Generating PDFs in Angular using jsPDF
Tags: angular, jspdf, javascript, webdev
Published: 2024-05-29 16:53:12



In modern web applications, generating PDF documents can be an essential feature for reports, invoices, and more. In this article, we will explore how to integrate and use jsPDF, a popular JavaScript library, in an Angular application to generate PDF files dynamically.

## Prerequisites

To follow along with this tutorial, you should have:

- Basic knowledge of Angular.
- Node.js and Angular CLI installed.
- An Angular project set up. If you don't have one, you can create a new project using the Angular CLI:

```bash
ng new angular-jspdf
cd angular-jspdf
```

## Installing jsPDF

First, you need to install jsPDF. You can do this using npm:

```bash
npm install jspdf
```

## Setting Up jsPDF in Angular

Once jsPDF is installed, you need to set it up in your Angular project. Open your `app.module.ts` and add the following import:

```typescript
import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { BrowserModule } from '@angular/platform-browser';
import { AppComponent } from './app.component';
import { FormsModule } from '@angular/forms';

@NgModule({
  declarations: [
    AppComponent
  ],
  imports: [
    BrowserModule,
    FormsModule
  ],
  providers: [],
  bootstrap: [AppComponent]
})
export class AppModule { }
```

## Creating a PDF Service

To keep your code organized, create a service for generating PDFs. Generate a new service using Angular CLI:

```bash
ng generate service pdf
```

In the generated `pdf.service.ts`, import jsPDF and create a method for generating a PDF:

```typescript
import { Injectable } from '@angular/core';
import { jsPDF } from 'jspdf';

@Injectable({
  providedIn: 'root'
})
export class PdfService {

  constructor() { }

  generatePdf() {
    const doc = new jsPDF();

    doc.text('Hello world!', 10, 10);
    doc.save('sample.pdf');
  }
}
```

## Creating a Component to Generate PDFs

Next, generate a new component where you will add a button to trigger the PDF generation:

```bash
ng generate component pdf-generator
```

In `pdf-generator.component.ts`, inject the PDF service and create a method to call the `generatePdf` function:

```typescript
import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import { PdfService } from '../pdf.service';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-pdf-generator',
  templateUrl: './pdf-generator.component.html',
  styleUrls: ['./pdf-generator.component.css']
})
export class PdfGeneratorComponent {

  constructor(private pdfService: PdfService) { }

  generatePdf() {
    this.pdfService.generatePdf();
  }
}
```

In `pdf-generator.component.html`, add a button to trigger the PDF generation:

```html
<button (click)="generatePdf()">Generate PDF</button>
```

## Adding the Component to the App

Include the `PdfGeneratorComponent` in your `AppComponent` template to make it part of your application:

```html
<!-- app.component.html -->
<app-pdf-generator></app-pdf-generator>
```

## Customizing the PDF Content

To customize the PDF content, you can modify the `generatePdf` method in `PdfService`. For example, you can add images, tables, and more complex layouts:

```typescript
generatePdf() {
  const doc = new jsPDF();

  doc.setFontSize(22);
  doc.text('Custom PDF Document', 10, 10);

  doc.setFontSize(16);
  doc.text('This is a sample PDF generated using jsPDF in Angular.', 10, 30);

  // Add more content as needed
  doc.text('Add your content here...', 10, 50);

  doc.save('custom-sample.pdf');
}
```


Integrating jsPDF into your Angular project allows you to create PDF documents dynamically within your application. By following the steps outlined above, you can set up jsPDF, create a service for PDF generation, and trigger this functionality from a component. This basic setup can be further expanded to include more complex features such as tables, images, and styled text to meet your application's needs. With jsPDF, the possibilities for generating rich, dynamic PDF content are extensive, making it a powerful tool for any Angular developer.

Happy coding!