to move software licensing to a subscription-based model, with monthly fees replacing the previously common one-time cost for a perpetual license. While these software subscriptions can be beneficial to a software company’s bottom line, they can be detrimental for users. The high cost and the difficulty in terminating these subscriptions can be major pain points for consumers.

The recent actions taken by the Federal Trade Commission against Adobe and its executives highlight this issue. Adobe’s practices of obscuring early termination fees and making cancellation processes difficult have resulted in consumer confusion and frustration. Users complain they were tricked into year-long contracts hidden by fine print, and the company made it intentionally difficult to try to get out of the subscriptions.

Compounding this problem, moving PDF and other software services to the cloud (and your data into the hands of another company) can also represent significant concerns in terms of privacy or confidentiality of customer data. Adobe faced similar backlash when it recently updated its terms of service.

The new terms include provisions that grant Adobe extensive rights to access, use, and potentially monetize data uploaded to or processed by their software. This includes artwork, designs, and other creative works, which can be scanned and utilized for various purposes, including machine learning and other services under Adobe’s vast umbrella.

Consider the implications for customer’s working under non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), or customers working with legal documents or medical records that are protected under HIPAA. Allowing your PDF provider access to your data can be perilous for many reasons.

These issues serve as a reminder that software companies should prioritize transparency and user-friendly cancellation processes to ensure fair treatment of their customers.

Win2PDF has not changed its licensing, prices or terms of service in over two decades and we have no plans to do so. Our software is sold as a perpetual one-time license, comes with a simple 60-day return policy (for any reason) that we honor promptly, and your data is your data. It is never transferred, used or monetized by us. Just like Vegas, what happens on your computer, stays on your computer.

The Mobile Arms Race: Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs Challenge Macbook for Edge Computing

Windows for ARM

Last year we announced limited support of Win2PDF for the next generation of Windows for Arm devices, which is Microsoft’s response to the growing popularity of lightweight, mobile friendly computers like the Apple MacBooks.

Now we’re back with an update featuring recent developments in this area.

First, let’s look at what’s new with Microsoft and Windows for Arm?

Microsoft Copilot

A little over a year ago, Microsoft introduced Microsoft Copilot, an AI assistant built into Microsoft 365 apps and Windows that uses large language models to help with writing, editing, and analyzing content across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. It summarizes documents and emails, generates formulas and analyzes data, drafts replies and suggests follow-up actions, and even creates images.

Currently, most of these AI tasks are handled in the cloud because of the intensive processing required. While this is efficient in terms of performance, it comes at the expense of security risk and user control.

Copilot+ PCs

Now, Microsoft has announced a new class of computers called Copilot+ PCs that continue to expand the use of AI on the local hardware. The first batch of these new PCs, from PC manufacturers like HP, Acer, Lenovo, Samsung, and Dell, as well as Microsoft’s own Surface Laptops, feature a new Arm-based neural processing unit (NPU) powered by Snapdragon® X Series chips. Microsoft’s Satya Nadella talks about these Copilot+ PCs and how they align with Microsoft’s vision in this Wall Street Journal interview:

Interview with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

Essentially, Copilot+ PCs will bring AI processing closer to the “edge”– the local PC. With its ability to do more complex tasks at a greater speed and with less power, this finally positions Windows PCs on an even footing with Macbooks in the mobile computing market.

Win2PDF & Support for Windows for ARM

Will Win2PDF work on ARM based Copilot+ PCs just like existing PCs?

YES.

Many software applications can support ARM by simply emulating the Intel instruction set on Windows for ARM processors. While the compatibility (and performance) of existing applications under emulation is great, there is no emulation layer for print drivers like Win2PDF. These drivers still must be developed separately for ARM-based PCs, and many other printer-based products do not currently support them.

The new Win2PDF release will include a new printer driver for ARM based PCs. The setup program will automatically detect ARM based PCs and will install the correct version of the printer driver. As far as the end-user is concerned this will be completely transparent; there is no difference in how Win2PDF will install or work on the new PCs.

The History of Win2PDF OS and Hardware Support

How does Win2PDF fit into this new mobile landscape? Let’s look at our history.

Win2PDF was initially developed in 2000 for PCs running on x86 (Intel & AMD) chips on Windows NT. Since the introduction, we’ve continued to support new versions of Windows (Windows 2000, Vista, 7, 8, 10, 11) and new processor architectures.

With our upcoming releases, we’ll not only support Windows XP through Windows 11, but we’ll also support x86, x64, and ARM64 architectures. There are very few PDF software developers that still support this continuum of operating systems and architectures. Companies standardizing on Win2PDF will be able to use the same version of Win2PDF across the organization.

Stay tuned

Over the next several months you’ll see new release updates to Win2PDF that will continue to support this next generation of Copilot+ PCs.

ChatGPT’s Latest Update: Analyzing PDFs for Powerful Insights

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has received a substantial update, allowing users to upload PDF documents and have the AI-powered chatbot analyze them. This newfound feature promises to be a game-changer in various scenarios where quick and efficient data extraction is required.

The power of this feature becomes evident when considering its real-world applications. Users can now feed ChatGPT specific PDF documents, enabling it to generate summaries, extract data points, and even create graphs and charts based on the provided information. What are the key points of this report? Can you summarize its conclusions? Can you help me write a slide show presentation for this document? Just think of the many ways that any type of PDF file can be analyzed.

“…you can now feed ChatGPT specific PDF documents and have it extract summaries, various data points, or even write graphs and charts based on that data.”

ChatGPT’s new ability to analyze PDFs is a remarkable advancement, expanding its utility beyond natural language understanding and generation. This update underscores the ever-evolving capabilities of AI-powered tools and their potential to transform the way we work with information.

We’ll continue to monitor the developments in the AI space to see how and where Win2PDF can be used to facilitate the PDF integrations. If you have any questions or specific use cases in this area, please let us know. We’re always interested in how our users may be incorporating or interfacing with this type of application.