Using the PDF Converter

The PDF Converter is available for use when the Save as PDF control is not present on a view or form or the designer don't want to use the Save as PDF control. The Broker also allows added functionality as you can specify dynamic URL’s and HTML and you are not limited to taking a snapshot of what is currently reflected on the screen. A snapshot can be taken for example of http://www.google.com.

When using the PDF Converter, the following should be considered:

  • Authorization inheritance will be broken by default on the SmartObject in order to prevent unauthorized use of this SmartObject in solutions. Security Administrators can grant view permissions on the SmartObject to specific users that are aware of the risks of using it in their solutions.

  • Since the PDF Converter relies heavily on manual input, the outcome can not be controlled and debugging might be required if the behavior does not conform to the intended use. It is important to ensure the correctness of what is captured before continuing with the process
  • It is highly recommended to rather use the Save as PDF control as all of the above is built into the logic behind the control
See the following resources for more information:

The PDF Converter has three functions:

  • Create PDF from HTML (raw HTML to PDF Format)
  • Create PDF from URL (Captures a URL to PDF Format)
  • Create PDF from HTML or URL

HTML - Creates a PDF file at a certain point in time
URL - Creates a PDF file upon load of the page

These functions are available in the ServiceObject Explorer when creating an Advanced SmartObject.