HTML to PDF API - PHP SDK

Convert web pages and HTML documents to PDF in PHP using the Pdfcrowd API v2. The API is easy to use and the integration takes only a couple of lines of code.

Installation

Download pdfcrowd-4.3.6-php.zip, unzip it and require pdfcrowd.php in your code.

You can learn more about other install options (Composer, GitHub) here.

Authentication

Authentication is needed in order to use the Pdfcrowd API. The credentials used for accessing the API are your Pdfcrowd username and the API key. You can sign up for the Pdfcrowd API here.

Examples

Convert a web page to a PDF file

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // run the conversion and write the result to a file
    $client->convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", "example.pdf");
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Convert a web page to in-memory PDF

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // create output file for conversion result
    $output_file = fopen("example.pdf", "wb");

    // check for a file creation error
    if (!$output_file)
        throw new \Exception(error_get_last()['message']);

    // run the conversion and store the result into a pdf variable
    $pdf = $client->convertUrl("http://www.example.com");

    // write the pdf into the output file
    $written = fwrite($output_file, $pdf);

    // check for a file write error
    if ($written === false)
        throw new \Exception(error_get_last()['message']);

    // close the output file
    fclose($output_file);
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Convert a web page and write the resulting PDF to an output stream

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // create output stream for conversion result
    $output_stream = fopen("example.pdf", "wb");

    // check for a file creation error
    if (!$output_stream)
        throw new \Exception(error_get_last()['message']);

    // run the conversion and write the result into the output stream
    $client->convertUrlToStream("http://www.example.com", $output_stream);

    // close the output stream
    fclose($output_stream);
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Convert a local HTML file to a PDF file

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // run the conversion and write the result to a file
    $client->convertFileToFile("/path/to/MyLayout.html", "MyLayout.pdf");
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Convert a local HTML file to in-memory PDF

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // create output file for conversion result
    $output_file = fopen("MyLayout.pdf", "wb");

    // check for a file creation error
    if (!$output_file)
        throw new \Exception(error_get_last()['message']);

    // run the conversion and store the result into a pdf variable
    $pdf = $client->convertFile("/path/to/MyLayout.html");

    // write the pdf into the output file
    $written = fwrite($output_file, $pdf);

    // check for a file write error
    if ($written === false)
        throw new \Exception(error_get_last()['message']);

    // close the output file
    fclose($output_file);
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Convert a local HTML file and write the resulting PDF to an output stream

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // create output stream for conversion result
    $output_stream = fopen("MyLayout.pdf", "wb");

    // check for a file creation error
    if (!$output_stream)
        throw new \Exception(error_get_last()['message']);

    // run the conversion and write the result into the output stream
    $client->convertFileToStream("/path/to/MyLayout.html", $output_stream);

    // close the output stream
    fclose($output_stream);
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Convert a string containing HTML to a PDF file

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // run the conversion and write the result to a file
    $client->convertStringToFile("<html><body><h1>Hello World!</h1></body></html>", "HelloWorld.pdf");
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Convert a string containing HTML to in-memory PDF

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // create output file for conversion result
    $output_file = fopen("HelloWorld.pdf", "wb");

    // check for a file creation error
    if (!$output_file)
        throw new \Exception(error_get_last()['message']);

    // run the conversion and store the result into a pdf variable
    $pdf = $client->convertString("<html><body><h1>Hello World!</h1></body></html>");

    // write the pdf into the output file
    $written = fwrite($output_file, $pdf);

    // check for a file write error
    if ($written === false)
        throw new \Exception(error_get_last()['message']);

    // close the output file
    fclose($output_file);
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Convert a string containing HTML and write the resulting PDF to an output stream

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // create output stream for conversion result
    $output_stream = fopen("HelloWorld.pdf", "wb");

    // check for a file creation error
    if (!$output_stream)
        throw new \Exception(error_get_last()['message']);

    // run the conversion and write the result into the output stream
    $client->convertStringToStream("<html><body><h1>Hello World!</h1></body></html>", $output_stream);

    // close the output stream
    fclose($output_stream);
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Get info about the current conversion

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // configure the conversion
    $client->setDebugLog(true);

    // run the conversion and write the result to a file
    $client->convertFileToFile("/path/to/MyLayout.html", "MyLayout.pdf");
    
    // print URL to the debug log
    echo "Debug log url: " . $client->getDebugLogUrl() . "\n";
    
    // print the number of available conversion credits in your account
    echo "Remaining credit count: " . $client->getRemainingCreditCount() . "\n";
    
    // print the number of credits consumed by the conversion
    echo "Consumed credit count: " . $client->getConsumedCreditCount() . "\n";
    
    // print the unique ID of the conversion
    echo "Job id: " . $client->getJobId() . "\n";
    
    // print the total number of pages in the output document
    echo "Page count: " . $client->getPageCount() . "\n";
    
    // print the size of the output in bytes
    echo "Output size: " . $client->getOutputSize() . "\n";
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Advanced Examples

Customize the page size and the orientation

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // configure the conversion
    $client->setPageSize("Letter");
    $client->setOrientation("landscape");
    $client->setNoMargins(true);

    // run the conversion and write the result to a file
    $client->convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", "letter_landscape.pdf");
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Put the source URL in the header and the page number in the footer

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // configure the conversion
    $client->setHeaderHeight("15mm");
    $client->setFooterHeight("10mm");
    $client->setHeaderHtml("<a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href-and-content'></a>");
    $client->setFooterHtml("<center><span class='pdfcrowd-page-number'></span></center>");
    $client->setMarginTop("0mm");
    $client->setMarginBottom("0mm");

    // run the conversion and write the result to a file
    $client->convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", "header_footer.pdf");
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Zoom the HTML document

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // configure the conversion
    $client->setScaleFactor(300);

    // run the conversion and write the result to a file
    $client->convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", "zoom_300.pdf");
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Set PDF metadata

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // configure the conversion
    $client->setAuthor("Pdfcrowd");
    $client->setTitle("Hello");
    $client->setSubject("Demo");
    $client->setKeywords("Pdfcrowd,demo");

    // run the conversion and write the result to a file
    $client->convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", "with_metadata.pdf");
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Create a Powerpoint like presentation from an HTML document

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // configure the conversion
    $client->setPageLayout("single-page");
    $client->setPageMode("full-screen");
    $client->setInitialZoomType("fit-page");
    $client->setOrientation("landscape");
    $client->setNoMargins(true);

    // run the conversion and write the result to a file
    $client->convertUrlToFile("https://pdfcrowd.com/doc/api/", "slide_show.pdf");
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Convert an HTML document section

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // configure the conversion
    $client->setElementToConvert("#main");

    // run the conversion and write the result to a file
    $client->convertUrlToFile("https://pdfcrowd.com/doc/api/", "html_part.pdf");
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Inject an HTML code

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // configure the conversion
    $client->setCustomJavascript("el=document.createElement('h2'); el.textContent='Hello from Pdfcrowd API'; el.style.color='red'; el_before=document.getElementsByTagName('h1')[0]; el_before.parentNode.insertBefore(el, el_before.nextSibling)");

    // run the conversion and write the result to a file
    $client->convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", "html_inject.pdf");
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Renderer debugging - highlight HTML elements

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // configure the conversion
    $client->setCustomJavascript("libPdfcrowd.highlightHtml(false, true, true, false)");

    // run the conversion and write the result to a file
    $client->convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", "highlight_background.pdf");
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Renderer debugging - borders with spacing around HTML elements

<?php
require 'pdfcrowd.php';

try
{
    // create the API client instance
    $client = new \Pdfcrowd\HtmlToPdfClient("your_username", "your_apikey");

    // configure the conversion
    $client->setCustomJavascript("libPdfcrowd.highlightHtml(true, false, true, true)");

    // run the conversion and write the result to a file
    $client->convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", "highlight_borders.pdf");
}
catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why)
{
    // report the error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    throw $why;
}

?>

Tips & Tricks

The API lets you convert a web page, a local HTML file, or a string containing HTML. The result of the conversion can be stored to a local file, to a stream object or to a variable. See the conversion input section for more details.

The best way to start with the API is to choose one of the examples and once you get it working, you can:

Change the page size with setPageSize and the page orientation with setOrientation.
- You can setPageHeight to -1 to get a single page PDF containing the whole document.
Adjust the page margins with setPageMargins.
Specify headers and footers with setHeaderHtml and setFooterHtml.
Scale the HTML contents with setScaleFactor.
And many more. See the HTML to PDF API reference for available options.

You can also use these HTML related features:

You can use the following classes in your HTML code which hide/remove elements from the output:
- pdfcrowd-remove - sets display:none on the element
- pdfcrowd-hide - sets visibility:hidden on the element
You can switch to the print version of the page (if it exists) with setUsePrintMedia.
You can force a page break with
<div style="page-break-before:always"></div>
You can avoid a page break inside an element with the following CSS
img { page-break-inside:avoid }
You can use setCustomJavascript to alter the HTML contents with a custom JavaScript.

API Reference - class HtmlToPdfClient

Conversion from HTML to PDF.

Constructor

function __construct($user_name, $api_key)

Constructor for the Pdfcrowd API client.

Parameter	Description	Default
user_name	Your username at Pdfcrowd.
api_key	Your API key.

Conversion Input

function convertUrl($url)

Convert a web page.

Parameter	Description	Default
url	The address of the web page to convert. The supported protocols are http:// and https://.

Returns

byte[] - Byte array containing the conversion output.

function convertUrlToStream($url, $out_stream)

Convert a web page and write the result to an output stream.

Parameter	Description	Default
url	The address of the web page to convert. The supported protocols are http:// and https://.
out_stream	The output stream that will contain the conversion output.

function convertUrlToFile($url, $file_path)

Convert a web page and write the result to a local file.

Parameter	Description	Default
url	The address of the web page to convert. The supported protocols are http:// and https://.
file_path	The output file path. The string must not be empty.

function convertFile($file)

Convert a local file.

Parameter	Description	Default
file	The path to a local file to convert. The file can be either a single file or an archive (.tar.gz, .tar.bz2, or .zip). If the HTML document refers to local external assets (images, style sheets, javascript), zip the document together with the assets. The file must exist and not be empty. The file name must have a valid extension.

Returns

byte[] - Byte array containing the conversion output.

function convertFileToStream($file, $out_stream)

Convert a local file and write the result to an output stream.

Parameter	Description	Default
file	The path to a local file to convert. The file can be either a single file or an archive (.tar.gz, .tar.bz2, or .zip). If the HTML document refers to local external assets (images, style sheets, javascript), zip the document together with the assets. The file must exist and not be empty. The file name must have a valid extension.
out_stream	The output stream that will contain the conversion output.

function convertFileToFile($file, $file_path)

Convert a local file and write the result to a local file.

Parameter	Description	Default
file	The path to a local file to convert. The file can be either a single file or an archive (.tar.gz, .tar.bz2, or .zip). If the HTML document refers to local external assets (images, style sheets, javascript), zip the document together with the assets. The file must exist and not be empty. The file name must have a valid extension.
file_path	The output file path. The string must not be empty.

function convertString($text)

Convert a string.

Parameter	Description	Default
text	The string content to convert. The string must not be empty.

Returns

byte[] - Byte array containing the conversion output.

function convertStringToStream($text, $out_stream)

Convert a string and write the output to an output stream.

Parameter	Description	Default
text	The string content to convert. The string must not be empty.
out_stream	The output stream that will contain the conversion output.

function convertStringToFile($text, $file_path)

Convert a string and write the output to a file.

Parameter	Description	Default
text	The string content to convert. The string must not be empty.
file_path	The output file path. The string must not be empty.

Page setup

function setPageSize($page_size)

Set the output page size.

Parameter	Description	Default
page_size	Allowed values: A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 Letter	A4

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setPageWidth($page_width)

Set the output page width. The safe maximum is 200in otherwise some PDF viewers may be unable to open the PDF.

Parameter	Description	Default
page_width	Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	8.27in

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

setPageWidth("300mm")
setPageWidth("9.5in")

function setPageHeight($page_height)

Set the output page height. Use -1 for a single page PDF. The safe maximum is 200in otherwise some PDF viewers may be unable to open the PDF.

Parameter	Description	Default
page_height	Can be -1 or specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	11.7in

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

setPageHeight("350mm")
setPageHeight("15.25in")
The height of the page is calculated automatically so that the whole document fits into it.

setPageHeight("-1")

function setPageDimensions($width, $height)

Set the output page dimensions.

Parameter	Description	Default
width	Set the output page width. The safe maximum is 200in otherwise some PDF viewers may be unable to open the PDF. Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	8.27in
height	Set the output page height. Use -1 for a single page PDF. The safe maximum is 200in otherwise some PDF viewers may be unable to open the PDF. Can be -1 or specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	11.7in

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

setPageDimensions("300mm", "350mm")
setPageDimensions("9.5in", "15.25in")
setPageDimensions("372mm", "520pt")

function setOrientation($orientation)

Set the output page orientation.

Parameter	Description	Default
orientation	Allowed values: landscape portrait	portrait

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setMarginTop($margin_top)

Set the output page top margin.

Parameter	Description	Default
margin_top	Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	0.4in

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

setMarginTop("1in")
setMarginTop("2.5cm")

function setMarginRight($margin_right)

Set the output page right margin.

Parameter	Description	Default
margin_right	Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	0.4in

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

setMarginRight("1in")
setMarginRight("2.5cm")

function setMarginBottom($margin_bottom)

Set the output page bottom margin.

Parameter	Description	Default
margin_bottom	Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	0.4in

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

setMarginBottom("1in")
setMarginBottom("2.5cm")

function setMarginLeft($margin_left)

Set the output page left margin.

Parameter	Description	Default
margin_left	Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	0.4in

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

setMarginLeft("1in")
setMarginLeft("2.5cm")

function setNoMargins($no_margins)

Disable margins.

Parameter	Description	Default
no_margins	Set to true to disable margins.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setPageMargins($top, $right, $bottom, $left)

Set the output page margins.

Parameter	Description	Default
top	Set the output page top margin. Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	0.4in
right	Set the output page right margin. Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	0.4in
bottom	Set the output page bottom margin. Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	0.4in
left	Set the output page left margin. Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	0.4in

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setHeaderUrl($header_url)

Load an HTML code from the specified URL and use it as the page header. The following classes can be used in the HTML. The content of the respective elements will be expanded as follows:

pdfcrowd-page-count - the total page count of printed pages
pdfcrowd-page-number - the current page number
pdfcrowd-source-url - the source URL of a converted document

The following attributes can be used:

data-pdfcrowd-number-format - specifies the type of the used numerals
- Arabic numerals are used by default.
- Roman numerals can be generated by the roman and roman-lowercase values
- Example:
data-pdfcrowd-placement - specifies where to place the source URL, allowed values:
- The URL is inserted to the content
 - Example: 
 will produce http://example.com
- href - the URL is set to the href attribute
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href'>Link to source</a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>Link to source</a>
- href-and-content - the URL is set to the href attribute and to the content
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href-and-content'></a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>http://example.com</a>

Parameter	Description	Default
header_url	The supported protocols are http:// and https://.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

setHeaderUrl("http://myserver.com/header.html")

function setHeaderHtml($header_html)

Use the specified HTML code as the page header. The following classes can be used in the HTML. The content of the respective elements will be expanded as follows:

pdfcrowd-page-count - the total page count of printed pages
pdfcrowd-page-number - the current page number
pdfcrowd-source-url - the source URL of a converted document

The following attributes can be used:

data-pdfcrowd-number-format - specifies the type of the used numerals
- Arabic numerals are used by default.
- Roman numerals can be generated by the roman and roman-lowercase values
- Example:
data-pdfcrowd-placement - specifies where to place the source URL, allowed values:
- The URL is inserted to the content
 - Example: 
 will produce http://example.com
- href - the URL is set to the href attribute
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href'>Link to source</a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>Link to source</a>
- href-and-content - the URL is set to the href attribute and to the content
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href-and-content'></a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>http://example.com</a>

Parameter	Description	Default
header_html	The string must not be empty.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

It displays the page number and the total page count.

setHeaderHtml("Page of pages")

function setHeaderHeight($header_height)

Set the header height.

Parameter	Description	Default
header_height	Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	0.5in

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

setHeaderHeight("30mm")
setHeaderHeight("1in")

function setFooterUrl($footer_url)

Load an HTML code from the specified URL and use it as the page footer. The following classes can be used in the HTML. The content of the respective elements will be expanded as follows:

pdfcrowd-page-count - the total page count of printed pages
pdfcrowd-page-number - the current page number
pdfcrowd-source-url - the source URL of a converted document

The following attributes can be used:

data-pdfcrowd-number-format - specifies the type of the used numerals
- Arabic numerals are used by default.
- Roman numerals can be generated by the roman and roman-lowercase values
- Example:
data-pdfcrowd-placement - specifies where to place the source URL, allowed values:
- The URL is inserted to the content
 - Example: 
 will produce http://example.com
- href - the URL is set to the href attribute
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href'>Link to source</a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>Link to source</a>
- href-and-content - the URL is set to the href attribute and to the content
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href-and-content'></a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>http://example.com</a>

Parameter	Description	Default
footer_url	The supported protocols are http:// and https://.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

setFooterUrl("http://myserver.com/header.html")

function setFooterHtml($footer_html)

Use the specified HTML as the page footer. The following classes can be used in the HTML. The content of the respective elements will be expanded as follows:

pdfcrowd-page-count - the total page count of printed pages
pdfcrowd-page-number - the current page number
pdfcrowd-source-url - the source URL of a converted document

The following attributes can be used:

data-pdfcrowd-number-format - specifies the type of the used numerals
- Arabic numerals are used by default.
- Roman numerals can be generated by the roman and roman-lowercase values
- Example:
data-pdfcrowd-placement - specifies where to place the source URL, allowed values:
- The URL is inserted to the content
 - Example: 
 will produce http://example.com
- href - the URL is set to the href attribute
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href'>Link to source</a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>Link to source</a>
- href-and-content - the URL is set to the href attribute and to the content
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href-and-content'></a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>http://example.com</a>

Parameter	Description	Default
footer_html	The string must not be empty.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

It displays the page number and the total page count.

setFooterHtml("Page of pages")

function setFooterHeight($footer_height)

Set the footer height.

Parameter	Description	Default
footer_height	Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).	0.5in

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

setFooterHeight("30mm")
setFooterHeight("1in")

function setPrintPageRange($pages)

Set the page range to print.

Parameter	Description	Default
pages	A comma seperated list of page numbers or ranges.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

Just the second page is printed.

setPrintPageRange("2")
The first and the third page are printed.

setPrintPageRange("1,3")
Everything except the first page is printed.

setPrintPageRange("2-")
Just first 3 pages are printed.

setPrintPageRange("-3")
Pages 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are printed.

setPrintPageRange("3,6-9")

function setPageWatermark($page_watermark)

Apply the first page of the watermark PDF to every page of the output PDF.

Parameter	Description	Default
page_watermark	The file path to a local watermark PDF file. The file must exist and not be empty.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setMultipageWatermark($multipage_watermark)

Apply each page of the specified watermark PDF to the corresponding page of the output PDF.

Parameter	Description	Default
multipage_watermark	The file path to a local watermark PDF file. The file must exist and not be empty.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setPageBackground($page_background)

Apply the first page of the specified PDF to the background of every page of the output PDF.

Parameter	Description	Default
page_background	The file path to a local background PDF file. The file must exist and not be empty.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setMultipageBackground($multipage_background)

Apply each page of the specified PDF to the background of the corresponding page of the output PDF.

Parameter	Description	Default
multipage_background	The file path to a local background PDF file. The file must exist and not be empty.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setExcludeHeaderOnPages($pages)

The page header is not printed on the specified pages.

Parameter	Description	Default
pages	List of physical page numbers. Negative numbers count backwards from the last page: -1 is the last page, -2 is the last but one page, and so on. A comma seperated list of page numbers.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

The header is not printed on the second page.

setExcludeHeaderOnPages("2")
The header is not printed on the first and the last page.

setExcludeHeaderOnPages("1,-1")

function setExcludeFooterOnPages($pages)

The page footer is not printed on the specified pages.

Parameter	Description	Default
pages	List of physical page numbers. Negative numbers count backwards from the last page: -1 is the last page, -2 is the last but one page, and so on. A comma seperated list of page numbers.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

The footer is not printed on the second page.

setExcludeFooterOnPages("2")
The footer is not printed on the first and the last page.

setExcludeFooterOnPages("1,-1")

function setPageNumberingOffset($offset)

Set an offset between physical and logical page numbers.

Parameter	Description	Default
offset	Integer specifying page offset.	0

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

The page numbering will start with 0. Set exclude_header_on_pages to "1" and the page numbering will start on the second page with 1.

setPageNumberingOffset(1)
The page numbering will start with 11 on the first page. It can be useful for joining documents.

setPageNumberingOffset(-10)

General Options

function setNoBackground($no_background)

Do not print the background graphics.

Parameter	Description	Default
no_background	Set to true to disable the background graphics.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setDisableJavascript($disable_javascript)

Do not execute JavaScript.

Parameter	Description	Default
disable_javascript	Set to true to disable JavaScript in web pages.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setDisableImageLoading($disable_image_loading)

Do not load images.

Parameter	Description	Default
disable_image_loading	Set to true to disable loading of images.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setDisableRemoteFonts($disable_remote_fonts)

Disable loading fonts from remote sources.

Parameter	Description	Default
disable_remote_fonts	Set to true disable loading remote fonts.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setBlockAds($block_ads)

Try to block ads. Enabling this option can produce smaller output and speed up the conversion.

Parameter	Description	Default
block_ads	Set to true to block ads in web pages.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setDefaultEncoding($default_encoding)

Set the default HTML content text encoding.

Parameter	Description	Default
default_encoding	The text encoding of the HTML content.	auto detect

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setHttpAuth($user_name, $password)

Set credentials to access HTTP base authentication protected websites.

Parameter	Description	Default
user_name	Set the HTTP authentication user name.
password	Set the HTTP authentication password.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setUsePrintMedia($use_print_media)

Use the print version of the page if available (@media print).

Parameter	Description	Default
use_print_media	Set to true to use the print version of the page.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setNoXpdfcrowdHeader($no_xpdfcrowd_header)

Do not send the X-Pdfcrowd HTTP header in Pdfcrowd HTTP requests.

Parameter	Description	Default
no_xpdfcrowd_header	Set to true to disable sending X-Pdfcrowd HTTP header.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setCookies($cookies)

Set cookies that are sent in Pdfcrowd HTTP requests.

Parameter	Description	Default
cookies	The cookie string.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

setCookies("session=6d7184b3bf35;token=2710")

function setVerifySslCertificates($verify_ssl_certificates)

Do not allow insecure HTTPS connections.

Parameter	Description	Default
verify_ssl_certificates	Set to true to enable SSL certificate verification.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setFailOnMainUrlError($fail_on_error)

Abort the conversion if the main URL HTTP status code is greater than or equal to 400.

Parameter	Description	Default
fail_on_error	Set to true to abort the conversion.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setFailOnAnyUrlError($fail_on_error)

Abort the conversion if any of the sub-request HTTP status code is greater than or equal to 400 or if some sub-requests are still pending. See details in a debug log.

Parameter	Description	Default
fail_on_error	Set to true to abort the conversion.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setCustomJavascript($custom_javascript)

Run a custom JavaScript after the document is loaded. The script is intended for post-load DOM manipulation (add/remove elements, update CSS, ...).

Parameter	Description	Default
custom_javascript	String containing a JavaScript code. The string must not be empty.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setCustomHttpHeader($custom_http_header)

Set a custom HTTP header that is sent in Pdfcrowd HTTP requests.

Parameter	Description	Default
custom_http_header	A string containing the header name and value separated by a colon.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

setCustomHttpHeader("X-My-Client-ID:k2017-12345")

function setJavascriptDelay($javascript_delay)

Wait the specified number of milliseconds to finish all JavaScript after the document is loaded. The maximum value is determined by your API license.

Parameter	Description	Default
javascript_delay	The number of milliseconds to wait. Must be a positive integer number or 0.	200

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setElementToConvert($selectors)

Convert only the specified element from the main document and its children. The element is specified by one or more CSS selectors. If the element is not found, the conversion fails. If multiple elements are found, the first one is used.

Parameter	Description	Default
selectors	One or more CSS selectors separated by commas. The string must not be empty.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

The first element with the id main-content is converted.

setElementToConvert("#main-content")
The first element with the class name main-content is converted.

setElementToConvert(".main-content")
The first element with the tag name table is converted.

setElementToConvert("table")
The first element with the tag name table or with the id main-content is converted.

setElementToConvert("table, #main-content")
The first element within <div class="user-panel main"> is converted.

setElementToConvert("div.user-panel.main p.article")

function setElementToConvertMode($mode)

Specify the DOM handling when only a part of the document is converted.

Parameter	Description	Default
mode	Allowed values: cut-out The element and its children are cut out of the document. remove-siblings All element's siblings are removed. hide-siblings All element's sibilings are hidden.	cut-out

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setWaitForElement($selectors)

Wait for the specified element in a source document. The element is specified by one or more CSS selectors. The element is searched for in the main document and all iframes. If the element is not found, the conversion fails. Your API license defines the maximum wait time by "Max Delay" parameter.

Parameter	Description	Default
selectors	One or more CSS selectors separated by commas. The string must not be empty.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Examples:

Wait until an element with the id main-content is found.

setWaitForElement("#main-content")
Wait until an element with the class name main-content is found.

setWaitForElement(".main-content")
Wait until an element with the tag name table is found.

setWaitForElement("table")
Wait until an element with the tag name table or with the id main-content is found.

setWaitForElement("table, #main-content")
Wait until is found within <div class="user-panel main">.

setWaitForElement("div.user-panel.main p.article")

Print Resolution

function setViewport($width, $height)

Set the viewport size. The viewport is the user's visible area of the page.

Parameter	Description	Default
width	Set the viewport width in pixels. The viewport is the user's visible area of the page. The value must be in a range 96-7680.	1024
height	Set the viewport height in pixels. The viewport is the user's visible area of the page. Must be a positive integer number.	768

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setRenderingMode($rendering_mode)

Sets the rendering mode.

Parameter	Description	Default
rendering_mode	The rendering mode. Allowed values: default This mode is compatible with the Chrome preview. viewport Takes the viewport width into account.	default

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setScaleFactor($scale_factor)

Set the scaling factor (zoom) for the main page area.

Parameter	Description	Default
scale_factor	The scale factor. The value must be in a range 10-500.	100

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setHeaderFooterScaleFactor($header_footer_scale_factor)

Set the scaling factor (zoom) for the header and footer.

Parameter	Description	Default
header_footer_scale_factor	The scale factor. The value must be in a range 10-500.	100

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setDisableSmartShrinking($disable_smart_shrinking)

Disable the intelligent shrinking strategy that tries to optimally fit the HTML contents to a PDF page.

Parameter	Description	Default
disable_smart_shrinking	Set to true to disable the intelligent shrinking strategy.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

PDF Format

Miscellaneous values for PDF output.

function setLinearize($linearize)

Create linearized PDF. This is also known as Fast Web View.

Parameter	Description	Default
linearize	Set to true to create linearized PDF.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setEncrypt($encrypt)

Encrypt the PDF. This prevents search engines from indexing the contents.

Parameter	Description	Default
encrypt	Set to true to enable PDF encryption.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setUserPassword($user_password)

Protect the PDF with a user password. When a PDF has a user password, it must be supplied in order to view the document and to perform operations allowed by the access permissions.

Parameter	Description	Default
user_password	The user password.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setOwnerPassword($owner_password)

Protect the PDF with an owner password. Supplying an owner password grants unlimited access to the PDF including changing the passwords and access permissions.

Parameter	Description	Default
owner_password	The owner password.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setNoPrint($no_print)

Disallow printing of the output PDF.

Parameter	Description	Default
no_print	Set to true to set the no-print flag in the output PDF.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setNoModify($no_modify)

Disallow modification of the ouput PDF.

Parameter	Description	Default
no_modify	Set to true to set the read-only only flag in the output PDF.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setNoCopy($no_copy)

Disallow text and graphics extraction from the output PDF.

Parameter	Description	Default
no_copy	Set to true to set the no-copy flag in the output PDF.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setTitle($title)

Set the title of the PDF.

Parameter	Description	Default
title	The title.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setSubject($subject)

Set the subject of the PDF.

Parameter	Description	Default
subject	The subject.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setAuthor($author)

Set the author of the PDF.

Parameter	Description	Default
author	The author.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setKeywords($keywords)

Associate keywords with the document.

Parameter	Description	Default
keywords	The string with the keywords.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Viewer Preferences

These preferences specify how a PDF viewer should present the document. The preferences may be ignored by some PDF viewers.

function setPageLayout($page_layout)

Specify the page layout to be used when the document is opened.

Parameter	Description	Default
page_layout	Allowed values: single-page Display one page at a time. one-column Display the pages in one column. two-column-left Display the pages in two columns, with odd-numbered pages on the left. two-column-right Display the pages in two columns, with odd-numbered pages on the right.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setPageMode($page_mode)

Specify how the document should be displayed when opened.

Parameter	Description	Default
page_mode	Allowed values: full-screen Full-screen mode. thumbnails Thumbnail images are visible. outlines Document outline is visible.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setInitialZoomType($initial_zoom_type)

Specify how the page should be displayed when opened.

Parameter	Description	Default
initial_zoom_type	Allowed values: fit-width The page content is magnified just enough to fit the entire width of the page within the window. fit-height The page content is magnified just enough to fit the entire height of the page within the window. fit-page The page content is magnified just enough to fit the entire page within the window both horizontally and vertically. If the required horizontal and vertical magnification factors are different, use the smaller of the two, centering the page within the window in the other dimension.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setInitialPage($initial_page)

Display the specified page when the document is opened.

Parameter	Description	Default
initial_page	Must be a positive integer number.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setInitialZoom($initial_zoom)

Specify the initial page zoom in percents when the document is opened.

Parameter	Description	Default
initial_zoom	Must be a positive integer number.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setHideToolbar($hide_toolbar)

Specify whether to hide the viewer application's tool bars when the document is active.

Parameter	Description	Default
hide_toolbar	Set to true to hide tool bars.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setHideMenubar($hide_menubar)

Specify whether to hide the viewer application's menu bar when the document is active.

Parameter	Description	Default
hide_menubar	Set to true to hide the menu bar.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setHideWindowUi($hide_window_ui)

Specify whether to hide user interface elements in the document's window (such as scroll bars and navigation controls), leaving only the document's contents displayed.

Parameter	Description	Default
hide_window_ui	Set to true to hide ui elements.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setFitWindow($fit_window)

Specify whether to resize the document's window to fit the size of the first displayed page.

Parameter	Description	Default
fit_window	Set to true to resize the window.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setCenterWindow($center_window)

Specify whether to position the document's window in the center of the screen.

Parameter	Description	Default
center_window	Set to true to center the window.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setDisplayTitle($display_title)

Specify whether the window's title bar should display the document title. If false , the title bar should instead display the name of the PDF file containing the document.

Parameter	Description	Default
display_title	Set to true to display the title.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setRightToLeft($right_to_left)

Set the predominant reading order for text to right-to-left. This option has no direct effect on the document's contents or page numbering but can be used to determine the relative positioning of pages when displayed side by side or printed n-up

Parameter	Description	Default
right_to_left	Set to true to set right-to-left reading order.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Miscellaneous

function setDebugLog($debug_log)

Turn on the debug logging. Details about the conversion are stored in the debug log. The URL of the log can be obtained from the getDebugLogUrl method or available in conversion statistics.

Parameter	Description	Default
debug_log	Set to true to enable the debug logging.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function getDebugLogUrl()

Get the URL of the debug log for the last conversion.

Returns

string - The link to the debug log.

function getRemainingCreditCount()

Get the number of conversion credits available in your account.
The returned value can differ from the actual count if you run parallel conversions.
The special value 999999 is returned if the information is not available.

Returns

int - The number of credits.

function getConsumedCreditCount()

Get the number of credits consumed by the last conversion.

Returns

int - The number of credits.

function getJobId()

Get the job id.

Returns

string - The unique job identifier.

function getPageCount()

Get the total number of pages in the output document.

Returns

int - The page count.

function getOutputSize()

Get the size of the output in bytes.

Returns

int - The count of bytes.

function setTag($tag)

Tag the conversion with a custom value. The tag is used in conversion statistics. A value longer than 32 characters is cut off.

Parameter	Description	Default
tag	A string with the custom tag.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

API Client Options

function setUseHttp($use_http)

Specifies if the client communicates over HTTP or HTTPS with Pdfcrowd API.

Parameter	Description	Default
use_http	Set to true to use HTTP.	false

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setUserAgent($user_agent)

Set a custom user agent HTTP header. It can be usefull if you are behind some proxy or firewall.

Parameter	Description	Default
user_agent	The user agent string.	pdfcrowd_php_client/4.3.6 (http://pdfcrowd.com)

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setProxy($host, $port, $user_name, $password)

Specifies an HTTP proxy that the API client library will use to connect to the internet.

Parameter	Description	Default
host	The proxy hostname.
port	The proxy port.
user_name	The username.
password	The password.

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

function setRetryCount($retry_count)

Specifies the number of retries when the 502 HTTP status code is received. The 502 status code indicates a temporary network issue. This feature can be disabled by setting to 0.

Parameter	Description	Default
retry_count	Number of retries wanted.	1

Returns

HtmlToPdfClient - The converter object.

Error Handling

try 
{
    // call the API 
}
    catch(\Pdfcrowd\Error $why) 
{
    // print error
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error: {$why}\n");

    // print just error code
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error Code: {$why->getCode()}\n");

    // print just error message
    error_log("Pdfcrowd Error Message: {$why->getMessage()}\n");

    // or handle the error by your way
}

Troubleshooting

Check API Status Codes in case of the error code is returned.
You can use setDebugLog and getDebugLogUrl to get detailed info about the conversion, such as conversion errors, time, console output.
You can use our JavaScript library to resolve rendering problems, such as missing content or blank pages.
Just use setCustomJavascript with libPdfcrowd.highlightHtml(borders, backgrounds, labels, noZeroSpace) method call to visualize all HTML elements. See example.
Take a look at the FAQ section.

HTML to PDF API - PHP SDK

Installation

Authentication

Examples

Convert a web page to a PDF file

Convert a web page to in-memory PDF

Convert a web page and write the resulting PDF to an output stream

Convert a local HTML file to a PDF file

Convert a local HTML file to in-memory PDF

Convert a local HTML file and write the resulting PDF to an output stream

Convert a string containing HTML to a PDF file

Convert a string containing HTML to in-memory PDF

Convert a string containing HTML and write the resulting PDF to an output stream

Get info about the current conversion

Advanced Examples

Customize the page size and the orientation

Put the source URL in the header and the page number in the footer

Zoom the HTML document

Set PDF metadata

Create a Powerpoint like presentation from an HTML document

Convert an HTML document section

Inject an HTML code

Renderer debugging - highlight HTML elements

Renderer debugging - borders with spacing around HTML elements

Tips & Tricks

API Reference - class HtmlToPdfClient

Constructor

Conversion Input

Page setup

General Options

Print Resolution

PDF Format

Viewer Preferences

Miscellaneous

API Client Options

Error Handling

Troubleshooting

Navigation