Print2Pdf Bundle Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation:

   composer require cravler/print2pdf-bundle:dev-master
   

   Enable the bundle in config/bundles.php (required for Symfony < 4.4 or without Flex).

2. First Use Case: Generate a PDF from a URL in a controller:

   use Cravler\Print2PdfBundle\Service\Print2Pdf;
   
   public function generatePdf(Print2Pdf $print2Pdf)
   {
       $pdf = $print2Pdf->generate('https://example.com', [
           'paper_width' => 8.5,
           'paper_height' => 11,
       ]);
       return new Response($pdf, 200, ['Content-Type' => 'application/pdf']);
   }
   

3. Key Files:

   • src/Service/Print2Pdf.php: Core service class.
   • config/packages/cravler_print2pdf.yaml: Default configuration (if provided).

Implementation Patterns

Common Workflows

1. URL-to-PDF Pipeline:

   // Controller
   public function generateInvoicePdf(Print2Pdf $print2Pdf, $invoiceUrl)
   {
       $pdf = $print2Pdf->generate($invoiceUrl, [
           'landscape' => true,
           'header_template' => $this->renderView('invoice_header.html.twig'),
       ]);
       return $this->file($pdf, 'invoice.pdf');
   }
   

2. Dynamic HTML Generation:

   // Twig template: `invoice.html.twig`
   {{ render(controller('App\Controller\InvoiceController::generatePdfContent', {'id': invoice.id})) }}
   
   // Controller
   public function generatePdfContent($id)
   {
       $html = $this->renderView('invoice_content.html.twig', ['invoice' => $invoice]);
       return new Response($html);
   }
   

3. Batch Processing:

   public function generateBulkPdfs(array $urls, array $options = [])
   {
       $print2Pdf = $this->container->get(Print2Pdf::class);
       return array_map(fn($url) => $print2Pdf->generate($url, $options), $urls);
   }
   

Integration Tips

• Symfony Forms: Attach PDF generation to form submission:

  $form->handleRequest($request);
  if ($form->isSubmitted() && $form->isValid()) {
      $pdf = $print2Pdf->generateFromHtml($form->createView(), ['paper_width' => 11]);
      $this->addFlash('success', 'PDF generated!');
      return $this->redirectToRoute('download_pdf', ['pdf' => base64_encode($pdf)]);
  }
  

• Event Listeners: Trigger PDF generation on entity events (e.g., postPersist):

  public function onPostPersist(EntityManagerInterface $em, $entity)
  {
      if ($entity instanceof Invoice) {
          $pdf = $print2Pdf->generate($entity->getUrl());
          $entity->setPdf($pdf);
          $em->flush();
      }
  }
  

• Queue Workers: Offload heavy PDF generation to a queue (e.g., Symfony Messenger):

  $message = new GeneratePdfMessage($url, $options);
  $this->messageBus->dispatch($message);
  

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Dependency on go-print2pdf:

   • The bundle relies on a Go binary (go-print2pdf). Ensure it’s installed and accessible in your Docker container or server environment.
   • Fix: Include the Docker setup from the README or manually install the binary:

     go install github.com/cravler/go-print2pdf@latest
     

2. Timeout Handling:

   • Default timeout: 0 means no timeout. Set a reasonable value (e.g., 30) for production:

     $print2Pdf->generate($url, ['timeout' => 30]);
     

3. CSS/HTML Quirks:

   • Complex layouts (e.g., CSS Grid/Flexbox) may render poorly. Test with print_background: true if backgrounds are missing.
   • Workaround: Use @media print CSS rules for better control.

4. Memory Limits:

   • Generating large PDFs may hit PHP memory limits. Increase memory_limit in php.ini or use chunked processing.

Debugging

1. Check Binary Path:

   • If PDFs fail silently, verify the Go binary path:

     $print2Pdf->setBinaryPath('/path/to/go-print2pdf'); // Override if needed
     

2. Log Errors:

   • Wrap calls in try-catch to log failures:

     try {
         $pdf = $print2Pdf->generate($url);
     } catch (\Exception $e) {
         $this->logger->error('PDF generation failed', ['error' => $e->getMessage()]);
     }
     

3. Test Locally:

   • Use generateFromHtml() with static HTML to isolate issues:

     $html = file_get_contents('test.html');
     $pdf = $print2Pdf->generateFromHtml($html);
     

Extension Points

1. Custom Templates:

   • Extend header/footer templates by overriding the bundle’s Twig templates (if provided) or passing dynamic HTML:

     $print2Pdf->generate($url, [
         'header_template' => $this->renderView('custom_header.html.twig'),
     ]);
     

2. Post-Processing:

   • Chain with other libraries (e.g., setasign/fpdf) to add watermarks or signatures:

     $pdfContent = $print2Pdf->generate($url);
     $pdf = \FPDF::parse($pdfContent);
     $pdf->addPage();
     $pdf->write(0, 'Confidential');
     

3. Configuration:

   • Override default options in config/packages/cravler_print2pdf.yaml:

     cravler_print2pdf:
         default_options:
             paper_width: 11
             paper_height: 17
             landscape: true
     

   • Access via service:

     $print2Pdf->generate($url); // Uses configured defaults
     

4. Docker Optimization:

   • Cache the Go binary layer in Docker to speed up builds:

     FROM php:8.1 as builder
     RUN go install github.com/cravler/go-print2pdf@latest && \
         mv $(go env GOPATH)/bin/go-print2pdf /usr/local/bin/