convert pdf to png

[Carl K]

Grant Edwards wrote:
> On 2007-12-24, Carl K <carl at personnelware.com> wrote:
> 
>>> If it is a multi page pdf Imagemagick will do:
>>>
>>> convert file.pdf page-%03d.png
>> I need python code to do this.  It is going to be run on a
>> someone else's shared host web server, security and
>> performance is an issue.  So I would rather not run stuff via
>> popen.
> 
> Use subprocess.
> 
> Trying to eliminate popen because of the overhead when running
> ghostscript to render PDF (I assume convert uses gs?) is about
> like trimming an elephants toenails to save weight.
> 

maybe, but I wouldn't be so sure.

currently the pdf is created in a python StringIO buffer and returned to the 
browser;  so it never becomes a file.  using convert means I have to first save 
it as a file, convert from file to file, read the file, delete the 2 files. so 6 
file operations where before there were none.  That may be more of a load than 
the ghostscript part.

Carl K