Is possible pdf file generate with PIC?

respected · Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 95

Hi all;

I want to generate pdf file. Does anyone have any idea ?

Thanks..

temtronic · Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 7:15 am

Yes, you can get a PIC to produce a PDF file though it's the best processor for the application.
Now how fast the PIC can generate it depends upon clock speed, data source interface and the actual PIC. You'd obviously need a lot of RAM(say an external SPI unit or 2 or 3....) as well as data storage for the PDF(say a Vinculum based flashdrive or similar).
Speed is also dependent on how you cut code for the project.
There's a lot of 'details' needed like size of PDF, source of data,time to complete project, money available but it is possible.

heck anything can be done with a PIC !!

jay

respected · Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 95

Thanks.
I think i will use pic18f46j50 and nand flash . But I don't know how can i do.

for example: is Haru free PDF library usefull or not. or other pdf library?
if you have any idea can you direct me please?

Ttelmah · Joined: 11 Mar 2010 Posts: 19339

The library, probably no, but the documentation in the library, yes.

First, you need to start by working out what features of pdf you are going to support?. Just text, or are you going to embed pitcures etc.?. Then, for each part you are going to handle, you have to work out what happens to your incoming source data, and how it has to be modified to make it into the pdf output. This then you have to code. Some parts of the coding operations, may be copyable from the library, but with significant modification.

ckielstra · Joined: 18 Mar 2004 Posts: 3680 Location: The Netherlands

Yes, a PIC processor can generate PDF.
But it will take a lot of effort to get it working and speed will be slow.

Other processor families with more memory and processing power are much better suited for the job and will cost you only little bit more.

Instead of PDF, is it possible for you to use HTML? That's easy to generate.

respected · Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 95

thanks @ckielstra.

but pdf file the most important for me.

Ttelmah · Joined: 11 Mar 2010 Posts: 19339

You are missing the critical line in what I said:
"you need to start by working out what features of pdf you are going to support?. Just text, or are you going to embed pictures etc.?."

The point is that pdf, is not 'one format'. A full pdf generator, would start off being probably 100* the size of even the largest PIC's memory space.
Pdf is effectively a page description language. You have things like a paragraph of text, and attached to it, the description of how it is to be laid out, spaced, what font is to be used etc. etc..

It is relatively simple to write a basic generator, that can produce one standard page layout, from perhaps a block of text. However every extra thing you want to include is going to need the code to handle it, and if the data involved is not directly in a format that can be output in a pdf, you will also need the code to convert to a suitable format (and 'know' what size is then involved in the layout.

It is currently a totally 'open' question. Can a PIC format something into pdf?. Yes. How much it can handle, and what formats it can handle are where the complexity comes in.

gpsmikey · Joined: 16 Nov 2010 Posts: 588 Location: Kirkland, WA

You might want to start with the wiki description of pdf and follow those links etc. for determining exactly what you are trying to do - it is a complete ISO standard these days (and can be quite complex). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format

mikey
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mikey
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