Generating a PDF File

[SephirGaine]

Hey ya'll. Just registered to the forums, but I suppose that I'll be using them quite often as I've been given the "opportunity" of revamping my company's website. Granted, it's a small company (3 people), but I have little previous web-design experience, so hopefully the questions I ask aren't too mundane.

Here's my first one. I want to enable the employees to have a web-based work request form generator. I figure a simple form will do the trick on the visual front, however what I'd really like to do is be able to take the information they enter, and generate it into a detailed PDF file, what with the company's logo, information, etc. We already have work request templates, however I would like for this form to simply "fill in the blanks" once they hit the generate button.

Basically, I just wanted some basic advice as to how I could go about doing this, or possibly, check to see if anyone can point me into the right direction so I can look it up myself. Thanks in advance!

[sypher]

Server side language such as PHP or ASP. When you choose one (ASP for Windows, PHP for Linux) search for generating PDF files in that specific language.

[SephirGaine]

Good stuff! Thanks for the quick reply.

[SephirGaine]

Sorry to post twice, but here's a follow-up question I've got, and I decided I shouldn't create another new topic for it.

When using variables in PHP, where is that variable stored? Is it kept within the PHP file, server-side or is it stored client-side, say, in the user's browser? Stupid question, I'm sure. But I want to know if the user would be able to cross several pages, and those variable values are still going to exist, basically until they're overwritten?

Hope it makes sense, anyways.

[sypher]

They are stored only at the time the script executes. If you wish to use a variable over multiple pages you have a few choices.

Global Variable
Store the variable in a cookie
Store the variable in a session
Include the variable via an outside source

Theres prob a few more aswell which i can think of at this moment in time.

[SephirGaine]

Awesome, thanks again, sypher.

[sypher]

O ye i forgot the obvious ones.

You can also store data over multiple pages by using the $_POST['data'] function or the $_GET['data']

To do this you have to store the variable information in a hidden form (not good for secure data) or for the get method you have to store the information via the url.
Thats why on sites you see index.php?userid=4&ls=xljus etc etc

[SephirGaine]

Ah, cool. I've used both those functions several times now, as I've got a form that submits the entered info to an email, and also a login page/members section that were both created using PHP/MySQL.

Good stuff, I should be able to get the PDF generator up-and-running, since I've got enough information about it. Thanks a ton for the help.

[ectimo]

Hey, u said u found ton of info on generating PDF files... could u post the sources. Thanks.

[SephirGaine]

Unfortunately I don't have the links straight off-hand, but when I get a chance I'll see if I can get them again. The biggest thing I found was a server-side extention called PDF-Lib, which made it very, very easy to generate PDF files through PHP coding, however I go through a webhost so I wasn't able to use PDF-Lib. I ended up going another route with what I needed for this, so soon after I found this information, I didn't need it anymore. I'll see if I can scrounge something up later tonight or tomorrow, but for now you can probably do a quick Google search on PDF-Lib and find lots of info.