Dynamic PDF creation from database
Here's a great example showing all the features of the Report Generator in a typical environment. We dynamically create an invoice from a fictitious phone company by querying a database.
The actual report is created in two stages - we first use a JSP page to query the database and create the XML, in the same way you would do if the report was being created in HTML. The output of this JSP is then passed through a Filter, which converts it to PDF and sends it back to the browser. This approach is very flexible - we used JSPs, but you can obviously use any solution you prefer to create the XML.
Here are the files for the various stages.
- First, the source to the JSP.
- The XML output of the JSP.
- Finally the resulting PDF. For Americans and Canadians, here it is on letter rather than A4. Remember this file is produced on demand - check the date on page 1.
All the files and full instructions are included in the download package if you want to reproduce this locally. You may also be interested in the database schema (for MySQL, but easily adapted to other databases).
A simpler dynamic example
This is a much simpler dynamic example, which creates a PDF showing the current date from a JSP.
Big Faceless PDF Library documentation
The documentation for our companion product was created using this library, and demonstrates many features of the generator.
Graphs and Charts
Demonstrates some of the various graphs and charts you can create in your reports.
The simplest report
This is the simplest report you can make - a single line of text.