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PDF Report Generation in Python

Extensive Guide to PDF Report Generation in Python

Creating PDF reports with Python allows you to generate professional documents with text, tables, images, and plots. This comprehensive tutorial covers everything from basic PDF generation to advanced customization and data visualization in PDF reports using the ReportLab and Matplotlib libraries.

1. Installing Required Libraries

To generate PDFs and add plots, you'll need the ReportLab and Matplotlib libraries. Install them using:

pip install reportlab matplotlib

2. Basic PDF Creation

Learn how to create a basic PDF document using ReportLab:

2.1 Creating a PDF Document

from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas

# Create a PDF file
c = canvas.Canvas("basic_example.pdf", pagesize=letter)
width, height = letter

# Add text
c.drawString(100, height - 100, "Hello, ReportLab!")
c.drawString(100, height - 120, "This is a simple PDF document.")

# Save the PDF
c.save()

3. Setting Page Width and Height

You can customize the dimensions of your PDF pages by specifying the width and height directly:

from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import landscape

# Custom page size (width x height)
page_width = 600
page_height = 400

# Create a PDF file with custom dimensions
c = canvas.Canvas("custom_page_size.pdf", pagesize=(page_width, page_height))

# Add text
c.drawString(100, page_height - 100, "Custom Page Size")
c.drawString(100, page_height - 120, "Width: 600 points, Height: 400 points")

# Save the PDF
c.save()

Alternatively, use predefined page sizes like A4, letter, or landscape:

from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import A4, landscape

# Create a PDF file with A4 page size
c = canvas.Canvas("A4_page_size.pdf", pagesize=A4)
width, height = A4

# Add text
c.drawString(100, height - 100, "A4 Page Size")
c.drawString(100, height - 120, "Width: 210mm, Height: 297mm")

# Save the PDF
c.save()

# Create a PDF file with landscape orientation
c = canvas.Canvas("landscape_page_size.pdf", pagesize=landscape(A4))
width, height = landscape(A4)

# Add text
c.drawString(100, height - 100, "Landscape A4 Page Size")
c.drawString(100, height - 120, "Width: 297mm, Height: 210mm")

# Save the PDF
c.save()

4. Adding Text to PDFs

Customize the text appearance and add formatted text using ReportLab's styling features:

4.1 Adding Styled Text

from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet, ParagraphStyle
from reportlab.platypus import SimpleDocTemplate, Paragraph

# Create a PDF file
doc = SimpleDocTemplate("styled_text.pdf", pagesize=letter)
styles = getSampleStyleSheet()

# Create content
content = []
content.append(Paragraph("This is a heading", styles['Title']))
content.append(Paragraph("This is a paragraph of text. You can customize fonts, sizes, and colors using ParagraphStyle.", styles['Normal']))

# Build PDF
doc.build(content)

4.2 Adding Multiple Lines and Text Formatting

from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.lib.styles import ParagraphStyle
from reportlab.platypus import SimpleDocTemplate, Paragraph

# Custom style
custom_style = ParagraphStyle('CustomStyle', fontName='Helvetica-Bold', fontSize=12, spaceAfter=10)

# Create a PDF file
doc = SimpleDocTemplate("multiple_lines.pdf", pagesize=letter)
content = [
    Paragraph("Line 1: Basic Text", custom_style),
    Paragraph("Line 2: Another Line with a Different Style", custom_style),
]

# Build PDF
doc.build(content)

5. Adding Images to PDFs

Embed images in your PDF, such as plots generated with Matplotlib:

5.1 Adding a Static Image

from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas

# Create a PDF file
c = canvas.Canvas("image_example.pdf", pagesize=letter)
width, height = letter

# Add an image
c.drawImage('image.png', 100, height - 500, width=400, height=300)

# Save the PDF
c.save()

5.2 Adding a Plot Image

Generate a plot with Matplotlib and embed it into the PDF:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Create a plot
x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [2, 3, 5, 7, 11]
plt.plot(x, y)
plt.title('Sample Plot')
plt.xlabel('X-axis')
plt.ylabel('Y-axis')

# Save the plot as an image
plt.savefig('plot.png')
plt.close()

# Add plot image to PDF
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas

c = canvas.Canvas("pdf_with_plot.pdf", pagesize=letter)
width, height = letter

# Add plot image
c.drawImage('plot.png', 100, height - 500, width=400, height=300)
c.save()

6. Creating Tables in PDFs

Use ReportLab’s Platypus to create tables with headers and data:

from reportlab.platypus import SimpleDocTemplate, Table, TableStyle
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.lib.units import inch
from reportlab.lib.colors import pink, lightblue

# Create a PDF file
doc = SimpleDocTemplate("table_example.pdf", pagesize=letter)
data = [['Name', 'Age', 'City'],
        ['Alice', 25, 'New York'],
        ['Bob', 30, 'Los Angeles'],
        ['Charlie', 35, 'Chicago']]

# Create table and apply styles
table = Table(data)
table.setStyle(TableStyle([('BACKGROUND', (0, 0), (-1, 0), pink),
                           ('TEXTCOLOR', (0, 0), (-1, 0), lightblue),
                           ('ALIGN', (0, 0), (-1, -1), 'CENTER'),
                           ('GRID', (0, 0), (-1, -1), 1, lightblue)]))

# Build PDF
doc.build([table])

7. Managing Pages in PDFs

To add multiple pages and control page content, use the showPage() method:

from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas

# Create a PDF file
c = canvas.Canvas("multiple_pages.pdf", pagesize=letter)
width, height = letter

# Add content to first page
c.drawString(100, height - 100, "Page 1")
c.showPage()  # End the current page and start a new one

# Add content to second page
c.drawString(100, height - 100, "Page 2")

# Save the PDF
c.save()

8. Adding Multiple Plots on One Page

Combine multiple plots on a single page:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas

# Create plots
fig, axs = plt.subplots(2, 2, figsize=(8, 6))
for ax in axs.flat:
    ax.plot([1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6])
    ax.set_title('Plot')

# Save plots as images
plt.savefig('multiple_plots.png')
plt.close()

# Add plots image to PDF
c = canvas.Canvas("pdf_with_multiple_plots.pdf", pagesize=letter)
width, height = letter

c.drawImage('multiple_plots.png', 50, height - 500, width=500, height=400)
c.save()

9. Customizing PDF Appearance

Apply custom styles, fonts, and colors to your PDF content:

from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet, ParagraphStyle
from reportlab.platypus import SimpleDocTemplate, Paragraph

# Custom styles
styles = getSampleStyleSheet()
custom_style = ParagraphStyle('CustomStyle', fontName='Helvetica-Bold', fontSize=14, textColor='blue', spaceAfter=10)

# Create PDF
doc = SimpleDocTemplate("customized_pdf.pdf", pagesize=letter)
content = [
    Paragraph("This is a custom-styled heading", custom_style),
    Paragraph("This is a paragraph with customized font and color.", styles['Normal']),
]

# Build PDF
doc.build(content)

10. Final Tips and Best Practices

  • Ensure paths to images and resources are correct to avoid errors in PDF generation.
  • Utilize ReportLab’s Platypus module for more complex document structures and layout management.
  • For large or complex documents, consider breaking the content into sections or separate PDFs and merging them if necessary.
  • Test your PDF generation code thoroughly to ensure that all content is rendered correctly and meets your formatting requirements.

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