This article shows how to automate the creation of PDF reports using perl. The module PDF::API2 provides raw access to creating pdf files.
The PDF::API2 module gives you the ability to automate the creation of beautiful PDF reports without the need to purchase expensive software. Using the PDF::Table module, one can generate complex tables in your report. One can abstract out many of the common features of a report and create an entire framework for generating reports. Here is some sample code that creates a landscape page with a title and a line.
use strict;
use PDF::API2
# create a pdf object giving it the name of the file to save the pdf to
my $pdf = PDF::API2->new(-file => “report1.pdf”);
my $font = $pdf->corefont(’Helvetica-Bold’);
my $page = $pdf->page;
$page->mediabox(792,612);
# create a text label
my $txt = $page->text;
$txt->textlabel(72,540,$font,20,”Title of report1″);
# create a line
my $gfx = $page->gfx;
$gfx->strokecolor(’#000000′);
$gfx->move(72,360);
$gfx->linewidth(1);
$gfx->line(720,360);
$gfx->stroke;
$pdf->save;