[FX.php List] PHP question: Presenting the user with multiple pages from each result

Thu Jul 2 11:34:57 MDT 2009

Hi John,

In many ways you have come full circle, in that .pdf generation was  
the way to go... rather than abandoning that idea it may have been  
better to move the location of that pdf generation from FMP to PHP,  
which is what the fpdf class I've mentioned and PDFlib which Leo  
mentioned would have helped you do... ;-)

That said, yes, your current solution makes sense, and was my  
'suggestion 3'....

Cheers
Steve

On 2 Jul 2009, at 18:21, John Funk wrote:

> It seems I may have run full circle, my original plan was to have  
> FileMaker make the PDFs from an FM layout, but export to PDF is NOT  
> supported on FMServer, so I changed to a PHP / FM generated HTML  
> page but now found out having css / multiple pages is a web browser  
> compatibility problem.
> For simplicity, I am thinking of creating the HTML labels one by one  
> with a javascript print button and a next button to get the next  
> record / label.
> Make sense?
> John
>
>
> On 7/2/09 7:27 AM, "Steve Winter" <steve at bluecrocodile.co.nz> wrote:
>
>> Hi John,
>>
>> I'd suggest staying far, far away from Java...! though I presume in  
>> this instance you mean JavaScript... and unfortunately if you want  
>> to do anything client-side that's really your only option (other  
>> than plugins, or Java, or flash or some other technology), and I'm  
>> afraid the triggering the print dialog needs to be done client  
>> side.... note that this won't actually print the document, it has  
>> the same effect as the user doing CTRL-P or CMD-P on their  
>> keyboard, they then need to click the 'ok' button...
>>
>> Yes, option one involves re-writing what you've already done,  
>> however my experience in this is that anything which you want the  
>> user to print, and in which the layout/formatting is important, is  
>> best managed through a pdf... it's why when you checkin online with  
>> most airlines you end up with a pdf...
>>
>> The css pagebreak code works, to some degree or another, but it's  
>> far from 'bullet-proof', see http://reference.sitepoint.com/css/page-break-after#compatibilitysection 
>>  for more on this...
>>
>> Option 3, yes, it involves javascript, however it only involves  
>> minor changes to the label generation functionality that you have  
>> now...
>>
>> Cheers
>> Steve
>>
>>
>>
>> On 2 Jul 2009, at 13:01, John Funk wrote:
>>
>>> I like option 1 but I already have my php page that builds the  
>>> label in html. Looks like I would need to reconstruct the page  
>>> withfpdf?
>>>  Option 2 seem the most logical.....is there any PHP function /  
>>> code that will do the printing from a button? I’d like to stay  
>>> away from java.
>>>  Option 3, again Javascript....
>>>
>>>  Good ideas, thanks
>>>
>>>
>>>  On 7/2/09 6:46 AM, "Steve Winter" <steve at bluecrocodile.co.nz>  
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hi John,
>>>>
>>>>  Not sure that I follow, but I'll throw up a few ideas and see  
>>>> what sticks...
>>>>
>>>>  1. what about using fpdf to create a multipage pdf document  
>>>> which contains all the labels, which the user can then print...?
>>>>  2. css does offer 'pagebreak' options, which most modern  
>>>> browsers will obey, so you could insert those between the labels,  
>>>> on just one page...
>>>>  3. you could show the first label, use javascript to pop-up the  
>>>> users print dialog, so that they can print that doc, then have a  
>>>> 'NEXT LABEL' button at the top of the label which takes the user  
>>>> to the next page in the set, and use a print specific css sheet  
>>>> to hide that button...
>>>>
>>>>  Any help...? did I miss the point completely...??
>>>>
>>>>  Cheers
>>>>  Steve
>>>>
>>>>  On 2 Jul 2009, at 12:35, John Funk wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> In my solution the user fills out a from to request a label, the  
>>>>> label record is created and shown on a php from.
>>>>>   Now my client wants to have the user to be able to enter the  
>>>>> number of labels required and each label ( a diferent FM record)  
>>>>> presented to the user on a separate web page, one after one.
>>>>>   Is there a php function /class I could use to print? And then  
>>>>> I could find the next record and display.
>>>>>   Thanks
>>>>>   John
>>>>>    _______________________________________________
>>>>>  FX.php_List mailing list
>>>>>  FX.php_List at mail.iviking.org
>>>>>  http://www.iviking.org/mailman/listinfo/fx.php_list
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Steve Winter
>>>>  steve at bluecrocodile.co.nz <mailto:steve at matatirosolutions.co.uk>
>>>>  m: +44 77 7852 4776
>>>>  3 Calshot Court, Channel Way
>>>>  Ocean Village, Southampton SO14 3GR
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>> Steve Winter
>> steve at bluecrocodile.co.nz <mailto:steve at matatirosolutions.co.uk>
>> m: +44 77 7852 4776
>> 3 Calshot Court, Channel Way
>> Ocean Village, Southampton SO14 3GR
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> FX.php_List mailing list
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>
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Steve Winter
steve at bluecrocodile.co.nz
m: +44 77 7852 4776
3 Calshot Court, Channel Way
Ocean Village, Southampton SO14 3GR

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