node-red-contrib-wkhtmltopdf

also supports ARM processors

Description

The node-red-contrib-wkhtmltopdf node allows you to convert HTML content or URLs into PDF files. This node is useful for generating PDF reports or documents from HTML content or web pages within your Node-RED flows which also supports ARM processors.

Installation

To install this node, use the Node-RED Palette Manager or install it directly via npm:

npm install node-red-contrib-wkhtmltopdf

Additionally, you need to install wkhtmltopdf on your system. This tool is used to perform the actual conversion from HTML to PDF. You can download it from the wkhtmltopdf website . Follow the installation instructions for your operating system:

• Windows: Download the installer from the website and follow the installation steps.

• macOS: You can use Homebrew to install it with the command: brew install wkhtmltopdf.

• Linux: Install it via your package manager, e.g., sudo apt-get install wkhtmltopdf for Debian-based systems.

Usage

The node-red-contrib-wkhtmltopdf node converts HTML content or URLs received on its input into a PDF file and saves it to a specified directory.

Configuration

PDF Name

Specify the base name for the generated PDF file. The node will automatically append a counter to ensure that each file name is unique.

• Example: report This will generate files like report_1.pdf, report_2.pdf, etc.

Save Path

The path where the PDF files will be saved. This path defaults to node-red/PDFs/ and is displayed as read-only in the configuration.

wkhtmltopdf Path

Specify the path to the wkhtmltopdf executable on your system. This is required for the node to function correctly.

• Example: C:/Program Files/wkhtmltopdf/bin/wkhtmltopdf.exe (Windows)

  • Note: Ensure this path is correct based on your installation.

URL or HTML

Choose whether to convert a URL or HTML content:

• URL: Specify the URL to convert into a PDF.

• HTML: Use the HTML content from the msg.payload in the incoming message.

Example Flow

Here is an example flow to use the node-red-contrib-wkhtmltopdf node:

[
    {
        "id": "191927e7b0817fad",
        "type": "inject",
        "z": "dfaf710c44ca5279",
        "name": "",
        "props": [
            {
                "p": "payload"
            }
        ],
        "repeat": "",
        "crontab": "",
        "once": false,
        "onceDelay": 0.1,
        "topic": "",
        "payload": "",
        "payloadType": "date",
        "x": 1185,
        "y": 1400,
        "wires": [
            [
                "b641a4a230bd749e"
            ]
        ],
        "l": false
    },
    {
        "id": "e2bc3d19bafa9288",
        "type": "debug",
        "z": "dfaf710c44ca5279",
        "name": "debug 195",
        "active": true,
        "tosidebar": true,
        "console": false,
        "tostatus": true,
        "complete": "payload",
        "targetType": "msg",
        "statusVal": "",
        "statusType": "counter",
        "x": 1415,
        "y": 1400,
        "wires": [],
        "l": false
    },
    {
        "id": "b641a4a230bd749e",
        "type": "wk-html-to-pdf",
        "z": "dfaf710c44ca5279",
        "name": "Google to PDF",
        "pdfName": "Google",
        "savePath": "",
        "urlOrHtml": "url",
        "url": "https://google.com",
        "wkhtmltopdfPath": "C:/Program Files/wkhtmltopdf/bin/wkhtmltopdf.exe",
        "x": 1300,
        "y": 1400,
        "wires": [
            [
                "e2bc3d19bafa9288"
            ]
        ]
    }
]

Details

node-red-contrib-wkhtmltopdf Node Configuration

• PDF Name: The base name for the PDF file. The node appends a counter to ensure uniqueness.

• Save Path: The fixed path where the PDFs are saved. Displayed as read-only.

• wkhtmltopdf Path: Path to the wkhtmltopdf executable on your system.

• URL or HTML: Select whether you want to convert a URL or HTML content.

Notes

• Ensure that Node-RED has the necessary permissions to write to the node-red/PDFs/ directory.

• Verify that the path to the wkhtmltopdf executable is correct and accessible.

• The node automatically increments the counter to avoid overwriting existing files with the same name.

Contributing

If you have suggestions or improvements, feel free to contribute to the repository or open an issue.

License

This node is licensed under the MIT License.