To adjust PDF-reports easily, HTML-based custom reports can be used.

The visual appearance is controlled by a HTML-Template and Custom Style Sheets (CSS), while the reported details are directly requested from pdfToolbox or (optionally) parsed from an internally created XML-report.

The manifest.xml defines the set of information to be provided by the pdfToolbox engine. This information will be used to to fill up the details in the report based on the HTML-Template.

Basic document information as well as all results of the processed profiles are provided by default. Other parts like a preview image, comparision images or an XML report can be also requested here. Even a XML report can be ordered to enable picking up additional information about the PDF or executed fixups or checks using JavaScript.

The display name in the user interface is defined here as well.

For developing purposes, the internally generated, filled HTML representation of the report can be maintained to review changes in the template files also in a browser.

The HTML converter is using WebKit, so it is recommended to use Safari (or Chrome, which is based on a spin-off of WebKit) as a browser.

Request basic informations about PDF

<x:dict>
<x:overview/>
</x:dict>

Purpose

If contained, document information and results of the performed profile will be available for using them in the HTML template.

Preview images of pages

<x:results>
<x:preview resolution="150" page="1"/>
</x:results>

Purpose

Rendering of images of one or more pages for visual represenation of the PDF in the report.

Visual comparision of original and processed file

<x:compare>
<x:document_a resolution="20"/>
<x:document_b resolution="20"/>
<x:diffresult resolution="20"/>
</x:compare>

Purpose:

Include compare tree if comparison resources are used inside index.html.

Parameters

resolution resoultion used in ppi for rendering the comparision

Keep the temporarily generated files

<x:settings>
<x:keeptemp>true</x:keeptemp>
</x:settings>

Purpose

Temporarily generated files like the filled index.html, CSS-files, images,

XML-reports and used JavaScripts will not become deleted after finnishing the PDF report.

Parameters

false files become deleted (default)

true files will not become deleted

Creating a XML report for additional content

<x:results>
<x:xmlreport path="xml/report.xml"
inkcovres="72" inkcovbox="TrimBox"/>
</x:results>

Purpose

Requests a XML report of the performed profile to extract additional information using JavaScript which can be used in the report.

Determining the ink coverage will only take place if one of the respective parameters exists.

Parameters

inkcovres resolution in ppi, used for determining the effective ink coverage of each page in the PDF (optional, default: 300)

inkcovbox page geometry box of which the effective ink coverage will be determined (optional, default: CropBox)

The HTML template can easily be modified using an appropriate codeeditor or enhanced text-editor.

The index.html of the default "overview" template references a stylesheet, two JavaScripts as well as a number of images.

The provided HTML-template already contains some "dummy" data, which is automatically replaced by actual content when a new report is generated.

So, when doing adjustments to the template with custom profiles and PDF files, it is recommended to keep the temporarily generated files for debugging, as a basis for modifications and their review in a browser.

It is possible to use image formats (like JPEG or PNG) as well as PDFs for positioning visual content like logos. If you want to debug your HTML in an HTML Browser you may want to display an image instead of the PDF reference. You can do this by putting identically named files for images and PDF next to each other. The PDF file must be referenced in the <img> tag in the HTML-template. The usage of PDF files allows for higher quality of logos in the resulting PDF report.

The provided HTML-template contains already all document and processing information which can be supplied directly from the application.

You will find <cals_params.js> and <cals_overview.js> which are used by the engine to create and render the HTML. Please do not modify these files.

For adding more functionality it is recommended to do this in new, own JavaScript files, which have to be linked in the <index.html> of course.

callas software is providing a number of sample templates, which can be downloaded using the following link:

http://www.callassoftware.com/manuals/callas_Tutorial_HTML-reports.zip

This package contains samples as complete template folders including comments in the HTML-, CSS- or JavaScript-files and the result as a PDF.

Custom Dict files can be used to add or modify strings that are used in reports. Since pdfToolbox 10.0 it is allowed for custom dicts to cover strings for custom profiles or unknown Dictkeys in a particular language.

In the following example, a custom dict is created for strings of a non localised language to be added/replaced in a predefined Profile (kfpx). This can be achieved using the command line argument:

--createcustomdict <Path to Profile file>


This creates an XML for the profile (kfpx). 

A user can add his own custom language and values (long for Name and short for Comment as in this example).

On running the profile along with the custom dict set to the XML with overwritten strings and custom language, there is no problem of appearance of DictKeys for unknown languages in pdfToolbox reports:

--customdict=<Path to custom XML file> 

Profile name and comment without the appearance of DictKeys in the XML report (other report types will work as well of course):