Andy Robinson, ReportLab, Inc.
Track: Python
Date: Tuesday, July 08
Time: 1:45pm - 5:15pm
Location: Salon C
The ReportLab Toolkit is a powerful, full featured and stable library for generation of PDF documents and data-aware graphics in the Python language. As far as we are aware, no other document-generation library in any other language – free or commercial – approaches its ease of use or feature set.
When one combines this with Python’s unparalleled ability to acquire and integrate data from multiple sources, one can easily create “print engines” for a wide range of Open Source projects: cross-platform print engines for browsers, office packages and drawing programs; conventional database reporting systems; documentation and publishing systems which create books and manuals in real-time; eGovernment projects involving forms and paperwork automation; and a host of XML applications.
You will learn not only what the tools can do technically but how they can be used to transform business processes and enable totally new solutions.
The session should enable authors of other projects to start adding PDF capabilities immediately afterwards and will cover:
Installation, setup options
The canvas layer for direct vector graphics and text placement.
PLATYPUS – Page Layout and Typography Using Scripts –our layout engine for long document generations.
Graphics – creating charts and diagrams and including them both in ReportLab PDF documents and as bitmaps for the web, with identical font and text metrics on all platforms.
Utilities –the preppy template processor and the pyRXP XML parsing toolkit.
Best practice guidelines in XML to PDF Conversion
PythonPoint – how to make slides
What’s possible – examples of real-world reporting applications we have built over the last 3 years.
