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

Jonathan Schwartz jschwartz at exit445.com
Thu Jul 2 11:56:20 MDT 2009


Lesson: Always listen to Steve Winter.

;-)

Jonathan Schwartz
Exit 445 Group
415-370-5011

On Jul 2, 2009, at 1:34 PM, Steve Winter <steve at bluecrocodile.co.nz>  
wrote:

> 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
>>>>>>    _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>  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
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>  FX.php_List mailing list
>>>>>  FX.php_List at mail.iviking.org
>>>>>  http://www.iviking.org/mailman/listinfo/fx.php_list
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>   _______________________________________________
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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
>>> FX.php_List at mail.iviking.org
>>> http://www.iviking.org/mailman/listinfo/fx.php_list
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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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
>
> _______________________________________________
> FX.php_List mailing list
> FX.php_List at mail.iviking.org
> http://www.iviking.org/mailman/listinfo/fx.php_list
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