[ale] HTML -> PS -> PDF

[mhirsch at nubridges.com (Michael D. Hirsch)]

On Wednesday 31 March 2004 03:47 pm, Chris Fowler wrote:
> I'm creating a J2EE app in which the user can generate reports.  I want
> to generate a report in HTML format and store in /tmp as temp file.  I
> then want to somehow convert that to PDF maybe I have to go the PS
> first.
>
> After I do that I will send their browser headers that indicate I'm
> sending them a file.  The will then be prompted to save to disk or load
> in Acrobat or in our (ale.org) case xpdf.
>
> Any pointers?

I think you'd have a lot more success generating XML instead of HTML.  Then 
you can convert the XML to HTML easily (e.g. with XSLT).  A quick google 
search will turn up any number of XML->PDF systems.  A good one loks like FOP 
from the Apache Project: http://xml.apache.org/fop/

It says: FOP (Formatting Objects Processor) is the world's first print 
formatter driven by XSL formatting objects (XSL-FO) and the world's first 
output independent formatter. It is a Java application that reads a 
formatting object (FO) tree and renders the resulting pages to a specified 
output. Output formats currently supported include PDF, PCL, PS, SVG, XML 
(area tree representation), Print, AWT, MIF and TXT. The primary output 
target is PDF. 

Michael