How To Create a PHP PDF Converter For Multiple File Formats

Converting files into PDF format is a common requirement in modern web applications as well as generating PDFs from HTML and these kinds of tools can easily be found on-line but perhaps your own application needs to convert user uploaded files to PDFs to be stored or emailed out to other users.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how to create a PHP PDF converter capable of handling a wide variety of file formats. We’ll review some of the best tools and libraries for the task, walk through an example of converting different file types into PDF, and discuss whether this process can be done without a library.

Can You Create a PHP PDF Converter Without a Library?

Unfortunately, PHP does not natively support PDF generation or file format conversion to PDF. The PDF format is complex, requiring specific structures and layouts, especially when dealing with diverse file types. This makes it essential to rely on external tools and libraries to handle the conversion process.

However, there are multiple libraries and services available to make the task of converting various file formats into PDFs seamless.

Tools and Libraries for PHP PDF Conversion

There are several robust tools and libraries available that allow PHP to handle the conversion of different file formats (such as Word, Excel, images, and more) to PDF. Let’s explore a few popular options:

1. LibreOffice (Command Line Integration)

LibreOffice is a powerful open-source office suite that supports a wide range of document formats, including .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx. By using its command-line interface, you can convert many types of documents into PDFs with ease. You can integrate this functionality with PHP by using shell commands to call LibreOffice’s conversion tools.

• Pros: Supports a large variety of file formats, highly reliable conversion.
• Cons: Requires server-side installation, not a native PHP solution.

Example of converting a file using LibreOffice with PHP:

<?php
// Specify the path of the file you want to convert
$filePath = 'uploads/document.docx';

// Command to convert the file to PDF using LibreOffice
$command = "libreoffice --headless --convert-to pdf --outdir /path/to/output $filePath";

// Execute the command in PHP
shell_exec($command);

// Provide feedback or a download link for the PDF
echo "File converted to PDF successfully!";
?>

2. CloudConvert API

CloudConvert is a third-party service that supports converting a wide range of file formats, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, and even audio files, into PDFs. CloudConvert provides a REST API that can be integrated with PHP, allowing you to handle conversions without installing any software on your server.

• Pros: Supports a wide variety of file formats, easy API integration, no server installation required.
• Cons: Paid service (limited free usage), requires an internet connection.

Example using CloudConvert API:

<?php
// Include the CloudConvert PHP SDK (via Composer or manually)
require 'vendor/autoload.php';

use CloudConvert\CloudConvert;
use CloudConvert\Models\Job;
use CloudConvert\Models\Task;

// Instantiate CloudConvert with your API key
$cloudconvert = new CloudConvert(['api_key' => 'YOUR_API_KEY']);

// Create the job for file conversion
$job = $cloudconvert->jobs()->create([
    'tasks' => [
        'import-my-file' => [
            'operation' => 'import/upload'
        ],
        'convert-my-file' => [
            'operation' => 'convert',
            'input' => 'import-my-file',
            'output_format' => 'pdf',
            'some_option' => 'value'
        ],
        'export-my-file' => [
            'operation' => 'export/url',
            'input' => 'convert-my-file'
        ]
    ]
]);

// Print out the URL where the converted PDF will be available
echo $job->getTask('export-my-file')->getResult()->files[0]->url;
?>

3. TCPDF for Native PHP Solutions

TCPDF is a robust and feature-rich PHP library for generating PDFs from structured PHP code. While it doesn’t convert a wide variety of external file formats (like Word or Excel), it’s an excellent choice if you’re converting plain text, images, or data directly generated within PHP to PDF format. TCPDF is a better choice when generating PDFs programmatically rather than converting pre-existing files.

• Pros: Native PHP solution, no server installation required, highly customizable.
• Cons: Limited support for advanced file types (e.g., .docx, .xlsx).

Example of using TCPDF to generate a PDF from PHP content:

<?php
require_once('tcpdf/tcpdf.php');

// Create a new PDF document
$pdf = new TCPDF();

// Set document information
$pdf->SetAuthor('Your Name');
$pdf->SetTitle('PDF Document');

// Add a page
$pdf->AddPage();

// Write some content
$htmlContent = "<h1>Sample PDF</h1><p>This is a PDF generated from PHP using TCPDF.</p>";
$pdf->writeHTML($htmlContent, true, false, true, false, '');

// Output the PDF to the browser
$pdf->Output('example.pdf', 'I'); // 'I' to display in browser, 'D' to download
?>

4. PHPWord (for Document Conversion)

PHPWord is a library that allows you to work with Word documents (.docx) directly from PHP. While it doesn’t have built-in PDF conversion, you can use it in conjunction with a library like TCPDF or MPDF to first convert the Word document to HTML and then generate a PDF from the HTML content.

• Pros: Powerful for working with .docx files, integrates with other PHP libraries for PDF conversion.
• Cons: Requires additional steps for conversion (HTML to PDF).

Example of using PHPWord to generate a PDF from a Word file:

<?php
require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';
use PhpOffice\PhpWord\IOFactory;
use Dompdf\Dompdf;

// Load Word file
$phpWord = IOFactory::load('example.docx');

// Convert Word file to HTML
$xmlWriter = IOFactory::createWriter($phpWord, 'HTML');
ob_start();
$xmlWriter->save('php://output');
$htmlContent = ob_get_clean();

// Convert HTML to PDF using DOMPDF
$dompdf = new Dompdf();
$dompdf->loadHtml($htmlContent);
$dompdf->render();
$dompdf->stream('document.pdf');
?>

Conclusion

Converting various file formats to PDF using PHP is entirely possible, but requires the help of external tools or libraries. While PHP alone doesn’t support PDF conversion, integrating solutions like LibreOffice, CloudConvert, or TCPDF can help you convert files such as Word, Excel, and images into PDF format.

In this post, we explored different options for handling PDF conversions in PHP, discussed whether this can be done without a library (it cannot), and provided examples of integrating various tools for converting files to PDF. Depending on your specific requirements, whether it’s converting multiple file types or just generating PDFs from programmatically generated content, one of the solutions presented here should work for you.

Resources

• LibreOffice Documentation
• CloudConvert API Documentation
• TCPDF Documentation
• PHPWord Documentation