Use of pdfSource in Interactive Forms in webdynpro

[former_member214651]

hi,

please let me know the use of "<b>pdfSource</b>" property while designing the Interactive form in webdynpro. i tried with and without creating the pdfSource property in my application and still there were no errors while deploying it.

Thanks

Regards

Poojith M V

[Former Member]

Hi,

forms needn't pdfSource. It is useful for situation which I described. If it isn't your situation you needn't it.

Michal

[former_member214651]

hi,

thanks for answering my question, but i tried to execute the application without creating a context variable of type Binary (WebDynpro Java), but it was still deployed successfully. As per your answer if the forms need a context variable of type binary to print the content in the PDF forms, then how is the application executing even though i have not created a context variable of type <b>Binary</b>?

please let me the know the exact answer.

Thanks and Regards

Poojith M V

[krishanu_biswas]

Hello Poojith M V,

Let me answer your query in a little bit more details. The statement first: An interactive form can be rendered with or without a pdfSource attribute.

But there are significant differences in the way they work and the application is designed. When you have the pdfSource bound to a context attribute of type binary, you do a PDF interchange between the browser and the server. The whole point is that you will always have the latest PDF document (binary) available in that context attribute on the server and you can make use of this binary PDF to do anything your apllication requires (saving it onto the file system, storing it into the database, performing some other operations on the server, email it etc etc etc).

Now, the other side of it, when you do not have the pdfSource bound to a context attribute, only XML exchange happens in between the browser and the server. Well, that means you only have the latest XML data available on the server at any point in time and since you have not bound the pdfSource, you do not have the binary PDF available to you through the context. There are ways you can get it but not through the context and not the latest one. It would still contain the initial data it had in the first request response cycle as you have not updated the PDF after that.

Now, the question is, which one to use ? It completly depends on your application requirements. There are certain functionalities which are not possible without having the latest PDF binary in hand. For example, you want to apply a digital signature on the document, you want to add an attachment on the document etc. But, then in most of the scenarios, the application would just need to exchange data between the client and the server (and vice versa) and do not worry about the binary PDF. That is the ideal case when you need not bind the pdfSource. It will be faster as well.

Hope that clarifies your doubt to certain extent. Go ahead and start with you interactive form application.

Best Regards,

Krish

[Former Member]

Hi Krishanu,

thanks for the details on pdf_source usage.

I've a requirment wherin I need to send the generated interactive form as an attachment in an email.

for this I bound it to a context attribute and then retrived the xstring value from it to convert it into a pdf and send a attachment. But the data in the pdf attchment is the initial data that was present when the interactvie form was created , I'm triggering the email after user has changed some data but still the latest data is not reflected in pdf. I'm retrieving the pdf_source after submission of the form with changed data

Can you suggest possible reasons and solution?

[anupam_srivastava2]

Hi Tabishul

I am having the same issue, the PDF_SOURCE is not reflecting the most recent PDF, it it showing the initial one. How did you got the PDF file with the most recent data in it ?

Regards

Anup

[Former Member]

Hi,

pdf source is useful if you have prepared pdf file and you want to display it. You save this pdf file in context attribute of type xstring (WebDynpro ABAP) or binary (WebDynpro) Java and you set pdfSource property of InteractiveForm.

Michal