Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

[Scholin]

I have a medical application where each patient's file may have up to 5 or 6 uploaded pdf files. There are situations that require all files for several patients to be printed. No problem, for each file there is link to download it, you open it to display it on screen, and print. That works fine but slow.

What would be nice is if there was a way to have a check box next to each row of records that you could check or a filter view or sorts and then a button to "Print all" directly without opening on screen or to at least automatically download, open and print.

Anyone have a clever way to do this with V10.5 from a web page?

Thanks!

[Selwyn Rabins]

Re: Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

I have a medical application where each patient's file may have up to 5 or 6 uploaded pdf files. There are situations that require all files for several patients to be printed. No problem, for each file there is link to download it, you open it to display it on screen, and print. That works fine but slow.

What would be nice is if there was a way to have a check box next to each row of records that you could check or a filter view or sorts and then a button to "Print all" directly without opening on screen or to at least automatically download, open and print.

Anyone have a clever way to do this with V10.5 from a web page?

Thanks!

If you had strong basic skills you could do a custom Ajax callback. Then on the server you would use the built in alpha five methods to combine several PDF files into a single PDF file. That temporary file could then be downloaded to the client and printed.

[Scholin]

Re: Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

Oh certainly for you Selwyn! :)

Ah, all the advanced things I can think of doing if only I had a half your skills and knowledge . . . but then again I was afraid that would be the answer.

But for the rest of us mere humans who are not supermen at xbasic, javascript, etc. it is not so simple or clear.

Hey, maybe a super printing & file uploading/downloading "Alpha Five Feature Pack" may be on the horizon?? I would buy it for sure!

[frankbicknell]

Re: Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

Then on the server you would use the built in alpha five methods to combine several PDF files into a single PDF file.

Where can I find information on these built in methods?

[Tim Kiebert]

Re: Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

http://wiki.alphasoftware.com/Print+and+PDF+Functions

PDF_MERGE() and the like

EDIT: As Steve says in the next post PDF_APPEND() is probably the one you want.

[Steve Workings]

Re: Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

Along with some basic string handling and code logic, you'll probably use these functions:

pdf_append()
report.saveas()

Just save your various reports as pdf files, then use pdf_append() to combine 'em into one.

[frankbicknell]

Re: Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

Thank you.

[Scholin]

Re: Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

Do you know if these will all work from a web page?

I notice that many of these say "Desktop applications only" so do you need to have a development station of Alpha running on the server to make it work?

I will have to play with these . . . I must admit that I have not seen or paid attention to these in the past thinking they were not for the web server. Interesting . . Thanks!

[Steve Workings]

Re: Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

Report.saveas() is the function A5 uses in its genie.

PDF_Append() works on a web server -- I believe I tested it many moons ago.

You also asked:

Do you know if these will all work from a web page?

Remember, these aren't really being done on the web page. They're being run by the server.

[Bob Moore]

Re: Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

Mike,

Here is some code from an application I wrote back in September '08 that appends 3 PDF files to the first. This should help you out.

<%a5
 'File is passed id as page variable
 'Prints out a single application for the requested id
 'Author : R.E. Moore Jr.
 'Last revised : 09/23/2009

if eval_valid("id")
    contact_id = val(id)
    if eval_valid("contact_id")    
	dim args as sql::arguments
    	args.set("id",contact_id)     
        dim filename as c 
        dim i as n
        dim report_name as c = "NLRPD_Page_"
        dim report_lib as c = "@[PathAlias.ADB_Path]\nlrpd.alb"
        dim temp_file_name as c ="tempreport_"
        for i = 1 to 4
	    filename = session.session_folder +temp_file_name+ltrim(str(i))+".pdf"
	    filename = report.saveas(report_name+ltrim(str(i))+report_lib,"PDF","","",filename,.f.,null_value(),args)
           if (i > 1)
	       if file.exists(filename)
		  pdf_append(session.session_folder + temp_file_name + "1.pdf",filename)
	       end if
           end if
	next  
        if file.exists(session.session_folder + "tempreport_1.pdf") 
            response.redirect(session.session_url + "tempreport_1.pdf?" + time("hm3")) 
        end if
    end if
end if
%>

[Scholin]

Re: Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

Bob,

Nice! I think I can work with this.

Now I need to figure out how to apply this to a filtered grouping of records and have it combine the group into one pdf.

Thanks, this will help for sure.

[Mike Reed]

Re: Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

Hi,
Here is another way to approach it so that you can easily add filters, etc. The code is in the attached text file.
Use the report genie to create the initial printing routine so that you get the filter variables right.

Let us know if you need more help.

mike

[Scholin]

Re: Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

Mike,

Very nice - thank you!

One of the things I enjoy so much about the Alpha community is the willingness of others to help out and share. I have learned so much over the past 3 years from this forum - a guy who is by no means a programmer.

Thank you all!

[christappan]

Re: Is there a way to print multiple pdf files with one click without displaying?

I'm just curious about the performance on these--I had had trouble with the report.saveas method taking a whole lot longer than just generating a pdf from a Javascript OnClick event. There's very well some behind-the-scenes issue on my end that made it so slow to save to file, but I'm still curious...