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Glenn MeadowsSubject: XML to PDF on the fly
Author: Glenn Meadows
Date: 10 Oct 2006 09:27 AM
Hi folks,

I am a newbie to SS 2007 Enterprise. I am running Win XP SP2. I need to find how to generate a PDF file on the fly whenever an XML file is updated.

In an earlier post I asked how to create HTML on the fly. While digging in the forum's archives, I learned how to do this by simply referring to the XSL file at the top of the XML file. By pointing to the XML file in your browser you would see the HTML.

I excused myself from making the post prior to doing enough kicking around. At the time it seemed that a solution would be just as easy for obtaining a PDF file on the fly.

I have spent too much time attempting to generate a PDF file on the fly from an XML file and was hoping I could get a tip on how this is done. I have visited http://www.stylusstudio.com/xml_to_pdf.html as well as dug through the forum's archives but it seems the only way to generate a PDF file is to manually build and process an XSL:FO file using the XML Report tool. A PDF file is opened with the correct data but I need to find how to generate a PDF file whenever the XML file is updated.

Thanks for any help on this.
- Glenn

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Ivan PedruzziSubject: XML to PDF on the fly
Author: Ivan Pedruzzi
Date: 10 Oct 2006 09:47 AM
Glenn,

XML to PDF is a 2 steps process, first step is XML to XSL:FO via XSLT second step is XSL:FO to PDF via FO processor.

Once you have created your report using XML Publisher click the button "Generate" to generate XSLT with document type XSL-FO then from the XSLT editor click generate Java code.

Hope this helps
Ivan Pedruzzi
Stylus Studio Team

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Glenn MeadowsSubject: XML to PDF on the fly
Author: Glenn Meadows
Date: 10 Oct 2006 11:02 AM
Hi Ivan,

Using the Publisher I have created an XSL:FO file from the SS sample books.xml. With 3 columns, I will display the Title, a bulleted-list of Authors and the Subject for each book.

Next, from the main menu I select XSLT->Generate Java Code.

Next, from the main menu I select Java->Compile with no errors and then Java Run with only HTML showing in the preview window??

Can you explain how I can get to a PDF file from this point.

Thanks,
- Glenn

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Ivan PedruzziSubject: XML to PDF on the fly
Author: Ivan Pedruzzi
Date: 10 Oct 2006 11:26 AM
Originally Posted: 10 Oct 2006 11:27 AM
Glenn

Where do you see HTML ? is it in the output window?

If that's the case you didn't pick XSL:FO as document type, see the attached screenshot.

If what you see is XSL:FO then search for .pdf in the java source you will find the path where the PDF document has been created.

Hope this helps
Ivan Pedruzzi
Stylus Studio Team

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Glenn MeadowsSubject: XML to PDF on the fly
Author: Glenn Meadows
Date: 10 Oct 2006 12:29 PM
Hi Ivan,

Ok, I have successfully created the PDF file by compiling and running the Java code.

Hopefully what I learn from the SS team I will be able to pass on to others in this forum. Your help has been very prompt and it is greatly appreciated. But before I close this issue I am afraid I need to ask you one more question.

Now that I have created the PDF file with the Java compiler I am wondering how I can have a user click a hyperlink and automatically open an updated PDF file with respect to an updated XML file.

My site is hosted by others and I am wondering how this all might work in a transparent fashion. The Java code would not change as that is generated from the XSL:FO template file. Somehow it seems I would need to automate the compile and run operation against the Java code to produce a PDF for the user to view based on the updated XML file.

Thanks,
- Glenn

Postnext
Glenn MeadowsSubject: XML to PDF on the fly
Author: Glenn Meadows
Date: 10 Oct 2006 12:43 PM
Hi Ivan,

Ok, I have successfully created the PDF file by compiling and running the Java code.

Hopefully what I learn from the SS team I will be able to pass on to others in this forum. Your help has been very prompt and it is greatly appreciated. But before I close this issue I am afraid I need to ask you one more question.

Now that I have created the PDF file with the Java compiler I am wondering how I can have a user click a hyperlink and automatically open an updated PDF file with respect to an updated XML file.

My site is hosted by others and I am wondering how this all might work in a transparent fashion. The Java code would not change as that is generated from the XSL:FO template file. Somehow it seems I would need to automate the compile and run operation against the Java code to produce a PDF for the user to view based on the updated XML file.

Thanks,
- Glenn

Postnext
Ivan PedruzziSubject: XML to PDF on the fly
Author: Ivan Pedruzzi
Date: 10 Oct 2006 01:44 PM
You will need to ask to your host provider if you can deploy a Java Servlet.
If that's possible with few code changes you will be able to transform the generated Java application into a Servlet.

If you can't run the FO processor on the web server then you will have to store a static copy of the PDF file.

Ivan Pedruzzi
Stylus Studio Team

Postnext
Glenn MeadowsSubject: XML to PDF on the fly
Author: Glenn Meadows
Date: 10 Oct 2006 02:00 PM
When you say "run the FO processor on the web server", do you mean run SS tools on my hosting company's web server? Licensing issues I would think??

Also, by saying "a Java Servlet" do you mean a JSP file? I am a ASP.NET programmer and know very little about Java.

Thanks,
- Glenn

Postnext
Ivan PedruzziSubject: XML to PDF on the fly
Author: Ivan Pedruzzi
Date: 10 Oct 2006 02:21 PM
>When you say "run the FO
>processor on the web server",
>do you mean run SS tools on my
>hosting company's web server?
>Licensing issues I would
>think??

Stylus Studio bundles two FO processors, one is an open source project called Apache FOP from the Apache Group, the other is a commercial product called XEP from RenderX; both are Java libraries.

>Also, by saying "a Java
>Servlet" do you mean a JSP

Java Server Pages are dynamically compiled into Servlet.
Coding a Servlet directly is easier in this case.

>file? I am a ASP.NET
>programmer and know very
>little about Java.

The only FO processor for .NET I am aware of is NFOP; it may works for you
http://sourceforge.net/projects/nfop/

If you are familiar with ASP.NET, design a page that invokes XSLT + NFOP should be trivial.


Hope this helps
Ivan Pedruzzi
Stylus Studio Team

Postnext
Glenn MeadowsSubject: XML to PDF on the fly
Author: Glenn Meadows
Date: 11 Oct 2006 08:33 PM
Ivan,

Thanks for pointing me to nFOP. I am still kicking the tires but it seems that it should do the trick.

For anyone who might have the need you can go to the Code Project at http://www.codeproject.com/useritems/nfop.asp to check it out.

- Glenn

Posttop
Tati SantiSubject: XML to PDF on the fly
Author: Tati Santi
Date: 02 Nov 2006 07:22 AM
I'm not very sure, but you can check http://www.pdftransformer.com

 
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