Archive for September, 2020

Fast PDF templating using XSL FO

September 5th, 2020 by Jason

If your objective is to generate PDF documents only (ie you have no need for docx or HTML output), then you might consider an XSL FO templating approach.

That is, you do variable replacement in the XSL FO document.

This could be faster than generating a docx file first each time.

You could use any of the templating libraries for this. Google “java xml templating -sap -hana”

Using a templating library is probably better than working with a lower level Java XML API so you don’t reinvent the wheel.

For example, https://www.thymeleaf.org/ (especially if you are using Spring).

Below is a quick demo of using a template library called pebble to create an invoice:

  <dependency>
    <groupId>io.pebbletemplates</groupId>
    <artifactId>pebble</artifactId>
    <version>3.1.4</version>
</dependency>

This demo shows simple variable replacement, repeating content, and conditional content. Java and XSL FO template attached.

How do you get the XSL FO in the first place? You can create a docx document using Microsoft Word, then convert that to XSL FO using docx4j.

Then you add the templating commands to the XSL FO file using your favourite text editor.

Java code: 

import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.StringWriter;
import java.io.Writer;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;

import com.mitchellbosecke.pebble.PebbleEngine;
import com.mitchellbosecke.pebble.template.PebbleTemplate;

public class PebbleFoTemplating {

public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {

PebbleEngine engine = new PebbleEngine.Builder().build();
PebbleTemplate compiledTemplate = engine.getTemplate(System.getProperty("user.dir") + "/invoice_fo.xml");

Map<String, Object> context = new HashMap<>();

context.put("name", "Mitchell");

// repeat demo, see https://pebbletemplates.io/wiki/tag/for/
List<Fruit> repeat_fruit = new ArrayList<Fruit>();
repeat_fruit.add(new Fruit("apples", "$20"));
repeat_fruit.add(new Fruit("oranges", "$40"));
context.put("fruitList", repeat_fruit);

// condition, see https://pebbletemplates.io/wiki/tag/if/
context.put("condition1", Boolean.FALSE);


Writer writer = new StringWriter();
compiledTemplate.evaluate(writer, context);

String output = writer.toString();
System.out.println(output);

}

static class Fruit {

Fruit(String name, String price) {
this.name=name;
this.price=price;
}

public String name;
public String price;
}

}

Pebble XSL FO template: 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<fo:root xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006">
<layout-master-set
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format">
<simple-page-master margin-bottom="12mm"
margin-left="1in" margin-right="1in" margin-top="12mm"
master-name="s1-simple" page-height="297mm" page-width="210mm">
<region-body column-count="1" column-gap="12mm"
margin-bottom="36.0pt" margin-left="0mm" margin-right="0mm"
margin-top="36.0pt" />
<region-before extent="0.0pt"
region-name="xsl-region-before-simple" />
<region-after extent="0.0pt"
region-name="xsl-region-after-simple" />
</simple-page-master>
<page-sequence-master master-name="s1">
<repeatable-page-master-alternatives>
<conditional-page-master-reference
master-reference="s1-simple" />
</repeatable-page-master-alternatives>
</page-sequence-master>
</layout-master-set>
<fo:page-sequence force-page-count="no-force"
id="section_s1" format="" master-reference="s1">
<fo:flow flow-name="xsl-region-body">

<fo:block font-size="11.0pt" line-height="115%"
space-after="4mm" white-space-treatment="preserve">
</fo:block>
<fo:block font-size="11.0pt" line-height="115%"
space-after="4mm" text-align="center">
<inline xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format"
font-family="Calibri">INVOICE</inline>
</fo:block>
<fo:block font-size="11.0pt" line-height="115%"
space-after="4mm">
<inline xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format"
font-family="Calibri">{{ name }}</inline>
</fo:block>
<fo:block font-size="11.0pt" line-height="115%"
space-after="4mm" white-space-treatment="preserve">
</fo:block>

<fo:table border-bottom-color="#000000"
border-bottom-style="solid" border-bottom-width="0.5pt"
border-collapse="collapse" border-left-color="#000000"
border-left-style="solid" border-left-width="0.5pt"
border-right-color="#000000" border-right-style="solid"
border-right-width="0.5pt" border-top-color="#000000"
border-top-style="solid" border-top-width="0.5pt"
display-align="before" start-indent="0in" table-layout="fixed"
width="159mm">
<fo:table-column column-number="1"
column-width="119mm" />
<fo:table-column column-number="2"
column-width="1.58in" />
<fo:table-body start-indent="0in">
<fo:table-row>
<fo:table-cell border-bottom-color="#000000"
border-bottom-style="solid" border-bottom-width="0.5pt"
border-left-color="#000000" border-left-style="solid"
border-left-width="0.5pt" border-right-color="#000000"
border-right-style="solid" border-right-width="0.5pt"
border-top-color="#000000" border-top-style="solid"
border-top-width="0.5pt" padding-bottom="0mm"
padding-left="1.91mm" padding-right="1.91mm" padding-top="0mm">
<block xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format"
font-size="11.0pt" line-height="100%" space-after="0in">
<inline font-family="Calibri">Item</inline>
</block>
</fo:table-cell>
<fo:table-cell border-bottom-color="#000000"
border-bottom-style="solid" border-bottom-width="0.5pt"
border-left-color="#000000" border-left-style="solid"
border-left-width="0.5pt" border-right-color="#000000"
border-right-style="solid" border-right-width="0.5pt"
border-top-color="#000000" border-top-style="solid"
border-top-width="0.5pt" padding-bottom="0mm"
padding-left="1.91mm" padding-right="1.91mm" padding-top="0mm">
<block xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format"
font-size="11.0pt" line-height="100%" space-after="0in">
<inline font-family="Calibri">Price</inline>
</block>
</fo:table-cell>
</fo:table-row>
{% for fruit in fruitList %}
<fo:table-row>
<fo:table-cell border-bottom-color="#000000"
border-bottom-style="solid" border-bottom-width="0.5pt"
border-left-color="#000000" border-left-style="solid"
border-left-width="0.5pt" border-right-color="#000000"
border-right-style="solid" border-right-width="0.5pt"
border-top-color="#000000" border-top-style="solid"
border-top-width="0.5pt" padding-bottom="0mm"
padding-left="1.91mm" padding-right="1.91mm" padding-top="0mm">
<block xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format"
font-size="11.0pt" line-height="100%" space-after="0in">
<inline font-family="Calibri">{{ fruit.name }}</inline>
</block>
</fo:table-cell>
<fo:table-cell border-bottom-color="#000000"
border-bottom-style="solid" border-bottom-width="0.5pt"
border-left-color="#000000" border-left-style="solid"
border-left-width="0.5pt" border-right-color="#000000"
border-right-style="solid" border-right-width="0.5pt"
border-top-color="#000000" border-top-style="solid"
border-top-width="0.5pt" padding-bottom="0mm"
padding-left="1.91mm" padding-right="1.91mm" padding-top="0mm">
<block xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format"
font-size="11.0pt" line-height="100%" space-after="0in">
<inline font-family="Calibri">{{ fruit.price }}</inline>
</block>
</fo:table-cell>
</fo:table-row>
{% endfor %}
</fo:table-body>
</fo:table>
<fo:block font-size="11.0pt" line-height="115%"
space-after="4mm">
<inline xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format"
font-size="8.0pt" />
</fo:block>
<fo:block font-size="11.0pt" line-height="115%"
space-after="4mm">
<inline xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format"
font-family="Calibri">Please remit funds to ABC Bank, account number 123 456
789. </inline>
<inline xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format"
font-size="8.0pt" />
</fo:block>
{% if condition1 %}
<fo:block font-size="11.0pt" line-height="115%"
space-after="4mm">
<inline xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format"
font-family="Calibri">This paragraph should be included.</inline>
</fo:block>
{% endif %}


</fo:flow>
</fo:page-sequence>
</fo:root>

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Office pptx/xlsx/docx to PDF to in docx4j 8.2.3

September 5th, 2020 by Jason

docx4j 8.2.3 facilitates 3 distinct ways to convert Microsoft Word docx documents to PDF. There are also possibilities for converting pptx or xlsx to PDF.

The three approaches:

  • export-fo: the content is converted to XSL FO, and from there, to PDF (or any of the other formats supported by Apache FOP)
  • documents4j: since 8.2.0, use Microsoft Word to do the conversion
  • via-Microsoft-Graph: new in 8.2.3, use java-docx-to-pdf-using-Microsoft-Graph to do the conversion

So which should you choose? The following table covers some of the things you might want to consider:

export-FO Microsoft Graph documents4j
Overview Conversion of docx to XSL FO, then uses Apache FOP to convert to PDF Uses Microsoft’s cloud Uses your Microsoft Office installation 
Fidelity Suitable for simple documents (text, tables, supported image types, header/footers) 100% (Microsoft’s fidelity) 100% (Microsoft’s fidelity)
Suitability simple docx docx, pptx, xlsx docx, pptx, xlsx
License considerations ASL v2 Refer applicable Microsoft cloud terms Refer Microsoft EULA governing your Office install 
(increasingly restricted with each release)
Cost Free Microsoft cloud costs (Microsoft Office)
Confidentiality documents don’t leave your server documents go to Microsoft cloud documents need not leave your servers
Other advantages – Fast XSL FO/PDF templating for high volume PDF creation
– Open source, so can be extended		 – Microsoft encourages this approach
– Microsoft cloud handles scalability		 – Can update a docx table of contents
– Can convert RTF and binary .doc
Other disadvantages Two step (docx to XSL FO to PDF) processing is slower (except for XSL FO templating) – Dependency on 3rd party cloud
– Currently can’t update docx table of contents
vote to fix		 – Not supported by Microsoft

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