3 replies to this topic

[IngoVals]

I've been looking into solutions for a Dynamic Document creation. It seems there aren't many.

What I'm looking into to be specific is too have a templated word processing document with placeholders, then when someone requests a form the requested data is pulled from the database and put into the template and sent to the requester in some form ( .pdf for example ).

Only thing I currently have is the OpenXML standard wich is very lacking in features and support. I refuse to believe that a feature like this that is probably used and or wanted by so many people hasn't been created by some company out there.

With MSWord I've been sucessful in creating a document with Content Control placeholders, then attach a CustomXML and create a Databinding from the Content Control. I've not found a way to define the Content Controls beforehand ( maybe to the XMLSchema of the CustomXML ) too make the template creation better or how to do more complicated things like a for each loop through items that can be none too many off.
Now I know that this is probably possible but I worry about the future when CustomXML is not gonna be supported by Word anymore. Also there is VSTO that I haven't looked into but might if someone here can assure that this will work.

I'm seeing here a huge gap in solutions that should be filled by some ambitious company, or perhaps I just don't know about the one that does exist.

Opinions please!

[abzero]

What you probably want is Itext (comes in Both Java and C# forms.) It has built in support for Pdf templates which allow you to define a template then add your data. That would give you pdf.

Apache POI project has support for Word generation, and Excel generation.

Then there's the possibility of generating things such as LaTeX, or SGML or other tagged document structure.

Even more simply is a HTML template. Or you can go all out and create your own say XML represntation and then generate a number of filters
which tag that and give you what ever output you require.

[IngoVals]

abzero said:

What you probably want is Itext (comes in Both Java and C# forms.) It has built in support for Pdf templates which allow you to define a template then add your data. That would give you pdf.

Apache POI project has support for Word generation, and Excel generation.

Then there's the possibility of generating things such as LaTeX, or SGML or other tagged document structure.

Even more simply is a HTML template. Or you can go all out and create your own say XML represntation and then generate a number of filters
which tag that and give you what ever output you require.

Yeah I'm currently just adding all the things using OpenXML SDK, it works, it's also alot of work. I'm worried about how easy creating the templates for it might be though because they need to be created by non-tech savie people. I guessing building blocks in word could be somehow used for this.

How easy is it creating the templates for this iText?

[abzero]

From what I understand, you create a pdf file to serve as your template, then using itext you add additional parts to it. I've only started learning about Itext, so best to go to its homepage and read from there iText, a F/OSS Java-PDF library: Product.