Automating convert XSLT/XML or HTML to Editable PDF

[hilalessa]

Is there a way to convert XSLT/XML or HTML to an editable PDF using API or tool. Currently I can convert to a image PDF but not an editable PDF.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

HE

[Test Screen Name]

‌Would this be used on a web server?

[hilalessa]

I wanted to do it using a C# .net command line app if possible

[Test Screen Name]

Yes, but please answer by question because it is impossible to answer without it. Do you want the process to run on a web server (for example to do automatic conversion when people visit the site)? To give correct advice we need to understand your planned usage.

[hilalessa]

here is my scenario. I have a print and mail vendor that needs our mail as editable PDFs because they need to read the content like the mailing address and docket numbers off each mailed and store that for logging and bulk mailing discounts

Currently I can produce the PDF basically by transforming the XSLT/XML to HTML and then printing it out to PDF via the MS Windows PDF server. But the output is an image and not a editable PDF. Therefore I need to know how to create a editable PDF in this scenario,

[Test Screen Name]

I nearly understand the scenario, but not quite, but I think it's likely that the Acrobat license won't allow this. It isn't for automating tasks for others, but for personal use. And technically it doesn't provide command lines and is going to pop up far too many prompts for an automatic process.

So we need to look further afield. Adobe have server products including the LiveCycle family. One of these can convert HTML to PDF, I believe. This has a Java API and others. I don't think Adobe handle XSLT, but the industry standard has for many years been a tool called "fop" from Apache. Callas sofware also have something called "PDFChip" to convert HTML to PDF, which is a recent entrant to the market.

If the vendor accepts any other format, just containing the data they need, consider it. PDF is a really poor choice for delivering structured data for reuse, because its emphasis is display.

[hilalessa]

Will the HTML to PDF converter covert to an image PDF or editable PDF?

[Karl Heinz Kremer]

Will the HTML to PDF converter covert to an image PDF or editable PDF?

That depends on which one you are using. In general, a "good" converter should convert to non-image PDF files.

As an alternative to what you are trying to do (XML->HTML->PDF), there are other ways to get from XML directly to PDF (TSN already mentioned Apache's FOP - Apache(tm) FOP - a print formatter driven by XSL formatting objects (XSL-FO) and an output independe...), I've done a number of solutions that use XML and XSLT to automate the creation of InDesign documents, which then can be saved as PDF files. This can be automated on a server using InDesign Server.