# Printed/PDF Reports (Text/Tabular/Summary) in Rails **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [July 21, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/printed-pdf-reports-text-tabular-summary-in-rails/99293 "2006-07-21T15:52:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/5f8ce5/32.png) [@jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jcanady)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/printed-pdf-reports-text-tabular-summary-in-rails/99293/1 "2006-07-21T15:52:49Z")
The recent discussion about different graphing solutions made me think. What is everyone using for general reports? Currently I have a web based application at work that has roughly 20 different reports ranging from simple tabular data with totaling at the bottom to pretty, colorized, graphic logo’s,etc… going to clients, and finally complex ones I hate to think about such as medical forms. The app is currently written in Python and I use ReportLab. I am slowly replacing that app with rails, converting one section at a time into logical rails controllers. So right now, some “modules” are rails, most are still python, including the reporting side of things. Any suggestions? I have used FOP in the past and there is no way it’s powerful enough for some of the things we do. In some synarios, we really had to push the limits of ReportLab (and sometimes confined by them). Thanks! Jeremy ---
**Author:** ![jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/5f8ce5/32.png) [@jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jcanady)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/printed-pdf-reports-text-tabular-summary-in-rails/99293/2 "2010-05-20T16:33:44Z")
DC… I am also struggling with integration of BIRT into an ROR project that I am working on… But it seems like there is no or very little documentation or resource online for reference… Can you please point me in the right direction here… I would really appreciate any help… Thanks Anooj DC wrote: > Jeremy … > > I have been using the Eclipse BIRT project to create my runtime reports > for ROR applications. Eclipse BIRT needs Tomcat (or other J2EE server) > to host. I use ROR as the front end to capture any filter requirements > that the user has, then I call BIRT with the appropriate filter > parameters and additional tags to produce HTML or PDF report. > > Hope this helps … > > DC > > Jeremy C. wrote: > > > The recent discussion about different graphing solutions made me > > think. What is everyone using for general reports? Currently I have a > > web based application at work that has roughly 20 different reports > > ranging from simple tabular data with totaling at the bottom to > > pretty, colorized, graphic logo’s,etc… going to clients, and > > finally complex ones I hate to think about such as medical forms. > > > > The app is currently written in Python and I use ReportLab. I am > > slowly replacing that app with rails, converting one section at a > > time into logical rails controllers. So right now, some “modules” are > > rails, most are still python, including the reporting side of things. > > > > Any suggestions? I have used FOP in the past and there is no way it’s > > powerful enough for some of the things we do. In some synarios, we > > really had to push the limits of ReportLab (and sometimes confined by > > them). > > > > Thanks! > > > > Jeremy ---
**Author:** ![jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/5f8ce5/32.png) [@jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jcanady)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 4:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/printed-pdf-reports-text-tabular-summary-in-rails/99293/3 "2006-07-21T16:46:57Z")
Jeremy … I have been using the Eclipse BIRT project to create my runtime reports for ROR applications. Eclipse BIRT needs Tomcat (or other J2EE server) to host. I use ROR as the front end to capture any filter requirements that the user has, then I call BIRT with the appropriate filter parameters and additional tags to produce HTML or PDF report. Hope this helps … DC Jeremy C. wrote: > The recent discussion about different graphing solutions made me > think. What is everyone using for general reports? Currently I have a > web based application at work that has roughly 20 different reports > ranging from simple tabular data with totaling at the bottom to > pretty, colorized, graphic logo’s,etc… going to clients, and > finally complex ones I hate to think about such as medical forms. > > The app is currently written in Python and I use ReportLab. I am > slowly replacing that app with rails, converting one section at a > time into logical rails controllers. So right now, some “modules” are > rails, most are still python, including the reporting side of things. > > Any suggestions? I have used FOP in the past and there is no way it’s > powerful enough for some of the things we do. In some synarios, we > really had to push the limits of ReportLab (and sometimes confined by > them). > > Thanks! > > Jeremy ---
**Author:** ![jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/5f8ce5/32.png) [@jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jcanady)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 9:33am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/printed-pdf-reports-text-tabular-summary-in-rails/99293/4 "2010-05-21T09:33:24Z")
I just started using Prawn. It’s in alpha but it’s already pretty usefull. Table lay-outs neatly reproduce themselves over multiple pages with repeating headers. And that just in 1 line of code!!! Jan ---
**Author:** ![jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/5f8ce5/32.png) [@jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jcanady)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/printed-pdf-reports-text-tabular-summary-in-rails/99293/5 "2010-05-21T00:54:54Z")
Jeremy C. wrote: […] > Any suggestions? I have used FOP in the past and there is no way it’s > powerful enough for some of the things we do. In some synarios, we > really had to push the limits of ReportLab (and sometimes confined by > them). I doubt extremely that FOP isn’t powerful enough. FO can handle just about any layout you’d care to throw at it. But its syntax is pretty awful. I’d suggest looking at one of the many Ruby PDF libraries or a tool like wkhtmltopdf. > Thanks! > > Jeremy ## Best, Marnen Laibow-Koser [http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org) removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid