php2pdf

Coming from PDFlib

Php2Pdf keeps the parts of PDFlib that design-led documents use: fit methods, Textflow, tables, PDF import, embedded fonts and PDF/X. The model is objects instead of a handle and option lists: a Document makes pages, fonts, images and flows, and each takes typed options.

	PDFlib	Php2Pdf
State	One `PDFlib` object, handles as integers	Objects: `Document`, `Page`, `Canvas`, `Font`, `Image`, `Textflow`, `Table`
Options	Option list strings	Named arguments and small option classes
Units	Points	Points; `Unit::mm()`, `Box::fromMm()` at the boundary
Origin	Bottom-left (`topdown` optional)	Bottom-left; `addPage(topDown: true)`
Errors	Exceptions or `-1` with `get_errmsg()`	Exceptions implementing `ExceptionInterface`: `InvalidArgumentException`, `StateException`, and `PdfException` with its kinds (`ParseException`, `IoException`, `ConformanceException`, `LayoutException`)

Documents and pages

PDFlib	Php2Pdf
`begin_document($file, '')`	`new Document($file)` or `new Document($file, new DocumentOptions(...))`
`begin_document('', '')` + `get_buffer()`	`new Document($out = new MemoryOutput())`, then `$out->contents()`
`begin_page_ext(595, 842, '')`	`$page = $doc->addPage(PageSize::A4)` or `addPage(new Dimensions(595, 842))`
`trimbox`, `bleedbox` page options	`$page->setTrimBox($box)`, `setBleedBox()`, `setCropBox()`, `setArtBox()`
`end_page_ext()`	Implicit: the next `addPage()` or `close()` finishes the page
`suspend_page` / `resume_page`	Finished pages cannot be revisited; draw page totals into a template from `$doc->onClose()` (see the cookbook)
`end_document('')`	`$doc->close()`
`set_info('Title', ...)`	`$doc->info()->setTitle(...)`

Fonts and text

PDFlib	Php2Pdf
`load_font('Inter', 'unicode', 'embedding')`	`$doc->fonts()->load('Inter.ttf')` or `->find('Inter')` with a search path
`load_font('Helvetica', ...)` (core font)	`$doc->fonts()->standard(StandardFont::Helvetica)` or `->find('Helvetica')`
`fallbackfonts`	`new TextStyle(font: 'Inter', fallback: ['Helvetica', $symbols])`
`fit_textline($text, $x, $y, 'boxsize {..} position center fitmethod auto')`	`$page->fitTextline($text, $font, $size, $box, TextlineOptions::shrinkToFit(Position::center()))`
`show_xy`	`$canvas->drawText($text, $font, $size, $x, $y)`
`stringwidth`	`$font->width($text, $size)`
`kerning=true`	On by default; `TextStyle(kerning: false)` or `TextOptions(kerning: false)` turns it off
`features={liga}`	Standard ligatures on by default; `ligatures: false` on `TextStyle` or `TextOptions` turns them off
`features={tnum onum smcp}`	`features: ['tnum', 'onum', 'smcp']` on `TextStyle` or `TextOptions`
`charspacing`, `wordspacing`, `horizscaling`, `textrise`	`TextStyle(charSpacing:, wordSpacing:, horizontalScale:, rise:)`

Textflow

PDFlib	Php2Pdf
`create_textflow($text, 'fontname=... fontsize=10 leading=120%')`	`$doc->textflow($text, new TextStyle(font: $font, size: 10, leading: Leading::percent(120)))`
Inline options `<fontname=... >`	Markup: `<p style="name">`, `<span style="name">`, `<b>`, `<i>`, `<sup>`; named styles with `$doc->styles()->define()`
`fit_textflow($tf, $llx, $lly, $urx, $ury, '')` returning `_boxfull`, `_stop`	`$page->fitTextflow($flow, $box)` returning `FlowResult::BoxFull`, `Done`, `BoxEmpty`, `NextPage`
`fitmethod=auto` / `minfontsize`	`new FlowOptions(shrinkToFit: true, shrinkLimit: 0.5)`
`verticalalign=center`	`new FlowOptions(verticalAlignment: VerticalAlignment::Center)`
`info_textflow($tf, 'textendx')`, `'textendy'`	`$flow->lastFit()->textEnd`
`info_textflow($tf, 'firstlinedist')` etc.	`$flow->lastFit()->firstBaseline`, `lastBaseline`, `lineCount`, `height`
`hyphenchar`, `hortabmethod`, `ruler`	Soft hyphens and `Hyphenator` patterns; `tabs: [TabStop::decimal(120)]`, leaders with `TabStop::right(400, leader: '.')`
`<nextparagraph>`, `<nextline>`	Blank line or `</p>`, and `<br>`
Matchboxes for inline images	`<img src="name" height="9">` with `$doc->inlines()->define('name', $image)`
Matchboxes over text, `create_annotation` with `usematchbox`	`<span match="name">` and `lastFit()->matchboxes['name']`; links with `<a href="…">`
A flow over several frames	`$doc->flow($flow, [[$left, $right]], $makePage)`; `<columnbreak>` moves to the next frame

Tables

PDFlib	Php2Pdf
`add_table_cell($tbl, $col, $row, $text, 'colwidth=..')`	`$doc->table([Column::mm(55), Column::auto()], ...)`, `$table->addRow([...])`
`header=1`	`$table->addHeaderRow([...])`
`footer=1`	`$table->addFooterRow([...])`, filled per box with `$table->onFooter(fn (FooterContext $box) => ...)`
`colspan`, `rowspan`	`Cell::text('...')->spanning(columns: 2, rows: 3)`
`fit_table` returning `_boxfull`	`$page->fitTable($table, $box)`, or `$doc->flow($table, $box, $makePage)` across pages
`info_table($tbl, 'height')`	`$table->lastFit()->height`, `rowEdges`, `columnEdges`

Images, templates and imported pages

PDFlib	Php2Pdf
`load_image('auto', $file, '')`	`$doc->image($file)` (JPEG, JPEG 2000, PNG, TIFF natively)
`load_image` options `dpi`, `page`, `ignoreorientation`, `clippingpathname`	`new ImageOptions(dpi: 300, page: 2, orientation: false, clippingPath: 'Outline')`
`fit_image($img, $x, $y, 'boxsize {w h} fitmethod meet position center')`	`$page->place($image, $box, Fit::meet(Position::center()))`
`fitmethod` `nofit`, `clip`, `meet`, `slice`, `entire`, `auto`	`Fit::noFit()`, `clip()`, `meet()`, `slice()`, `entire()`, `auto()`
`position {50 50}`, `rotate 90`	`new Position(0.5, 0.5)` or `Position::center()`, `Fit::meet(rotate: 90)`
`begin_template_ext` / `end_template_ext`	`$template = $doc->template(new Dimensions(w, h))`, draw on `$template->canvas()`
`open_pdi_document`, `open_pdi_page`	`$doc->import('layout.ai')->page(1)` (`PageBox::Trim` for another box)
`fit_pdi_page`	`$page->place($importedPage, $box, Fit::entire())`
`pdi_info` geometry	`PdfFile::open($file)->page(1)->trimBox()` and so on
Hidden layers in imported pages	Kept off; `$doc->import($file, HiddenLayers::Remove)` removes them

Graphics and colour

PDFlib	Php2Pdf
`setcolor('fill', 'cmyk', c, m, y, k)`	`$canvas->setFillColor(Cmyk::fromPercent(...))`
`makespotcolor('Brand')`	`new Spot('Brand', Cmyk::fromPercent(...))`
Built-in spot colour libraries (`makespotcolor('PANTONE 300 C')`)	None bundled (licensed); `SpotLibrary::openAse('inks.ase')->get('PANTONE 300 C')` with your own swatches
`setcolor` with `lab`	`new Lab($l, $a, $b)`
DeviceN colour spaces (`create_devicen`)	`new DeviceN([DeviceN::black(), $spot])->withTints(0.4, 0.8)`
`load_iccprofile` + `iccbased` colour	`IccProfile::fromFile()`, `new IccColor($profile, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6)`
`shading('axial', ...)` + `shfill`	`new LinearGradient(...)` with `GradientStop`s, `$canvas->setFillGradient($gradient)`
`rect`, `moveto`, `lineto`, `curveto`, `fill`, `stroke`, `clip`	Same names on `Canvas`, chained
`save` / `restore`	`$canvas->save()` / `restore()`

PDFlib	Php2Pdf
`create_bookmark`	`$doc->outline()->add('Chapter', 5)` (a page number or a `Destination`)
`create_annotation(..., 'Link', 'action {activate ...}')`	`$page->addLink($box, 'https://...', tooltip: '...')` or `Destination::page(3)`
`add_nameddest`	`$doc->addDestination('name', Destination::top(5, 700))`
`pdfx=PDF/X-4`	`new DocumentOptions(pdfx: PdfX::X4)`
`load_iccprofile(..., 'usage=outputintent')`	`$doc->setOutputIntent(IccProfile::fromFile(...), 'FOGRA39')`

Not there yet

Mark positioning, right-to-left and complex scripts, tagged PDF, PDF/A, forms and annotations other than links, and encryption: see limitations.md and the issue tracker.