The best PDF generation I have found is using Chrome headless via Puppeteer (https://developers.google.com/web/tools/puppeteer). For most reports, I generate a single source document in HTML that works with web browsers, Excel, and PDF.
Since you are already generating Excel documents, perhaps Excel -> HTML -> Puppeteer/PDF might be an option. I guess it all depends on Excel automation options. I have not done much on that end other than asking Excel to open HTML documents. Side note: 4D 18 includes some nice Zip commands. If you are willing to slog through a lot of details, 4D 18 can create Excel files using the XML and Zip commands without any plugins. John DeSoi, Ph.D. > On Feb 21, 2020, at 4:18 PM, rooftop99--- via 4D_Tech <[email protected]> > wrote: > > From within 4D, programmatically I need to grab an existing Excel document > and print it to PDF… (or “magically" transform it to PDF, if that option is > available.) > > We create Excel documents from 4D using Rob Laveaux’s powerful XL Plugin. We > print PDFs in 4D using the plugin: 4D PDF Printer. We now want to > automatically create both Excel and PDFs of the same data using the same > format. Rather than building two processes (forms, methods, etc) to handle > each flavor of a report, I would like to create and save the Excel doc first > then use that doc to create a PDF…. Anyone doing this or have ideas on how > this could be done? ********************************************************************** 4D Internet Users Group (4D iNUG) Archive: http://lists.4d.com/archives.html Options: https://lists.4d.com/mailman/options/4d_tech Unsub: mailto:[email protected] **********************************************************************
