PDF::Create(3) User Contributed Perl Documentation PDF::Create(3)NAMEPDF::Create - create PDF files
SYNOPSIS
use PDF::Create;
my $pdf = new PDF::Create('filename' => 'mypdf.pdf',
'Version' => 1.2,
'PageMode' => 'UseOutlines',
'Author' => 'John Doe',
'Title' => 'My Title',
'CreationDate' => [ localtime ],
);
# add a A4 sized page
my $root = $pdf->new_page('MediaBox' => $pdf->get_page_size('A4'));
# Add a page which inherits its attributes from $root
my $page = $root->new_page;
# Prepare 2 fonts
my $f1 = $pdf->font('Subtype' => 'Type1',
'Encoding' => 'WinAnsiEncoding',
'BaseFont' => 'Helvetica');
my $f2 = $pdf->font('Subtype' => 'Type1',
'Encoding' => 'WinAnsiEncoding',
'BaseFont' => 'Helvetica-Bold');
# Prepare a Table of Content
my $toc = $pdf->new_outline('Title' => 'Document',
'Destination' => $page);
$toc->new_outline('Title' => 'Section 1');
my $s2 = $toc->new_outline('Title' => 'Section 2',
'Status' => 'closed');
$s2->new_outline('Title' => 'Subsection 1');
$page->stringc($f2, 40, 306, 426, "PDF::Create");
$page->stringc($f1, 20, 306, 396, "version $PDF::Create::VERSION");
# Add another page
my $page2 = $root->new_page;
$page2->line(0, 0, 612, 792);
$page2->line(0, 792, 612, 0);
$toc->new_outline('Title' => 'Section 3');
$pdf->new_outline('Title' => 'Summary');
# Add something to the first page
$page->stringc($f1, 20, 306, 300, 'by John Doe <john.doe@example.com>');
# Add the missing PDF objects and a the footer then close the file
$pdf->close;
DESCRIPTIONPDF::Create allows you to create PDF documents using a number of
primitives. The result is as a PDF file or stream.
PDF stands for Portable Document Format.
Documents can have several pages, a table of content, an information
section and many other PDF elements.
Methods
· new
Create a new pdf structure for your pdf.
Example:
my $pdf = new PDF::Create('filename' => 'mypdf.pdf',
'Version' => 1.2,
'PageMode' => 'UseOutlines',
'Author' => 'John Doe',
'Title' => 'My title',
'CreationDate' => [ localtime ],
);
filename: destination file that will contain the resulting PDF or
an already opened filehandle or '-' for stdout.
Version: can be 1.0 to 1.3 (default: 1.2)
PageMode: how the document should appear when opened.
Allowed values are:
- UseNone: Open document with neither outline nor
thumbnails visible. This is the default value.
- UseOutlines: Open document with outline visible.
- UseThumbs: Open document with thumbnails visible.
- FullScreen: Open document in full-screen mode. In
full-screen mode, there is no menu bar, window controls,
nor any other window present.
Author: the name of the person who created this document
Creator: If the document was converted into a PDF document
from another form, this is the name of the application
that
created the original document.
- Title: the title of the document
- Subject: the subject of the document
- Keywords: keywords associated with the document
- CreationDate: the date the document was created. This
is passed
as an anonymous array in the same format as localtime
returns.
(ie. a struct tm).
If you are writing a CGI and send your PDF on the fly to a browser
you can follow this CGI Example:
use CGI; use PDF::Create;
print CGI::header( -type => 'application/x-pdf', -attachment => 'sample.pdf' );
my $pdf = new PDF::Create('filename' => '-', # Stdout
'Author' => 'John Doe',
'Title' => 'My title',
'CreationDate' => [ localtime ],
);
The created object is returned.
· close
Most of the real work building the PDF is performed in the close
method. It can there fore not be omitted, like a file close.
· get_data
If you didn't ask the $pdf object to write its output to a file,
you can pick up the pdf code by calling this method. It returns a
big string. You need to call "close" first, mind.
· add_comment [string]
Add a comment to the document.
· new_outline [parameters]
Add an outline to the document using the given parameters. Return
the newly created outline.
Parameters can be:
- Title: the title of the outline. Mandatory.
- Destination: the destination of this outline. In this version,
it is only possible to give a page as destination. The default
destination is the current page.
- Parent: the parent of this outline in the outlines tree. This is
an outline object.
Example:
my $outline = $pdf->new_outline('Title' => 'Item 1',
'Destination' => $page);
$outline->new_outline('Title' => 'Item 1.1');
$pdf->new_outline('Title' => 'Item 1.2',
'Parent' => $outline);
$pdf->new_outline('Title' => 'Item 2');
· new_page
Add a page to the document using the given parameters. Return the
newly created page.
Parameters can be:
- Parent: the parent of this page in the pages tree. This is a
page object.
- Resources: Resources required by this page.
- MediaBox: Rectangle specifying the natural size of the page, for
example the dimensions of an A4 sheet of paper. The coordinates
are measured in default user space units. It must be the reference
of a 4 values array. You can use "get_page_size" to get the size
of standard paper sizes.
"get_page_size" knows about A0-A6, A4L (landscape), Letter,
Legal, Broadsheet, Ledger, Tabloid, Executive and 36x36.
- CropBox: Rectangle specifying the default clipping region for
the page when displayed or printed. The default is the value of
the MediaBox.
- ArtBox: Rectangle specifying an area of the page to be used when
placing PDF content into another application. The default is the
value of the CropBox. [PDF 1.3]
- TrimBox: Rectangle specifying the intended finished size of the
page (for example, the dimensions of an A4 sheet of paper). In
some cases, the MediaBox will be a larger rectangle, which
includes printing instructions, cut marks, or other content. The
default is the value of the CropBox. [PDF 1.3].
- BleedBox: Rectangle specifying the region to which all page
content should be clipped if the page is being output in a
production environment. In such environments, a bleed area is
desired, to accommodate physical limitations of cutting, folding,
and trimming equipment. The actual printed page may include
printer's marks that fall outside the bleed box. The default is
the value of the CropBox. [PDF 1.3]
- Rotate: Specifies the number of degrees the page should be
rotated clockwise when it is displayed or printed. This value must
be zero (the default) or a multiple of 90. The entire page,
including contents is rotated.
· get_page_size
Returns the size of standard paper sizes to use for MediaBox-
parameter of "new_page". "get_page_size" has one required
parameter to specify the paper name. Possible values are a0-a6,
letter, broadsheet, ledger, tabloid, legal, executive and 36x36.
Default is a4.
· font
Prepare a font using the given arguments. This font will be added
to the document only if it is used at least once before the close
method is called.
Parameters can be:
- Subtype: Type of font. PDF defines some types of fonts. It must
be one of the predefined type Type1, Type3, TrueType or Type0.
In this version, only Type1 is supported. This is the default
value.
- Encoding: Specifies the encoding from which the new encoding
differs. It must be one of the predefined encodings
MacRomanEncoding, MacExpertEncoding or WinAnsiEncoding.
In this version, only WinAnsiEncoding is supported. This is the
default value.
- BaseFont: The PostScript name of the font. It can be one of the
following base fonts: Courier, Courier-Bold, Courier-BoldOblique,
Courier-Oblique, Helvetica, Helvetica-Bold, Helvetica-BoldOblique,
Helvetica-Oblique, Times-Roman, Times-Bold, Times-Italic or Times-
BoldItalic.
The Symbol or ZapfDingbats fonts are not supported in this
version.
The default font is Helvetica.
· image filename
Prepare an XObject (image) using the given arguments. This image
will be added to the document if it is referenced at least once
before the close method is called. In this version GIF, interlaced
GIF and JPEG is supported. Usage of interlaced GIFs are slower
because they are decompressed, modified and compressed again. The
gif support is limited to images with a lwz min code size of 8.
Small images with few colors can have a smaller min code size.
Parameters:
- filename: file name of image (required).
Page methods
This section describes the methods that can be used by a
PDF::Create::Page object.
In its current form, this class is divided into two main parts, one for
drawing (using PostScript like paths) and one for writing.
Some methods are not described here because they must not be called
directly (e.g. "new" and "add").
· new_page params
Add a sub-page to the current page.
See "PDF::Create::new_page"
· string font size x y text
Add text to the current page using the font object at the given
size and position. The point (x, y) is the bottom left corner of
the rectangle containing the text.
Example :
my $f1 = $pdf->font('Subtype' => 'Type1',
'Encoding' => 'WinAnsiEncoding',
'BaseFont' => 'Helvetica');
$page->string($f1, 20, 306, 396, "some text");
· stringl font size x y text
Same as "string".
· stringr font size x y text
Same as "string" but right aligned.
· stringc font size x y text
Same as "string" but centered.
· printnl text font size x y
Similar to "string" but parses the string for newline and prints
each part on a separate line. Lines spacing is the same as the
font-size. Returns the number of lines.
Note the different parameter sequence. The first call should
specify all parameters, font is the absolute minimum, a warning
will be given for the missing y position and 800 will be assumed.
All subsequent invocations can omit all but the string parameters.
· string_width font text
Return the size of the text using the given font in default user
space units. This does not contain the size of the font yet.
· line x1 y1 x2 y2
Draw a line between (x1, y1) and (x2, y2).
· set_width w
Set the width of subsequent lines to w points.
· setrgbcolor r g b
Set the color of the subsequent drawing operations. R,G and B is a
value between 0.0 and 1.0.
Low level drawing methods
· moveto x y
Moves the current point to (x, y), omitting any connecting line
segment.
· lineto x y
Appends a straight line segment from the current point to (x, y).
The current point is (x, y).
· curveto x1 y1 x2 y2 x3 y3
Appends a Bezier curve to the path. The curve extends from the
current point to (x3 ,y3) using (x1 ,y1) and (x2 ,y2) as the
Bezier control points. The new current point is (x3 ,y3).
· rectangle x y w h
Adds a rectangle to the current path.
· closepath
Closes the current subpath by appending a straight line segment
from the current point to the starting point of the subpath.
· newpath
Ends the path without filling or stroking it.
· stroke
Strokes the path.
A typical usage is
$page->newpath;
$page->setrgbcolorstroke 0.1 0.3 0.8;
$page->moveto 100 100;
$page->lineto 200 100;
$page->stroke;
· closestroke
Closes and strokes the path.
· fill
Fills the path using the non-zero winding number rule.
· fill2
Fills the path using the even-odd rule
· image image_id xpos ypos xalign yalign xscale yscale rotate xskew
yskew
Inserts an image.
Parameters can be:
- image: Image id returned by PDF::image (required).
- xpos, ypos: Position of image (required).
- xalign, yalign: Alignment of image. 0 is left/bottom, 1 is
centered and 2 is right, top.
- xscale, yscale: Scaling of image. 1.0 is original size.
- rotate: Rotation of image. 0 is no rotation, 2*pi is 360X
rotation.
- xskew, yskew: Skew of image.
SEE ALSO
PDF::Create::Page, <http://www.adobe.com/devnet/pdf/pdf_reference.html>
http://github.com/markusb/pdf-create <http://github.com/markusb/pdf-
create>
AUTHORS
Fabien Tassin (fta@sofaraway.org)
GIF and JPEG-support: Michael Gross (info@mdgrosse.net)
Maintenance since 2007: Markus Baertschi (markus@markus.org)
COPYRIGHT
Copyright 1999-2001, Fabien Tassin. All rights reserved. It may be
used and modified freely, but I do request that this copyright notice
remain attached to the file. You may modify this module as you wish,
but if you redistribute a modified version, please attach a note
listing the modifications you have made.
Copyright 2007-, Markus Baertschi
perl v5.14.0 2009-07-13 PDF::Create(3)
