Printing to pdf from Google Apps Script HtmlOutput - pdf

Question

For years, I have been using Google Cloud Print to print labels in our laboratories on campus (to standardize) using a Google Apps Script custom HtmlService form.
Now that GCP is becoming depreciated, I am in on a search for a solution. I have found a few options but am struggling to get the file to convert to a pdf as would be needed with these other vendors.
Currently, when you submit a text/html blob to the GCP servers in GAS, the backend converts the blob to application/pdf (as evidenced by looking at the job details in the GCP panel on Chrome under 'content type').
That said, because these other cloud print services require pdf printing, I have tried for some time now to have GAS change the file to pdf format before sending to GCP and I always get a strange result. Below, I'll show some of the strategies that I have used and include pictures of one of our simple labels generated with the different functions.
The following is the base code for the ticket and payload that has worked for years with GCP
//BUILD PRINT JOB FOR NARROW TAPES
var ticket = {
version: "1.0",
print: {
color: {
type: "STANDARD_COLOR",
vendor_id: "Color"
},
duplex: {
type: "NO_DUPLEX"
},
copies: {copies: parseFloat(quantity)},
media_size: {
width_microns: 27940,
height_microns:40960
},
page_orientation: {
type: "LANDSCAPE"
},
margins: {
top_microns:0,
bottom_microns:0,
left_microns:0,
right_microns:0
},
page_range: {
interval:
[{start:1,
end:1}]
},
}
};
var payload = {
"printerid" : QL710,
"title" : "Blank Template Label",
"content" : HtmlService.createHtmlOutput(html).getBlob(),
"contentType": 'text/html',
"ticket" : JSON.stringify(ticket)
};
This generates the expected following printout:
When trying to convert to pdf using the following code:
The following is the code used to transform to pdf:
var blob = HtmlService.createTemplate(html).evaluate().getContent();
var newBlob = Utilities.newBlob(html, "text/html", "text.html");
var pdf = newBlob.getAs("application/pdf").setName('tempfile');
var file = DriveApp.getFolderById("FOLDER ID").createFile(pdf);
var payload = {
"printerid" : QL710,
"title" : "Blank Template Label",
"content" : pdf,//HtmlService.createHtmlOutput(html).getBlob(),
"contentType": 'text/html',
"ticket" : JSON.stringify(ticket)
};
an unexpected result occurs:
This comes out the same way for direct coding in the 'content' field with and without .getBlob():
"content" : HtmlService.createHtmlOutput(html).getAs('application/pdf'),
note the createFile line in the code above used to test the pdf. This file is created as expected, of course with the wrong dimensions for label printing (not sure how to convert to pdf with the appropriate margins and page size?): see below
I have now tried to adopt Yuri's ideas; however, the conversion from html to document loses formatting.
var blob = HtmlService.createHtmlOutput(html).getBlob();
var docID = Drive.Files.insert({title: 'temp-label'}, blob, {convert: true}).id
var file = DocumentApp.openById(docID);
file.getBody().setMarginBottom(0).setMarginLeft(0).setMarginRight(0).setMarginTop(0).setPageHeight(79.2).setPageWidth(172.8);
This produces a document looks like this (picture also showing expected output in my hand).
Does anyone have insights into:
How to format the converted pdf to contain appropriate height, width
and margins.
How to convert to pdf in a way that would print correctly.
Here is a minimal code to get a better sense of context https://script.google.com/d/1yP3Jyr_r_FIlt6_aGj_zIf7HnVGEOPBKI0MpjEGHRFAWztGzcWKCJrD0/edit?usp=sharing

Answer 1

I've made the template (80 x 40 mm -- sorry, I don't know your size):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vA93FxGXcWLIEZBuQwec0n23cWGddyLoey-h0WR9weY/edit?usp=sharing
And there is the script:
function myFunction() {
// input data
var matName = '<b>testing this to <u>see</u></b> if it <i>actually</i> works <i>e.coli</i>'
var disposeWeek = 'end of semester'
var prepper = 'John Ruppert';
var className = 'Cell and <b>Molecular</b> Biology <u>Fall 2020</u> a few exercises a few exercises a few exercises a few exercises';
var hazards = 'Lots of hazards';
// make a temporary Doc from the template
var copyFile = DriveApp.getFileById('1vA93FxGXcWLIEZBuQwec0n23cWGddyLoey-h0WR9weY').makeCopy();
var doc = DocumentApp.openById(copyFile.getId());
var body = doc.getBody();
// replace placeholders with data
body.replaceText('{matName}', matName);
body.replaceText('{disposeWeek}', disposeWeek);
body.replaceText('{prepper}', prepper);
body.replaceText('{className}', className);
body.replaceText('{hazards}', hazards);
// make Italics, Bold and Underline
handle_tags(['<i>', '</i>'], body);
handle_tags(['<b>', '</b>'], body);
handle_tags(['<u>', '</u>'], body);
// save the temporary Doc
doc.saveAndClose();
// make a PDF
var docblob = doc.getBlob().setName('Label.pdf');
DriveApp.createFile(docblob);
// delete the temporary Doc
copyFile.setTrashed(true);
}
// this function applies formatting to text inside the tags
function handle_tags(tags, body) {
var start_tag = tags[0].toLowerCase();
var end_tag = tags[1].toLowerCase();
var found = body.findText(start_tag);
while (found) {
var elem = found.getElement();
var start = found.getEndOffsetInclusive();
var end = body.findText(end_tag, found).getStartOffset()-1;
switch (start_tag) {
case '<b>': elem.setBold(start, end, true); break;
case '<i>': elem.setItalic(start, end, true); break;
case '<u>': elem.setUnderline(start, end, true); break;
}
found = body.findText(start_tag, found);
}
body.replaceText(start_tag, ''); // remove tags
body.replaceText(end_tag, '');
}
The script just changes the {placeholders} with the data and saves the result as a PDF file (Label.pdf). The PDF looks like this:
There is one thing, I'm not sure if it's possible -- to change a size of the texts dynamically to fit them into the cells, like it's done in your 'autosize.html'. Roughly, you can take a length of the text in the cell and, in case it is bigger than some number, to make the font size a bit smaller. Probably you can use the jquery texfill function from the 'autosize.html' to get an optimal size and apply the size in the document.

Answer 2

I'm not sure if I got you right. Do you need make PDF and save it on Google Drive? You can do in Google Docs.
As example:
Make a new document with your table and text. Something like this
Add this script into your doc:
function myFunction() {
var copyFile = DriveApp.getFileById(ID).makeCopy();
var newFile = DriveApp.createFile(copyFile.getAs('application/pdf'));
newFile.setName('label');
copyFile.setTrashed(true);
}
Every time you run this script it makes the file 'label.pdf' on your Google Drive.
The size of this pdf will be the same as the page size of your Doc. You can make any size of page with add-on: Page Sizer https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/129617/how-to-change-the-size-of-paper-in-google-docs-to-custom-size
If you need to change the text in your label before generate pdf or/and you need change the name of generated file, you can do it via script as well.

Answer 3

Here is a variant of the script that changes a font size in one of the cells if the label doesn't fit into one page.
function main() {
// input texts
var text = {};
text.matName = '<b>testing this to <u>see</u></b> if it <i>actually</i> works <i>e.coli</i>';
text.disposeWeek = 'end of semester';
text.prepper = 'John Ruppert';
text.className = 'Cell and <b>Molecular</b> Biology <u>Fall 2020</u> a few exercises a few exercises a few exercises a few exercises';
text.hazards = 'Lots of hazards';
// initial max font size for the 'matName'
var size = 10;
var doc_blob = set_text(text, size);
// if we got more than 1 page, reduce the font size and repeat
while ((size > 4) && (getNumPages(doc_blob) > 1)) {
size = size-0.5;
doc_blob = set_text(text, size);
}
// save pdf
DriveApp.createFile(doc_blob);
}
// this function takes texts and a size and put the texts into fields
function set_text(text, size) {
// make a copy
var copyFile = DriveApp.getFileById('1vA93FxGXcWLIEZBuQwec0n23cWGddyLoey-h0WR9weY').makeCopy();
var doc = DocumentApp.openById(copyFile.getId());
var body = doc.getBody();
// replace placeholders with data
body.replaceText('{matName}', text.matName);
body.replaceText('{disposeWeek}', text.disposeWeek);
body.replaceText('{prepper}', text.prepper);
body.replaceText('{className}', text.className);
body.replaceText('{hazards}', text.hazards);
// set font size for 'matName'
body.findText(text.matName).getElement().asText().setFontSize(size);
// make Italics, Bold and Underline
handle_tags(['<i>', '</i>'], body);
handle_tags(['<b>', '</b>'], body);
handle_tags(['<u>', '</u>'], body);
// save the doc
doc.saveAndClose();
// delete the copy
copyFile.setTrashed(true);
// return blob
return docblob = doc.getBlob().setName('Label.pdf');
}
// this function formats the text beween html tags
function handle_tags(tags, body) {
var start_tag = tags[0].toLowerCase();
var end_tag = tags[1].toLowerCase();
var found = body.findText(start_tag);
while (found) {
var elem = found.getElement();
var start = found.getEndOffsetInclusive();
var end = body.findText(end_tag, found).getStartOffset()-1;
switch (start_tag) {
case '<b>': elem.setBold(start, end, true); break;
case '<i>': elem.setItalic(start, end, true); break;
case '<u>': elem.setUnderline(start, end, true); break;
}
found = body.findText(start_tag, found);
}
body.replaceText(start_tag, '');
body.replaceText(end_tag, '');
}
// this funcion takes saved doc and returns the number of its pages
function getNumPages(doc) {
var blob = doc.getAs('application/pdf');
var data = blob.getDataAsString();
var pages = parseInt(data.match(/ \/N (\d+) /)[1], 10);
Logger.log("pages = " + pages);
return pages;
}
It looks rather awful and hopeless. It turned out that Google Docs has no page number counter. You need to convert your document into a PDF and to count pages of the PDF file. Gross!
Next problem, even if you managed somehow to count the pages, you have no clue which of the cells was overflowed. This script takes just one cell, changes its font size, counts pages, changes the font size again, etc. But it doesn't granted a success, because there can be another cell with long text inside. You can reduce font size of all the texts, but it doesn't look like a great idea as well.