Wiki source code of Print-Service-Plugin

Show last authors
1 [[**Plugin-Download**>>url:https://customer.formcycle.eu/index.php/apps/files/?dir=/FORMCYCLE%20-%20Plugins%20Customer/fc-plugin-print-service&fileid=8194||rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"]] (requires login)
2
3 {{info}}
4 {{formcycle/}} Version 7 requires the //Print-Service// plugin version to be **4.0.0** or higher.
5 {{/info}}
6
7 {{content/}}
8
9 The plugin //Print Services// is available separately and lets you create a PDF document from a form that is optimized for printing. This plugin is subject to additional charge.
10
11 == Technical details ==
12
13 To use the //Print-Service// plugin, it is necessary to install //Node.js// and the //Print Server//. This can be installed on the same server as the {{formcycle/}} master server.
14
15 == Installation Print Server on Windows ==
16
17 The installation of the required //Print Server// requires different procedures depending on the operating system.
18
19 === Installation of Node.js ===
20
21 : 1. Download the LTS version from https://nodejs.org/
22 : 2. Run the MSI file
23 : 3. Run the wizard steps, leaving default settings as they are
24
25 === Installation steps for the Print Server ===
26
27 : 4. Download the Print Server installation files from the Customer Cloud [[here>>https://customer.formcycle.eu/index.php/apps/files/?dir=/FORMCYCLE%20-%20Plugins%20Customer/fc-plugin-print-service/Print%20Server&fileid=18856]].
28 : 5. unzip the ZIP file "print_server_fc.zip" and move the content to the folder print_server_fc under {{code language="none"}}C:\Programs\{{/code}}.
29
30 To install, open the command line (cmd) with administrative privileges and execute the following commands:
31
32 {{code language="none"}}
33 cd C:\Programs\print_server_fc
34 npm install
35 npm install -g node-windows
36 npm link node-windows
37 node install-windows-service.js
38 {{/code}}
39
40 There now exists a new service {{code language="none"}}FORMCYCLE Print Server{{/code}}. Please check if this is also started before you run a [[test>>||anchor="HTest"]]. The script {{code language="none"}}install-windows-service.js{{/code}} contains default variables for installing the print service.
41
42 * The service is installed on port 8090 by default. To change this, you need to adjust the {{code language="none"}}--port=8090{{/code}} parameter in the {{code language="none"}}install-windows-service.js{{/code}} file.
43 * Logging is enabled by default. To change this set the parameter {{code language="none"}}--verbose=true{{/code}} to {{code language="none"}}--verbose=false{{/code}}.
44
45 After the installation, a folder named {{code language="none"}}deamon{{/code}} is created for the log files.
46
47 === Uninstall ===
48
49 Für die Deinstallation des Print Servers, öffnen Sie eine Kommandozeile (cmd) mit administrativen Berechtigungen und führen Sie folgende Befehle aus.
50
51 {{code language="none"}}
52 cd C:\Programs\print_server_fc
53 node uninstall-windows-service.js
54 {{/code}}
55
56 == Installing Print Server under Linux ==
57
58 {{info}}
59 Contrary to earlier versions, you need to copy ALL files from the ZIP file with the print server.
60 {{/info}}
61
62 === Installation steps for installing Node.js and the Print Server ===
63
64 To install, open the console and run the following commands:
65
66 {{code language="none"}}
67 # Loading the script (varies depending on the operating system)
68
69 # Debian 10 - If you are logged in as root:
70 wget "https://customer.formcycle.eu/index.php/s/0GBtp1HtQHJMzQx/download?path=/&files=install_printserver_debian10.sh" -O install_print_server.sh
71
72 # Debian 10 - or if you are logged in as a normal user with sudo rights:
73 wget "https://customer.formcycle.eu/index.php/s/0GBtp1HtQHJMzQx/download?path=/&files=install_printserver_debian10_sudo.sh" -O install_print_server.sh
74
75 # Ubuntu 16 - If you are logged in as root:
76 wget "https://customer.formcycle.eu/index.php/s/0GBtp1HtQHJMzQx/download?path=/&files=install_printserver_ubuntu16.sh" -O install_print_server.sh
77
78
79 # Make file executable
80 chmod 750 install_print_server.sh
81
82
83 # Start installation
84 ./install_print_server.sh
85
86
87 # Run Print Server
88 systemctl start printserver
89 {{/code}}
90
91 In the first lines of the script - via the variables {{code language="none"}}PRINTSERVER_USER{{/code}} and {{code language="none"}}PRINTSERVER_USER_PWD{{/code}} - the user name/password to be created can be adjusted.
92 The verbose parameter can be used to enable/disable the log output. The scripts for the service should be located at {{code language="none"}}/home/formcycle/print_server{{/code}}. In the start script the verbose parameter can be adjusted.
93
94 Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
95
96 === Uninstall ===
97
98 To uninstall the Print Server, open a command line (cmd) with administrative privileges and execute the following commands:
99
100 {{code language="none"}}
101 /home/formcycle/deinstall_printserver.sh
102 {{/code}}
103
104 {{info}}
105 **Caution:**
106 During the installation, depending on the existing system, some Linux packages such as nodejs were also installed. However, it is not possible to uninstall the packages automatically. Delete the automatically installed packages only if you are 100% sure that they are no longer needed!
107 {{/info}}
108
109 == Using IPv6 ==
110
111 Starting with version 2.0.1, the server binds to both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses by default, using the dual stack feature supported by most operating systems. Should that fail, the print server binds only to IPv4 addresses (0.0.0.0).
112
113 If required, you can also set a different bind address via the command line parameter "--bindAddress".
114
115 == Test ==
116
117 To check if the installation was successful, the service can be called on the local server for a test (in that case it should be printed the formcycle.de website):
118
119 {{code language="none"}}
120 http://localhost:8090/pdf?orientation=landscape&format=A4&wait=false&marginTop=0mm&formURL=http://www.formcycle.de
121 {{/code}}
122
123 == Plugin setup ==
124
125 === Print-Service Plugin Installation ===
126
127 In order for the plugin to be available in {{formcycle/}} as an action in the workflow, it must be deployed in the System Plugin section of the management interface. Instructions for installing plugins can be found [[here>>doc:Formcycle.UserInterface.Client.Plugins.WebHome]].
128
129 If the old version of the print service plugin (phantom plugin) was already installed, the following procedure is recommended for installation:
130
131 * Disable the phantom plugin
132 * Delete the phantom plugin
133 * Upload new print service plugin
134 * Proceed with the configuration
135
136 === Plugin configuration ===
137
138 After the plugin has been installed, the service URL must be adjusted. This is defined in the plugin via the mandatory parameter {{code language="none"}}pdf.print.services.url{{/code}}.
139
140 If the installation was done on the same server as {{formcycle/}}, then specify {{code language="none"}}localhost{{/code}} as the domain. If no changes have been made to the port, the setting {{code language="none"}}8090{{/code}} is retained.
141
142 For example: {{code language="none"}}http://localhost:8089/pdf{{/code}}
143
144 This completes the setup of the print service plugin and it is available as an action in the [[workflow processing>>doc:Formcycle.Designer.Workflow.WebHome]].
145
146 == Troubleshooting ==
147
148 === Command npm not found ===
149
150 Under Windows it is possible that after the NodeJS installation the environment variables are not set correctly and so npm install cannot be executed. This was also the case if the default path under C:/Programs was not used during the NodeJS installation. So check in the path if these are existing. The following must be done for this:
151
152 * Call up the environment variables via Control Panel > System > Advanced System Settings > Environment Variables button.
153 * In Path you should find the following entries: {{info}}C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\npm;C:\Program Files\nodejs{{/info}}
154 * Confirm everything with Ok. The console then be opened again with admin rights.
155
156 === Command npm install leads to timeout ===
157
158 If the npm install command does not work due to a proxy, then the general proxy setting is not sufficient. Therefore, the following must be executed via console:
159
160 {{code language="none"}}
161 npm config set proxy http://proxy.domain:port
162 npm config set https-proxy https://proxy.domain:port
163 {{/code}}
164
165 If user data is required:
166
167 {{code language="none"}}
168 npm config set proxy http://user:pass@proxy.domain:port
169 npm config set https-proxy https://user:pass@proxy.domain:port
170 {{/code}}
171
172 More information can also be found here: http://www.fladi.de/2014/02/06/howto-npm-hinter-einem-proxy-verwenden/
173
174 === Printing does not work ===
175
176 If printing via {{formcycle/}} is not possible, the cause could be that the print service is not reachable. This can be solved by the loopback URL. Under System > General > Loopback URL, loopback base URL: {{code language="none"}}http://localhost:<port>/formcycle{{/code}}
177
178 === PDF is printed, but the message 404 appears ===
179
180 In this case the print service works correctly because a PDF is already created. It must be checked whether the loopback URL is entered correctly so that the URL to the print service is resolved correctly.
181
182 === Downloading Chromium fails ===
183
184 The following error message appears on the console after running "npm install":
185 {{code language="none"}}Error: unable to verify the first certificate{{/code}}
186
187 The described steps are only a workaround and the environment variables should be set back to the default values after the successful installation!
188
189 {{code language="none"}}
190 PS C:\test> $env:NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED = 0
191 PS C:\test> npm set strict-ssl false
192 {{/code}}
193
194 == Usage and options ==
195
196 To use this plugin, go to the workflow processing configuration, click on new action and select this plugin. The following options are used to configure the plugin action:
197
198 ; File name
199 : File name of the created PDF document.
200 ; Print mode
201 : Input elements as text: Input elements are converted into plain text fields and the form is adapted to the width of the page.
202 ; Print mode
203 : By default, are form fields such as input fields and select fields are converted to plain text. If you choose to disable this conversion, no changes are made to the form and it is printed so that it looks as closely as it does in a web browser as possible.
204 ; Zoom factor
205 : Scale factor for the form. Use this to magnify or scale down very large or very small forms.
206 ; Blank form
207 : (requires at least print plugin version 4.2.0 and print service version 1.4.0) Can be used to create PDF documents that can be printed out and filled out manually with a pen. When enabled, all form field values are cleared and all hidden fields are shown. In addition, the maximum number of element repetitions are created.
208 ; User groups
209 : A virtual user is created when opening the form with Selenium. Select the user groups here to which this virtual user should belong to. Form elements can be configured to be displayed or editable only for certain user groups.
210 ; URL parameter
211 : Additional URL parameters added to the URL used when opening the form with Selenium. You can use URL parameters to [[prefill form fields>>Formcycle.Designer.Form.URLParameter]] or access them from within JavaScript.
212
213 == CSS adjustments ==
214
215 General CSS adjustments can be done via a corresponding media query:
216
217 {{code language="css"}}
218 @media print {
219 /* general CSS for printing */
220 }
221 {{/code}}
222
223 Please note this CSS is applied in other printing contexts as well, e.g. when the user prints the form via the browser directly.
224
225 There are a few special CSS classes available that are set only when the print service is used. These classes are always added to the //form.xm-form// element.(requires at least print plugin version 4.2.0 and print server plugin 1.4.0).
226
227 ; xm-print
228 : This CSS class is always set.
229 ; xm-print~-~-mode-plain
230 : Added when print mode is set to //Preserve form fields//.
231 ; xm-print~-~-mode-dynamic
232 : Added when print mode is set to //Convert form fields to text//.
233 ; xm-print~-~-style-filled
234 : Added when the option //blank form// is disabled.
235 ; xm-print~-~-style-blank
236 : Added when the option //blank form// is enabled.
237
238 === Input elements ===
239
240 To optimize the form for printing, form elements of type [[input field>>Formcycle.Designer.Form.FormElements.Input]], [[text area>>Formcycle.Designer.Form.FormElements.Textarea]] und [[select>>Formcycle.Designer.Form.FormElements.Selection]] (Drop-Down) may be converted to plain text fields, if the print mode is set to Input elements as text.
241
242 Additionally, the CSS classes //print// and //XSpan// are added to the converted input element that can be used for styling them. For example, in order to change the font size, you can use the following CSS:
243
244 {{code language="css"}}
245 .print.XSpan {
246 font-size: 18pt;
247 font-family: serif;
248 }
249 {{/code}}
250
251 To overwrite some properties of the default CSS shipped with {{formcycle/}}, use more specific selectors such as:
252
253 {{code language="css"}}
254 .xm-form .xm-content div.print.XSpan {
255 font-size: 18pt;
256 font-family: serif;
257 }
258 {{/code}}
259
260 Most properties do not require this, however.
261
262 === Enforce page break ===
263
264 To create a defined page break, the page-break attributes must be set via CSS. The corresponding container or element has to be selected via the xn attribute. Please note that the CSS property //display //must be set to //block//, otherwise no line break will be created. In this example, a line break should be created before the container //div1//.
265
266 {{code language="css"}}
267 [xn=div2] {
268 display: block !important;
269 page-break-before: always;
270 }
271 {{/code}}
272
273 === Avoid page break ===
274
275 The default setting for printing is that a page break is inserted after each page of the form:
276
277 {{code language="css"}}
278 @media print {
279 .CXPage:not(:first-child ), .page-break {
280 display: block !important;
281 page-break-before: always;
282 }
283 }
284 {{/code}}
285
286 In order to avoid breaks, the following rule needs to be defined in the CSS tab of the form:
287
288 {{code language="css"}}
289 @media print {
290 .CXPage:not(:first-child ) {
291 page-break-before: avoid;
292 }
293 }
294 {{/code}}
295
296 === Usage of other fonts ===
297
298 ==== Technical requirements ====
299
300 In order for fonts to be used and embedded in the created PDF documents, it is generally necessary for them to be installed on the server running the Print-Server.
301
302 ==== Inclusion via CSS ====
303
304 To include a font installed on the server for printing, it must be explicitly defined with a {{code language="none"}}@media print{{/code}} query and set for use by the appropriate form elements. In the simplest case, this can look like the following example:
305
306 {{code language="css"}}
307 @media print {
308 @font-face {
309 font-family: 'DejaVu Sans';
310 src: local('DejaVu Sans');
311 }
312 .xm-form.modern *, .modern .XPage * {
313 font-family: "DejaVu Sans";
314 }
315 }
316 {{/code}}
317
318 Here it is especially important that the identifier entered at {{code language="none"}}local(){{/code}} corresponds to the name of the font.
319
320 ==== Legal notice ====
321
322 Fonts sometimes have very tightly defined license terms and are priced differently depending on their intended use. It should be noted that fonts for creating PDFs must be embedded in them, which for many commercial fonts requires a different license than for delivery via a web server for the purpose of displaying a web page in a web browser.
323
324 In fonts of type //TrueType// and //OpenType// information about the embeddability of the font can be stored directly. Depending on what is configured there, a font may not be embeddable and will instead be rendered by the //Print-Service-Plugin// only as a vector graphic in the created PDF documents.
325
326 == JavaScript adjustments ==
327
328 Sometimes you may have to execute custom JavaScript code before the form is printed. For this, you can use the function //$.xutil.onPrint//. Its signature is as follows:
329
330 {{code language="text"}}
331 function onPrint(callback: () => Promise<void> | void): void
332 {{/code}}
333
334 This function lets you register one or more callbacks that are run before the form is printed. When a callback returns a promise, the print server waits until the promise fulfills before proceeding with the printing. In case the promise gets rejected, the error is logged, but the print is not aborted. Please note that you must register the callback before the form is printed, e.g. within a JQuery document-ready-handler (//$(callback)//).
335
336 For example, to run an AJAX request and wait for it to finish before the form is printed:
337
338 {{js}}
339 $.xutil.onPrint(async () => {
340 const response = await fetch("http://some-url.de");
341 // do something with response
342 });
343 {{/js}}
344
345 {{jsIE}}
346 $.xutil.onPrint(function() {
347 return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {
348 $.ajax("http://some-url.de", {
349 success: function(data, textStatus, jqXHR) {
350 // Do something with the response data
351 resolve(undefined);
352 },
353 error: function(jqXHR, textStatus, errorThrown) {
354 reject("HTTP request error: " + textStatus + " - " + errorThrown);
355 },
356 });
357 });
358 });
359 {{/jsIE}}
360
361 == Changelog ==
362
363 === Plugin ===
364
365 ==== 4.3.1 ====
366
367 * fix: Always show the selected appointment date, if any, regardless of the print mode
368
369 ==== 4.3.0 ====
370
371 * feature: New option to retry printing in case of a failure
372
373 ==== 4.2.3 ====
374
375 * Fix: Special characters in combobox select options are now displayed correctly in the printed PDF document
376
377 ==== 4.2.2 ====
378
379 * Fix: When a textarea is set to adjust its height automatically to its content, the height is now recalculated once before the form is printed.
380
381 ==== 4.2.1 ====
382
383 * Fix: Show correct version of the print server when performing a check
384
385 ==== 4.2.0 ====
386
387 * feature: New option //blank form//
388 * feature: Add special CSS classes to the //form.xm-form// such as //xm-print//
389 * change: When an element is marked as hidden during print in the form designer (advanced -> Word and PDF export options), the element is now hidden when the print service is used as well. This feature requires at least {{formcycle/}} version 7.0.14.
390 * change: Applicable only when //print mode// is set to //dynamic//: When an input field did not have a value, its placeholders was shown instead. This was changed so that no value is shown when the input field does not have a value.
391 * change: Applicable only when //print mode// is set to //dynamic//: When a select field displayed as a dropdown menu did not have a value, the text //Please select// was shown instead. This was changed so that no text is shown anymore when the select field does not have a value.
392
393 ==== 4.1.2 ====
394
395 * Added note regarding //$.xutil.onPrint// to the plugin UI.
396
397 ==== 4.1.1 ====
398
399 * Requires at least {{formcycle/}} 7.0.4.
400 * change: Note regarding required field is not shown anymore.
401 * fix: Show the date format immediately
402
403 ==== 4.1.0 ====
404
405 * Added a new option for selecting the workflow state used during printing. When no state is selected, the current state of the form record is used as in previous version.
406 * Configured user groups are saved correctly.
407
408 ==== 4.0.2 ====
409
410 * feature: Added a new timeout option that defaults to 30 seconds. When the print service cannot be reached, the workflow may never complete otherwise.
411
412 ==== 4.0.1 ====
413
414 * fix: The PDF document that was created was not attached to the form record (only for the new workflow action).
415
416 ==== 4.0.0 ====
417
418 * Adjustments for {{formcycle/}} version 7.
419
420 === Server ===
421
422 ==== 1.7.2 ====
423
424 * Close alert messages when any are opened by JavaScript. Otherwise the print can never finish successfully.
425
426 ==== 1.7.1 ====
427
428 * Update install scripts for Linux
429
430 ==== 1.7.0 ====
431
432 * Switch to media type print before printing and wait until no network traffic is ongoing anymore before printing. This helps to show e.g. background graphics from @media print rules.
433
434 ==== 1.6.1 ====
435
436 * Fix compatibility with Windows service installation script
437
438 ==== 1.6.0 ====
439
440 * Update puppeteer to latest version, which uses Chromium 108.0.5351.0
441 * Add CLI flag //~-~-disableCache=true// to disable the browser cache--
442 * Add CLI flag //~-~-isolatedBrowser=true// to use a new browser instance for each request.--
443 * Fix Debian install script, install libgbm1.
444
445 ==== 1.5.1 ====
446
447 * Update node-windows dependency
448
449 ==== 1.5.0 ====
450
451 * Update to Chromium 105.0.5173.0
452 * Requires at least Node.JS version 14 or higher
453
454 ==== 1.4.1 ====
455
456 * Fix windows service install / uninstall script (//install-windows-service.js// and //uninstall-windows-service.js//)
457
458 ==== 1.4.0 ====
459
460 * When an error occurs while printing, that error is returned as part of the HTTP response
461 * The print server can now be used for printing arbitrary pages / URLs. JavaScript and CSS that must be run in the context of the page to print can be passed as part of the HTTP request.
462 * The ///pdf// endpoint without parameters returns a quick summary of the server status