pdfChip app properties

This article describes all pdfChip app properties. It assumes that you are familiar with pdfChip and how it works, and it assumes you're equally familiar with Enfocus Switch, and how properties of tools, apps or configurators work.

1. Path to pdfChip

A required property that is used to set the path to the callas pdfChip command-line application. If you have different versions of pdfChip installed, you should select the one you want to use in Enfocus Switch.

2. Type of input data

Determines which type of job the pdfChip app will expect (refer to the article pdfChip app properties as well). This property allows three different settings.

2.1. Plain HTML/SVG file

Incoming jobs must be a single HTML or SVG file. The name of the input job doesn't matter. This file is used as the template for callas pdfChip.

2.2. Folder with index.html

Incoming jobs must be a folder. This folder must contain a file called "index.html". This HTML file is used as the callas pdfChip template. The folder may contain as many other files as necessary to support the HTML file. Subfolders with fonts, CSS files, scripts or anything else is allowed.

2.3. JSON file

Incoming jobs must be a single JSON file. Selecting this enables two additional properties:

  • Name: determines the name of the variable in which the content of your JSON file will be imported. This determines how you’re going to be able to use it inside of your template.
  • Path to HTML file: the full path to the HTML file you want to use. Typically, this is a file somewhere on the file system. As this property supports variables and script expressions, a different template could be used for different jobs.

3. Underlay and Overlay file

Both properties require you to specify a single HTML file. If specified, these are used as parameters of the callas pdfChip "underlay" and "overlay" command line parameters. Refer to the callas pdfChip documentation to see how these allow advanced pagination techniques.

 

4. Import data from JSON

To make templates dynamic, calls pdfChip allows importing data from a JSON file and then makes it available to the template while it is being converted to PDF. Set this property to "Yes" if you want to use this functionality, or "No" if you don't need it. Using this functionality enables two additional properties you need to set:

  • Name: determines the name of the variable in which the content of your JSON file will be imported. This determines how you’re going to be able to use it inside of your template.
  • Path to JSON file: the full path to the JSON file containing the data you want to make available to your template. This usually is a file somewhere on the file system, but with a small Switch script expression could also be configured as the path to a dataset connected to the incoming HTML template.

5. Maximum number of pages

Sometimes you know ahead of time how many pages your resulting PDF should have. Given that pdfChip uses an HTML formatting engine this can lead to problems if your page content comes close to the edge. Use this property to specify what the maximum number of pages is that the generated PDF file should have.

6. Remote content

In most cases, templates use only local data. Sometimes it may be necessary to allow a template to reach out and use remote data (pulled in from the Internet for example). As this is a potential security risk, you have to specifically allow that by setting this property to "Yes". Only do this if this is required in your flow.

7. Use License Server

If instead of licensing pdfChip locally, you use a  callas License Server, set this property to "Yes" and use the "License Server" property to specify the URL (and port if necessary) of the License Server(s) you have running.

8. Additional CLI parameters

Use this property to specify any additional command line parameters that would not yet be supported by this pdfChip app through the use of properties.