major data processing into pdf

[Mark Szidik]

Marcel,

Pdflib is a C library to for creating PDF files.
See pdflib.com for info.  It uses the Aladdin license.

I am using PHP + pdflib to generate PDF files on the fly (when a
users requests a report via the web) from data stored in a
postgreSQL database.  It works well for me.  I don't know how
well it will scale to MSU's size, but you should look at it.



______________________________________________________________________
Mark Szidik
System Administrator           Ph: 517.694.4242 x17  Fax: 517.694.9303
Michigan Library Consortium    http://www.mlc.lib.mi.us

On Thu, 3 May 2001, Marcel Kunath wrote:

> Hello,
>
> MSU is looking into eliminating the mailings of bills to students in some
> fashion. I am not sure what plans they have but I know they are looking into
> this. I was asked if I had any ideas of how billing could be done in the future
> in an online access fashion.
>
> Basically the way billing works is that a large data file gets spit out of the
> mainframe and this text file is used to print bills. They wonder if there is
> any way to turn manipulate the text file (scripts) and then create single PDF
> files for each bill. The PDF files then should be accessible via the web.
>
> Now I am certain in some way this is possible. I figured you could take the
> text file (not sure the format of it right now) split it into separate files,
> then run a parser and introduce tags for the content of each student bill. Then
> you create a DTD and stylesheet using XML and use a program like jade to create
> PDF files from the tagged student bills.
>
> If anybody has better ideas or input please detail them. Note, this entire
> process should be possible to automate as it has to run every night for a few
> thousand students.
>
> Disclaimer: This is just a research effort right now so don't go spreading
> rumors.
>
> mk
>
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