Printing in PDF

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Report editor

Principles

Printing in PDF

Overview

Printing a report created with the report editor

Printing a programmed print

Printing a PDF from the report viewer

Notes and limitations

See also

Printing in PDF

Overview

WINDEV, WEBDEV and WINDEV Mobile allow you to create a PDF file during a print.

This PDF file can be created:

from a report created in the report editor.
from a print performed with the WLanguage functions.
by the end user via the report viewer

Remarks:

Only the prints performed through programming and in PDF format are available. No print can be performed via the report editor.
Only the prints in PDF format are available (report print or print performed through programming).

Printing a report created with the report editor

Printing a report in PDF format

To print a report in PDF format:

Create the requested report in the report editor.
In the print process of the report in PDF format:
- Configure the options for printing in PDF format with iParameterPDF. You can define:
  - the password used to open the PDF file.
  - the options for compressing images.
  - the options for the presence of bookmarks.
  - the options for protecting the PDF file. You also have the ability to define the password used to modify these protection options.
  - the use of the Unicode format.
  - the use of the PDF/A format (the generated version is PDF/A-1b).
- Define the report destination with iDestination. In this case, the report must be printed in PDF format (iPDF or iGenericPDF constant).
- Start printing the report in PDF format with iPrintReport.

Remarks

The order in which iDestination and iParameterPDF are used is not important.
You have the ability to sign the generated PDF file via the Signature control.
If the report must be printed in PDF/A format, you have the ability to enable the UI errors specific to this format:
1. Open the report description (select "Report description" in the context menu).
2. In the "Options" tab, check "Enable PDF/A-1b and PDF/A-3b export specific errors".
3. Validate the description window of the report and save the report. The errors are displayed in the "Compilation errors" pane.

The generated PDF file can be directly opened by ShellExecute.

Examples

iDestination(iPDF)
iPrintReport(RPT_MyPDFReport)

iDestination(iPDF)
// Protect the PDF file against printing
// and against selection and copy/paste
// No password to open the PDF file
// Password for modifying the protection settings
iParameterPDF(iProtectionPrinting, iProtectionSelection, "", "Protection")
// Print the report
iPrintReport(RPT_MyPDFReport)

Printing a programmed print

Printing a WLanguage print in PDF format

To perform a WLanguage print in PDF format:

Define the destination of the print and the parameters of the PDF file to generate with:
- iDestination to define the print in PDF format (iPDF or iGenericPDF constant).
- iParameterPDF to configure the options for printing in PDF format. You can define:
  - the password used to open the file.
  - the options for compressing images.
  - the options for the presence of bookmarks.
  - the options for protecting the PDF file. You also have the ability to define the password used to modify these protection options.
  - the use of the PDF/A format (the generated version is PDF/A-1b).
Use the print functions to define the content of the print.
Start the print job with iEndPrinting.

Remarks

The order in which iDestination and iParameterPDF are used is not important.
You have the ability to sign the generated PDF file with iPrintSignature. This function must be used at the same time as the print functions.
The generated PDF file can be directly opened by ShellExecute.

Examples

// Create the PDF file
iDestination(iPDF, "C:\Temp\MyPDF.PDF")
// Print code
iCreateFont(1, 16, iBold, iRoman)
//Call to procedures used to print the content
PrintTitle()
PrintText()
// End of print and close the created PDF file
iEndPrinting()

// Protect the PDF against printing
// and against selection and copy/paste
// No password for opening the PDF file
// Password for modifying the protection settings
iParameterPDF(iProtectionPrinting, iProtectionSelection, "", "Protection")
// Create the PDF file
iDestination(iPDF, "C:\Temp\MyPDF.PDF")
// Print code
iCreateFont(1, 16, iBold, iRoman)
//Call to procedures used to print the content
PrintTitle()
PrintText()
// End of print and close the created PDF file
iEndPrinting()

Printing a PDF from the report viewer

Principle

In the WINDEV applications, the end user can choose the print mode from the report viewer. They can choose to print in PDF format if the "PDF" option is available in the "Export" pane of the report viewer.

In this case, the options defined by iParameterPDF are automatically taken into account.

Event "Before printing the report again"

The event "Before printing the report again" allows you to know the report print mode chosen by the user. In this event, you can configure the PDF file generation options according to the choices made by the user.

Example: When printing via the report viewer, the following code opens a window to request the password of the PDF file to generate:

// -- Event Before printing the report again
IF iDestination = iPDF THEN
sPassword is string = Open(WIN_PDFSetting)
iParameterPDF(sPassword)
END

Notes and limitations

Remarks

Several functions specific to the management of PDF files are also available. For more details, see PDF file management functions.

General advice

For a better rendering, use TrueType or OpenType fonts.

Caution: the OpenType fonts are not incorporated in the generated PDF. These fonts must be installed on the user computer to get a correct rendering.

Availability of controls in the reports

The following controls are not available:

RTF control
Edit control
Signature control
Organizer control
Scheduler control
Gantt Chart control
Pivot Table control
Spreadsheet control
HTML control
Chart control: Only the Chart controls created from version 17 are available.

Control in RTF

General limitations:

The static control in RTF format may be truncated during a page break.
The arrays found in an RTF control are not printed.
The images used in the RTF controls are not printed.

iParameter associated with the "RTFWINDOWS=NO" parameter or with the iRTFWithImagesAndTables constant is used to properly print the tables and images found in RTF controls.

The RTF controls and the RTF options are not available.

PDF in report background

A PDF cannot be used in background image of the report.

Print in PDF/A-1b format

The transparency of images is not supported:
- If the image contains a transparent background in its format, the image will be drawn on a white background.
- If the "Transparent magenta" color is used, the image rendering may differ in the generated PDF.
The "Opentype" fonts are not supported because the "Opentype" fonts cannot be incorporated in the generated PDF.
All fonts use must be incorporated in the generated PDF and they must contain all displayed characters.
- In Windows, if characters are missing, the substitution font used is "Arial Unicode ms".
- In Linux, if characters are missing, an error is displayed.

Tip: How to find out whether the print in PDF/1-1b format is correct?

If the print is performed from a report, you have the ability to enable the GUI errors specific to this format ("Options" tab in the description window of the report, "Enable the errors specific to the PDF/A-1b export" option).
During a dynamic audit, the errors specific to the PDF/A-1b management are detected and displayed.