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As a web developer or site owner, you may find that you need to create a PDF on the fly. For example, in the past I've had requests for a PDF app for business card generators, invoices, customizable letters/letterhead, and for a presentation of sales numbers. I would like to show you a basic example of how to create a PDF using a PHP Class called EZPDF. I have included all the files you'll need in the zip file attached to this example. However, I'm not going to go through the EZPDF files in my review mainly because they have separate documentation, but also because, frankly, if you're a beginning PHP programmer, you'd most likely be lost in seconds.
We're going to be making an application for a photo description contest. We'll show the users a picture and give them an opportunity to include a title and a subtitle/description. It would be VERY easy to allow users to upload their own pictures, but I'll leave that to you to decide. For now, it's a picture of my niece taken by my 3 year old's 1MP camera.
If you're like me and want to see the example first, you may view this example at: http://www.pkob.info/pdf/
First we need an PHP file for the user to start from.
-------------- index.php --------------
| <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<title>Josh's PDF Example #1 - Picture Title & Description</title>
<style type="text/css">
#Layer1 {
position:absolute;
width:344px;
height:257px;
z-index:1;
left: 437px;
top: 101px;
}
body,td,th {
font-family: Verdana;
font-size: 14px;
}
.style1 {
font-size: 24px;
font-weight: bold;
}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body>
<form action="create.php" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
<p align="center" class="style1">Join the fun! Add a title and description for this picture! </p>
<p align="left">#1) Title <br />
<label>
<input name="header" type="text" style="height:30px; font-size:28px; font:Helvetica,Verdana;" id="header" />
</label>
</p>
<p align="left">#2) Add Description </p>
<p align="left">
<text area name="body" cols="45" rows="15"></text area>
</p>
<div id="Layer1"><img src="jawbone.jpg" width="346" height="262" /></div>
<p align="left">#3) Click Button </p>
<p align="left">
<input name="input" type="submit" value="Create PDF" />
</p>
<p align="left"> </p>
<p> </p>
</form>
</body>
</html> | |
There was absolutely no PHP in that code, so feel free to name it with an HTM or HTML extension if you like. All we did there was show the picture that the user will be describing and give them a chance a describe it before clicking a button labeled "Create PDF".
Now we need a PHP file to catch the submission and do something with it.
The only validation I'll be performing is the removal of '<' and '>' to eliminate hackers from trying to use malicious code. If someone forgets to type something into either of the two input fields, we'll print nothing.
-------------- create.php --------------
| <?php
# Catch the posted data, validate by getting rid of > and <
$header =$_POST['header'];
# Replace > and < with a blank space
$header = str_replace('<','',$header);
$header = str_replace('>','',$header);
$body =$_POST['body'];
# Replace > and < with a blank space
$body = str_replace('<','',$body);
$body = str_replace('>','',$body);
# Include the file that does all of the work
include ('class.ezpdf.php');
# Start a new PDF file
$pdf =& new Cezpdf();
# Add the Contest's JPG to the PDF and place it in a specific position
# This particular command requires you to have the PHP GD Library.
$pdf->addJpegFromFile('jawbone.jpg',199,$pdf->y-200,200,0);
# Select the font we'll be using. There are more fonts in the zip file.
$pdf->selectFont('./fonts/Helvetica.afm');
# include the header, then move down a couple of lines, font size 25
# justification centered (centred if you're from the UK)
$pdf->ezText($header . "\n\n",25,array('justification'=>'centre'));
# include the body after moving down 7 lines to get under the pic.
# Font size 16, justification centered.
$pdf->ezText("\n\n\n\n\n\n\n" . $body,16,array('justification'=>'centre'));
#create the pdf and stream it to the page
$pdf->output();
$pdf->ezStream();
?> | |
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| | | | Brian Tafoya wrote : 1772
Nice submission... but only one detail; Where does one go to find ezpdf? :)
| | | | Joshua Walcher wrote : 1773
I attached a zip file to this example that has the EZPDF files.
| | | | Harold Tor wrote : 1774
Thank you so much for this script!! I will definitely go try it out! :)
Thanks!!! :))
| | | | Tim Mikula wrote : 1775
How does it compare against fpdf (www.fpdf.org)?
| | | | Joshua Walcher wrote : 1776
I have used both, and I can say that in my opinion, EZPDF is a little easier to use and get started with.
Way back when I downloaded both and tried to get started with FDPF, but found myself frustrated by the
sheer enormity of everything I could be doing and the bad documentation to get me there. With EZPDF,
everything just made sense.
Still, let's be honest. I doubt a professional printer would think either FPDF or EZPDF is good enough
for production-quality image manipulation for things like vector fonts and image resizing. They'd
probably accept its quality for business cards and for letterhead, but anything else would probably
turn them off.
EZPDF is an excellent (and free, just like FPDF) product for simple tasks like invoicing, billing,
and printing database contents, though, and that's what I use it for. If you find yourself trying
to please a print shop owner, get in touch with me and I'll give you some places to find some good
alternatives. It seems like I get one or two print shop owners wanting a custom web app every single
year.
| | | | Lauri Laatikainen wrote :1783
Hi,
any chance I could get a peek of those "some good
alternatives" cause i'm really am trying to please a print
shop owner whose is being a quite nasty word.
anychance you could email me to latikainen at gmail.com ?
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