Question about PDF printing in SugarCRM

[smueller72]

I'm looking at adding PDF printing to a few different areas of the OS product and, as I'm poking around trying to find the best way to do this I have come across FPDF and pdf-php which both provide PHP classes, functions, fonts for dynamically producing PDF docs. Although both look like they will work, I am a bit concerned over the fact that PHP-PDF has not been updated since 3/2003 whereas FPDF seems more active with the last update coming in 12/2004(albeit the first update in about a year). So I thought I would take a stab at it using FPDF, but as I got started I noticed what appear to be traces of the PHP-PDF product already within the current OS code. Soooooo.... my question is where is this currently used, if anywhere, within the OS product and/or what are the longer term plans for it's use, if any? Is this what is used in the 'Reports' module in the Pro version? Is this looking like the long term PDF printing solution for the OS and Pro versions or is this just some code that was left out there somehow? I would rather take the same path as the Sugar Team is taking so your input would be greatly appreciated so that I start down the right path.

Also, if PHP-PDF is the longer term choice, I would be interested to know what prompted this choice over FPDF - out of curiousity more than anything.

Thanks in advance for your response.

[willyk]

I was thinking of the same thing. We need to be able to print contracts and set up documentation from the system if we go forward with it. I think fpdf would work and there is a FPDI class for fpdf that will load existing pdf's and you could just lay down the necesary text on top of the templates so to speak.

I definitely was not interested in creating our forms from scratch and the other method I thought of was to use Word docs with replaceable text or book marks or something.