PDF Generation With PHP - The Shortest Distance Between Two Points

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Why stop there? PHP's PDF extension comes with a whole bag of functions designed to let you draw lines, circles and other shapes in your PDF document. Consider the following example, which demonstrates the process of drawing a line.

<?php
// create handle for new PDF document
$pdf = pdf_new();
// open a file
pdf_open_file($pdf, "letterhead.pdf");
// start a new page (A4)
pdf_begin_page($pdf, 595, 842);
// get and use a font object
$arial = pdf_findfont($pdf, "Arial", "host", 1); pdf_setfont($pdf,$arial, 12);
// set a colour for the line
pdf_setcolor($pdf, "stroke", "rgb", 0, 0, 0);
// place a logo in the top left corner
$image = pdf_open_image_file($pdf, "jpeg", "logo.jpg");
pdf_place_image($pdf, $image, 50, 785, 0.5);
// draw a line under the logo
pdf_moveto($pdf, 20, 780);
pdf_lineto($pdf, 575, 780);
pdf_stroke($pdf);
// draw another line near the bottom of the page 
pdf_moveto($pdf, 20,50); 
pdf_lineto($pdf, 575, 50); pdf_stroke($pdf);
// and write some text under it
pdf_show_xy($pdf, "Confidential and proprietary", 200, 35);
// end page
pdf_end_page($pdf);
// close and save file
pdf_close($pdf);
?>

Here's what you should see in the PDF document



In this case, the process of drawing a line involves creative use of the pdf_moveto(), pdf_lineto() and pdf_stroke() functions.

In the example above, I'd like to draw a line from the position (20,780) to the new position (575, 780). In order to do this, I first need to place the cursor at the starting point (20,780), via a call to pdf_moveto().

pdf_moveto($pdf, 20, 780);

Next, I need to set the end point of the line, via pdf_lineto():

pdf_lineto($pdf, 575, 780);

Finally, the line is actually rendered using pdf_stroke().

pdf_stroke($pdf);

The stroke colour is set via a call to pdf_setcolor(), which accepts a number of parameters: the PDF document handle, whether the colour being set is for "stroke", "fill" or "both", the colour scheme to use (RGB or CMYK), and a list of colour values appropriate to the selected colour scheme.

pdf_setcolor($pdf, "stroke", "rgb", 0, 0, 0);

It's important to note that the list of colour values provided to pdf_setcolor() must be specified in terms of percentage intensity - that is, the intensity of that colour, expressed as a percentage of the maximum intensity possible. So, if I wanted to set red (RGB: 255,0,0) as the stroke colour, my call to pdf_setcolor() would look like this,

pdf_setcolor($pdf, "stroke", "rgb", 1, 0, 0);

while a fill colour of yellow (RGB: 255,255,0) would be

pdf_setcolor($pdf, "fill", "rgb", 1, 1, 0);

Next: Square Peg, Round Hole >>
 

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