Creating a new PDF document using PDFBOX API

Question

I need to create a PDF which will hold the report of execution status, where the status would be in table structure. Is it possible to generate pdf table format with the PDFBOX api?

Here is some sample code for creating a new PDF document:

import java.awt.Color;
import java.io.IOException;
import org.apache.pdfbox.exceptions.COSVisitorException;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.PDDocument;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.PDPage;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.edit.PDPageContentStream;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.font.PDFont;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.font.PDType1Font;



public class HelloWorld
{
    /**
     * Constructor.
     */
    public HelloWorld()
    {
        super();
    }


    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException, COSVisitorException
    {
        PDDocument doc = null;
    try
    {
        doc = new PDDocument();

        PDPage page = new PDPage();
        doc.addPage( page );
        PDFont font = PDType1Font.COURIER_BOLD_OBLIQUE;
        Color color = Color.blue; 


        PDPageContentStream contentStream = new PDPageContentStream(doc, page);
        contentStream.beginText();
        contentStream.setFont( font, 12 );
        contentStream.setNonStrokingColor(color);
        contentStream.moveTextPositionByAmount( 100, 700 );
        contentStream.drawString( "message" );

        contentStream.setNonStrokingColor(Color.GREEN);
        contentStream.drawString( "Hi" );

        contentStream.endText();
        contentStream.close();
        doc.save( "d:\\abc.pdf" );
    }
    finally
    {
        if( doc != null )
        {
            doc.close();
        }
    }
    } 
}

Answer 1

Try this:

public static void drawTable(PDPage page, PDPageContentStream contentStream,
                             float y, float margin,
                             String[][] content) throws IOException {
        final int rows = content.length;
        final int cols = content[0].length;
        final float rowHeight = 20f;
        final float tableWidth = page.getCropBox().getWidth() - margin - margin;
        final float tableHeight = rowHeight * rows;
        final float colWidth = tableWidth/(float)cols;
        final float cellMargin=5f;

        //draw the rows
        float nexty = y ;
        for (int i = 0; i <= rows; i++) {
            contentStream.drawLine(margin, nexty, margin+tableWidth, nexty);
            nexty-= rowHeight;
        }

        //draw the columns
        float nextx = margin;
        for (int i = 0; i <= cols; i++) {
            contentStream.drawLine(nextx, y, nextx, y-tableHeight);
            nextx += colWidth;
        }

        //now add the text
        contentStream.setFont( PDType1Font.HELVETICA_BOLD , 12 );

        float textx = margin+cellMargin;
        float texty = y-15;
        for(int i = 0; i < content.length; i++){
            for(int j = 0 ; j < content[i].length; j++){
                String text = content[i][j];
                contentStream.beginText();
                contentStream.moveTextPositionByAmount(textx,texty);
                contentStream.drawString(text);
                contentStream.endText();
                textx += colWidth;
            }
            texty-=rowHeight;
            textx = margin+cellMargin;
        }
    }

And simply call this method in main function

public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException, COSVisitorException {
    PDDocument doc = new PDDocument();
    PDPage page = new PDPage();
    doc.addPage( page );
    PDPageContentStream contentStream = new PDPageContentStream(doc, page);

    String[][] content = {
        {"Name"," Time "},
        {"HTC","01:25"},
        {"Samsung Tab2","05:30"}
    } ;

    drawTable(page, contentStream, 700, 100, content);

    contentStream.close();
    doc.save("h:\\test.pdf" );
} 

Answer 2

import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileInputStream;
import java.io.IOException;

import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.*;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.graphics.xobject.*;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.edit.*;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.font.*;


public class PDFExample {   

    public static void main(String[] args){
    // Create a document and add a page to it
    try {
    PDDocument document = new PDDocument();
    PDPage page = new PDPage();
    document.addPage(page); 

    // Image to use 
    PDXObjectImage img = new PDJpeg(document, new FileInputStream( new File("C://213480-EligibilityFormHeader.jpg") ) );

    // Create a new font object selecting one of the PDF base fonts
    PDFont font = PDType1Font.HELVETICA_BOLD;

    // Start a new content stream which will "hold" the to be created content
    PDPageContentStream contentStream = new PDPageContentStream(document, page,true,true);

    contentStream.setFont( font, 6 );
    contentStream.drawImage(img, 25, 700);

    drawTable( page,  contentStream );

    // Make sure that the content stream is closed
    contentStream.close();

    // Save the results and ensure that the document is properly closed
    document.save( "C://HelloWorld.pdf");
    document.close();
    } catch (Exception e) {
        System.out.println("Exception is: ");
    }
    }

    private static void drawTable( PDPage page, PDPageContentStream contentStream) {
        try {
            float y = 650;
            float margin = 130;

            String[] content = {"One","Two", "Date", "Score", "Score2", "Score3", "Score4", "Score5", "Score6"};

            final int rows = content.length;
            final int cols = 2;
            final float rowHeight = 22f;
            final float tableWidth =  900.0f;
            final float tableHeight = rowHeight * rows;
            final float cellMargin=1f;

            //draw the rows
            float nexty = y ;
            for (int i = 0; i <= rows; i++)
            {
                contentStream.drawLine(margin, nexty, 400, nexty);
                nexty-= rowHeight;
            }

            float colWidthX [] = {200,70,0};

            //draw the columns
            float nextx = margin;
            for (int i = 0; i <= cols; i++)
            {
                contentStream.drawLine(nextx, y, nextx, y-tableHeight);
                nextx += colWidthX[i] ; //colWidth;
            }

            //now add the text
            float textx = margin+cellMargin;
            float texty = y-15;
            //textx = margin+cellMargin;


                for(int j = 0 ; j < rows; j++) {
                    contentStream.beginText();
                    contentStream.moveTextPositionByAmount(textx,texty);

                    contentStream.drawString(content[j]);
                    contentStream.endText();
                    textx += colWidthX[0]+9;
                    contentStream.beginText();
                    contentStream.moveTextPositionByAmount(textx,texty);
                    if(j==0)
                        contentStream.drawString( "1" );
                    if(j==1)
                        contentStream.drawString( "12345" );
                    if(j==2)
                        contentStream.drawString( "05-December-2003" );
                    if(j==3)
                        contentStream.drawString( "15" );
                    if(j==4)
                        contentStream.drawString( "1" );
                    if(j==5)
                        contentStream.drawString( "1" );
                    if(j==6)
                        contentStream.drawString( "1" );
                    if(j==7)
                        contentStream.drawString( "1" );
                    if(j==8)
                        contentStream.drawString( "1" );

                    contentStream.endText();
                    textx = margin+cellMargin; //colWidth;
                    texty -= rowHeight; //row height

                }
                texty-=rowHeight;
                textx = margin+cellMargin;
        }
        catch ( IOException ioe )
        {
            //Package.log.error( " drawTable :" + ioe);
            final String errormsg = "Could not drawTable ";
            //Package.log.error("In RuleThread drawTable " + errormsg, ioe);
            throw new RuntimeException(errormsg, ioe);
        }
        catch ( Exception ex )
        {
            //Package.log.error( " drawTable :" + ex);
            final String errormsg = "Could not drawTable ";
            //Package.log.error("In RuleThread drawTable " + errormsg, ex);
            throw new RuntimeException(errormsg, ex);
        }
    }


}

Answer 3

I just added a simple wrapper for pdfBOX og github. It has a simple table support that you probably can use as a cut'n paste baseline. Or use the class as is if you want. https://github.com/heksemann/HexPDF

Answer 4

I created this class that builds a pdf in user documents

PDFMaker pm = new PDFMaker(); pm.makeBaseDocument("NewPDFDocument.pdf");

/*
 * Copyright (C) 2018 Stefan Ronnkvist
 *
 * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
 * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
 * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
 * (at your option) any later version.
 *
 * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
 * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
 * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
 * GNU General Public License for more details.
 *
 * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
 * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 */
package com.codingbadly.stefanronnkvist.formmaker;

import java.awt.Color;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.PDDocument;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.PDPage;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.PDPageContentStream;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.font.PDFont;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.font.PDType1Font;

/**
 *
 * @author Stefan Ronnkvist
 */
public class PDFMaker {

    static String[] titleLine = {"American Postal Workers Union AFL-CIO", "STEP 1 GRIEVANCE", "OUTLINE WORKSHEET", "HQ Revised 04/24/12"};

    static String[][] lineValues = {
        {"GRIEVANT/PERSON OR UNION (Last Name First)", "ADDRESS", "CITY", "STATE", "ZIP", "PHONE NO."},
        {"EIN", "CRAFT", "STATUS", "LEVEL", "STEP", "DUTY HOURS", "OFF DAYS", "E-MAIL"},
        {"JOB NO/PAY LOCATION (UNIT/SECTION/CRAFT/STATION/OFFICE)", "POSTAL INSTALLATION LEVEL", "WORK LOCATION CITY AND ZIP CODE", "SENIORITY", "PREF. ELIGIBLE"},
        {"DISCIPLINE", "CONTRACT", "DATE", "LOCAL GRIEVANCE NO."},
        {"UNIT/SECTION/BRANCH/STATION/OFFICE", "INCIDENT DATE/TIME", "USPS REP - SUPR", "GRIEVANT AND/ OR STEWARD"},
        {"STEP 1 DECISION BY (NAME AND TITLE)", "DATE/TIME", "INITIALS (ONLY VERIFIES DATE OF DECISION)"}
    };

    static String[][] lineAnswersValues = {
        {"Ronnkvist, Stefan", "XXX Road Street", "Saint Peter", "Minnesota", "56789-1234", "(555) 555-5555"},
        {"123456789", "Maintenance", "Employed", "10", "O", "06:00", "Sat/Sun", "mark.me@email.com"},
        {"Mankato P&DF", "21", "Mankato 56001", "08/24/2002", "Yes"},
        {"N/A", "Article 19", "08/03/2018", "01-18-19-SR"},
        {"Mankato P&DF", "08/03/2018 06:00AM", "Robert Miller", "Stefan Ronnkvist"},
        {"Dustin Devens SMO", "08/03/2018", "DDD"}
    };

    static String[][] paragraphAnswersValues = {
        {"The origin of labor unions dates back to the eighteenth century and the industrial revolution in Europe. During this time there was a huge surge of new workers into the workplace that needed representation. In the United States history of unions, early workers and trade unions played an important part in the role for independence. Although their physical efforts for the cause of independence were ineffective, the ideas they introduced, such as protection for workers, became part of our American culture."},
        {"In the history of America's trade and labor unions, the most famous union remains the American Federation of Labor (AFL), founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers. At its pinnacle, the AFL had approximately 1.4 million members. The AFL is credited with successfully negotiating wage increases for its members and enhancing workplace safety for all workers."},
        {"The labor movement in the United States grew out of the need to protect the common interest of workers. For those in the industrial sector, organized labor unions fought for better wages, reasonable hours and safer working conditions. The labor movement led efforts to stop child labor, give health benefits and provide aid to workers who were injured or retired."}
    };

    //these static global variables are instantiated allowing dynamic updates
    static Float insideRight = 0f;
    static Float insideLeft = 0f;
    static Float insideTop = 0f;
    static Float insideBottom = 0f;
    static Float borderValue = 20f;
    static Float topBorderValue = 30f;
    static PDFont font = PDType1Font.TIMES_ROMAN;
    static int fontSize = 9;
    static int fontSizeOffset = 2;
    static PDFont titleFont = PDType1Font.TIMES_BOLD;
    static int titleFontSize = 20;
    static PDFont subTitleFont = PDType1Font.TIMES_BOLD;
    static int subTitleFontSize = 5;

    //Entry point into class
    public void makeBaseDocument(String fileName) throws IOException {
        int pageNumber = 0;

        //creates base PDF Document
        PDDocument document = new PDDocument();
        PDPage blankPage = new PDPage();
        document.addPage(blankPage);
        PDPage page = document.getPage(pageNumber);
        PDPageContentStream contentStream;
        contentStream = new PDPageContentStream(document, page);

        //PDF Document details are created
        makePageOutline(page, contentStream);
        makePageTitleSection(page, contentStream, ++pageNumber);
        makePageLineText(contentStream);
        breakLinesIntoPageWidth(contentStream, paragraphAnswersValues[0][0]);
        contentStream.close();

        //Save PDF Document in suer folder of OS
        File file1 = new File(System.getProperty("user.dir") + "\\" + fileName);
        document.save(file1);
    }

    //getPhraseLength calculates the length of a string, not character length
    private static Float getPhraseLength(String stringValue, PDFont font, int fontSize) throws IOException {
        return font.getStringWidth(stringValue) / 1000 * fontSize;
    }

    //putTextOnDocument places text on document at a specific position
    private static void putTextOnDocument(PDPageContentStream contentStream, String stringValue, PDFont font, int fontSize, Float horizontalPixel, Float verticalPixel) throws IOException {
        contentStream.setNonStrokingColor(Color.BLACK);
        contentStream.beginText();
        contentStream.setFont(font, fontSize);
        contentStream.newLineAtOffset(horizontalPixel, verticalPixel);
        contentStream.showText(stringValue);
        contentStream.endText();
        contentStream.stroke();
    }

    //drawLineOnDocument draws a line on document between coordinates
    private static void drawLineOnDocument(PDPageContentStream contentStream, Float X1, Float Y1, Float X2, Float Y2) throws IOException {
        contentStream.setNonStrokingColor(Color.BLACK);
        contentStream.moveTo(X1, Y1);
        contentStream.lineTo(X2, Y2);
        contentStream.setLineWidth(1);
        contentStream.stroke();

    }

    //breakLinesIntoPageWidth breaks a long string into multiple lines that are narrower than inside document width
    private static void breakLinesIntoPageWidth(PDPageContentStream contentStream, String longLine) throws IOException {
        Float maxWidth = insideRight - insideLeft;
        ArrayList<String> al = new ArrayList<String>();
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
        al.add("Background:");
        int j = 0, i = 0, k = 0;
        for (i = 0; i < longLine.length(); i++) {
            if (getPhraseLength(longLine.substring(j, i), font, fontSize) > (maxWidth - 12)) {
                al.add(longLine.substring(j, i).trim());
                j = i;
            }
        }
        al.add(longLine.substring(j).trim());
        System.out.println(maxWidth);
        for (String value : al) {
            putTextOnDocument(contentStream, value, font, fontSize, borderValue + 5, (insideTop - 150) - (15 * k++));
        }
        drawLineOnDocument(contentStream, insideLeft, (insideTop - 150) - (k * 15), insideRight, (insideTop - 150) - (k * 15));
    }

    //makePageLineText determines the horizontal position of two text strings width different lengths and font size to maintain vertical alignment and equally spaced across document
    private static void makePageLineText(PDPageContentStream contentStream) throws IOException {
        if (lineAnswersValues.length == lineValues.length) {
            // this section determines the padding between text strings along the horizontal two row sequences
            Float[] textPadding = new Float[lineAnswersValues.length];
            for (int i = 0; i < lineAnswersValues.length; i++) {
                Float lineTextLength = 0f;
                for (int j = 0; j < lineValues[i].length; j++) {
                    if (lineAnswersValues[i].length == lineValues[i].length) {
                        lineTextLength = lineTextLength + (Math.max(getPhraseLength(lineAnswersValues[i][j], font, fontSize), getPhraseLength(lineValues[i][j], font, fontSize - 2)));
                    }
                }
                textPadding[i] = (insideRight - insideLeft - 4 - lineTextLength) / (lineValues[i].length - 1);
            }
            // this section determines the position across the horizontal row by combining text string length and padding
            for (int i = 0; i < lineValues.length; i++) {
                Float textPosition = 22f;
                for (int j = 0; j < lineValues[i].length; j++) {
                    if (j != 0) {
                        textPosition = textPosition + textPadding[i] + Math.max(getPhraseLength(lineAnswersValues[i][j - 1], font, fontSize), getPhraseLength(lineValues[i][j - 1], font, fontSize - 2));
                    }
                    putTextOnDocument(contentStream, lineValues[i][j], font, fontSize-fontSizeOffset, textPosition, insideTop - 6 - (i * 23));
                    putTextOnDocument(contentStream, lineAnswersValues[i][j], font, fontSize, textPosition, insideTop - 19 - (i * 23));
                    drawLineOnDocument(contentStream, insideLeft, insideTop - 22 - (i * 23), insideRight, insideTop - 22 - (i * 23));
                }
            }
        }
    }

    //makePageTitleSection calculates the center position of main title and two row side sub titles
    private static void makePageTitleSection(PDPage page, PDPageContentStream contentStream, int pageNumber) throws IOException {
        Float insideTitleRight = page.getMediaBox().getWidth();
        Float insideTitleTop = page.getMediaBox().getHeight();
        Float titleOffset = (insideTitleRight - getPhraseLength(titleLine[0], titleFont, titleFontSize)) / 2;
        putTextOnDocument(contentStream, titleLine[0], PDType1Font.TIMES_BOLD, titleFontSize, titleOffset, insideTitleTop - topBorderValue + 5);
        Float titleTwoOffset = getPhraseLength(titleLine[1], subTitleFont, subTitleFontSize);
        putTextOnDocument(contentStream, titleLine[1], PDType1Font.TIMES_BOLD, subTitleFontSize, insideRight - titleTwoOffset - 1, insideTitleTop - topBorderValue / 2);
        Float titleThreeOffset = getPhraseLength(titleLine[2], subTitleFont, subTitleFontSize);
        putTextOnDocument(contentStream, titleLine[2], PDType1Font.TIMES_BOLD, subTitleFontSize, insideRight - titleThreeOffset - 1, insideTitleTop - topBorderValue + 5);
        putTextOnDocument(contentStream, "Page " + pageNumber, font, fontSize, insideTitleRight / 2, borderValue / 3);
    }

    //makePageOutline draws a border around document
    private static void makePageOutline(PDPage page, PDPageContentStream contentStream) throws IOException {
        insideRight = page.getMediaBox().getWidth() - borderValue;
        insideLeft = borderValue;
        insideTop = page.getMediaBox().getHeight() - topBorderValue;
        insideBottom = borderValue;
        drawLineOnDocument(contentStream,insideLeft, insideBottom,insideLeft, insideTop);
        drawLineOnDocument(contentStream,insideLeft, insideTop,insideRight, insideTop);
        drawLineOnDocument(contentStream,insideRight, insideTop,insideRight, insideBottom);
        drawLineOnDocument(contentStream,insideRight, insideBottom,insideLeft, insideBottom);
    }
}