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Transforming XML To PDF

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Presentation from the International PHP Conference 2003 - Spring Edition

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  1. Slide 1: Transforming XML to PDF Dynamic transformations from XML to PDF-Documents with use of LaTeX International PHP Conference 2003 Spring Edition May 9th 2003, Amsterdam Stephan Schmidt
  2. Slide 2: Transforming XML to PDF Agenda • About the speakers • Types of documents • Transforming XML documents • Introduction to LaTeX • Basic usage of LaTeX • Converting LaTeX to PDF • Dynamic creation of LaTeX and PDF documents • Transforming XML documents Slide 2 05/23/07
  3. Slide 3: Transforming XML to PDF Stephan Schmidt • Web Application Developer at Metrix Internet Design GmbH in Karlsruhe/Germany • Programming since 1988, PHP since 1998 • Publishing OS on http://www.php-tools.net • Contributor to the German PHP Magazine • Regular speaker at conferences • Maintainer of patXMLRenderer, patTemplate, patUser and others Slide 3 05/23/07
  4. Slide 4: Transforming XML to PDF The problem • Have been developing a really large application • Writing technical as well as end-user documentation • Documentation was available in XML (made available in the application as HTML) • customers wanted documentation on paper Slide 4 05/23/07
  5. Slide 5: Transforming XML to PDF XML documents • Readable by humans: » self-explaining tag names » self-explaining attribute names » structured by indentation • Readable by machines: » Well-formed document » only ASCII data » Validation with DTD or schema • Describe only the content Slide 5 05/23/07
  6. Slide 6: Transforming XML to PDF PDF documents • Readable by humans: » nice layout » can be view on any platform » can be easily printed • Not readable by machines » Binary document » Mixture of content and layout • Describe the content and layout Slide 6 05/23/07
  7. Slide 7: Transforming XML to PDF Getting the best of both • Use XML documents for online documentation • Use PDF for printed documentation Disadvantage: » two documents to maintain Solution: » create two documents from one source Slide 7 05/23/07
  8. Slide 8: Transforming XML to PDF Transforming XML • Data is stored in an XML document • Needed in different formats and environments » Other XML formats (DocBook, SVG, …) » HTML » Plain text » LaTeX » Anything else you can imagine • Content remains the same Slide 8 05/23/07
  9. Slide 9: Transforming XML to PDF Transforming XML to HTML Source document: <example title=„My Example“> <greeting> Hello <imp>Clark Kent</imp>! <greeting> </example> Result of transformation to HTML: <html> <head> <title>My Example</title> </head> <body> <h1>Hello <b>Clark Kent</b></h1> </body> </html> Slide 9 05/23/07
  10. Slide 10: Transforming XML to PDF Transforming XML to PDF • XML may only be transformed to ASCII documents • PDF documents are binary files Problem: no direct transformation Solution: Step 1 » Transform XML to LaTeX Step 2 » Transform LaTeX to PDF Slide 10 05/23/07
  11. Slide 11: Transforming XML to PDF Introduction to LaTeX • based on TeX by Donald E. Knuth • not a word-processor • document preparation system for high-quality type- setting • used for medium to large scientific documents • can be used for any document: articles, books, letters, invoices, … Slide 11 05/23/07
  12. Slide 12: Transforming XML to PDF Introduction to LaTeX (cont.) • encourages you to concentrate on content instead of layout • similar concept to XML, but not based on tags • has to be \"compiled\" to view or print the result • generates layout for your documents Slide 12 05/23/07
  13. Slide 13: Transforming XML to PDF Introduction to LaTeX (cont.) • no WYSIWYG interface • can be edited with your favourite editor (vi, emacs, HomeSite or even notepad, but not Frontpage) » can be created by any application or script that is able to create ASCII files. <?PHP $fp = fopen( \"file.txt\", \"w\" ); fputs( $fp, \"Hello Clark Kent!\" ); fclose( $fp ); ?> Slide 13 05/23/07
  14. Slide 14: Transforming XML to PDF Introduction to LaTeX (example) \\documentclass{article} \\title{Dynamic transformations of XML to PDF with LaTex} \\author{Stephan Schmidt} \\date{April 2003} \\begin{document} \\maketitle We love XML, but everyone wants PDF. \\end{document} Slide 14 05/23/07
  15. Slide 15: Transforming XML to PDF Easy to understand \\documentclass{article} » the document is an article \\title{Dynamic transformations of XML to PDF with LaTex} » the title is \"Dynamic transformations …\" \\author{Stephan Schmidt} » Stephan Schmidt is the author \\date{April 2003} » it has been written in April 2003 Slide 15 05/23/07
  16. Slide 16: Transforming XML to PDF Easy to understand \\begin{document} \\maketitle We love XML, but everyone wants PDF. \\end{document} » document consists of a title (somehow generated) and some text. Slide 16 05/23/07
  17. Slide 17: Transforming XML to PDF LaTeX features • Typesetting articles, technical reports, letters, books and slide presentations • Control over large (and I really mean large) documents • Control over sectioning, cross references, footnote, tables and figures • Automatic creation of bibliographies and indexes • Inclusion of images • Using PostScript or Metafont fonts Slide 17 05/23/07
  18. Slide 18: Transforming XML to PDF Basic usage of LaTeX LaTeX documents consist of: • commands » text markup, paper definitions, etc. • macros » collection of commands • environments » split the document into logical components • plain text • comments Slide 18 05/23/07
  19. Slide 19: Transforming XML to PDF LaTeX commands • start with a backslash (\"\\\") • parameters enclosed in curly braces (\"{\" and \"}\") • optional parameters enclosed in brackets (\"[\" and \"]\") and separated by commas Example: \\maketitle \\footnote{I am a footnote} \\documentclass[a4paper,twoside]{book} Slide 19 05/23/07
  20. Slide 20: Transforming XML to PDF LaTeX comments • start with percent sign (\"%\") • end at the end of the line Example: \\documentclass{article} % This will be an article % This line is a comment and will be ignored later Slide 20 05/23/07
  21. Slide 21: Transforming XML to PDF LaTeX environments • used to split the document into logical parts • similar to tags in an XML document • start with \"\\begin\" command and end with \"\\end\" command Example: \\begin{document} % Place anything that is part of the document here \\end{document} Slide 21 05/23/07
  22. Slide 22: Transforming XML to PDF LaTeX special chars • Some specialchars like \"$\", \"{\", \"}\", \"_\", etc. have to be quoted by adding a preceding backslash. • \"\\\\\" marks the end of a paragraph • \"~\" is similar to HTML's &nbsp; • \"\\dots\" will display \"…\" Slide 22 05/23/07
  23. Slide 23: Transforming XML to PDF Creating a document • document always starts with \"\\documentclass\" command to define the type of document • responsible for the available commandset (no use for \"\\chapter\" when you are writing a letter) • used to define the basic layout style • load packages after this command Slide 23 05/23/07
  24. Slide 24: Transforming XML to PDF Creating a document (cont.) • include meta information (\"\\author\", \"\\date\", etc.) after the \"\\documentclass\" command • \"\\begin{document}\" marks the start of the actual document (like <body> in HTML) • Inside \"document\" environments any LaTeX command that structures the document may be used. Slide 24 05/23/07
  25. Slide 25: Transforming XML to PDF Creating a document (cont.) \\documentclass[a4paper,twocolumn]{article} \\usepackage{hyperref} \\title{Me and the myDocument} \\author{Me, of course} \\date{\\today} \\begin{document} \\maketitle \\tableofcontents \\section{My relationship to Superman} \\subsection{How it started} When I was twelve, Superman was my greatest hero. \\subsection{Our relationship grew stronger} I first met him in person at the age of 16. \\subsection{Everything has to end} When he died at the hands of {\\em Doomsday}, I was really sad and devoted my life to Batman. \\section{My relationship to Batman} My relationship to Batman started last week so there’s not much to tell, yet. But I already know some of his friends: \\begin{itemize} \\item{\\em Robin}, the Boy Wonder \\item{\\em Oracle}, the former Batgirl \\end{itemize} \\end{document} Slide 25 05/23/07
  26. Slide 26: Transforming XML to PDF Common LaTeX commands • \\section, \\subsection and \\subsubsection to structure the document • \\em to emphasize parts of the document • \\item to create lists • \\footnote (for footnotes, of course) • \\label, \\bibitem, \\ref and \\href to create cross-references • \\includegraphics to include images • \\begin{table}, \\begin{itemize} to create commonly used environments • \\tableofcontents, \\listoftables and \\listoffigures to create indexes • ... and many more Slide 26 05/23/07
  27. Slide 27: Transforming XML to PDF Converting LaTeX to PDF 1. LaTeX needs to be installed on your system (Don't panic, installing LaTeX is mere child's play) 3. \"latex myDocument.tex\" creates \"myDocument.dvi\" (dvi means Device Independent, can be converted to postscript, PDF or printer-native formats) 5. \"xdvi myDocument.dvi\" displays result 7. \"dvipdf myDocument.dvi\" creates \"myDocument.pdf\" Slide 27 05/23/07
  28. Slide 28: Transforming XML to PDF Converting LaTeX to PDF If PDF is the only destination format, use pdflatex myDocument.tex to generate a PDF file directly from your LaTeX source files. Advantages: » faster » better support for fonts Slide 28 05/23/07
  29. Slide 29: Transforming XML to PDF Resulting document: Bookmark table: Slide 29 05/23/07
  30. Slide 30: Transforming XML to PDF Resulting files After \"pdflatex\" has been called, several files are available in the folder: • myDocument.pdf is the PDF file you wanted to create • myDocument.log is a log file containing all log messages • myDocument.toc contains the table of contents • myDocument.out contains bookmarks for the PDF reader • myDocument.aux contains all data needed for cross references Slide 30 05/23/07
  31. Slide 31: Transforming XML to PDF Two-pass transformations • LaTeX parses file from top-down • generates table of contents, anchor files for links, PDF bookmarks and stores them in external files • This information often has to be included at the beginning of the document (e.g. table of contents) • Latex file has to be parsed twice » two-pass transformation » pdflatex has to be called twice Slide 31 05/23/07
  32. Slide 32: Transforming XML to PDF Dynamic creation of LaTeX documents LaTeX documents are plain text (like HTML) » PHP can be embedded and any data inserted by using \"echo\" \\documentclass{article} \\begin{document} Hi, my name is <?PHP echo $_GET[“name”]; ?>. \\end{document} Now open http://localhost/latex.php?name=Aquaman and save the result » Your first dynamic LaTeX document! Slide 32 05/23/07
  33. Slide 33: Transforming XML to PDF Dynamic creation of LaTeX documents But: No real automation :-( as a delevoper needs to sit next to your webserver to handle all request » expensive! Better: Step 1 » Capture result with output control functions Step 2 » Save result with file system functions Step 3 » Transform file using system commands Slide 33 05/23/07
  34. Slide 34: Transforming XML to PDF dynamicLatex.php <?PHP ob_start(); ?> \\documentclass{article} \\begin{document} Hi, my name is <?PHP echo $_GET[“name”]; ?>. \\end{document} <?PHP $latex = ob_get_contents(); ob_end_clean(); $fp = fopen( \"dynamic.tex\", \"w\" ); fputs( $fp, $latex ); fclose( $fp ); system( \"pdflatex dynamic.tex\" ); system( \"shutdown -h now\" ); ?> Slide 34 05/23/07
  35. Slide 35: Transforming XML to PDF Not state-of-the-art Creating larger and complex files can get messy: • PHP and LaTeX commands in one file • No separation of logic, content and layout » you are a bad programmer! (shame on you!) Slide 35 05/23/07
  36. Slide 36: Transforming XML to PDF State-of-the-art techniques Implement the same techniques that are used in dynamic webpages: • use templates • store content in databases or XML • use caching to gain performance Slide 36 05/23/07
  37. Slide 37: Transforming XML to PDF Transforming XML • XSLT has been developed for the task of transforming XML documents • XSLT stylesheets are XML documents • Transforms XML trees that are stored in memory • Uses XPath to access parts of a document • Based on pattern matching (“When see you something that looks like this, do that…”) • Functional syntax Sounds good? » think again! Slide 37 05/23/07
  38. Slide 38: Transforming XML to PDF Drawbacks of XSLT XSLT is domain specific: • Developed to work with XML • Creating plain text/LaTeX is quite hard, as whitespace is important (<xslt:text>) • Transforming “world” to “W O R L D” is next to impossible Slide 38 05/23/07
  39. Slide 39: Transforming XML to PDF Drawbacks of XSLT XSLT is verbose and circumstantial: <xsl:choose> <xsl:when test=\"@author\"> <xsl:value-of select=\"@author\"/> <xsl:text> says: </xsl:text> <xsl:value-of select=\".\"/> </xsl:when> <xsl:otherwise> <xsl:text>Somebody says: </xsl:text> <xsl:value-of select=\".\"/> </xsl:otherwise> </xsl:choose> Slide 39 05/23/07
  40. Slide 40: Transforming XML to PDF Drawbacks of XSLT XSLT is hard to learn: • Functional programming language • Complex structure (see “if/else” example”) • XPath is needed • Designer needs to learn it Slide 40 05/23/07
  41. Slide 41: Transforming XML to PDF Transforming XML using PHP Transforming an XML document is easy: 3. Define a transformation rule for each tag 5. Start at the root element 7. Traverse the document recursively 9. Insert the transformation result to the parent tag 11.Go home early as you have completed the task faster than with XSLT. Slide 41 05/23/07
  42. Slide 42: Transforming XML to PDF Creating transformation rules Rules are simple: • “When you see this, replace it with that.” • Implemented in PHP using templates • Attributes of the tag are used as template variables • PCData of the tag is used as template variable “CONTENT” Slide 42 05/23/07
  43. Slide 43: Transforming XML to PDF Example XML <section title=\"XML and PDF\"> <para>We love XML, but everybody wants PDF.</para> </section> Template for <section> <table border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"2\" width=\"500\"> <tr><td><b>{TITLE}</b></td><tr> <tr><td>{CONTENT}</td></tr> </table> Template for <para> <font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\">{CONTENT}<br></font> Slide 43 05/23/07
  44. Slide 44: Transforming XML to PDF Example (Result) <table border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"2\" width=\"500\"> <tr><td><b>XML and PDF</b></td><tr> <tr><td> <font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"> We love XML but, everybody wants PDF.<br> </font> </td></tr> </table> Slide 44 05/23/07
  45. Slide 45: Transforming XML to PDF Don’t reinvent the wheel There already are XML transformers available for PHP: • patXMLRenderer http://www.php-tools.net • PEAR::XML_Transformer http://pear.php.net • phpTagLib http://chocobot.d2g.com Slide 45 05/23/07
  46. Slide 46: Transforming XML to PDF Installation of patXMLRenderer • Download archive at http://www.php-tools.de • Unzip the archive • Adjust all path names and options in the config file (cache, log, etc.) • Create the templates (transformation rules) • Create your XML files • Let patXMLRenderer transform the files Finished: » It’s mere child’s play « Slide 46 05/23/07
  47. Slide 47: Transforming XML to PDF Introduction to patTemplate • PHP templating class published under LGPL • Supports LaTeX templates when instantiated with $tmpl = new patTemplate( \"tex\" ); • Placeholder for variables have to be UPPERCASE and enclosed in { and } or <{ and }> if used with LaTeX templates • Uses <patTemplate:tmpl name=\"...\"> tags to split files into template blocks that may be addressed seperately • Other Properties of the templates are written down as attributes, e.g: type=\"condition\" or whitespace=\"trim\" • Emulation of simple switch/case and if/else statement by using <patTemplate:sub condition=\"...\"> tags Slide 47 05/23/07
  48. Slide 48: Transforming XML to PDF patTemplate Example simple Template with two variables (Corresponds to the XML tag <box>) <patTemplate:tmpl name=\"box\"> <table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"{WIDTH}\"> <tr> <td>{CONTENT}</td> </tr> </table> </patTemplate:tmpl> Slide 48 05/23/07
  49. Slide 49: Transforming XML to PDF patTemplate Example 2 Task: Box should be available in three sizes: “small”, “large” and “medium” (default) Solution: Condition Template to emulate a switch/case statment: • Template type is \"condition\" • Variable that should be checked is called \"size\" • Three possible values for \"size\": \"small\", \"large\" and \"medium\" (or any other unknown value) » three Subtemplates. Slide 49 05/23/07
  50. Slide 50: Transforming XML to PDF patTemplate Example 2 <patTemplate:tmpl name=\"box\" type=\"condition\" conditionvar=\"size\"> <patTemplate:sub condition=\"small\"> <table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"200\"> <tr><td>{CONTENT}</td></tr> </table> </patTemplate:sub> <patTemplate:sub condition=\"large\"> <table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"800\"> <tr><td>{CONTENT}</td></tr> </table> </patTemplate:sub> <patTemplate:sub condition=\"default\"> <table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"500\"> <tr><td>{CONTENT}</td></tr> </table> </patTemplate:sub> </patTemplate:tmpl> Slide 50 05/23/07
  51. Slide 51: Transforming XML to PDF Transforming XML to LaTeX <?xml version=”1.0” standalone=”yes”?> <article title=”Me and the superheroes, part 2”> <paragraph title=”I lied to you”> When I was talking about <imp>Superman</imp>, lied. He came back from the dead and rose to the glory he once had. </paragraph> </article> Slide 51 05/23/07
  52. Slide 52: Transforming XML to PDF The LaTeX template <patTemplate:tmpl name=”article”> \\documentclass[a4paper,twocolumn]{article} \\usepackage{hyperref} \\title{<{TITLE}>} \\author{Me, of course} \\begin{document} \\tableofcontents <{CONTENT}> \\end{document} </patTemplate:tmpl> <patTemplate name=”paragraph”> \\section{<{TITLE}>} <{CONTENT}>\\\\ </patTemplate:tmpl> <patTemplate:tmpl name=”imp” whitespace=”trim”> {\\em <{CONTENT}>} </patTemplate:tmpl> Slide 52 05/23/07
  53. Slide 53: Transforming XML to PDF The Result \\documentclass[a4paper,twocolumn]{article} \\usepackage{hyperref} \\title{Me and the superheroes, part 2} \\author{Me, of course} \\begin{document} \\tableofcontents \\section{I lied to you} When I was talking about {\\em Superman}, I lied. He came back from the dead and rose to the glory he once had.\\\\ \\end{document} Slide 53 05/23/07
  54. Slide 54: Transforming XML to PDF Creating the PDF document What are you waiting for? Step 1 » Save the resulting LaTeX document Step 2 » Use system( \"pdflatex myDocument.tex\" ) to create a PDF document Step 3 » Use header( \"Location: myDocument.pdf\" ) to start the download. Slide 54 05/23/07
  55. Slide 55: Transforming XML to PDF To infinity … and beyond! patXMLRenderer can do even more for you: • Supports overloading of namespaces to include any dynamic content (files, databases, rss streams, etc). • Caching mechanism • Logging • Administration interface • Offline generation of plain HTML Slide 55 05/23/07
  56. Slide 56: Transforming XML to PDF Simple Example <example> Today is <time:current format=“m-d-Y”/>. </example> Will be transformed to… <example> Today is 05-09-2004. </example> …Which will then be transformed to LaTeX using the rules defined in the templates. Slide 56 05/23/07
  57. Slide 57: Transforming XML to PDF patXMLRenderer Example <page> <dbc:connection name=\"foo\"> <dbc:type>mysql</dbc:type> <dbc:host>localhost</dbc:host> <dbc:db>myDb</dbc:db> <dbc:user>me</dbc:user> <dbc:pass>secret</dbc:pass> </dbc:connection> ...place any XML code here... <dbc:query connection=\"foo\" returntype=\"assoc\"> SELECT id,name,email FROM authors WHERE id=<var:get scope=\"_GET\" var=\"uid\"/> </dbc:query> <page> Slide 57 05/23/07
  58. Slide 58: Transforming XML to PDF patXMLRenderer Example (Result) <page> ...any static XML... <result> <row> <id>1</id> <name>Stephan</name> <email>schst@php-tools.de</email> </row> </result> </page> Slide 58 05/23/07
  59. Slide 59: Transforming XML to PDF Existing Extensions • Repository on http://www.php-tools.net • Examples: » <xml:...> for XML syntax highlighting » <php:...> for PHP syntax highlighting » <dbc:...> database interface » <var:...> access to variables » <control:...> control structures » <rss:...> to include content from RSS feeds » <file:...> file operations » and many more... • Allow you to develop \"XML Applications\" Slide 59 05/23/07
  60. Slide 60: Transforming XML to PDF The End Thank you! More information: • http://www.php-tools.net • schst@php-tools.net Thanks to: Sebastian Mordziol, gERD Schaufelberger, Metrix Internet Design GmbH Slide 60 05/23/07
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