Create PDF from DXL/XSL

Hi folks

I want to create PDF filers based on field values from documents in a Notes database.

When a document is saved from Notes there’s generated a PDF-file.

My idea was to (please tell me if it is a bad idea):

  1. Make DXL using DXL-Exporter(document)

  2. Parse the DXL with XSLT

  3. Generate PDF from the result of the parsing of DXL and XSLT using ???

Could someone help with:

  • A simple example of XSLT that could be valid when parsing.

  • How to generate PDF from parsing result.

Note: Lotus Script or Java are to be used.

Note2:From Java I plan on using iText for creation of PDF files)

/regrds

Torben

Subject: Create PDF from DXL/XSL

Maybe this product can help you: http://www.n2pdf.com. It allows to create PDF files from Notes documents. based on script integration. It works on client and server.

Subject: Create PDF from DXL/XSL

Visit the following:http://alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/xfc

Subject: How about XML and Apache FOP

I don’t know iText, but what definitely works fine is to use XML in combination with XSL-FO and the Apache FOP to create PDFs. The Apache FOP is an open source Java implementation. There are several examples onhttp://xml.apache.org/fop/

on how to use it.

Good XSL-FO examples/tutorials can be found on

Does this help?

Subject: Create PDF from DXL/XSL

It is much complex than you can think about. There are other responses quoting some XSL:FO transformers for converting the DXL into PDF. However, the crux is you have to create a stylesheet to instruct those XSL:FO transformer to perform the conversion. Depending the complexity of your documents (e.g. involve RTitem or not), the “stylesheet” can drain up weeks (or even months) of your time to devleop. You may even have to, in addition using the stylesheet, write some XML program to “massage” the DXL file to make it become renderable into PDF. Take a look on the stylesheet to convert the Notes document into HTML. You will see my point then.

I think people in IBM/Lotus may also know this limitation but they have no incentive to solve it because that will probably endanger the life of the properitary CD record format of Notes database.

Subject: RE: Create PDF from DXL/XSL

can you point me to the stylesheet to convert the Notes document into HTML ? i’d like to look at it.

thanks,

Theresa