Re: [PHP] XSL:FO + PHP
Have you tried this? It seems HTMLDoc is still free... I've used that tool also... pretty satisfied. http://www.htmldoc.org/software.php I have used htmldoc in the past for this, but feel its a workaround, htmldoc is purely for generating manuals, which is what it does best, i wonder if it handles docbook files itself ? However it doesnt render so well. FOP is dedicated for this and is cross platform. Htmldoc is commercial software now therefore I am the only one with the licence. -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP] XSL:FO + PHP
On Wednesday 04 May 2005 22:30, Dan Rossi wrote: > On 05/05/2005, at 1:47 AM, Kristen G. Thorson wrote: > > Dan, > > > > I have done this before, but it was only a proof-of concept excercise > > for me, so my procedure may not work for you. My test was against an > > Amazon web service and generating a PDF from the XML returned to me. > > > > This method used Apache's FOP. Before executing the following code, I > > saved the XML returned from Amazon as a temp file ($xmlfile). > > > > $PDFfile = "$xmlfile.pdf"; > > $callstring = "$FOPpath/fop.sh -xsl $xslforoot/$xslfofile -xml > > $xmlfile -pdf $PDFfile"; > > $answer = shell_exec( $callstring ); > > header( "Content-type: $ctype" ); > > $pieces = explode( "/", $xmlfile ); > > header( "Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=".$pieces[ count( > > $pieces )-1 ] ); > > readfile( "$xmlfile.pdf" ); > > > > > > I hope this is helpful to you, > > kgt > > Hi yes this is exactly what i may have to do. I have tried all the > usual outlets in terms of subclasses of FPDF , all are limited and > crappy, it just cant do tables properly. The closest I got was with > PDML however it was still tedious to build a table with ! Now I think > processing for such a command line would take forever this is what I > need to do, a print button displays on the header of a form entry. What > i need to do is collect the data from that database entry and display > it as a view with the data rather than the form and make it printable > in a pdf. This ideally means generate xml from the db entry, save it as > a file, execute commandline with temp xml file, readfile the pdf. I > dont think it should take too long to output to the browser right ? I > think a step i'd like to skip is the readfile, and work out how to send > to standard output and use passthru ? > > In the past I have used an app called HTMLDoc, its the bomb for making > pdf manuals with chapters and table of contents. It also requires > saving a temp html file and then sends the pdf as standard output. > However HTMLDoc is not free anymore, I only have one licence for that > to make docs only. Have you tried this? It seems HTMLDoc is still free... I've used that tool also... pretty satisfied. http://www.htmldoc.org/software.php -Stathis -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP] XSL:FO + PHP
On 05/05/2005, at 1:47 AM, Kristen G. Thorson wrote: Dan, I have done this before, but it was only a proof-of concept excercise for me, so my procedure may not work for you. My test was against an Amazon web service and generating a PDF from the XML returned to me. This method used Apache's FOP. Before executing the following code, I saved the XML returned from Amazon as a temp file ($xmlfile). $PDFfile = "$xmlfile.pdf"; $callstring = "$FOPpath/fop.sh -xsl $xslforoot/$xslfofile -xml $xmlfile -pdf $PDFfile"; $answer = shell_exec( $callstring ); header( "Content-type: $ctype" ); $pieces = explode( "/", $xmlfile ); header( "Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=".$pieces[ count( $pieces )-1 ] ); readfile( "$xmlfile.pdf" ); I hope this is helpful to you, kgt Hi yes this is exactly what i may have to do. I have tried all the usual outlets in terms of subclasses of FPDF , all are limited and crappy, it just cant do tables properly. The closest I got was with PDML however it was still tedious to build a table with ! Now I think processing for such a command line would take forever this is what I need to do, a print button displays on the header of a form entry. What i need to do is collect the data from that database entry and display it as a view with the data rather than the form and make it printable in a pdf. This ideally means generate xml from the db entry, save it as a file, execute commandline with temp xml file, readfile the pdf. I dont think it should take too long to output to the browser right ? I think a step i'd like to skip is the readfile, and work out how to send to standard output and use passthru ? In the past I have used an app called HTMLDoc, its the bomb for making pdf manuals with chapters and table of contents. It also requires saving a temp html file and then sends the pdf as standard output. However HTMLDoc is not free anymore, I only have one licence for that to make docs only. -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP] XSL:FO + PHP
On 05/05/2005, at 8:28 AM, Dan Rossi wrote: For any interested parties, there is a tool called html2fo which will convert html to a formatted object file which can then be sent to FOP. I also found another example where any xhtml file can be transformed with a global xsl stylesheet to transform the html firstly to fo. More shortly. -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP] XSL:FO + PHP
On 05/05/2005, at 7:14 AM, Kristen G. Thorson wrote: Dan Rossi wrote: On 05/05/2005, at 5:57 AM, Kristen G. Thorson wrote: especially since this wasn't to be our final approach. I'd be interested if you find out more information on the subject. What did you decide on ? LOL. That part got beyond me. I don't understand how all the PDF forms stuff works, and I wasn't a part of the implementation of it. Something like XML + FDF = PDF. We decided against using the XSL:FO because we needed to create a form, but this form had an exact layout that we would need to emulate, and the other way was the path of least resistance. kgt a form in a pdf ? Eek ok FDF , do you mean FPDF ? Frankly i find XSL:FO easier to code than native FPDF :) Anyway I have started on the FOP examples on the apache site and cooking up a java app that can spit out the byteArray to the screen as standard out :) It'll do similar to how the servlet does it and how php does readfile, dont know of any memory issues as I am totally java green :) -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP] XSL:FO + PHP
Dan Rossi wrote: On 05/05/2005, at 5:57 AM, Kristen G. Thorson wrote: especially since this wasn't to be our final approach. I'd be interested if you find out more information on the subject. What did you decide on ? LOL. That part got beyond me. I don't understand how all the PDF forms stuff works, and I wasn't a part of the implementation of it. Something like XML + FDF = PDF. We decided against using the XSL:FO because we needed to create a form, but this form had an exact layout that we would need to emulate, and the other way was the path of least resistance. kgt -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP] XSL:FO + PHP
On 05/05/2005, at 5:57 AM, Kristen G. Thorson wrote: especially since this wasn't to be our final approach. I'd be interested if you find out more information on the subject. What did you decide on ? On using passthru: I do not think FOP has the option to passthru the PDF output from the command line call. It was necessary to save the generated PDF and then serve it. (I haven't double checked, but I think I saved the file because I had to.) Of course FOP is open source so you have the opportunity to make it work with you. Yeh I want to avoid readfile, my only option is to build my own embedded java app which sends the out.byteArray :) This should be a fun pet project as i've been wanting to get into java for a while :) -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP] XSL:FO + PHP
Dan, I'm glad this may work for you. As far as the speed: it's of course difficult to judge, and I certainly didn't test it under any real load, but I had no problems creating and serving a several page document with graphics in it. We were testing the concept of something like this for a system with a non-public system, so weren't overlly concerned about testing the efficiency of this, especially since this wasn't to be our final approach. I'd be interested if you find out more information on the subject. On using passthru: I do not think FOP has the option to passthru the PDF output from the command line call. It was necessary to save the generated PDF and then serve it. (I haven't double checked, but I think I saved the file because I had to.) Of course FOP is open source so you have the opportunity to make it work with you. kgt Dan Rossi wrote: On 05/05/2005, at 1:47 AM, Kristen G. Thorson wrote: Dan, I have done this before, but it was only a proof-of concept excercise for me, so my procedure may not work for you. My test was against an Amazon web service and generating a PDF from the XML returned to me. This method used Apache's FOP. Before executing the following code, I saved the XML returned from Amazon as a temp file ($xmlfile). $PDFfile = "$xmlfile.pdf"; $callstring = "$FOPpath/fop.sh -xsl $xslforoot/$xslfofile -xml $xmlfile -pdf $PDFfile"; $answer = shell_exec( $callstring ); header( "Content-type: $ctype" ); $pieces = explode( "/", $xmlfile ); header( "Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=".$pieces[ count( $pieces )-1 ] ); readfile( "$xmlfile.pdf" ); I hope this is helpful to you, kgt Hi yes this is exactly what i may have to do. I have tried all the usual outlets in terms of subclasses of FPDF , all are limited and crappy, it just cant do tables properly. The closest I got was with PDML however it was still tedious to build a table with ! Now I think processing for such a command line would take forever this is what I need to do, a print button displays on the header of a form entry. What i need to do is collect the data from that database entry and display it as a view with the data rather than the form and make it printable in a pdf. This ideally means generate xml from the db entry, save it as a file, execute commandline with temp xml file, readfile the pdf. I dont think it should take too long to output to the browser right ? I think a step i'd like to skip is the readfile, and work out how to send to standard output and use passthru ? In the past I have used an app called HTMLDoc, its the bomb for making pdf manuals with chapters and table of contents. It also requires saving a temp html file and then sends the pdf as standard output. However HTMLDoc is not free anymore, I only have one licence for that to make docs only. . -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
