Smart Doc Editor Utils
Servoy ships a Smart Doc Editor component for rich in-app document editing. To compliment this component, we introduced this svyUtils$documentEditor module as part of the SvyUtils offering. This module provides additional utilities to manage custom tag libraries, document merge and PDF export.
Install the Smart Doc Editor component via the Servoy Package Manager (SPM), if you have not already.
Help > Download Install with SPM This is a required dependency.
Then install the svyUtils$documentEditor module, also via the SPM. (Choose the "Modules" tab.) The module should be added as a dependency to your project, and the API will be available to you. You're ready to begin coding.
This module provides methods to embed custom data-bound tag libraries in the component with a simple API. The tags allow end users do design custom documents which can easily be merged with data. This gives the best experience for end-users, who won't need to understand anything about your database or your code.
For more info on tag libs and how to set tags at design-time, please see the Smart Doc Editor wiki topic on mention feeds.
function createTags() {
// create editor object (stored as form variable)
editor = scopes.svyDocEditor.getInstance(elements.editor);
// setup tag library
editor.tagBuilder(datasources.db.example_data.orders)
.addField('orderid')
.addField('shipcity')
.addField('orders_to_order_details.quantity')
.build()
}As you can see, a DocumentEditor object was created and bound to the runtime component. Then a TagBuilder object was then requested and bound to a specific data source datasources.db.example_data.orders. The tag builder can then generate field tags, using the addField method. Each field can be a primary or related DataProvider in the context of the tag builder's data source.
The list of available field tags is shown in a type-ahead selector whenever the # key is pressed. The result could look something like this:
Each tag has a displayValue, which is what the user will see.
By default, the TagBuilder will generate a default value based on the data provider. If it's a real column in the tag builder's data source, the JSColumn.title property is used. If the title property is empty, or the data provider is derived (i.e. calculated or aggregated), then the builder will prettify the name, with capital casing and spaces. For example, product_description would become Product Description.
When this property starts with i18n: it will translate the value.
Custom display values can be specified with the addField method as an optional parameter displayValue. For example:
editor.tagBuilder(datasources.db.example_data.orders)
.addField('shipcity', 'Destination City')
.build()The result could look something like this:
The TagBuilder can generate data-bound tags for any path in your data model, as long as it is traversable from the data source. Simply add the full path of the related data provider as a String. For example:
editor.tagBuilder(datasources.db.example_data.orders)
.addField('orders_to_customers.companyname', 'Customer.Name')The result could look something like this:
The TagBuilder supports also formats, in that case when replacing the tags the format will be applied to the given data.
editor.tagBuilder(datasources.db.example_data.orders)
.addField('orders_to_customers.registration_date', 'Customer.RegistrationDate', 'dd-MM-yyyy')In the given sample the format dd-MM-yyyy will be applied when the document merge is done
The TagBuilder also supports fields that are not real fields. This can be used in combination with Overwrites
editor.tagBuilder(datasources.db.example_data.orders)
.addField('CURRENT_DATE', 'currentDate', 'dd-MM-yyyy', true)In the given sample there will be no validation done for the field CURRENT_DATE on the selected datasource.
Because tag libraries are data-bound, they can be used to generate repeating content. This happens automatically when related data is specified in the addField method. The TagBuilder assumed a related FoundSet could have many records. Therefore any related data provider will also generate a repeat tag, unless the boolean repeats argument is set to false.
The list of available repeater tags is shown in a type-ahead selector whenever the $ key is pressed. For example:
tagBuilder
.addField('orders_to_order_details.quantity','Order Details: Quantity')
.addField('orders_to_order_details.order_details_to_products.productname',
'Order Details - Product',false)The result could look something like this:
You can see that a $startRepeater tag was automatically generated for the quantity field. This is ideal, because we know that each order can have many order detail lines. But also notice that no repeater tags were created for the productname field. This is because the (3rd) repeats parameter was explicitly set to false, as we know that order_details_to_products is a 1:1 relation.
When the document is merged, all the content between the $startRepeater tag and the $endRepeater will be repeated for each record in the repeater tag's related FoundSet.
A document editor component can be initialized to have custom tag libraries embedded in it. Each tag contains a display value (what the user will see) and a real value (what the application will see). There are also repeater tags, that specify where content will be repeated.
When the document is merged, the tags will be replaced with record data. For example:
function mergeTags(){
// get merged content for the selected record in the form
content = editor.mergeTags(foundset.getSelectedRecord());
}Here, the instance method DocumentEditor.mergeTags(record) was called and the selected record a form's foundset was used for the data source. The merged document is returned as a string, and in this case, it is set back into the content data provider to which the editor component is bound. The editor will render the merged document (like a print preview!).
The result could look something like this:
| Document with tags | Merged content |
|---|---|
 |
 |
As you can see the # field tags were replaced with the actual record data from the orders table. And the related data from the order_details and products tables were also merged. The $ repeater tags were applied to the 3 records in the related orders_to_order_details foundset. (You may also notice that the table header was intuitively skipped.)
THe merge function supports also overwrites That means that each tag or repeat or if tag can be validated.
function mergeTags(){
// get merged content for the selected record in the form
content = editor.mergeTags(foundset.getSelectedRecord(),true, null, ifParser, mentionOverwrite, repeatOverwrite);
}As you can see we have 3 extra functions defined in the mergeTags call. Each function will be called for each tag or item that it finds.
In this case the function is called when it is given to the mergeTags function.
function ifParser(realValue, record) {
application.output('Document Ifparser - realValue: `' + realValue + '` record: `' + record + '`');
if (realValue == 'canShowDateOfBirth') {
return false;
}
return true;
}The sample code is checking if the realValue of the ifTag matches the value. When it is doing that it is returning false, in the merge this will result in a complete remove of the block. While true will only remove the if tags.
In this case the function is called when it is given to the mergeTags function.
function mentionOverwrite(mentionRealvalue, mentionDisplayValue, dataprovider, relationName, record) {
application.output('Document mentionCallback - value: `' + value + "` dataprovider: `" + dataprovider + "` relationName: `" + relation + "` record: `" + record + "` mentionRealValue: `" + mentionRealvalue + "`");
if (mentionRealvalue === 'CURRENT_DATE') {
return new Date();
}
return value;
}The sample code is checking if the realValue of the mention matches the value. This can overwrite every value.. and when there is a format set it will also format that value. When you return null it will hide the tag value
In this case the function is called when it is given to the mergeTags function.
function repeatOverwrite(mentionRealValue, relationName, record) {
application.output('Document repeatCallback - realValue: `' + mentionRealValue + '` relationName: `' + relationName + '` record: `' + record + '`');
if (mentionRealValue === 'this_relation_should_not_be_displayed') {
return false;
}
return true;
}The sample code is checking if the realValue of the mention matches the value. This is almost the same as an ifTag so you can really use it to filter data.
If you have made it this far, then you probably want to print, email or archive a merged document. Fortunately this module provides support for PDF export. Content from the Smart Docs Editor maybe converted to PDF format using a simple Export API.
Here's a quick example:
function print(){
// get exported PDF file as bytes
var bytes = scopes.svyDocEditor.getExporter()
.setContent(content)
.exportToPDF();
// Save file locally and open
var pdf = plugins.file.createFile('export.pdf')
plugins.file.writeFile(pdf,bytes);
plugins.file.openFile(pdf);
}Here the getExporter method was used to return an Exporter object, which has methods to set content, among other options.
The Exporter supports various options, such as page size, orientation and margins to name a few. Here is an example of exporting with additional options:
var bytes = scopes.svyDocEditor.getExporter()
.setMargin(.25, .25, .25, .25)
.setOrientation(scopes.svyDocEditor.ORIENTATION.LANDSCAPE)
.setContent(content)
.exportToPDF();Converting rich HTML documents to PDF is no small task and Servoy delivers this functionality as a commercial-strength cloud service, greatly reducing the distribution footprint and developer requirements needed. All you need is an API key and a few lines of code to turn documents into PDFs.
You can obtain a FREE key from the Servoy Cloud Control Center. From the navigation choose "Add-Ons", and under "Document Printing", click "Generate Key". Your secret key will be displayed. Copy it to your clipboard.
There are two ways to register your key:
-
By Configuration: Open your properties configuration file
<SERVOY_HOME>/application_server/servoy.propertiesand set the following property:svyDocumentEditorAPIKey=<your-secret-key>. This is the preferred approach for deployments. Note: that should only edit the properties file when the Servoy Developer or App Server instance is stopped. - At Runtime: Use the registerAPIKey method to set the key dynamically. This is ideal for testing in development. It will override any configuration.
The PDF export service is FREE and subject to daily quotas and limitations. It is ideal for testing purposes and low-volume production scenarios. Upgrade to unlimited printing for high-volume production scenarios and a dedicated document server.
A top-level scope svyDocEditor which contains a simple object-oriented API to extend the Smart Docs Editor component.
| Class | Summary |
|---|---|
| DocumentEditor | An simple object to wrap a document editor component instance, exposing basic methods |
| TagBuilder | Used to build tag libraries to a bound editor instance |
| Exporter | Used to generate document exports (PDF) |
| Type | Name | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Enum<String> | ORIENTATION | An enum which describes export options for the page orientation property, including PORTRAIT and LANDSCAPE. |
| Enum<String> | PAGE_SZE | An enum which describes export options for the page size property. Currently, only A4 is supported. |
| Return Type | Method | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| DocumentEditor | getInstance | Gets a new doc editor instance. |
| Exporter | getExporter | Gets an exporter to configure and export documents |
| String | mergeTags | Merges a document template with data, returning the merged content. |
| None | registerAPIKey | Registers/overrides API key for document export service |
Gets an instance of document editor for the specified component.
Params:
| Type | Name | Summary | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| RuntimeWebComponent<SmartDocumentEditor> | editor | The real doc editor component | required |
Returns: DocumentEditor
Example:
var editor = scopes.svyDocEditor.getInstance(elements.editor);Gets an exporter to configure and export documents
Params: None
Returns: Exporter
Example:
var exporter = scopes.svyDocEditor.getExporter();Merges a document template with data, executing repeater tags, replacing field tags and returning the merged content.
Params:
| Type | Name | Summary | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| String | content | The document template to be merged | required |
| JSRecord | data | The data which will be merged | required |
Returns: String The content which
Example:
var displayContent = scopes.svyDocEditor.mergeTags(content, record);Registers/overrides API key for document export service, ideally for development/testing. It should be called before using the Exporter. The key can also be set in the servoy.properties file using the property name svyDocumentEditorAPIKey, ideally for production/deployment.
Params:
| Type | Name | Summary | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| String | apiKey | Your private API key | required |
Returns: None
Example:
function onOpen(){
scopes.svyDocEditor.registerAPIKey('AOzDghg+j6786SDlkjSSDT/K76KJghLbsH=');
}An simple class to wrap a document editor component instance, exposing basic methods.
| Return Type | Method | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| TagBuilder | tagBuilder | Gets a tag builder instance bound to this editor |
| String | getContent | Gets the HTML content from this editor object, with options to inline CSS and filter style sheet. |
| String | mergeTags | Merges this editor's content with data, includes options to inline CSS and filter style sheet. |
Gets a tag builder instance bound to this editor.
Params:
| Type | Name | Summary | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| String|JSDataSource | dataSource | The data source to use for building tags. Can be the name or the actual data source object. | required |
Returns: TagBuilder which can generate tags for this editor
Example:
var tagBuilder = editor.tagBuilder(datasources.db.example_data.orders);Gets this editor's content, optionally with inline CSS and filtered stylesheet. Ideal to save or export the content.
Params:
| Type | Name | Summary | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boolean | withInlineCSS | Option to also inline the CSS when merging. This is recommend if the result will be exported. Note: There is a performance impact, so this parameter should be ignored if the result will be rendered in the component anyway. |
optional: default is false
|
| String | filterStyleSheetName | The style sheet name to filter. Only this style sheet will be inline. This is ideal for a custom style to be used, say in an email template. Note: The path and .css extension should be skipped. |
optional |
Returns: String The content from this editor, with optional inline CSS and filtered stylesheet.
Example:
// FETCH THE CONTENT, IGNORE DOC CSS. IDEAL FOR SAVING THE DOC OR SHOWING IN AN EDITOR COMPONENT
var plainContent = editor.getContent();
// FETCH THE CONTENT, INLINE CSS. IDEAL FOR EXPORTING
var reneredContent = editor.getContent(true);
// FETCH THE CONTENT, INLINE CSS. IDEAL FOR EXPORTING
var filteredContent = editor.getContent(true, 'myCustomStyle');Merges this editor's current content with data, executing repeater tags, replacing field tags and returning the merged content. (This is a convenience method to combine scope-level mergeTags method with this editor's getContent.)
Params:
| Type | Name | Summary | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| JSRecord | data | The data which will be merged | required |
| Boolean | withInlineCSS | Option to also inline the CSS when merging. This is recommend if the result will be exported. Note: There is a performance impact, so this parameter should be ignored if the result will be rendered in the component anyway. |
optional: default is false
|
| String | filterStyleSheetName | The style sheet name to filter. Only this style sheet will be inline. This is ideal for a custom style to be used, say in an email template. Note: The path and .css extension should be skipped. |
optional |
Returns: String The merged content
Example:
// MERGE TAGS ON PLAIN CONTENT
var mergedContent = editor.mergeTags(record, true);
// INLINE THE CSS AND MERGE TAGS
var mergedRenderedContent = editor.mergeTags(record, true);
// FILTER FOR STYLE SHEET AND MERGE TAGS
var mergedRenderedContent = editor.mergeTags(record, true, 'myCustomStyle');A class used to build custom tag libraries for a bound document editor component.
| Return Type | Method | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| TagBuilder | addField | Add a specified data provider as a field tag |
| none | build | Applies the tag lib to the document editor component |
| JSDataSet | getFields | Returns the field tags as data set, ideally used in a value list in a custom toolbar item. |
Add a specified data provider as a field tag. If the data provider is a related value, then this tag builder may also generate repeater tags for the relation.
Params:
| Type | Name | Summary | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| String | dataProviderID | The data provider, relative the builder's data source. Can be a column, calculation, aggregate or related data provider. | Required |
| String | displayTag | An optional display value for the tag. If none specified, then JSColumn.title property is used for a real column. If the title property is empty, or the data provider is derived (calculated or aggregated), then the builder will prettify the name, with capital casing and spaces. | Optional |
| Boolean | repeats | An optional flag to specify if a related data provider should generate repeater tags. Ideally, this is used to omit 1:1 relations. | Optional, default is true
|
Returns: TagBuilder for call chaining.
Example:
// ADD COLUMN FROM PRIMARY TABLE, DEFAULT DISPLAY
builder.addField('orderid')
// ADD COLUMN FROM PRIMARY TABLE, OVERRIDE DISPLAY VALUE
.addField('shipcity', 'Destination City')
// ADD COLUMN FROM FOREIGN TABLE, OVERRIDE DISPLAY VALUE, SPECIFY NO-REPEAT
.addField('orders_to_customers.companyname', 'Customer.Name',false);Applies the tag lib to the bound document editor component.
Params: None
Returns: None
Example:
// ADD TAGS AND APPLY
builder
.addField('orderid')
.addField('shipcity', 'Destination City')
.addField('orders_to_customers.companyname', 'Customer.Name',false)
.build();Returns this builder's field tags as data set, ideally used in a value list
Params: None
Returns: JSDataSet The field tags, which can be used in a value list.
Example:
// GET FIELD TAGS AS A DATA SET
var fieldTags = builder.getFields();An object to configure and generate document exports (PDF)
| Return Type | Method | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Exporter | addHeadTag | Adds additional head tags to the exported content |
| Array<byte> | exportToPDF | Exports the content to PDF. |
| Exporter | setContent | Sets the content to be exported |
| Exporter | setCSS | Set/Override the css in the exporter |
| Exporter | setImageURL | Sets the image URL |
| Exporter | setMargin | Sets the page margins |
| Exporter | setOrientation | Sets the page orientation |
| Exporter | setPageSize | Sets the page size |
Adds additional head tags to the exported content. Head tags can carry additional metadata and style info to the exported PDF.
Params:
| Type | Name | Summary | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| String | headTag | The head tag to be added | Required |
Returns: Exporter for call chaining.
Example:
// GET EXPORTER AND ADD CUSTOM HEAD TAGS
scopes.svyDocEditor.getExporter()
.addHeadTag('<head><!-- my custom head tag --></head>')
.addHeadTag('<head><!-- another head tag --></head>')Exports to PDF with
Params: None
Returns: Array<byte> The PDF file bytes
Example:
// GET EXPORTER AND EXPORT CONTENT
var bytes = scopes.svyDocEditor.getExporter()
.setContent(content)
.exportToPDF();
// DOWNLOAD AND OPEN FILE IN BROWSER
var pdf = plugins.file.createFile('export.pdf')
plugins.file.writeFile(pdf,bytes);
plugins.file.openFile(pdf);Sets the content to be exported.
Params:
| Type | Name | Summary | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| String | content | The content to exported | Required |
Returns: Exporter for call chaining.
See Also: DocumentEditor.getContent
Example:
// GET EXPORTER AND SET CONTENT
var content = editor.getContent()
scopes.svyDocEditor.getExporter()
.setContent(content);Sets the CSS to be use in the export. In this way, CSS can be inlined and the PDF is self-contained.
Params:
| Type | Name | Summary | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| String | css | The CSS to be used | Required |
Returns: Exporter for call chaining.
Example:
// GET EXPORTER AND SET CSS
scopes.svyDocEditor.getExporter()
.setCSS(css);Sets the page margins
Params:
| Type | Name | Summary | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | top | The top margin | Required |
| Number | right | The right margin | Required |
| Number | bottom | The bottom margin | Required |
| Number | left | The left margin | Required |
Returns: Exporter for call chaining.
Example:
// GET EXPORTER AND SET PAGE MARGIN
scopes.svyDocEditor.getExporter()
.setMargin(0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5);Sets the page orientation
Params:
| Type | Name | Summary | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| String | orientation | The page orientation, must be one of enum ORIENTATION | Required |
Returns: Exporter for call chaining.
See Also: ORIENTATION
Example:
// GET EXPORTER AND SET ORIENTATION
scopes.svyDocEditor.getExporter()
.setOrientation(scopes.svyDocEditor.ORIENTATION.LANDSCAPE);Sets the page size
Params:
| Type | Name | Summary | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| String | pageSize | Page size, must be one of enum PAGE_SIZE | Required |
Returns: Exporter for call chaining.
See Also: PAGE_SIZE
Example:
// GET EXPORTER AND SET PAGE SIZE
scopes.svyDocEditor.getExporter()
.setPageSize(scopes.svyDocEditor.PAGE_SIZE.A4);