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IDProjectCategoryView StatusLast Update
0016257ScribusImport / Exportpublic2026-01-22 20:17
Reportermara004 Assigned To 
PrioritynormalSeverityfeatureReproducibilityN/A
Status newResolutionopen 
Product Version1.5.6.svn 
Summary0016257: Export from command-line and create export profiles
DescriptionI think it would be helpful to be able to export Scribus documents from the command line if you have a lot of separate files to be exported (this might save time in some use cases). Since the options for PDF export are too numerous and complex to be configured from the command line, I would suggest to do the configuration using the graphical utility and save the preferences as a profile file, which can then be used as configuration for command-line export.

The command line argument could look like this:
-e / --export EXPORT_PROFILE
Examples:
(a) scribus -e "profile_1" "Newspaper_p1.sla" "Newspaper_p2.sla"
(b) scribus -e "profile_A" "Article_A.sla" -e "profile_BC" "Article_B.sla" "Article_C.sla"

Attached are two quick drafts of how I imagine this profile management in the Export dialogue. Probably it would also need to be added to the PDF Export section in the global and document setting in a similar way.
Tagsexport, new feature, preferences
Attached Files
manage_profiles.png (100,144 bytes)   
manage_profiles.png (100,144 bytes)   
normal_dialogue.png (105,052 bytes)   
normal_dialogue.png (105,052 bytes)   
PatchNo

Activities

jghali

2020-10-02 22:33

administrator   ~0048125

You can already export via command line using python scripts:
https://wiki.scribus.net/canvas/Command_line_scripts
https://wiki.scribus.net/canvas/Command_line_scripts#Full_.27export_document_to_PDF_with_options_for_the_PDF_type.27

ale

2020-10-04 15:05

manager   ~0048126

the need for the profile storage is real, but i'm not sure that adding a new "bar" below the dialog is the right way to do it.

i would suggest to put the buttons in the general tab or add a tab with all the UI for managing the PDF export profiles.

mara004

2020-10-08 15:19

reporter   ~0048144

Yeah, maybe a different way of implementing it is better. I just suggested this "bar" because it is similar to how keyboard shortcut profiles are managed.

leus

2026-01-19 19:02

reporter   ~0053418

Export profiles are a real need.

ale

2026-01-22 19:58

manager   ~0053419

Last edited: 2026-01-22 20:17

Proposal:

WIP

- no command line option, but load a presets file with scripter
- presets can be exported as json files (and saved anywhere)
- presets can be stored as json files in the configs (~/.config/scribus/pdfexport) and the files in there are listed in the Pdf dialog (dropdown)
  - files can be imported into the configs
  - files can be deleted from the configs
- presets are not "selected" but "applied" (when changes in the settings happen the current state is not stored in the profile)
- it should be possible to go back to the Scribus defaults
- the presets should get have a name (from the file name? a field in the json)
  - should it be possible to rename them?
- should managing and applying be together
- we ignore (for now) the PDF export section in the Document Setup (should probably be removed, since it duplicates the values from the export dialog and does not use them)
- We use the PDF export section in the Preferences and the PDF export dialog
  - In the PDF export dialog:
    - Save the current values in a json file: put it in the config folder and ask for a name or save it as file in the file system
    - Apply the values from one of the presets in the config folder
 - In the preferences:
   - List of the presets in the config folder
   - Export a preset as a json (prompt for a save dialog)
   - Import a preset from a json (copies to the config folder)
   - Delete a preset from the config folder
   - Rename a preset in the config folder
   - Create a new preset based on the choices in the Preferences
   - Load a preset from a preset in the configs
- When exporting, all the options in the dialog are set in the json.
  When importing, only the options that are in the json are set (the others are left as they are: one can edit the json and remove fields that don't belong to the presets)

Put a drop down outside of the config are of the PDF export dialog:

[ Choose a preset... | v]
  Default
  Poster A3
  > Letter C5 
  ---------------
  Save as presets


Save as presets opens a dialog:

 ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ Save as preset...                                          │
 ┼────────────────────────────────────                        │
 │                                                            │
 │                               ┌────────────────────────┐   │
 │ O  Create new preset:         │                        │   │
 │                               └────────────────────────┘   │
 │                               ┌────────────────────────┐   │
 │ O  Overwrite existing preset: │ Poster A3            v │   │
 │                               └────────────────────────┘   │
 │                               ┌───────────────┐ ┌──────┐   │
 │ O  Export preset as Json      │               │ │Browse│   │
 │                               └───────────────┘ └──────┘   │
 │                                                            │
 │                                     ┌──────┐    ┌──────┐   │
 │                                     │Cancel│    │Save  │   │
 │                                     └──────┘    └──────┘   │
 └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


In the preferences, PDF export section, add a new tab:

┌──────────────────┐                                 
│Presets management│                                 
└──────────────────┘────────────────────┐  ┌───────┐ 
│                                     ^ │  │Rename │ 
│ Poster A3                             │  └───────┘ 
│                                       │  ┌───────┐ 
│ Letter C5                             │  │Remove │ 
│                                       │  └───────┘ 
│                                       │  ┌───────┐ 
│                                       │  │Import │ 
│                                       │  └───────┘ 
│                                       │  ┌───────┐ 
│                                     v │  │Export │ 
└───────────────────────────────────────┘  └───────┘ 


Further Ideas:
- Move Create pages as single files and Open PDF to Extra or close to the bottom buttons.
- Move Page selection range out of the Options area to place just below the export file name (will not be exported in the presets)

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
2020-10-02 20:52 mara004 New Issue
2020-10-02 20:52 mara004 Tag Attached: export
2020-10-02 20:52 mara004 Tag Attached: new feature
2020-10-02 20:52 mara004 Tag Attached: preferences
2020-10-02 20:52 mara004 File Added: manage_profiles.png
2020-10-02 20:52 mara004 File Added: normal_dialogue.png
2020-10-02 22:33 jghali Note Added: 0048125
2020-10-04 15:05 ale Note Added: 0048126
2020-10-08 15:19 mara004 Note Added: 0048144
2026-01-19 19:02 leus Note Added: 0053418
2026-01-22 19:58 ale Note Added: 0053419
2026-01-22 20:17 ale Note Edited: 0053419