PDF File Generation in LabWindows/CVI

[kirkm]

Hi,

I'm looking for ideas on how to automatically generate multiple-page PDF documents in LabWindows/CVI.

The pages consist of images of panels that have automatically updated some graphs.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Kirk

[pBerg]

Howdy Kirk,

Great question. You might try one of these four options:

1. Install a "PDF Printer" in Windows. This is essentially a virtual Windows printer that we can print to in CVI using functions like PrintPanel, PrintTextFile, etc.
2. Find a commandline PDF creator and call the commandline application from CVI. (See the launchexe.cws example located in the Example Finder under Comm w/External Apps » OS)
3. Find a DLL you can call to create a PDF. (See the examples located in the Example Finder under Comm w/External Apps » Using External Code)
4. Install a PDF creator and communicate with it through ActiveX if it has an ActiveX server.

Sorry I can't provide a specific recommendation for PDF software for these suggestions, but I hope it gets you going in the right direction!

Message Edited by pBerg on 02-05-2010 10:00 AM

[ngay528]

I am also looking for something similar.  The way I currently print is below; but this prints EACH panel separately and does not combine the pages.  I am not sure how to give it multiple panels to print, especially when I have them in tabs with only one visible at a time.

SetPrintAttribute (ATTR_PRINT_AREA_WIDTH, VAL_INTEGRAL_SCALE);
SetPrintAttribute (ATTR_PRINT_AREA_HEIGHT, VAL_USE_ENTIRE_PAPER);
SetPrintAttribute (ATTR_BITMAP_PRINTING, 0);   
SetPrintAttribute (ATTR_PRINTER_NAME, "Adobe PDF");
PrintPanel (init_panel_handle, 0, 1, VAL_FULL_PANEL, 1);

[ebalci]

I have been using 2 different methods with success, according to the application.

1. Haru Free PDF Library (a set of functions to create a PDF with various properties)

2. NI Report + BullZip free PDF printer (you prepare the report in memory and convert it to PDF by printing)

I can provide some more infomation about thier usage in case you cannot figure out how to use them.

Hope this helps, 

[ngay528]

It seems NI Report is only available in the Full Devl, not the Basic in which I have.

Haru would work, I just need a good way of getting a good quality image (print screen) of each of my tabs.

[kirkm]

All, 

I'm using an older version of Acrobat which almost solves the problem.

The trouble is that I'm not able to get multiple pages.   It seems like PrintPanel is not sending a page eject or something  like that.

One thing that I do is to set the panel's ATTR_TITLE to what I want acrobat to use for the file name.  Then the name is already correct in the dialog box that acrobat displays

before the file is printed .

I'm still experimenting trying to get multiple pages.

Thanks for the input and keep the ideas coming,

Kirk

[PerBorgvad]

Hi

I'm also been experimenting to get multiple pages, have you gotten any further ?

[moonlotus]

May I know how to use the Haru PDF library to print multiple panels into multiple pages of PDF?

[RobertoBozzolo]

I wrote a small contribution to help understanding how to integrate HARU Pdf library into a CVI project: you can find it here.

[Peter_Prinzen]

Perhaps you can also use "libreOffice", there is a tool available which converts any "odt"-file to pdf (libreoffice has built-in pdf export) (look for 7pdf).

The file format odt is zipped xml, so you can create with you application a report, wrap it "libreOffice-style" and export it as pdf.

Works quite nice within my projects, and doesn't need commercial applications to be installed.

Peter