Generate document with vars from Form: templates vs. reports

Applications Forms
#1

Hi All,

I am going to generate documents (will be printed) with variables based on Form data. What do you think which way is better and why?

  1. create templates and insert variables in correct places than print as html page…
  2. create report, calulate axis x,y with each form variable and print as PDF file

Thanks for yours suggestions.

#2

What’s better is to be seen and differs from standpoint. I am doing similar things and I use pdf for that. With the tinymce in scriptcase I create html templates and apply variable names in them enclosed by a separator. In the phpcode I replace this with data from my database. Then I use html2pdf to create the pdf. I don’t use the fpdf library as is default in scriptcase as this is being discontinued by the open source community. I have embedded http://html2pdf.fr/en/default and it works like charm.

#3

Thanks Albert. Yes, you are right. I reviewed few Forum’s messages about fpdf and I think the solution proposed by you is the most optimal. In reports here you have to put variables as separate block - standard SC reports are enough, but when you have to embed variables in more complex text - not. I saw video on SC side with reports and I think that SC choose raport which is simplies solution. I also asked about it because users usually want to have a bigger impact on the appearance of the report. If the invoice is generated solution is sufficient. But when there is a need generated correspondence to the client with embedded in text variables - it would be difficult or impossible to do way how SC shows on video.

I would like to take advantage of applications SC certain sense as a replacement for ms word in which users will be maintained communication with the customer. I imagine that the user creates the text of the letter itself, the content is saved in a database and then generates a document with embedded text - fully justified.

Adding to the SC possibilities of adding predefined temlates in LaTeX would be the best solution in my opinion. Then it disappeared to the problem of a necessity to provide a professional raport appearance. What do you think, is the possibility that the SC has added additional functionality that you could add LaTeX templates and than generate PDFs from it? Could be that this will be the license issue… What do you think?

Darek, Poland

#4

I realy cannot answer this. I’m not an employee of Scriptcase, just a reseller and application developper. I always think that you should use a product on his strong side and then concentrate on the more difficult issues. PDF is imho not sc 's strong side. I don’t know much about latex and how to create pdf’s from them. But with the lib I mentioned you can create a beautiful html template and generate a pdf. But I guess the principle remains the same. I’ve planned a video to show how we embedded the html2pdf functionality.

#5

Oh yes … :slight_smile:

#6

Great. Thanks.

#7

Any progress with html2pdf video ? :slight_smile:

#8

We’re currently finalizing edition 4 of our PDM sample. Then we start htm2pdf.