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[TOC]
Let's start with the classic example:
from fpdf import FPDF
pdf = FPDF()
pdf.add_page()
pdf.set_font('Arial', 'B', 16)
pdf.cell(40, 10, 'Hello World!')
pdf.output('tuto1.pdf', 'F')After including the library file, we create an FPDF object. The FPDF constructor is used here with the default values: pages are in A4 portrait and the measure unit is millimeter. It could have been specified explicitly with:
pdf = FPDF('P', 'mm', 'A4')It is possible to use landscape (L), other page formats (such as Letter and
Legal) and measure units (pt, cm, in).
There is no page for the moment, so we have to add one with add_page. The origin is at the upper-left corner and the current position is by default placed at 1 cm from the borders; the margins can be changed with set_margins.
Before we can print text, it is mandatory to select a font with set_font, otherwise the document would be invalid. We choose Arial bold 16:
pdf.set_font('Arial', 'B', 16)We could have specified italics with I, underlined with U or a regular font
with an empty string (or any combination). Note that the font size is given in
points, not millimeters (or another user unit); it is the only exception. The
other standard fonts are Times, Courier, Symbol and ZapfDingbats.
We can now print a cell with cell. A cell is a rectangular area, possibly framed, which contains some text. It is output at the current position. We specify its dimensions, its text (centered or aligned), if borders should be drawn, and where the current position moves after it (to the right, below or to the beginning of the next line). To add a frame, we would do this:
pdf.cell(40, 10, 'Hello World!', 1)To add a new cell next to it with centered text and go to the next line, we would do:
pdf.cell(60, 10, 'Powered by FPDF.', 0, 1, 'C')Remark: the line break can also be done with ln. This method allows to specify in addition the height of the break.
Finally, the document is closed and sent to the browser with output. We could have saved it in a file by passing the desired file name.
Caution: in case when the PDF is sent to the browser, nothing else must be output, not before nor after (the least space or carriage return matters). If you send some data before, you will get the error message: "Some data has already been output to browser, can't send PDF file". If you send after, your browser may display a blank page.
Here is a two page example with header, footer and logo:
from fpdf import FPDF
class PDF(FPDF):
def header(self):
# Logo
self.image('logo_pb.png', 10, 8, 33)
# Arial bold 15
self.set_font('Arial', 'B', 15)
# Move to the right
self.cell(80)
# Title
self.cell(30, 10, 'Title', 1, 0, 'C')
# Line break
self.ln(20)
# Page footer
def footer(self):
# Position at 1.5 cm from bottom
self.set_y(-15)
# Arial italic 8
self.set_font('Arial', 'I', 8)
# Page number
self.cell(0, 10, 'Page ' + str(self.page_no()) + '/{nb}', 0, 0, 'C')
# Instantiation of inherited class
pdf = PDF()
pdf.alias_nb_pages()
pdf.add_page()
pdf.set_font('Times', '', 12)
for i in range(1, 41):
pdf.cell(0, 10, 'Printing line number ' + str(i), 0, 1)
pdf.output('tuto2.pdf', 'F')This example makes use of the header and footer methods to process page headers and footers. They are called automatically. They already exist in the FPDF class but do nothing, therefore we have to extend the class and override them.
The logo is printed with the image method by specifying its upper-left corner and its width. The height is calculated automatically to respect the image proportions.
To print the page number, a null value is passed as the cell width. It means
that the cell should extend up to the right margin of the page; it is handy to
center text. The current page number is returned by
the page_no method; as for
the total number of pages, it is obtained by means of the special value {nb}
which will be substituted on document closure (provided you first called
alias_nb_pages).
Note the use of the set_y method which allows to set
position at an absolute location in the page, starting from the top or the
bottom.
Another interesting feature is used here: the automatic page breaking. As soon
as a cell would cross a limit in the page (at 2 centimeters from the bottom by
default), a break is performed and the font restored. Although the header and
footer select their own font (Arial), the body continues with Times. This
mechanism of automatic restoration also applies to colors and line width. The
limit which triggers page breaks can be set with
set_auto_page_break.
Let's continue with an example which prints justified paragraphs. It also illustrates the use of colors.
from fpdf import FPDF
title = '20000 Leagues Under the Seas'
class PDF(FPDF):
def header(self):
# Arial bold 15
self.set_font('Arial', 'B', 15)
# Calculate width of title and position
w = self.get_string_width(title) + 6
self.set_x((210 - w) / 2)
# Colors of frame, background and text
self.set_draw_color(0, 80, 180)
self.set_fill_color(230, 230, 0)
self.set_text_color(220, 50, 50)
# Thickness of frame (1 mm)
self.set_line_width(1)
# Title
self.cell(w, 9, title, 1, 1, 'C', 1)
# Line break
self.ln(10)
def footer(self):
# Position at 1.5 cm from bottom
self.set_y(-15)
# Arial italic 8
self.set_font('Arial', 'I', 8)
# Text color in gray
self.set_text_color(128)
# Page number
self.cell(0, 10, 'Page ' + str(self.page_no()), 0, 0, 'C')
def chapter_title(self, num, label):
# Arial 12
self.set_font('Arial', '', 12)
# Background color
self.set_fill_color(200, 220, 255)
# Title
self.cell(0, 6, 'Chapter %d : %s' % (num, label), 0, 1, 'L', 1)
# Line break
self.ln(4)
def chapter_body(self, name):
# Read text file
with open(name, 'rb') as fh:
txt = fh.read().decode('latin-1')
# Times 12
self.set_font('Times', '', 12)
# Output justified text
self.multi_cell(0, 5, txt)
# Line break
self.ln()
# Mention in italics
self.set_font('', 'I')
self.cell(0, 5, '(end of excerpt)')
def print_chapter(self, num, title, name):
self.add_page()
self.chapter_title(num, title)
self.chapter_body(name)
pdf = PDF()
pdf.set_title(title)
pdf.set_author('Jules Verne')
pdf.print_chapter(1, 'A RUNAWAY REEF', '20k_c1.txt')
pdf.print_chapter(2, 'THE PROS AND CONS', '20k_c2.txt')
pdf.output('tuto3.pdf', 'F')The get_string_width method allows determining the length of a string in the current font, which is used here to calculate the position and the width of the frame surrounding the title. Then colors are set (via set_draw_color, set_fill_color and set_text_color) and the thickness of the line is set to 1 mm (against 0.2 by default) with set_line_width. Finally, we output the cell (the last parameter to true indicates that the background must be filled).
The method used to print the paragraphs is multi_cell. Each time a line reaches the right extremity of the cell or a carriage return character is met, a line break is issued and a new cell automatically created under the current one. Text is justified by default.
Two document properties are defined: the title (set_title) and the author (set_author). Properties can be viewed by two means. First is to open the document directly with Acrobat Reader, go to the File menu and choose the Document Properties option. The second, also available from the plug-in, is to right-click and select Document Properties.
Previously, to import the object you should use the pyfpdf package:
from pyfpdf import FPDFAfter version 1.7, to import it you should use the fpdf package:
from fpdf import FPDF