pdf-templates

PDF Templates is a simple XML to PDF conversion tool. The layout is table based, including nested tables. Additional flexibility and dynamic content can be added using a provided preprocessor.

Preprocessors for Handlebars and Freemarker are included as options, however your project will need to include the dependencies explicitly if they are used, otherwise you will have a runtime ClassNotFound exception.

Additional Preprocessors can be created by implementing the TemplateProcessor interface

---

Examples

Below is a simple template that does not use a preprocessor

<document>
    <page>
        <table padding="10">
            <row>
                <text>column next to a nested table with 50% of the space</text>
                <table layout="30 70">
                    <row>
                        <text>cell with 30%</text>
                        <text>this is <f fontStyle="bold">longer</b> text given 70% of the nested table space</text>
                    </row>
                </table>
            </row>
        </table>
    </page>
</document>

Handlebars

• Input - invoice.hb.xml
• Ouput - invoice.hb.pdf

Freemarker

• Input - invoice.fm.xml
• Ouput - invoice.fm.pdf

API Usage

    var engine = TemplateEngine(
        processor = TemplateProcessor.NoOp,
        loader = ResourceLoader.Default
    )
        
    //  No handlebars processor - context if given is ignored
    FileOutputStream("build/test-simple.pdf").use {
        engine.executeFile("classpath://test-simple.xml", it)
    }

    engine = TemplateEngine(
        processor = HandlebarsProcessor(),
        loader = ResourceLoader.Default
    )    
        
    //  No handlebars context - handlebars still runs
    FileOutputStream("build/test-simple.pdf").use {
        engine.executeFile("classpath://test-simple.xml", it)
    }
        
    //  With Handlebars context
    FileOutputStream("build/test-nested.hb.pdf").use {
        var ctx = arrayOf("val1", "val2")
        engine.executeFile(ctx, "classpath://test-nested.hb.xml", it)
    }

Grammar

The grammar is straight forward, with the only interesting rule being row which has multiple different cell representations

document := (page | header | footer)+
header   := (table | text | blank)+
footer   := (table | text | blank)+
page     := (table | text | blank)+
table    := row+
row      := (text | image | table | blank)+
image    := <string>
text     := (<string> | f)+
f        := (<string> | f)+

Page Number.

The special text $PAGE_NUMBER will be replaced with current page number value. This value is only respected in the footer and will return 0 in other contexts.

Attributes

Attributes by default cascade down into their children. Specifying fontColor="red" on a table will mean every text cell is printed in red font - unless another parent changes it between the table and text cell.

text cells can have different font styles mixed by using the f element with font attributes

** All attributes can be written in camel case, or dash syntax. paddingTop or padding-top**

pageSize = "int int | string"
 * defaults to A4
 non cascading, only available on document
 Set to either (witdth, height), or the named paper size (letter, A4, ...)

layout = "int int*"  
  * defaults to an even split 
  non cascading, only available on `table`
  Represents the number of colums and their propartion relative to each other.
    
bookmark = "string"
  cascades down to the first `text` cell
  This represents an entry in the PDF outline that can be used by a user to navigate 
  
fontName = "string"
  * defaults to Helvetica
  font name that is known to OpenPDF
  
fontColor = "red|green|..." or "#RRGGBB"
  * defaults to Black
  color name known to java.awt.Color as a field or hex value
  
fontSize = "int"
  * defaults to 12
  size in points of font
  
fontStyle = "bold | italic | strikethrough | underline | normal"
  * defaults to normal
  font style

alignVertical = "top | middle | bottom"
  * defaults to middle
  vertical alignment  
                            
alignHorizontal = "left | center | right"
  * defaults to left
  horizontal alignment   
  
backgroundColor = "red|green|..." or "#RRGGBB"
  * defaults to White
  color name known to java.awt.Color as a field or hex value

border = "size color" | "size" | "color" | "color size"
  * defaults to 0 black
  applies border styling to all sides of the cell

borderTop = "size color" | "size" | "color" | "color size"
  * defaults to 0 black
  applies border styling to the top side of the cell
  
borderBottom = "size color" | "size" | "color" | "color size"
  * defaults to 0 black
  applies border styling to the bottom side of the cell
  
borderLeft = "size color" | "size" | "color" | "color size"
  * defaults to 0 black
  applies border styling to the left side of the cell
  
borderRight = "size color" | "size" | "color" | "color size"
  * defaults to 0 black
  applies border styling to the right side of the cell  
  
padding = "int"
  * defaults to 0
  padding dimension for all sides
  
paddingTop = "int"
  * defaults to 0
  padding dimension for top
  
paddingBottom = "int"
  * defaults to 0
  padding dimension for bottom
  
paddingLeft = "int"
  * defaults to 0
  padding dimension for left
  
paddingRight = "int"
  * defaults to 0
  padding dimension for right

margin = "int"
  * defaults to 36pt / .5in
  cascading to page, only available on `document` or `page`
  margin dimension for all sides
  
marginTop = "int"
  * defaults to 36pt / .5in
  cascading to page, only available on `document` or `page`
  margin dimension for top
  
marginBottom = "int"
  * defaults to 36pt / .5in
  cascading to page, only available on `document` or `page`
  margin dimension for bottom
  
marginLeft = "int"
  * defaults to 36pt / .5in
  cascading to page, only available on `document` or `page`
  margin dimension for left
  
marginRight = "int"
  * defaults to 36pt / .5in
  cascading to page, only available on `document` or `page`
  margin dimension for right

width = "int"
  only available on image and table elements
  IMAGES: sets the image height.  If width is undefined, aspect ratio will be perserved
  TABLES: sets the table width in %

height = "int"                           
  IMAGES: sets the image height.  If width is undefined, aspect ratio will be perserved
  CELLS: sets the minimum height of the cell
   
colspan = "int"
  non cascading, only available on `cells`
  sets the number of columns to use  
  
rowspan = "int"
  non cascading, only available on `cells`
  sets the number of rows to use     

Known Issues

1. rowspan does not work in page headers and footers
2. Images in headers do not work correctly (can't set both width and height)

TODO

Cleanup

Not Done

3. DrawContext should be non-mutatable
4. ascender=true hardcoded
5. leading hardcoded
6. AST validation (validate tables have children, etc)

Done

4. Real samples
5. Fix when missing some cells in a row
6. proper test cases, moving resources to test folder

Features

Not Done

1. document creator, author and title
2. allow header / footer to not show on certain pages
3. allow leading to be set
4. allow paragraph settings (before, after, indent, etc)
5. Page override Headers and Footers
6. add a 'cell' markup so we can style the cell of nested content. For example if we want a cell with padding and then a full bordered table.
7. Add CLI Main class

Won't do

4. Font (all in one directive) - don't like the complexity and as of now, does not seem to add much benefit

Done

7. page numbering options
8. Document Level Headers and Footers
9. allow height on all elements (table, row, paragraph)
10. fix underline
11. allow paragraphs at the page level
12. images at teh top level
13. specify page type (A4, letter, etc)
14. colspan
15. rowspan
16. image loading by generic protocol (https, file, classpath)
17. image width and height
18. margin properties
19. font style - how do you apply multiple
20. bold, italic, etc
21. Border properties
22. TOC
23. allow 'dash based' attribute names
24. add template engine support (freemarker, handlebars, etc)
25. image cell
26. Add RGB colors
27. Set default values
28. font style - if a table is bold, and a cell is italics - should it combine or change?