Convert HTML To PDF

Creating PDFs from HTML on the frontend can be done using JavaScript libraries such as jsPDF and pdfmake. These libraries can be used to generate PDFs from HTML content, allowing developers to create dynamic PDFs that can be easily shared and printed.

One of the most common ways of converting HTML to PDF is to use the canvas element. The canvas element is a powerful tool that allows developers to programmatically generate images and other graphics in the browser. To use the canvas element to create a PDF, you can follow these steps:

1. Create a canvas element in the HTML and give it an id.
2. In JavaScript, use the document.getElementById() method to select the canvas element by its id.
3. Use the .getContext() method on the canvas element to get a rendering context, typically ‘2d’
4. Draw the HTML content on the canvas using the .drawImage() method.
5. Use the .toDataURL() method on the canvas element to get a data URL representation of the canvas.
6. Use a library like jsPDF or pdfmake to create a PDF from the data URL.

It is important to note that this will only work for HTML content that can be rendered as an image, such as text and images. More complex HTML elements like tables, forms, and embedded content may not be rendered correctly.

Another library that can be used to convert HTML to PDF is html2pdf.js. This client-side library generates PDFs from HTML, it is based on the canvas element and can handle a wide variety of HTML elements, including lists.

Here’s an example of how you can use html2pdf.js to convert an HTML element to a PDF:

// Select the HTML element to be converted to PDF
var element = document.getElementById("myElement");

// Create a new html2pdf object
var pdf = new html2pdf();

// Use the .from() method to add the element's content to the PDF
pdf.from(element).save();

It is also possible to create multi-page documents with A4 size pages. The .addPage() method can be used to add new pages to the PDF, and the .setProperties() method can be used to set the page size and layout.

In addition, you can use the .autoTable() method to generate tables from HTML table elements, and the .addPage() method to create multiple pages in the PDF. As the tables can have a lot of rows and columns, the plugin will automatically add new pages as needed.

Finally, it is important to note that if you are facing issues with lists (<ol> and <ul>) not being rendered correctly, you can try using a different library such as “html2pdf.js” or “pdfmake” which have better support for lists and other complex elements.

In summary, creating PDFs from HTML on the frontend can be done using JavaScript libraries such as jsPDF, pdfmake and html2pdf.js. The canvas element can also be used to programmatically generate PDFs in the browser. Keep in mind that more complex HTML elements like tables, forms, and embedded content may not be rendered correctly, but with the right library it can be handle properly.