How Can iText 7 and pdfHTML Solve HTML to PDF Conversion Problems with CSS Positioning?

Converting HTML to PDF using iText

Problem: CSS positioning not respected

Many developers encounter difficulties converting HTML to PDF using iText, particularly regarding the placement of elements using CSS.

HTMLWorker's Limitations

HTMLWorker, a deprecated component of iText, has significant drawbacks:

• CSS support: It doesn't support real CSS and requires explicit style definition in code.
• Deprecated: Many classes and methods used in HTMLWorker have become outdated.

XMLWorker's Challenges

XMLWorker, intended as a generic XML parsing framework, faced similar issues:

• Missing image: Images were missing without an ImageProvider; even then, CSS attributes like float were ignored.
• Partial CSS support: Positioning-related CSS styles weren't fully supported.

Solution with iText 7 and pdfHTML

To resolve these shortcomings, iText 7 and its pdfHTML add-on were developed. They offer a simplified approach:

public static final String SRC = "src/main/resources/html/sample.html";
public static final String DEST = "target/results/sample.pdf";
public void createPdf(String src, String dest) throws IOException {
    HtmlConverter.convertToPdf(new File(src), new File(dest));
}

This code generates the desired PDF output with CSS attributes like float being respected.

Additional Considerations

• Licensing: iText 7 is released under the AGPL, allowing free use in open source projects, but commercial licenses are required for closed source applications.
• Legacy systems: Migrating from older iText versions to iText 7 can be beneficial for code simplicity and future-proofing.
• Beginner's guide: For those new to iText 7, it's recommended to discard existing code and start anew, simplifying the conversion process.

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