PDF Generator (FOP)¶

Version: 2.0.1

Create professional PDF documents from your XML files using Apache FOP (Formatting Objects Processor).

Overview¶

The PDF Generator combines your XML data with an XSL-FO stylesheet to create formatted PDF documents.

PDF Generator Overview The PDF / FOP panel with the input files, metadata, and options set

How It Works¶

XML Data + XSL-FO Stylesheet = PDF Document

XML File - Your data (the content you want in the PDF)
XSL-FO Stylesheet - A template defining layout and formatting
PDF Output - The generated document

The PDF / FOP Panel¶

In the Unified Shell, open the PDF / FOP activity from the activity bar. The panel is organized into three sections plus the primary action:

Section	Contents
INPUT	The XML (follows the active editor; Change fixes it to a file) and the XSL-FO stylesheet
METADATA	PDF Title, Author (pre-filled from your user name), Subject
OPTIONS	PDF/A-1b compliant toggle and the Page size (A4/Letter · Portrait/Landscape)
Generate PDF	Asks for the output file and renders off the UI thread

Step-by-Step Guide¶

Step 1: Select Your Files¶

Open your XML data file in the editor (or pick one via the INPUT section's Change, or drop an .xml file from your file manager onto the XML row)
Click Change on the stylesheet row to select your XSL-FO stylesheet - or drop an .xsl / .xslt file onto the row

You can also drag and drop files directly into the application.

Step 2: Set PDF Metadata (Optional)¶

Add metadata to your PDF document in the METADATA section:

Field	Description
Title	Document title
Author	Your name or organization (pre-filled from the configured user name)
Subject	What the document is about

Step 3: Options (Optional)¶

PDF/A-1b compliant - produces an archival-grade PDF. The stylesheet must use embeddable system fonts (e.g. Liberation Sans); the PDF base-14 fonts (Helvetica, Times, Courier) cannot be embedded and FOP will report exactly that.
Page size - passed to the stylesheet as the XSLT parameters page-size (A4/Letter) and page-orientation (Portrait/Landscape). Stylesheets that declare these parameters can switch their fo:simple-page-master accordingly.

Step 4: Generate the PDF¶

Click Generate PDF. You are asked where to save the output file, and the PDF is rendered in the background - the application stays responsive throughout.

Step 5: Preview¶

The generated PDF opens in the built-in PDF preview. You can: - Scroll through pages - Review the layout - Check formatting

The Preview and Open PDF buttons re-open the last result at any time.

Favorites Integration¶

Save frequently used XML and XSL-FO files for quick access:

Both INPUT rows carry a star menu next to their Change link - XML favorites for the input, XSLT favorites for the stylesheet - so you can pick a favorited file in one click.
Ctrl+D (or the Favorites panel's Add current) stars the active document.
The Favorites activity (star icon in the activity bar) lists all your saved files.

Learn more: Favorites System

Features¶

Feature	Description
Drag & Drop	Drop an `.xml` file onto the XML row or an `.xsl` / `.xslt` file onto the stylesheet row
Built-in Viewer	Preview PDFs without leaving the app
PDF Metadata	Add title, author, and subject
PDF/A-1b	Optional archival-grade output
Background Rendering	Generation runs off the UI thread
Favorites	Quick access to frequently used files

XSL-FO Basics¶

XSL-FO (Extensible Stylesheet Language Formatting Objects) defines how your XML content should be formatted in the PDF.

Simple Example¶

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0"
    xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"
    xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format">

  <xsl:template match="/">
    <fo:root>
      <fo:layout-master-set>
        <fo:simple-page-master master-name="A4"
            page-height="29.7cm" page-width="21cm"
            margin="2cm">
          <fo:region-body/>
        </fo:simple-page-master>
      </fo:layout-master-set>

      <fo:page-sequence master-reference="A4">
        <fo:flow flow-name="xsl-region-body">
          <fo:block font-size="24pt" font-weight="bold">
            <xsl:value-of select="/document/title"/>
          </fo:block>
          <fo:block font-size="12pt">
            <xsl:value-of select="/document/content"/>
          </fo:block>
        </fo:flow>
      </fo:page-sequence>
    </fo:root>
  </xsl:template>

</xsl:stylesheet>

Common FO Elements¶

Element	Description
`fo:block`	Paragraph or block of text
`fo:inline`	Inline text formatting
`fo:table`	Tables with rows and cells
`fo:external-graphic`	Images
`fo:page-number`	Current page number
`fo:leader`	Dots, lines, or space (for TOC)

Tips¶

Validate first - Ensure your XML and XSL-FO files are valid before generating
Check error messages - If generation fails, read the error details
Use the preview - Review the PDF in the built-in viewer
Save to favorites - Quick access to frequently used files
PDF/A and fonts - For PDF/A-1b output, use embeddable system fonts in your stylesheet (the PDF base-14 fonts like Helvetica cannot be embedded)

Troubleshooting¶

Problem	Solution
No output	Check the INPUT section shows both the XML and the XSL-FO stylesheet
Font issues (PDF/A)	Use embeddable system fonts in the stylesheet - see the PDF/A-1b note above
Image not showing	Check image path is correct and accessible
Generation fails	Check the error message for details

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