How to create PDF file using iText or some other library on android?

Creating PDF Files on Android

Generating PDF files is a common requirement in Android applications. Whether it’s for displaying reports, generating invoices, or exporting data, you need a reliable way to create PDF content. This article explores how to achieve this using the popular iText library and discusses some alternative options.

Using iText

iText is a powerful Java library widely used for PDF manipulation. It provides a comprehensive API for creating, modifying, and extracting data from PDF documents.

1. Setting up iText

To use iText in your Android project, you’ll need to add the following dependency to your project’s build.gradle file:

dependencies {
    implementation 'com.itextpdf:itextg:5.5.13' // Use the latest version available
}

2. Creating a Basic PDF Document

Here’s a simple example of how to create a PDF file using iText:

import com.itextpdf.kernel.pdf.PdfWriter;
import com.itextpdf.layout.Document;
import com.itextpdf.layout.element.Paragraph;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;

public class PDFGenerator {
    public static void generatePDF(String filename, String content) {
        try {
            File file = new File(filename);
            FileOutputStream outputStream = new FileOutputStream(file);
            PdfWriter writer = new PdfWriter(outputStream);
            Document document = new Document(writer);
            document.add(new Paragraph(content));
            document.close();
        } catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

Output:
A PDF file with the name specified in 'filename' will be created with the content 'content'. 

3. Adding Elements

iText allows you to add various elements to your PDF, such as:

• Text: Paragraph, Text, List
• Images: Image
• Tables: Table
• Headers and Footers: HeaderFooter

4. Saving the PDF

The PdfWriter object writes the PDF content to a file. You need to specify the desired file path and name when creating the PdfWriter.

Alternative Libraries

Apart from iText, there are other libraries that can be used to create PDF files in Android:

1. PDFBox

PDFBox is another open-source Java library for working with PDF documents. It offers a comprehensive set of features for manipulating PDFs, including creation, editing, and extraction.

2. Apache POI

Apache POI is primarily known for working with Microsoft Office file formats like Word and Excel. However, it also includes support for PDF creation.

Comparison

Conclusion

Creating PDF files in Android can be achieved with various libraries. iText is a popular choice due to its versatility and powerful API. However, PDFBox and Apache POI offer alternative solutions depending on your specific needs. Remember to choose the library that best suits your project’s requirements and complexity.