What is the best way to generate PDF/HTML/DOCX in Ruby/Rails

PDF:

1. Prawn: native and more flexible
2. Wicked-PDF: Wicked depends on wkhtmltopdf and uses systems call
3. CombinePDF: combine PDF files
4. pdfcrowd: API for http://pdfcrowd.com

DOC:

1. Caracal
2. docx
3. docx_replace
4. docx
5. html2doc

Prawn Notes: guide

1. Add links:

   • methods

   • inline_format: works

     pdf.text "<link href='#{link}'>#{table.name}</link>", align: :center, size: 32, style: :bold, inline_format: true
     

   • formatted_text: works, but can't align by center automatically, has to move_down for new text

     pdf.formatted_text_box([{text: table.name, link: link, styles: [:bold], size: 32, align: :center }])
     

   • link_annotation: has to put position?

     pdf.link_annotation([100, 100, 5, 5], :Border => [0,0,1], :A => { :Type => :Action, :S => :URI, :URI => Prawn::LiteralString.new("http://google.com") } )
     

2. support Chinese

   • gkai00mp.ttf is not downloaded by bundle install

     • The standard prawn gem is of version 2.4.0, may be dated without all fonts
     • Change to use the latest version from GitHub

      gem 'prawn', :git => 'https://github.com/prawnpdf/prawn.git'
     

   • Specify fonts:

     pdf.font("#{Prawn::BASEDIR}/data/fonts/gkai00mp.ttf") do
       pdf.text '测试中文'
       pdf.text 'test English'
       pdf.text 'test English 和中文'
       # NOTE: gkai doesn't support style like italic
     end
   

   • fallback fonts for both languages

     • guide
     • May have some bug, has to set font.

     Prawn::Document.generate(file) do |pdf|
       kai_path = "#{Prawn::BASEDIR}/data/fonts/gkai00mp.ttf"
       kai_spec  = { file: kai_path, font: 'Kai' }
       #don't use a symbol to define the name of the font!
       pdf.font_families['Kai'] = { normal: kai_spec,
                                    bold: kai_spec,
                                    italic: kai_spec,
                                    bold_italic: kai_spec};
     
       pdf.fallback_fonts(["Kai"]);
       link =  Rails.application.routes.url_helpers.table_records_path(table)
       pdf.text "<link href='#{link}'>#{table.name}</link>", align: :center, size: 32, style: :bold, inline_format: true
       pdf.text table.user.name, align: :center, size: 16 , style: :italic
       head,rows = self.get_head_rows(table,records)
     
       pdf.font("Kai") # Set default font as "Kai". Otherwise, my have error.
       rows.each do |row|
         pdf.start_new_page
         head.zip(row).each do |name,value|
           pdf.text "\n"+name.to_s+":"
           pdf.text "#{value}" # Not work without using "Kai"
           #pdf.text "测试中文English" # works without using "Kai"
         end
       end
     end
     

Caracal Notes: guide

• link & center

    docx.h1 do
      link(table.name, tlink)
      align :center
    end