How to make a PDF file with RPG

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Versionning 

• 2006-06-11 first publication
• 2008-09-01 Many ehancements 
  • procedures are now externalized into a service program : JP4PDFS. This service program is a blender. It is tailored to match your usual programming architecture It contains only the H specs and /includes. All the effective code is into three included source members that may not need update when you will load next version :
  • JP4PDFSC : the Code of the procedures
  • JP4PDFSD : the private prototypes and Data descriptions
  • JP4PDFSP : the Public prototypes and fields
  • JP4PDFS offers the availability of PDF ciphering  
  • JP4PDF1 is obsolete, replaced by JP4PDFS*   
  • The PdfFile structure is updated : the number of objects is close to the maxi 64k: >15000 obj  
  • The deprecated procedures remains in the SRVPGM, inaccessible, they are there the time to be sure they don't serve  
  • The management of the pictures is completely rebuilt  : 
    The PdfPreloadBMP24 and PdfPreloadJpeg procs must be called only one time per program, and before the first PdfNewFile. it is here that one gives the name of the file picture   
    The PdfMemLoadBMP24  and pdfMemLoadJpeg procs replace the former proc PdfLoadBMP24 and PdfLoadJpeg.
    If the PDF is not encrypted, the picture can pass the 64kb limit. 
  • The cryptage stumble very brutally on the 64k limit.
    It is not a problem for the text but for the pictures.
    Lower the quality of JPEG logo bottom to 64kb/5*4 (/5*4 because of base85 encryption) with PC tools like MS Photo Editor. Got quality quite acceptable.  
  • I didn't made a proc to calculate the permissions. A permission is stupidly the sum of the elementary permissions    .
    Example: (the required constants are defined int JP4PDFSP) to grant the right to nothing but the accessibility,   
    permission = Pdf_Allow_Reset + Pdf_Allow_Extract  
  • PdfNewFile also has another parameter: Title, to set the properties of the PDF.  
  • I had a lot of problem with drag&drop between iNavigator and explorer of vista.   
    * repetitive errors with explorer  
    * Copy mistakes, with errors at Adobe reader file opening   
    * unattended convertions in Unicode, whereas I didn't ask for anything   
    Since I FTP them from the IBMi toward my disk, that goes well better.   
    but I always have some mistakes when opening of the pdf . Take care when transferring PDF files from IFS to elsewhere. a PDF file is a binary file, not a text file.
  • PdfTexStrLen calculate the length of a string : this permits to make PdfTextRight and PdfTextCenter.
    Works only with Helvet font. To do for Courier and Times. 
  • PdfNewLine returns to the beginning of the following line.   
    Before it remained aligned on the beginning of the previous line  
    Perhaps a bad idea. Remaining aligned to previous line is a pretty feature. 
    I will add a procedure something like PdfTextToLeftMargin
  • PdfCloseRoot has a parameter: Pagemode. To specify if it is necessary to display or not the bookmarks (band on left).
    by default: none (before, the value was frozen on UseOutLines)  
  • PdfNewPage has 4 new parameters, to fix the margins of page,
  • that's all for today.
• 2008-10-15 Signature handling
• JP4PDFS has now it's binder to handle the *SRVPGM signature
• RPG code to  blend all the includes is now JP4PDFS_M
• I've restored PdfTextNewLine to it's previous pretty feature : stay vertically aligned to previous line.
• So there is a new proc : PdfTextToLeft to provide the missing feature : going back to left margin.
• 2009-10-14 .
• PdfPalette a wide range of color, native PDF colors
• new functions to handle colors :PdfSetColorRGB, PdfSetColorCMYK, PdfSetColorHTML, PdfStrmFillingColorHTML, PdfStrmStrokingColorHTML.
• 2009-11-01.
• new function PdfPie. This function permits to draw PieCharts. This function is a fondation function, and need to be embedded in a function of  higher level of abstraction.
• PdfTextStrLen now compute string size under Helvet, Time, Courier ans Zapf fonts. The demonstrator program PDFCHARSET shows the name and the size of each character under each reader's font.
• 2010-05-02.
• A bunch of new functions to draw charts : 
• PDFCALCARC          
• PDFCALCCONCAVE      
• PDFCALCCONVEXE      
• PDFCALCULATETICKS   
• PDFCHARTFREE
• PDFCHARTINIT
• PDFDRAWADDARC       
• PDFDRAWADDCONCAVE   
• PDFDRAWADDCONVEXE   
• PDFDRAWADDCORONA    
• PDFDRAWADDDAISY   
• PDFDRAWCHART
• PDFEDIT     
• PDFELEMENTADD
• PDFSERIECLOSE
• PDFSERIEOPEN
• PDFSERIESINIT
• PDFSTYLE    
• They permit to draw these kind of charts : PdfChart  (don't focus on colors, they are choosed randomly. Not ugly; but not artistic)
•  2010-10-22
• correction on PdfTextStrLen. The embbeded %trim has undesired side effects, such as returning zero for a string full of space. Space  (in chars) need space (in pixels). PdfTextStrLen is splitted in two functions :
• first, PdfTextSTrLen, does not do the %trim so it does the computation on the full transmitted string, space included
• second, PdfTextFStrLen trims the transmetted string and return the length of the trimmed string.
•  2010-11-11
• correction on PdfLoadJpeg for image bigger than 64K
•  2012-04-01
• Barcode for code128, 2 of 5 and code39, RPG code by Martin Lorang

last version : The SaveFiles

PdfPalette.pdf, the PDF color palette, under different presentations.

PdfPaletteCMYK.pdf same, but using CMYK device.

PdfCharacterSet.pdf Character name and size, for each internal font of the PDF Reader.

Before compiling JP4PDFD* programs, update the target PDF file names. They are currently located to /home/lamontre: change these 7 lines:
 Jpl =pdfpreloadjpeg ('/Home/Lamontre/jpl.jpg');
 Logo =pdfpreloadjpeg ('/Home/Lamontre/logo.jpg');
 bmp = pdfpreloadbmp24('/Home/Lamontre/rgb.bmp' );
 IfsName='/Home/Lamontre/Pdf5a.pdf';
 IfsName='/Home/Lamontre/Pdf5b.pdf';
 IfsName='/Home/Lamontre/Pdf5c.pdf';
 IfsName='/Home/Lamontre/Pdf5d.pdf';
the thee pictures are here:
jpl.jpg
logo.jpg
rgb.bmp

The JP4PDFD* rpg progs are demonstrators. They shows how to make PDF files in RPG from scratch, only by calling typical PDF procedures. These tools have been made based on the PDF 1.4 reference book (9Mo) (2001-11-29) Compressed version available at Adobe site

Nota : read the chapter 1.4 Intellectual Property. As I have understoud, (i'm not fluent in english) anyone can build a PDF file with general Adobe permission. Anyone who uses the copyrighted list of data structures and operators, as stated above [in the Intellectual property chapter], must include an appropriate copyright notice.

Produced file : 

The demonstrator shows most tools to work with text and transformation, and also show mixing pictures and text.

Rotation

Question received 2009-03-27
This question comes from the SystemINetwork forum : http://forums.systeminetwork.com/isnetforums/showthread.php?t=53991

Hi
I've been writing PDFs from within RPG for some time now using the excellent examples from JPL as a basis. I've just tried to introduce the rotation function and I'd really appreciate a bit of help as to why I cannot get it to work properly. The code below is an extract from my code which successfully prints Rotate 1 correctly at an angle, but totally ignores the instruction to print Rotate 2. It then goes on to happily print further text without rotation.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, as always.
Regards
Paul

Answer
There are many things to say to comment the PdfReader's issues.
Note : FoxitReader is less sensitive to errors than AdobeReader
You should test your programs with these two readers.

So, what happens ?

There is a physical error

If this PDF has a page after this test page, when you try to read this next page, Adobe send a message saying that there is an error on the page.
What does that means ?
This means Adobe is completely lost, so it has ignored some dirty code.
Why is it lost ?
Because there are page instruction into text instruction.
Page instructions are generated by PdfStrm* functions
Text instruction  are generated by PdfText* functions
In the resulting stream
(MyStream=mydraw+mytext;)
Text instruction always starts with a PdfTextOpen() and are closed by a PdfTextClose().

Opposite, Draw instructions are more tolerant.
You can mix PdfStrm* with PdfDraw* instructions with far less issues.
But issues are not excluded.
When you start using PdfDrawAdd* instructions, take care of using a PdfDrawClose*

There is also a logical error

The origin of each page is, just after PdfNewPage(), at bottom left.
You can PdfDrawGoto or PdfTextGoto as much as you want, this does not change the coordinates of the point of origin

Rotate is in the PdfStrm instruction group.
Rotate is applied on the whole page.
This means that, in your test,
the things you do are
* NewPage
- stick a tack at (0,0)  IE at the bottom left of the page
- set your pencil at (0,0)
* Rotate 300
- set your pencil up
- rotate the page, depending on the tack, to the left of 30 degrees
- set your pencil down
* goto 20 : 400
* add "Rotate 1"
- write "Rotate 1"
  As you can see in your PDF, the text is visible but probably not at the place you was waiting it.
* Rotate 180
- set your pencil at (0,0)
- set your pencil up
- rotate the page, depending on the tack, to the right of 180 degrees
  Try it youself with a true paper sheet : you have your pencil out of the paper
- set your pencil down
* add "Rotate 2"
- write "Rotate 2"
  You write out of the paper



Try this

Blank text

I've set the text with PdfTextAdd, I can select it under Adobe reader, but it shows blank text.

I can see the text correctly with Foxit

There is a missing PdfTextClose after the PdfTextAdd.