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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:

See How To: Create a PDF file using the PDF Converter in an Advanced SmartObject for an example of converting an existing web page into a PDF file using the Create PDF from URL method.

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.

Properties

Properties	Description
HTML string	This must be an HTML value, and could be something as follows: <html> <body> <h1>My First Heading</h1> <p>My first paragraph.</p> </body> </html>
URL string	This is the entire URL that you are attempting to access, for example: http://www.google.com
SmartObject Name	The SmartObject used to create the PDF file. The default PDF SmartObject is called PDFFile. If another SmartObject was created with the correct properties as mentioned in the Save as PDF control topic, this name can be used
SmartObject Method	Type Create
SmartObject File Property Name	Type PDF
ID Property Name	Type ID
File Name	Type a name for the PDF file
Page Size	Type a Page Size, see the Save as PDF control topic for Page sizes
Page Orientation	Type the Page Orientation, see the Save as PDF control topic for Page Orientation options
URL Base	The base value of your URL. If the URL you’re aiming at contains any parameters, they should be included in the above “URL string” value, but excluded from the value provided here. As such, this value will also be something like: http://www.google.com
Clean iFrames	Set to True by default. Definitions: True - The broker ensures that it can ping each Content control URL and if unsuccessful replaces it with a non-crashing URL that renders to be displayed on the PDF created and inform the user that the page could not load. When using many Content controls on a Form, setting it to true might have a performance impact. False - The broker will try and render the content of Content controls. If the URL cannot be located as a result of no internet connectivity for example the PDF document will not be created. Typically it would be set to false if it can be guaranteed that all Content controls will render when the PDF document is rendered.
Left Margin	Sets the left margin of the generated PDF in points. Points: 1pt = 1/72 of an inch. The default is 72pt. Specify numeric (1in) or point (72pt) values.
Right Margin	Sets the right margin of the generated PDF in points. Points: 1pt = 1/72 of 1 inch. The default is 72pt. Specify numeric (1in) or point (72pt) values.
Top Margin	Sets the top margin of the generated PDF in points. Points: 1pt = 1/72 of 1 inch. The default is 72pt. Specify numeric (1in) or point (72pt) values.
Bottom Margin	Sets the bottom margin of the generated PDF in points. Points: 1pt = 1/72 of 1 inch. The default is 72pt. Specify numeric (1in) or point (72pt) values.
ID Property Value	The value of the record ID of the SmartObject that was executed. Select the property name in the “ID Property Name” field. The value of this property populates the PDF Control value after an execution was successfully done. Can be used in a workflow to load the saved PDF file