Creating a complex PDF

The Hello World example covers the simplest PDF creation path. This example builds on that workflow and creates a richer document that combines graphics, text, and tabular content.

To create a more complex PDF document in Java:

1. Create a Document and add a Page.
2. Add an image to the Page with page.addImage(...) and a target Rectangle.
3. Create a header TextFragment and set its font, size, alignment, and Position.
4. Create a second TextFragment for the description paragraph.
5. Build a Table with borders, padding, and header styling.
6. Add generated schedule rows to the Table.
7. Append the Table to the Page paragraphs.
8. Save the output PDF Document.

The following Java code is based on GetStartedExamples.java.

public static void complexExample(Path imageFile, Path outputFile) {
    try (Document document = new Document()) {
        Page page = document.getPages().add();

        page.addImage(imageFile.toString(), new Rectangle(20, 730, 120, 830, true));

        TextFragment header = new TextFragment("New ferry routes in Fall 2029");
        header.getTextState().setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Arial"));
        header.getTextState().setFontSize(24);
        header.setHorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment.Center);
        header.setPosition(new Position(130, 720));
        page.getParagraphs().add(header);

        String descriptionText = "Visitors must buy tickets online and tickets are limited to 5,000 per day. "
                + "Ferry service is operating at half capacity and on a reduced schedule. "
                + "Expect lineups.";
        TextFragment description = new TextFragment(descriptionText);
        description.getTextState().setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Times New Roman"));
        description.getTextState().setFontSize(14);
        description.setHorizontalAlignment(HorizontalAlignment.Left);
        page.getParagraphs().add(description);

        page.getParagraphs().add(createScheduleTable());

        document.save(outputFile.toString());
    }
}

The same example uses a helper method to prepare the schedule table with header formatting and generated departure times:

private static Table createScheduleTable() {
    Table table = new Table();
    table.setColumnWidths("200 200");
    table.setBorder(new BorderInfo(BorderSide.Box, 1.0f, Color.getDarkSlateGray()));
    table.setDefaultCellBorder(new BorderInfo(BorderSide.Box, 0.5f, Color.getBlack()));
    table.setDefaultCellPadding(new MarginInfo(4.5, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5));
    table.getMargin().setBottom(10);
    table.getDefaultCellTextState().setFont(FontRepository.findFont("Helvetica"));

    Row headerRow = table.getRows().add();
    Cell departsCityCell = headerRow.getCells().add("Departs City");
    Cell departsIslandCell = headerRow.getCells().add("Departs Island");
    styleHeaderCell(departsCityCell);
    styleHeaderCell(departsIslandCell);

    Duration time = Duration.ofHours(6);
    Duration increment = Duration.ofMinutes(30);
    for (int index = 0; index < 10; index++) {
        Row dataRow = table.getRows().add();
        dataRow.getCells().add(formatTime(time));
        time = time.plus(increment);
        dataRow.getCells().add(formatTime(time));
    }

    return table;
}