Getting Template issue Wicked PDF so Switching from Wicked PDF to Grover in Rails 7
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Blog Status: publish
Created By: swaz_ahmed Created at: 08-02-2024
Tags: ror rails 7 wicked pdf gem template issue grover gem wicked to grover gem haml template haml.html
Introduction
Generating PDFs in Rails applications is a common requirement, whether it's for creating invoices, reports, or downloadable content. wicked_pdf has been a popular choice for this task, but with the release of Rails 7, some developers have encountered compatibility issues. As a result, many are switching to the grover gem, which offers a modern and efficient solution for PDF generation.
Why Switch to Grover?
While wicked_pdf has served us well over the years, it can struggle with the latest versions of Rails due to its dependencies and the way it handles PDF generation. In contrast, grover leverages the power of modern web technologies like Headless Chrome, providing better support for CSS3, JavaScript, and overall rendering quality.
Benefits of Grover:
Modern Web Standards: Better handling of CSS, JavaScript, and web fonts.
Performance: Faster and more efficient PDF generation.
Ease of Use: Simplified configuration and usage.
Setting Up Grover
To get started with grover in your Rails 7 application, add it to your Gemfile:
gem 'grover'
Then, run bundle install to install the gem.
Google Puppeteer
npm install puppeteer
#Grover.new accepts a URL or inline HTML and optional parameters for Puppeter
grover = Grover.new('https://google.com', format: 'A4')
# Get an inline PDF
pdf = grover.to_pdf
# Get a screenshot
png = grover.to_png
jpeg = grover.to_jpeg
# Get the HTML content (including DOCTYPE)
html = grover.to_html
# Options can be provided through meta tags
Grover.new('<html><head><meta name="grover-page_ranges" content="1-3"')
Grover.new('<html><head><meta name="grover-margin-top" content="10px"')
It's easy to render a normal Rails view template as a PDF, using Rails' render_to_string:
html = MyController.new.render_to_string({
template: 'controller/view',
layout: 'my_layout',
locals: { :@instance_var => ... }
})
pdf = Grover.new(html, **grover_options).to_pdf
Configuration:
# config/initializers/grover.rb
config.options = {
format: 'A4',
margin: {
top: '5px',
bottom: '10cm'
},
user_agent: 'Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64; rv:47.0) Geck o/20100101 Firefox/47.0',
viewport: {
width: 640,
height: 480
},
prefer_css_page_size: true,
emulate_media: 'screen',
bypass_csp: true,
media_features: [{ name: 'prefers-color-scheme', value: 'dark' }],
timezone: 'Australia/Sydney',
vision_deficiency: 'deuteranopia',
extra_http_headers: { 'Accept-Language': 'en-US' },
geolocation: { latitude: 59.95, longitude: 30.31667 },
focus: '#some-element',
hover: '#another-element',
cache: false,
timeout: 0, # Timeout in ms. A value of `0` means 'no timeout'
request_timeout: 1000, # Timeout when fetching the content (overloads the `timeout` option)
convert_timeout: 2000, # Timeout when converting the content (overloads the `timeout` option, only applies to PDF conversion)
launch_args: ['--font-render-hinting=medium'],
wait_until: 'domcontentloaded'
}
end
Generating PDFs with Grover
To generate a PDF from a view or HTML template, you can use grover in a controller action. Here's an example:
class ReportsController < ApplicationController
def show
@report = Report.find(params[:id])
html = render_to_string(template: 'reports/show', layout: 'pdf')
pdf = Grover.new(html).to_pdf
send_data pdf,
filename: "report-#{@report.id}.pdf",
type: 'application/pdf',
disposition: 'inline'
end
end
Common Issues and Troubleshooting:
Issue: Relative Asset Paths
If your styles or assets aren't loading correctly in the PDF, ensure that display_url is set in the configuration to match your application's URL. This helps Grover resolve relative paths.
Conclusion:
Switching from wicked_pdf to grover in a Rails 7 application offers numerous benefits, including better compatibility, performance, and modern web standards support. By following the steps outlined above, you can smoothly transition to using grover for your PDF generation needs. Give it a try and share your experiences with the community!
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