Working with templates and images

Template

Rghost can make use of Encapsulated Postscript files to act as templates (EPS). This way you can create the visual layout of the page using a graphics tool and just paint the dynamic pieces over using RGhost.

Above we have mytemplate.eps that was generated by a graphic app, my_ruby_program.rb that takes care of the positioning and ultimately the generated output.

A Template use example: Let‘s say that the files first.eps and content.eps already exist. Now we will see how to create a document that uses the template first.eps for the cover and the rest of the document uses content.eps.

d = Document.new :margin_top => 5, :margin_bottom => 2

Just for the first page

d.before_document_create do
  image "/my/dir/first.eps"                          #loads the template
  text_in :x=> 5, :y=> 17, :text => "My Report", :with => :big
  next_page                                          #go to the next page using cursors
end

Callback for all other pages.

d.before_page_create :except => 1 do
  image "/my/dir/content.eps"
  text_in :text => "Page %current_page% of %count_pages%", :x => 18, :y => 27, :with => :normal
 end

1500 rows

1500.times do |n|
   d.show_next_row "Value #{n}"
 end

We have a cover page and 1500 rows, judging by the margins each page supports 46 rows, so we have 1500/46 = 32.60 pages plus the cover. Rounding it up totals 34 pages for the :count_pages

d.define_variable(:count_pages, 34)
  d.showpage
  d.render :pdf, :filename => "/tmp/test.pdf"

If we knew the number of pages beforehand we could state it on the creation of the document, i.e.

 :count_pages => 34

The example uses one template per page, but this is not a limit in RGhost. You can have multiple images and templates per page. Just have to define the template:

d=Document.new :margin_top => 5, :margin_bottom => 2
d.define_template(:myform, '/local/template/form1.eps', :x=> 3, :y => 5)

and call it on the document.

d.use_template :myform

Arguments
* :name – Template name.
* :file_path – Path to file.
* :options – Options facade to Image.for(or image)

Image.for

Facade method for load image by file extension. Uses Eps, Gif and Jpeg class. Accepts gif, jpeg, jpg and eps extensions.
Options:
* :x and :y – Coordinates to position.
* :rotate – Angle to image rotation if there is one.
* :zoom – Resize the image proportionally.

EPS
Loading eps file

Examples

doc=Document.new
 doc.set Eps.new "/local/templates/myform.eps", :x => 10, :y => 3

Using Image.for facade

 doc.set Image.for "/local/templates/myform.eps", :x => 10, :y => 3

Using PsFacade or Document.

 doc.image "/local/templates/myform.eps", :x => 10, :y => 3

Gif

Loads GIF image from file. Examples

doc=Document.new
doc.set Gif.new "../public/images/button.gif", :x => 10, :y => 3

Using Image.for facade

 doc.set Image.for "../public/images/button.gif", :x => 10, :y => 3

Using PsFacade or Document.

doc.image "images/button.gif", :x => 10, :y => 3

Using 200 percent zoom

 doc.image "images/button.gif", :zoom => 200

Jpeg

Loads JPEG image from file
Examples

doc=Document.new
doc.set Jpeg.new "../public/images/button.jpg", :x => 10, :y => 3

Using Image.for facade

doc.set Image.for "../public/images/button.jpg", :x => 10, :y => 3

Using PsFacade or Document.

doc.image "images/button.jpg", :x => 10, :y => 3

Using Zoom of the 200 percent

doc.image "images/button.jpg", :zoom => 200