Creating PDF file from ThinBASIC

[Petr Schreiber]

If you could use some PDF creation from script, please read on

I converted the original José Roca's Haru Free PDF Library 2.1.0 headers to ThinBASIC. As the library requires callback for code handling I created high level wrapper, which makes the PDF creation a bit easier. Here sample code:

' 
' Test of PDF wrapper
'       

Uses "Console", "Math"

#INCLUDE "fileformat_pdf.tBasicU"

Function TBMain()

  ' -- Initialize library
  pdf_InitLibrary()        
  
  ' -- Create document                                                                                          
  String       sPDFFile  = APP_SourcePath + "Test.pdf"
  tPdfDocument hDocument = pdf_CreateDocument()
  
  ' -- Font used
  String       fArialName = pdf_GetFontNameFromTTF(hDocument, "C:\Windows\Fonts\arial.ttf", TRUE)
  tPdfFont     fArial     = pdf_CreateFont(hDocument, fArialName     , "CP1250")                                
  
  ' -- Create page and retrieve the dimensions  
  tPdfPage     hPage
  tPdfNumber   nHeight, nWidth        
    
  hPage = pdf_AddPage(hDocument)   
  pdf_GetPageSize(hPage, nWidth, nHeight)                                              
  
  ' -- Create content - the coordinates are as in math:
  ' -- 0,0 is lower left corner
  
  ' -- Draw rectangle, with different contour and content
  pdf_SetStrokeColor(hPage, Rgb(96,96,96))
  pdf_SetFillColor(hPage, Rgb(224,224,224))     
  pdf_DrawRectangle(hPage, 10, nHeight-10, nWidth-20, nHeight-20)

  ' -- Draw cross inside it, using 3px orange line                              
  pdf_SetStrokeColor(hPage, Rgb(255,128,64))
  pdf_SetLineWidth(hPage, 3)               
  pdf_DrawLine(hPage, 10, 10, nWidth-10, nHeight-10)
  pdf_DrawLine(hPage, 10, nHeight-10, nWidth-10, 10)
  
  ' -- Write text         
  Long i
  pdf_SetFillColor(hPage, Rgb(0, 0, 0))
  For i = 1 To 8
    pdf_SetFont (hPage, fArial, 10+i*2)
    pdf_PrintText(hPage, 225, nHeight-20-i*(10+i*2), "Hello ThinBASIC!")
  Next  
  
  ' -- Draw polygon                       
  Long radius
  
  For radius = 160 To 10 Step - 10
    pdf_SetColor(hPage, Rgb(Rnd(128,255), Rnd(128,255), Rnd(128,255)))
    pdf_BeginPoly(hPage, nWidth/2, nHeight/2)
  
      For i = 0 To 360 Step 60
          pdf_AddPoly(hPage, nWidth/2+Cos(DegToRad(i))*radius, nHeight/2+Sin(DegToRad(i))*radius)
      Next     
      
     pdf_EndPoly(hPage, TRUE)                              
  Next  
 
  
  ' -- Draw image
  pdf_DrawImage(hDocument, hPage, nWidth/2-64, nHeight/2-256, APP_SourcePath+"picture.png", 128, 128 )
  
  ' -- Save to disk
  pdf_SaveDocument(hDocument, sPDFFile)

  PrintL 
  PrintL "File saved as:"
  PrintL sPDFFile        
  PrintL                   
  PrintL "Press any key to quit..."
  WaitKey
  ' -- Release document from memory
  pdf_ReleaseDocument(hDocument)           
  
  ' -- Release library
  pdf_ReleaseLibrary()  
  
End Function

You can download the converted headers + my special wrapper + sample code from the attachement of this post. I hope you will find use for it.

The wrapper offers these functions, each is documented in the fileFormat_PDF.tBasicU file:

• pdf_InitLibrary, pdf_ReleaseLibrary
• pdf_CreateDocument, pdf_SaveDocument, pdf_ReleaseDocument
• pdf_AddPage, pdf_GetPageSize
• pdf_GetFontNameFromTTF, pdf_CreateFont, pdf_SetFont, pdf_PrintText
• pdf_SetStrokeColor, pdf_SetFillColor, pdf_SetColor
• pdf_SetLineWidth, pdf_SetLineStyle
• pdf_DrawRectangle, pdf_DrawLine, pdf_BeginPoly, pdf_AddPoly, pdf_EndPoly, pdf_DrawImage

Of course, the original headers from José offer even more power.


Petr

[Billbo]

Petr,

I cannot find the fileformat_pdf.tBasicU file.

Bill

[Petr Schreiber]

Hi Bilbo,

please download the PDF.ZIP from the first post, it contains:

• DemonstrationOfPDFCreation.tBasic (sample script)
• fileformat_PDF.tBasicU (my wrapper)
• hpdf (header)
• hpdf_consts (header)
• hpdf_types (hpdf_types)
• libhpdf.dll
• libpng13.dll
• picture.png (used by example)

Petr

[Billbo]

Petr,

Thanks. I was in a hurry and scanned the files in the zip
to fast.

Bill

[ErosOlmi]

Wow Petr, what a great code.

Thanks a lot.
Eros

[Petr Schreiber]

Thanks, but the biggest work is done by the authors of the original library. Some of my functions are just 1:1 wrappers.
But I added even some other higher level abstractions to make the usage of the library more simple - and easy to read, in BASIC tradition


Petr

[Petr Schreiber]

Updated the first post to make it work in 2020 Please re-download the PDF.zip.


Petr