Fusion Flash Charts -> PDF automated reporting. 1

[1DMF]

Hi,

We have a perl web app GUI tool which enables MI reporting and produces flash charts.

Management are considering automating some reports and would like to receive a PDF document via email.

As all the Perl app returns is an XML feed that fusion charts then renders, is there a way of doing something in ASP that could take the XML feed, use fusion charts to generate the graph and convert that to PDF and then email to management?

Your thought on this process is appreciated.

Thanks,

1DMF

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!"

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[ChrisHirst]

Persists have an PDF component for ASP

http://www.asppdf.com/

Chris.

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[1DMF]

Thanks Chris,

I can get ABCpdf for free if I link to their site.

So I guess ASP doesn't have any features that enable PDF creation natively!

It seems however there is a version of Fusion Charts that enables output to Image/PDF anyway.

But I'm a bit confused as their website mentions a javascript trigger?

Yet i'm trying to automate these reports so there won't be a browser involved, or a mechanized one not a standard browser opened by a user.

I thought web bots that simulate browsers can't execute Flash / Javascript?

Is it possible in ASP to write a backgroud process that simulates a browser to execute a call to my backend Perl script, trigger the capture of the chart, export to PDF and email it to management?

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!"

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[ChrisHirst]

So I guess ASP doesn't have any features that enable PDF creation natively!

Correct.

Is it possible in ASP to write a backgroud process that simulates a browser to execute a call to my backend Perl script, trigger the capture of the chart, export to PDF and email it to management?

ASP only runs when a HTTP/HTTPS request is made to a URI, it doesn't have "background processes", though you could set up the scheduler to make a request to a URI at a specific time of day.

I thought web bots that simulate browsers can't execute Flash / Javascript?

there are bots around that have a javascript virtual machine (

http://code.google.com/p/v8/)

built in.
It just that the run of the mill bots don't need to execute javascript to do what they are meant to.

Chris.

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Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.
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[1DMF]

Thanks Chris.

It seem fusion Charts do have a non-browser implementation they use in-house.

which support have said they are happy to share with me.

Please can you advise how the server-side export works in an automated environment where there is no browser involved?
>> Please note that in case you are willing to export the charts without rendering it in the browser, in that case, our developers have created an Server-side Image Saver Assembly that allows exporting charts as images without rendering it in the browser and works only on a .Net framework on Windows OS.

This is an internal implementation, which is not included and/or associated with the FusionCharts pack. With your confirmation of interest, I'll be glad to share the same with you.

I will still need to rewrite the perl script to export the XML to file instead of returning it via STDOUT.

I can then automate the script via a scheduled job, use their non-browser implementation to render the charts to file and then somehow package them into a PDF and email them.

Looks like I'm going to have to get my head round .NET though!

And the bosses thought this would be easy!

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!"

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[ChrisHirst]

Yeah I've been putting off the "delights" of .NET for several years now, I just haven't come up with a good enough reason to actually bother learning it, although the reasons not to, are many fold.

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.
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[1DMF]

Well in the end I won't need to.

The Assembly executable they have provided can be called from perl as a shell command, so i can get my scripts to generate an XML file of the graph data, call the executable, then zip up the generated image file!

I'll just have to learn how you can make your perl script wait for a shell command to finish (unless it does that by default?).

If i feel really ambitious, i could look into inserting the images into a PDF, but zipping them up for email might be better anyway for file size restrictions.

this has turned out to be easier than i first thoguht, thanks to those nice people at Fusion Charts and their special executable that doesn't require a browser to generate the graphs, though Flash Active X still needs to be installed on the server!

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!"

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