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What is FPDF?
FPDF is a PHP class which allows to generate PDF files with pure PHP, that is to say without using the PDFlib library. The advantage is that PDFlib requires a fee for a commercial usage. F from FPDF stands for Free: you may use it for any kind of usage and modify it to suit your needs.
FPDF has other advantages: high level functions. Here is a list of its main features:
- Choice of measure unit, page format and margins
- Page header and footer management
- Automatic page break
- Automatic line break and text justification
- Image support (JPEG and PNG)
- Colors
- Links
- TrueType, Type1 and encoding support
- Page compression
- FPDF requires no extension (except zlib to activate compression) and works with PHP4 and PHP5.
Minimal example
Let's start with the classic example: |
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<?php
require('fpdf.php');
$pdf=new FPDF();
$pdf->AddPage();
$pdf->SetFont('Arial','B',16);
$pdf->Cell(40,10,'Hello World!');
$pdf->Output();
?>
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After including the library file, we create an FPDF object. The FPDF() constructor is used here with the default values: pages are in A4 portrait and the measure unit is millimeter. It could have been specified explicitly with: |
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<?
$pdf=new FPDF('P','mm','A4');
?>
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It is possible to use landscape (L), other page formats (such as Letter and Legal) and measure units (pt, cm, in).
There is no page for the moment, so we have to add one with AddPage(). The origin is at the upper-left corner and the current position is by default placed at 1 cm from the borders; the margins can be changed with SetMargins().
Before we can print text, it is mandatory to select a font with SetFont(), otherwise the document would be invalid. We choose Arial bold 16: |
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<?
$pdf->SetFont('Arial','B',16);
?>
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We could have specified italics with I, underlined with U or a regular font with an empty string (or any combination). Note that the font size is given in points, not millimeters (or another user unit); it is the only exception. The other standard fonts are Times, Courier, Symbol and ZapfDingbats.
We can now print a cell with Cell(). A cell is a rectangular area, possibly framed, which contains some text. It is output at the current position. We specify its dimensions, its text (centered or aligned), if borders should be drawn, and where the current position moves after it (to the right, below or to the beginning of the next line). To add a frame, we would do this: |
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<?
$pdf->Cell(40,10,'Hello World !',1);
?>
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To add a new cell next to it with centered text and go to the next line, we would do: |
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<?
$pdf->Cell(60,10,'Powered by FPDF.',0,1,'C');
?>
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Remark : the line break can also be done with Ln(). This method allows to specify in addition the height of the break.
Finally, the document is closed and sent to the browser with Output(). We could have saved it in a file by passing the desired file name.
Caution: in case when the PDF is sent to the browser, nothing else must be output, not before nor after (the least space or carriage return matters). If you send some data before, you will get the error message: "Some data has already been output to browser, can't send PDF file". If you send after, your browser may display a blank page.
Header, footer, page break and image
Here is a two page example with header, footer and logo: |
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<?php
require('fpdf.php');
class PDF extends FPDF
{
//Page header
function Header()
{
//Logo
$this->Image('logo_pb.png',10,8,33);
//Arial bold 15
$this->SetFont('Arial','B',15);
//Move to the right
$this->Cell(80);
//Title
$this->Cell(30,10,'Title',1,0,'C');
//Line break
$this->Ln(20);
}
//Page footer
function Footer()
{
//Position at 1.5 cm from bottom
$this->SetY(-15);
//Arial italic 8
$this->SetFont('Arial','I',8);
//Page number
$this->Cell(0,10,'Page '.$this->PageNo().'/{nb}',0,0,'C');
}
}
//Instanciation of inherited class
$pdf=new PDF();
$pdf->AliasNbPages();
$pdf->AddPage();
$pdf->SetFont('Times','',12);
for($i=1;$i<=40;$i++)
$pdf->Cell(0,10,'Printing line number '.$i,0,1);
$pdf->Output();
?>
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This example makes use of the Header() and Footer() methods to process page headers and footers. They are called automatically. They already exist in the FPDF class but do nothing, therefore we have to extend the class and override them.
The logo is printed with the Image() method by specifying its upper-left corner and its width. The height is calculated automatically to respect the image proportions.
To print the page number, a null value is passed as the cell width. It means that the cell should extend up to the right margin of the page; it is handy to center text. The current page number is returned by the PageNo() method; as for the total number of pages, it is obtained by means of the special value {nb} which will be substituted on document closure (provided you first called AliasNbPages()).
Note the use of the SetY() method which allows to set position at an absolute location in the page, starting from the top or the bottom.
Another interesting feature is used here: the automatic page breaking. As soon as a cell would cross a limit in the page (at 2 centimeters from the bottom by default), a break is performed and the font restored. Although the header and footer select their own font (Arial), the body continues with Times. This mechanism of automatic restoration also applies to colors and line width. The limit which triggers page breaks can be set with SetAutoPageBreak().
Line breaks and colors
Let's continue with an example which prints justified paragraphs. It also illustrates the use of colors.
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<?php
require('fpdf.php');
class PDF extends FPDF
{
function Header()
{
global $title;
//Arial bold 15
$this->SetFont('Arial','B',15);
//Calculate width of title and position
$w=$this->GetStringWidth($title)+6;
$this->SetX((210-$w)/2);
//Colors of frame, background and text
$this->SetDrawColor(0,80,180);
$this->SetFillColor(230,230,0);
$this->SetTextColor(220,50,50);
//Thickness of frame (1 mm)
$this->SetLineWidth(1);
//Title
$this->Cell($w,9,$title,1,1,'C',1);
//Line break
$this->Ln(10);
}
function Footer()
{
//Position at 1.5 cm from bottom
$this->SetY(-15);
//Arial italic 8
$this->SetFont('Arial','I',8);
//Text color in gray
$this->SetTextColor(128);
//Page number
$this->Cell(0,10,'Page '.$this->PageNo(),0,0,'C');
}
function ChapterTitle($num,$label)
{
//Arial 12
$this->SetFont('Arial','',12);
//Background color
$this->SetFillColor(200,220,255);
//Title
$this->Cell(0,6,"Chapter $num : $label",0,1,'L',1);
//Line break
$this->Ln(4);
}
function ChapterBody($file)
{
//Read text file
$f=fopen($file,'r');
$txt=fread($f,filesize($file));
fclose($f);
//Times 12
$this->SetFont('Times','',12);
//Output justified text
$this->MultiCell(0,5,$txt);
//Line break
$this->Ln();
//Mention in italics
$this->SetFont('','I');
$this->Cell(0,5,'(end of excerpt)');
}
function PrintChapter($num,$title,$file)
{
$this->AddPage();
$this->ChapterTitle($num,$title);
$this->ChapterBody($file);
}
}
$pdf=new PDF();
$title='20000 Leagues Under the Seas';
$pdf->SetTitle($title);
$pdf->SetAuthor('Jules Verne');
$pdf->PrintChapter(1,'A RUNAWAY REEF','20k_c1.txt');
$pdf->PrintChapter(2,'THE PROS AND CONS','20k_c2.txt');
$pdf->Output();
?>
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The GetStringWidth() method allows to determine the length of a string in the current font, which is used here to calculate the position and the width of the frame surrounding the title. Then colors are set (via SetDrawColor(), SetFillColor() and SetTextColor()) and the thickness of the line is set to 1 mm (against 0.2 by default) with SetLineWidth(). Finally, we output the cell (the last parameter to 1 indicates that the background must be filled).
The method used to print the paragraphs is MultiCell(). Each time a line reaches the right extremity of the cell or a carriage-return character is met, a line break is issued and a new cell automatically created under the current one. Text is justified by default.
Two document properties are defined: title (SetTitle()) and author (SetAuthor()). Properties can be viewed by two means. First is open the document directly with Acrobat Reader, go to the File menu, Document info, General. Second, also available from the plug-in, is click on the triangle just above the right scrollbar and choose Document info.
Multi-columns
This example is a variant of the previous one showing how to lay the text across multiple columns.
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<?php
require('fpdf.php');
class PDF extends FPDF
{
//Current column
var $col=0;
//Ordinate of column start
var $y0;
function Header()
{
//Page header
global $title;
$this->SetFont('Arial','B',15);
$w=$this->GetStringWidth($title)+6;
$this->SetX((210-$w)/2);
$this->SetDrawColor(0,80,180);
$this->SetFillColor(230,230,0);
$this->SetTextColor(220,50,50);
$this->SetLineWidth(1);
$this->Cell($w,9,$title,1,1,'C',1);
$this->Ln(10);
//Save ordinate
$this->y0=$this->GetY();
}
function Footer()
{
//Page footer
$this->SetY(-15);
$this->SetFont('Arial','I',8);
$this->SetTextColor(128);
$this->Cell(0,10,'Page '.$this->PageNo(),0,0,'C');
}
function SetCol($col)
{
//Set position at a given column
$this->col=$col;
$x=10+$col*65;
$this->SetLeftMargin($x);
$this->SetX($x);
}
function AcceptPageBreak()
{
//Method accepting or not automatic page break
if($this->col<2)
{
//Go to next column
$this->SetCol($this->col+1);
//Set ordinate to top
$this->SetY($this->y0);
//Keep on page
return false;
}
else
{
//Go back to first column
$this->SetCol(0);
//Page break
return true;
}
}
function ChapterTitle($num,$label)
{
//Title
$this->SetFont('Arial','',12);
$this->SetFillColor(200,220,255);
$this->Cell(0,6,"Chapter $num : $label",0,1,'L',1);
$this->Ln(4);
//Save ordinate
$this->y0=$this->GetY();
}
function ChapterBody($fichier)
{
//Read text file
$f=fopen($fichier,'r');
$txt=fread($f,filesize($fichier));
fclose($f);
//Font
$this->SetFont('Times','',12);
//Output text in a 6 cm width column
$this->MultiCell(60,5,$txt);
$this->Ln();
//Mention
$this->SetFont('','I');
$this->Cell(0,5,'(end of excerpt)');
//Go back to first column
$this->SetCol(0);
}
function PrintChapter($num,$title,$file)
{
//Add chapter
$this->AddPage();
$this->ChapterTitle($num,$title);
$this->ChapterBody($file);
}
}
$pdf=new PDF();
$title='20000 Leagues Under the Seas';
$pdf->SetTitle($title);
$pdf->SetAuthor('Jules Verne');
$pdf->PrintChapter(1,'A RUNAWAY REEF','20k_c1.txt');
$pdf->PrintChapter(2,'THE PROS AND CONS','20k_c2.txt');
$pdf->Output();
?>
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The key method used is AcceptPageBreak(). It allows to accept or not an automatic page break. By refusing it and altering the margin and current position, the desired column layout is achieved.
For the rest, not much change; two properties have been added to the class to save the current column number and the position where columns begin, and the MultiCell() call specifies a 6 centimeter width.
Tables
This tutorial shows how to make tables easily |
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<?php
require('fpdf.php');
class PDF extends FPDF
{
//Load data
function LoadData($file)
{
//Read file lines
$lines=file($file);
$data=array();
foreach($lines as $line)
$data[]=explode(';',chop($line));
return $data;
}
//Simple table
function BasicTable($header,$data)
{
//Header
foreach($header as $col)
$this->Cell(40,7,$col,1);
$this->Ln();
//Data
foreach($data as $row)
{
foreach($row as $col)
$this->Cell(40,6,$col,1);
$this->Ln();
}
}
//Better table
function ImprovedTable($header,$data)
{
//Column widths
$w=array(40,35,40,45);
//Header
for($i=0;$i<count($header);$i++)
$this->Cell($w[$i],7,$header[$i],1,0,'C');
$this->Ln();
//Data
foreach($data as $row)
{
$this->Cell($w[0],6,$row[0],'LR');
$this->Cell($w[1],6,$row[1],'LR');
$this->Cell($w[2],6,number_format($row[2]),'LR',0,'R');
$this->Cell($w[3],6,number_format($row[3]),'LR',0,'R');
$this->Ln();
}
//Closure line
$this->Cell(array_sum($w),0,'','T');
}
//Colored table
function FancyTable($header,$data)
{
//Colors, line width and bold font
$this->SetFillColor(255,0,0);
$this->SetTextColor(255);
$this->SetDrawColor(128,0,0);
$this->SetLineWidth(.3);
$this->SetFont('','B');
//Header
$w=array(40,35,40,45);
for($i=0;$i<count($header);$i++)
$this->Cell($w[$i],7,$header[$i],1,0,'C',1);
$this->Ln();
//Color and font restoration
$this->SetFillColor(224,235,255);
$this->SetTextColor(0);
$this->SetFont('');
//Data
$fill=0;
foreach($data as $row)
{
$this->Cell($w[0],6,$row[0],'LR',0,'L',$fill);
$this->Cell($w[1],6,$row[1],'LR',0,'L',$fill);
$this->Cell($w[2],6,number_format($row[2]),'LR',0,'R',$fill);
$this->Cell($w[3],6,number_format($row[3]),'LR',0,'R',$fill);
$this->Ln();
$fill=!$fill;
}
$this->Cell(array_sum($w),0,'','T');
}
}
$pdf=new PDF();
//Column titles
$header=array('Country','Capital','Area (sq km)','Pop. (thousands)');
//Data loading
$data=$pdf->LoadData('countries.txt');
$pdf->SetFont('Arial','',14);
$pdf->AddPage();
$pdf->BasicTable($header,$data);
$pdf->AddPage();
$pdf->ImprovedTable($header,$data);
$pdf->AddPage();
$pdf->FancyTable($header,$data);
$pdf->Output();
?>
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A table being just a collection of cells, it is natural to build one from them. The first example is achieved in the most basic way possible: simple framed cells, all of the same size and left aligned. The result is rudimentary but very quick to obtain.
The second table brings some improvements: each column has its own width, titles are centered and figures right aligned. Moreover, horizontal lines have been removed. This is done by means of the border parameter of the Cell() method, which specifies which sides of the cell must be drawn. Here we want the left (L) and right (R) ones. It remains the problem of the horizontal line to finish the table. There are two possibilities: either check for the last line in the loop, in which case we use LRB for the border parameter; or, as done here, add the line once the loop is over.
The third table is similar to the second one but uses colors. Fill, text and line colors are simply specified. Alternate coloring for rows is obtained by using alternatively transparent and filled cells.
Links and flowing text
This tutorial explains how to insert links (internal and external) and shows a new text writing mode. It also contains a rudimentary HTML parser. |
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<?php
require('fpdf.php');
class PDF extends FPDF
{
var $B;
var $I;
var $U;
var $HREF;
function PDF($orientation='P',$unit='mm',$format='A4')
{
//Call parent constructor
$this->FPDF($orientation,$unit,$format);
//Initialization
$this->B=0;
$this->I=0;
$this->U=0;
$this->HREF='';
}
function WriteHTML($html)
{
//HTML parser
$html=str_replace("\n",' ',$html);
$a=preg_split('/<(.*)>/U',$html,-1,PREG_SPLIT_DELIM_CAPTURE);
foreach($a as $i=>$e)
{
if($i%2==0)
{
//Text
if($this->HREF)
$this->PutLink($this->HREF,$e);
else
$this->Write(5,$e);
}
else
{
//Tag
if($e{0}=='/')
$this->CloseTag(strtoupper(substr($e,1)));
else
{
//Extract attributes
$a2=explode(' ',$e);
$tag=strtoupper(array_shift($a2));
$attr=array();
foreach($a2 as $v)
if(ereg('^([^=]*)=["\']?([^"\']*)["\']?$',$v,$a3))
$attr[strtoupper($a3[1])]=$a3[2];
$this->OpenTag($tag,$attr);
}
}
}
}
function OpenTag($tag,$attr)
{
//Opening tag
if($tag=='B' or $tag=='I' or $tag=='U')
$this->SetStyle($tag,true);
if($tag=='A')
$this->HREF=$attr['HREF'];
if($tag=='BR')
$this->Ln(5);
}
function CloseTag($tag)
{
//Closing tag
if($tag=='B' or $tag=='I' or $tag=='U')
$this->SetStyle($tag,false);
if($tag=='A')
$this->HREF='';
}
function SetStyle($tag,$enable)
{
//Modify style and select corresponding font
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