B4A Library PDFWriter

Hello everyone,

Here is yet another library: PDFWriter.
Linked by user mwhetmore at this topic, you can now create your own PDF files and save them!
The library has 3 declarations:

I. PDFWriter
B4X:
Dim PDFWriter1 As PDFWriter
Declare this in globals so you can benifit from all main methods for writing your PDF File.


1.1 Initialize
B4X:
PDFWriter1.Initialize("PDFWriter1",PaperSize.A4_WIDTH, PaperSize.A4_HEIGHT)

This initializes your PDF writer and gives in an eventname for when the pdf has been created, and it creates a new document with the papersizes than you can choose. (A1, A2, A3, and a lot more!).

1.2 addLine
B4X:
PDFWriter1.addLine(int fromLeft, int fromBottom, int toLeft, int toBottom)

Adds a line to your PDF file. The parameters are self-explanatory.

1.3 addRawContent
B4X:
PDFWriter1.addRawContent(String rawContent)

Adds raw content to your pdf file.
For example: PDFWriter1.addRawContent("0 1 0 rg\n")

1.4 addRectangle
B4X:
PDFWriter1.addRectangle(int fromLeft, int fromBottom, int toLeft, int toBottom)

Adds a rectangle to your pdf file.

1.5 addText
B4X:
PDFWriter1.addText(int leftPosition, int topPositionFromBottom, int fontSize, String text)
PDFWriter1.addText2(int leftPosition, int topPositionFromBottom, int fontSize, String text, String transformation)

This will add text to your PDF file.
The difference between addText and addText2 is that you can add a transformation to your text, see chapter III. PDFStandardFonts.

1.6 ConverseDocument
B4X:
PDFWriter1.ConverseDocument
This wll create you a PDF file. Sub ConversionDone will be raised when the conversion has been done.

B4X:
Sub PDFWriter1_ConversionDone (Content As String)
   PDFContent = Content
   ProgressDialogHide
   ToastMessageShow("Conversion has been done.",False)
End Sub

1.7 CreateNewDocument
B4X:
PDFWriter1.CreateNewDocument(int Width, int Height)
This wll create a new PDF document with the given Width and Height in Papersizes, like in the initialize method.

1.8 newPage
B4X:
PDFWriter1.newPage
This wll create a new PDF page in the same document.

1.9 outputToFile
B4X:
PDFWriter1.outputToFile(String Directory, String FileName, String pdfContent, String encoding)
This will save your pdf content in the given Directory with the given filename with the given encoding.

B4X:
PDFWriter1.outputToFile(File.DirDefaultExternal,"myNewPDF.pdf",PDFContent,"ISO-8859-1")

2.0 outputToScreen
B4X:
PDFWriter1.outputToScreen
This will show your pdfcontent in a label. (note that it won't show the pdf itself but the content!)

B4X:
Label1.Text = PDFWriter1.outputToScreen

2.1 setFont
B4X:
PDFWriter1.setFont(String subType, String baseFont)
PDFWriter1.setFont2(String subType, String baseFont, String encoding)

This will set the font in your PDF file.
The difference between setFont and setFont2 is that you can add a encoding to your text in setFont2, see chapter III. PDFStandardFonts.




II. PDFPaperSizes
B4X:
Dim PaperSize As PDFPaperSizes

With PaperSize you can select, when you create a new document (or with initialize), what paper you would like to use to work with.
Here are all the options:

A0_WIDTH
A0_HEIGHT
A1_WIDTH
A1_HEIGHT
A2_WIDTH
A2_HEIGHT
A3_WIDTH
A3_HEIGHT
A4_WIDTH
A4_HEIGHT
A5_WIDTH
A5_HEIGHT
A6_WIDTH
A6_HEIGHT
A7_WIDTH
A7_HEIGHT
A8_WIDTH
A8_HEIGHT
A9_WIDTH
A9_HEIGHT
A10_WIDTH
A10_HEIGHT
B0_WIDTH
B0_HEIGHT
B1_WIDTH
B1_HEIGHT
B2_WIDTH
B2_HEIGHT
B3_WIDTH
B3_HEIGHT
B4_WIDTH
B4_HEIGHT
B5_WIDTH
B5_HEIGHT
B6_WIDTH
B6_HEIGHT
B7_WIDTH
B7_HEIGHT
B8_WIDTH;
B8_HEIGHT
B9_WIDTH
B9_HEIGHT
B10_WIDTH
B10_HEIGHT
LETTER_WIDTH
LETTER_HEIGHT
TABLOID_WIDTH
TABLOID_HEIGHT
LEDGER_WIDTH
LEDGER_HEIGHT
LEGAL_WIDTH
LEGAL_HEIGHT
STATEMENT_WIDTH
STATEMENT_HEIGHT
EXECUTIVE_WIDTH
EXECUTIVE_HEIGHT
FOLIO_WIDTH
FOLIO_HEIGHT
QUARTO_WIDTH
QUARTO_HEIGHT

III. PDFStandardFonts
B4X:
Dim Fonts As PDFStandardFonts

And to end, you can choose between a lot of available fonts.
I won't put them here, but it varies from Times New Roman, to Courier, and some more.

IV. License

The library is licensed under BSD!
So you just have to mention the author. (not me!)
Author: Javier Santho Domingo ([email protected])


In the attachments, you can find the library files and 2 text files:
A readme.txt and Sample.txt
The project was just to big to upload here at the forum.
So just copy the content of Sample.txt in a new Basic4Android Project and
check the PDFWriter at the right hand pane in the library tab of the IDE, and run the project.

Have fun.

Tomas
 

Attachments

  • PDFWriter1.0.zip
    18.7 KB · Views: 1,554
  • PDFWriter1.1.zip
    25.6 KB · Views: 2,685
Last edited:

rbsoft

Active Member
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Longtime User
Great job, Tomas.

Thank you for the quick response. I will play around with it.

Rolf
 

NJDude

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If I try to open the generated PDF I get "File corrupted", I did this on the device and copied it to my PC.

My Adobe Reader version: 10.1.1

If I run the app more than once, I get the error on the attached screenshot.

Great library by the way, thanks.
 

Attachments

  • Fail.jpg
    Fail.jpg
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Last edited:

NJDude

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It's a known issue that certain PDF's are version dependant, I might be wrong, but this library might work with Adobe reader (and compatible) version 5 and 6 only, unless there's something else I don't know about.
 

Fox

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Longtime User
ok i use the sample and try it with adobe reader on 3 android devices (not work) on copy to pc and adobe acrobat reader 10 not work on adobe acrobat (suite pro) not work...

i think the lib need some fixes....
 

Smee

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Longtime User
Whoa!! this looks good.

Gotta try it out.

Thanks
 

rbsoft

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I had to change the path of the file to DirRootExternal. Otherwise I never could find the generated pdf.

ThinkFree Office showed some elements of the Pdf on the device.
PdfExchange and NitroReader just showed on page 3 then line "Ported by: RootSoft LLC."

Rolf
 

Smee

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Tried it on Viewsonic VS10 works good. Just got to work out the formatting properly
 

boten

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suggestion for features:

1) Method to return page width & height (depending on paper size) in "fontsize" units. This will allow to write a sequence of text lines onto the PDF.
By trial & error I discovered that A4 is about 800-900 "units" high, so using fontsize 20 I cud fit 41 lines on page, 83 lines with fontsize 10.

2) measure text position from TOP of page

3) allow "automatic" page skip when new line of text wud be beyond the page size, so one does not have to count positions "manually"

not asking much, right? :cool:
 

peacemaker

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Longtime User
I was able to create a pdf.
I attached the sample pdf

The best would be if to attach the screenshot of the right planned content of the PDF :)
That is not well readable in Adobe Reader, at least.
 

vb1992

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Longtime User
THINK-FREE office app reads it fine.
Adobe Acrobat doesn't like it.
--

I sent the PDF into a analyzer
and I am attaching the screen shot results

I also sent the PDF into a repair program, and I will
attached the repaired PDF to show what it looks like

Hopefully this can help

desktop.zip has the 3 screen shots
 

Attachments

  • two.pdf
    8 KB · Views: 820
Last edited:

vb1992

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This seems to be the common cause for the problem:

"You could have unbalanced BT and ET sequences"

Not sure how that relates to the library though...?
 

Harris

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Longtime User
WOW!!!! This is great!!!
I downloaded it on Friday and haven't been near an internet connection since.

Thanks ever so much to Tomas for this great lib (and of course to JSD - the originator).

I played all weekend with it and am able to produce valid PDFs (error free) on both device (Acer A100) and desktop using Adobe 9.

First, I found that any reference to "addRawcontent" would cause an error in Adobe (but not on Acer). I don't quite know what addRawcontent does - seems to change font color (don't understand the param list). Removing it, producing just black text, works like a charm! I also thought that random placement of objects was causing an issue - but this is not the case. I can place text, lines and rects any where on the page at any time and the result comes out just fine.

Second, I found that at times, the setfont was not respected. I had to place a setfont(symbol) before setfont(Courier) before the latter would take.

Using zingbat fonts, I can get checkmarks and xmarks and place a rectangle box around them.

Now, if I could only get a graphic image (like a signature) into the PDF. That's for another day I guess. Paragraph wrap would also be helpful.

Again, thank you very much for this. It will (and is) very useful for me and others. Great Job!
 
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