HTML based custom reports – generate optional information

The previous article (HTML based custom reports) explained the different components of the HTML based custom report. In this article you will learn how to add additional pages to your custom HTML report.

Note: The optional pages are available since pdfToolbox 14 (and pdfaPilot 12) – The optional pages "Image resolution" and  "Small objects" are available since pdfToolbox 15 (and pdfaPilot 13)

The custom PDF report contains an overview page that summarizes information about the preflighted document, the environment and information about the executed profile with a list of Errors, Infos, Warnings and Fixups. Until pdfToolbox 14 the report did not provide any information about spot colors, page size, ink amount, ink coverage or seperation previews. Now you have the possibility to order seven additional pages in the manifest.xml that are then added to your custom PDF report:

  • Page information
  • Ink coverage
  • Ink amount
  • Spot color information
  • Separation preview
  • Small objects
  • Image resolution

All the parameters are part of the <x:results> section of the manifest.xml.

Note: If you do not find the additional information listed below in your manifest.xml, or if you still get the old layout for the overview page, this may be because you imported the old libraries and resources when you upgraded to pdfToolbox 14/ pdfToolbox 15. If this is the case, you can simply create a new library (including resources) to get the new template, or you can replace the old templates folder with the folder attached below.

How to open the manifest.xml?

The additional information can be ordered manually via the manifest.xml. The following screenshot documents how to get to the manifest.xml:

  1. When generating a report, click on the "Browse…" button in the settings section.
  2. A new window into the file system opens where the Template folder is stored. 
  3. The overview folder is the predefined Template folder.
  4. In this folder the manifest.xml ist stored.

How to order the optional information in the manifest.xml?

Since these pages are optional, you decide if you want to add one or all pages to your report or not. The default is that none of these information will be generated and added to the report. All five parameters are commented out in the manifest.xml with  <!-- and -->:

To add one page to your report all you have to do is uncomment the parameter:

Now the parameter is uncomment and present in the manifest.xml.

You want to add all optional pages to your report?

If you want to add all pages to your PDF report, we provide a template for download, where all optional information in manifest.xml is already uncommented. Just follow the instructions:

1. Download one of the templates below:

  • overview_with_optional_pages.zip: earliest support version = pdfToolbox 14
  • overview_with_optional_pages_pdfToolbox15.zip: earliest support version = pdfToolbox 15
overview_with_optional_pages.zip
overview_with_optional_pages_pdfToolbox15.zip

2. Add the downloaded template to the "Templates" folder. The screenshot at the beginning of the article shows you how to get to the template folder.

3. In order to display the new template in pdfToolbox, the "Save" dialog must be opened again. Then the template "PDF report (Overview with optional pages)" can be selected in the settings options.

Parameters for the optional report information

The show option

All optional information parameters have a show option.

The default for the show option is show="1". This means that the data will be generated and the optional page will be added to the report.

If you want to use your own template you can set show="0".  This will generate the data for the specific parameter, but not the optional report page.

Ink amount heatmaps 

<x:inkamountheatmaps resolution="20" threshold="300" onlyproblems="1" pageselector="all" show="1"/>
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Creates ink amount heatmap previews and show ink amount for all pages or selected pages by highlighting any area of the file that goes over a certain threshold. The visuals that are created are similar to the visualizer mode "Ink coverage".  

Parameters

  • resolution : Resolution in ppi for ink amount previews (Default: "20")
  • threshold : Threshold in % for ink amount previews (Default: "300")
  • pageselector: Selected pages for previews (Default: "all") (click here for full pageselector syntax)
  • onlyproblems: Only emit pages that have problems (Default: "1") (earliest support version = pdfToolbox 15)
  • show: Add ink amount section to custom report (Default: "1"), show="0" will only generate the data

Example ink amount report page

Ink coverage 

<x:inkcoverage resolution="10" pagebox="CropBox" pageselector="all" listpages="1" show="1"/>
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If present the page "Ink coverage" is added to the PDF report. The ink coverage information can refer to all or selected pages. For large files, the creation of this page may take some time, since all pages must be rendered. 

Parameters

  • resolution: Resolution in ppi for ink coverage determination (Default: "10")
  • pagebox: Page box for ink coverage (Default: "CropBox")
  • pageselector: Selected pages for ink coverage information in custom report (Default: "all") (click here for full pageselector syntax)           
  • listpages:  Add ink coverage information per Page (Default: "1"), listpages="0" will only list ink coverage for the hole document (total)
  • show: Add ink coverage section to custom report (Default: "1"), show="0" will only generate the data

Example ink coverage report page

Spot color information 

<x:spotcolors pageselector="all" show="1"/>
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If present the spot color information is generated. The spot color information page will contain all used spot colors including the spot color name, the alternate color space and value and on which pages the color has been used. 

Parameters

  • pageselector: Selected pages for spot color information in custom report, default: "all" (click here for full pageselector syntax)
  • show: Add spot color section to custom report (Default: "1"), show="0" will only generate the data

Example Spot color report page

Seperation preview for Process and Spot colors 

<x:separations type="spotifpresent" resolution="20" pageselector="all" show="1"/>
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Creates separation previews for process separation (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) and spot color separation.

Parameters

  • resolution: Resolution in ppi for separation previews (Default: "20")
  • type: Type for separation views, any of (earliest support version = pdfToolbox 15):
    • "all": all separation views (Process separation and spot color separation pages are always created)
    • "process": Only process color separation views
    • "spot": Only spot color separation views
    • "spotifpresent": Process color separation views and only spot color separation views if document has spot color (Default)
  • pageselector: Selected pages for previews (Default: "all") (click here for full pageselector syntax)
  • show: Add separation preview section to custom report (Default: "1"), show="0" will only generate the data

Example separation preview report page

Page information 

<x:pageinfo pageselector="1" resolution="20" safetyzoneinside="3mm" safetyzoneoutside="3mm" usebleedbox="0" unit="mm" show="1"/>
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Generates a page information for the first page by default. This provides the sizes of all page geometry boxes, as well as an information about the page rotation and the page scaling factor. If a page scaling factor is set, you also get the effective sizes of the geometry boxes. A preview images with a predefined safety zone and highlighted TrimBox and BleedBox is also part of the page. Additionally you get the information if all pages of the document have the same size or not. 

If multiple pages are specified in the pageselector, only the first selected page will be considered for the template report.

Parameters

  • resolution:  Resolution in ppi for safety zone preview (Default: "20")        
  • pageselector: Selected pages for previews (Default: "1") (click here for full pageselector syntax)
  • safetyzoneinside:   Safety zone inside  (Default: "3 mm")
  • safetyzoneoutside :  Safety zone outside (Default: "3 mm")
  • usebleedbox:  Use bleed box if existing (Default: "0")
  • unit: Unit for page geometry boxes. Options: mm, pt, cm, inch (Default: "mm")              
  • show:  Add page information section to custom report (Default: "1"), show="0" will only generate the data

Example page information report page

Image resolution 

<x:imageresolution type="img" resolution="20" imgthreshold="150" bmpthreshold="550" onlyproblems="1" pageselector="all" show="1"/>
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Creates the Image Resolution report page, which shows all pages where an image resolution is below the specified threshold by highlighting those images. The visuals that are created are similar to the visualizer mode "Image resolution".  

Parameters

  • type: Image type for image resolution views, any of:
    • "all": all image resolution views
    • "img": image resolution views (Default)
    • "bmp": bitmap resolution views
  • resolution: Resolution in ppi for image resolution previews (Default: "20")
  • imgthreshold: Threshold in ppi for image resolution previews (Default: "150")
  • bmpthreshold: Threshold in ppi for bitmap resolution previews (Default: "550")
  • onlyproblems: Only emit pages that have problems (Default: "1")
  • pageselector: Selected pages for previews (Default: "all") (click here for full pageselector syntax)              
  • show: Add page information section to custom report (Default: "1"), show="0" will only generate the data

Small objects 

<x:smallobjects type="all" threshold="medium" resolution="20" onlyproblems="1" pageselector="all" show="1"/>
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Creates the Small Objects report page and displays thin line objects and/or small text objects for all pages or selected pages by highlighting any object that is below a specified threshold. The visuals that are created are similar to the visualizer mode "Small objects".  

Parameters

  • type: Type of small objects, any of:
    • "all": all small object views (Default)
    • "text": small text objects below threshold
    • "lines": small vector objects below threshold
  • resolution: Resolution in ppi for image resolution previews (Default: "20")
  • threshold: Threshold for small object coverage highlighting, any of:
    • "low": low resolution output (0.2 pt single color lines & 0.5 pt multicolour lines, 8 pt single color text & 10 pt multicolour text)
    • "medium": medium resolution output (Default) (0.125 pt single color lines & 0.25 pt multicolour lines, 5 pt single color text & 9 pt multicolour text)
    • "high": high resolution output (0.125 pt single color lines & 0.25 pt multicolour lines, 5 pt single color text & 8 pt multicolour text)
  • onlyproblems: Only emit pages that have problems (Default: "1")
  • pageselector: Selected pages for previews (Default: "all") (click here for full pageselector syntax)              
  • show: Add page information section to custom report (Default: "1"), show="0" will only generate the data