ftw.pdfgenerator 1.0.2

Real world examples

Some packages using ftw.pdfgenerator:

• ftw.meeting has a PDF export of the meeting minutes: https://github.com/4teamwork/ftw.meeting/tree/master/ftw/meeting/latex

• ftw.book produces a PDF of the book recursively: https://github.com/4teamwork/ftw.book/tree/master/ftw/book/latex

Defining a layout

A layout is a multi adapter addapting context, request, builder. You can easily define a new layout using the mako templating engine (example: layout.py):

>>> from example.conference.session import ISession
>>> from ftw.pdfgenerator.interfaces import IBuilder
>>> from ftw.pdfgenerator.interfaces import ILaTeXLayout
>>> from ftw.pdfgenerator.layout.makolayout import MakoLayoutBase
>>> from zope.component import adapts
>>> from zope.interface import Interface
>>> from zope.interface import implements

>>> class SessionLayout(MakoLayoutBase):
...     adapts(ISession, Interface, IBuilder)
...     implements(ILaTeXLayout)
...
...     template_directories = ['session_templates']
...     template_name = 'layout.tex'
...
...     def before_render_hook(self):
...         self.use_babel()
...         self.use_package('inputenc', options='utf8')
...         self.use_package('fontenc', options='T1')

Register the layout with zcml (example: configure.zcml):

>>> <configure
...     xmlns="http://namespaces.zope.org/zope"
...     xmlns:browser="http://namespaces.zope.org/browser">
...
...     <adapter factory=".layout.SessionLayout"
...              provides="ftw.pdfgenerator.interfaces.ILaTeXLayout" />
...
... </configure>

Create a template as defined in SessionLayout.template_name (example: session_templates/layout.tex):

>>> <%block name="documentclass">
...   \documentclass[a4paper,10pt]{article}
... </%block>
...
... <%block name="usePackages">
...  ${packages}
... </%block>
...
... \begin{document}
... ${content}
... \end{document}

There are more methods on the layout, see the definition in ftw.pdfgenerator.interfaces.ILaTeXLayout.

Defining a LaTeX view

For every context for which a PDF is generated a LaTeX view (ILaTeXView) is rendered. The view is a multi adapter adapting context, request, layout. There is a view based on the mako templating engine which can be extended (example: views.py):

>>> from example.conference.session import ISession
>>> from ftw.pdfgenerator.interfaces import ILaTeXLayout
>>> from ftw.pdfgenerator.interfaces import ILaTeXView
>>> from ftw.pdfgenerator.view import MakoLaTeXView
>>> from zope.component import adapts
>>> from zope.interface import Interface
>>> from zope.interface import implements

>>> class SessionLaTeXView(MakoLaTeXView):
...     adapts(ISession, Interface, ILaTeXLayout)
...     implements(ILaTeXView)
...
...     template_directories = ['session_templates']
...     template_name = 'view.tex'
...
...     def get_render_arguments(self):
...         return {'title': self.convert(self.context.Title()),
...                 'description': self.convert(self.context.description),
...                 'details': self.convert(self.context.details)}

Register the view with zcml (example: configure.zcml):

>>> <configure
...     xmlns="http://namespaces.zope.org/zope"
...     xmlns:browser="http://namespaces.zope.org/browser">
...
...     <adapter factory=".views.SessionLaTeXView"
...              provides="ftw.pdfgenerator.interfaces.ILaTeXView" />
...
... </configure>

Create a template with the name defined in the class (example: session_templates/view.tex):

>>> \section*{${title}}
... % if description:
...   \small ${description}
... % endif
... \normalsize ${details}

Generating a PDF

When a layout and a view for the context are registered the PDF can be generated by simply calling the view @@export_pdf on the context.

Recursive views

When extending from ftw.pdfgenerator.view.RecursiveLaTeXView and inserting the variable latex_content in your template, the view automatically renders all children for which a ILaTeXView is found.

HTML to LaTeX conversion

ftw.pdfgenerator comes with a simple but powerful HTML to LaTeX converter which is optimized for the common WYSIWYG-Editors used in Plone.

The converter can be used:

• in views, using self.convert(html)

• in layouts, using self.get_converter().convert(html)

It uses regular expressions for the simple conversions and python subconverters for the more complicated conversions. The converter is heavily customizable.

1.0.2 (2012-03-08)

• Table converter: add css classes for aligning cells (“right”, “center”, “left”). [jone]

• Table converter: add cell-border functionality, using css classes “border-right”, “border-left”, “border-top” and “border-bottom”. [jone]

• Table converter: improve grid border, add classes “border-grid” and “listing” for enabling grid borders. [jone]

• Table converter: use “tabular” for small tables. #3 [jone]

1.0.1 (2012-03-05)

• Add use_babel function to layout, enabling the preferred language. [jone]

1.0b2 (2012-02-28)

• Added missing MANIFEST.in. [phgross]

1.0b1 (2012-02-24)

• Added a “debug-pdf” view, enabling the pdf debug mode temporarily. [jone]

• Added some French translations [ttschanz]

• Implement hyperlink converter. [jone]

• Implement convertion of definition lists. [jone]

• Rename as_pdf view to export_pdf. [jone]