Create a PDF from a Flash page

[TezS56]

I need some help with a request from a client. I have created a form that a user fills out and the answers they give are added to a email as text. This works great but now the client wants the text answers in a PDF not just as text in an email. My question is, is there a way to create a PDF from the answers on a form from within the Flash program. The answers are saved in variables then added as text to the email.

[Kenneth Kawamoto]

Alive http://alivepdf.bytearray.org/ lets you create PDF from Flash in client-side, but sounds like you need a server-side solution, which can be done by calling a server-side script (eg. PHP http://php.net/manual/en/book.pdf.php) from Flash.

[TezS56]

Thank you so much for your reply. I actually do need a client side solution. I did look at AlivePDF but I could not work out how to use it. If you could help me here I would be grateful but otherwise I will investigate further. Again thanks much for your interest.

Terry Sayers

Sent from my iPad

[Kenneth Kawamoto]

All right then - here's a super rudimentary example, "Hello World!" (what else?)

...
    import org.alivepdf.display.Display;
    import org.alivepdf.fonts.CoreFont;
    import org.alivepdf.fonts.EmbeddedFont;
    import org.alivepdf.fonts.FontFamily;
    import org.alivepdf.fonts.IFont;
    import org.alivepdf.layout.Orientation;
    import org.alivepdf.layout.Size;
    import org.alivepdf.layout.Unit;
    import org.alivepdf.pdf.PDF;
    import org.alivepdf.saving.Download;
    import org.alivepdf.saving.Method;
...
        private function generatePDF():void {
            var pdf:PDF = new PDF(Orientation.PORTRAIT, Unit.MM, Size.A4);
            var helvetica:IFont = new CoreFont(FontFamily.HELVETICA);
            pdf.setDisplayMode(Display.REAL);
            pdf.addPage();
            pdf.setFont(helvetica, 24);
            pdf.writeText(24, "Hello World!");
            pdf.save(Method.REMOTE, "http://alivepdf.bytearray.org/wp-content/demos/create.php", Download.INLINE, "helloworld.pdf");
        }

The PDF should appear in your browser window.

[TezS56]

you are so very kind, thanks. I am going to try this out. It looks exactly what I am looking for.

Terry Sayers

Sent from my iPad

[TexZaa]

This was very helpful! Now, what I would like to do, is automatically save a copy of that same pdf to a folder of my choosing in the same level as the create.php file.  It's great that the user has a copy but I'd like a copy of it myself. Is that possible?

[Kenneth Kawamoto]

Generate your PDF using PHP and save it to wherever you like.

--

Kenneth Kawamoto

http://www.materiaprima.co.uk/

[TezS56]

Sorry still can't work this out. I have looked at the tutorials and tried 
your code below but no luck. Do you think I could ask you to show me exactly 
where I put this code. I take it, it is in a class and I have fiddled with 
this for hours but to no avail. I also noticed that the PDF is created, with 
your code, server side. I need the PDF to be created on the client. Is this 
possible in FLASH? The tutorials seem to say that FLEX is the one to do this 
client side?

Sorry to be a bother with this but I really need this to  work.

[Kenneth Kawamoto]

Here's an again super rudimental example - click on the stage will invoke the "save file as..." dialogue.

package {
    import flash.display.Sprite;
    import flash.events.MouseEvent;
    import flash.net.FileReference;
    import flash.utils.ByteArray;
    
    import org.alivepdf.fonts.CoreFont;
    import org.alivepdf.fonts.FontFamily;
    import org.alivepdf.fonts.IFont;
    import org.alivepdf.layout.Orientation;
    import org.alivepdf.layout.Size;
    import org.alivepdf.layout.Unit;
    import org.alivepdf.pdf.PDF;
    import org.alivepdf.saving.Download;
    import org.alivepdf.saving.Method;
    public class PDFDemo extends Sprite {
        private var _pdfByteArray:ByteArray;
        
        public function PDFDemo():void {
            var pdf:PDF = new PDF(Orientation.PORTRAIT, Unit.MM, Size.A4);
            var helvetica:IFont = new CoreFont(FontFamily.HELVETICA);
            pdf.addPage();
            pdf.setFont(helvetica, 24);
            pdf.writeText(24, "Hello World!");
            _pdfByteArray = pdf.save(Method.LOCAL, null, Download.ATTACHMENT);
            
            stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, click);
        }
        
        private function click(e:MouseEvent):void {
            new FileReference().save(_pdfByteArray, "hello-world!.pdf");
        }
    }    
}

[TezS56]

Thank you so much for your help, again. I have created the example as shown

but I am still getting an error message:

"PDFDemo.as, Line 39 1061: Call to a possibly undefined method save

through a reference with static type Class."

37 private function click(e:MouseEvent):void

38 {

39 new FileReference .save(_pdfByteArray, "hello-world!.pdf");

40

41 }

[Kenneth Kawamoto]

Have you imported FileReference class? Also your code is missing the parentheses. You could of course write it like this as well:

        private function click(e:MouseEvent):void {
            var file:FileReference = new FileReference();
            file.save(_pdfByteArray, "hello-world!.pdf");
        }

[TezS56]

Thank you so much that did it, missing parenthesis. I can't tell you how

much I appreciate your help.