PDF Converter vs. Seascape for Notes
SWING PDF Converter or Seascape for Notes: Which product is right for you?
SWING PDF Converter extracts individual Notes documents or collections as PDF (and optionally XML) files. It is used interactively by selecting documents and clicking the toolbar icon within a Notes application or mail database. Additionally, it can be used via API, or by triggering server-based archiving jobs.
SWING Seascape exports Notes databases (or selected parts) as portable PDF+XML or PDF+JSON archives. Its web viewer lets you look through the archive in a browser, even without a server. Finally, the SharePoint Uploader module enables the easy uploading of archived Notes documents to Microsoft SharePoint or Office 365, if needed.
But of the two, which product is right for you? It mostly depends on your specific needs. You should choose the PDF Converter if you are a developer and you want to integrate PDF capabilities into your application. The product’s LotusScript API will do that job for you. Similarly, for the day-to-day exports of selected documents or emails in the Notes client, you could use the PDF Converter toolbar icon.
If your goal is to bulk archive a couple, dozens, or even hundreds of Lotus Notes databases, you should consider SWING Seascape for Notes. It produces standalone, browsable archives. It also includes the SharePoint Uploader module to let you store your records on a SharePoint server or Office 365.
The table below compares SWING PDF Converter and Seascape for Notes.
| SWING PDF Converter | SWING Seascape | |
|---|---|---|
| Users | Business Users, Administrators, Developers | Administrators |
| Usage scenarios | Day-to-day export of documents and emails in the Notes client (interactively using the toolbar icon). Deployment in custom applications using LotusScript API. | Creating a standalone archive suitable for long-term archiving. A Full Archive of Notes views and documents (or portions, e.g. for a specific period) is created, and an HTML-based viewer is generated. Creating a Plain Archive: PDFs in a folder structure, with sidecar XML files to store metadata. Uploading read-only documents and metadata to a SharePoint or Office 365 library |
| Extracted data | PDF and XML in a folder structure | PDF and XML in a folder structure. PDF and JSON; HTML-based interface |
| Saving Notes view hierarchy and parent-child documents | Yes, by creating a folder structure on disk or by exporting to PDF binders | Yes. Both documents and views are exported, so users can navigate through views and documents in a web browser |
| How to identify exported PDF documents | By applying custom file name formulas. | Plain Archive: By applying custom file name formulas. Full Archive: Documents are named by their original unique ID and referenced from views in a web browser. |
| Automatically generated interface (HTML based) | No | Yes |
| Notes toolbar icon | Yes | No |
| API | Yes | No |
| Scheduled export | Yes | No |
| Upload to SharePoint / O365 | No | Yes |
| PDF binders and packages | Yes | No |
| Document links | Yes | Yes |
| PDF/A support | Yes | Yes |
Try it for yourself – Download SWING PDF Converter and SWING Seascape for Notes and let us know what works for you.