Open generated PDF file into browser tab programmatically - jsf

Question

I have created Pdf file on click action of Print button using Apache PDFBox api as shown below. As of now I saved that file into my drive(file system). What I need is to open up Pdf file directly into browser without saving into drive so that it can be print or download as require.
TestPdfBean.java
#ManagedBean(name = "pdfBean")
#ViewScoped
public class TestPdfBean implements Serializable {
public void createAndOpenPdf() {
PDDocument document = new PDDocument();
PDPage page = new PDPage();
document.addPage(page);
PDFont font = PDType1Font.HELVETICA;
PDPageContentStream content = new PDPageContentStream(doc,page);
content.beginText();
content.setFont(font, 12);
content.moveTextPositionByAmount(100, 700);
content.drawString(" Generating Pdf content...");
content.endText();
content.close();
document.save("/home/ck/Test/test.pdf");
document.close();
}
}
Code snippet of test.xhtml
<h:form id="pdfForm">
<p:panelGrid columns="2">
<h:outputText value="Create Pdf file.." />
<p:commandButton value="Print" actionListener="#{pdfBean.createAndOpenPdf}" />
</p:panelGrid>
</h:form>
I have deployed above portlet into liferay-portal-6.1.1.
Is there any way to open up pdf file directly into browser by Primefaces Or by Jsf Or by Liferay ?

Answer 1

I would recommend that you take a look at the Liferay Faces jsf2-export-pdf-portlet demo for Liferay 6.1. It has an example of a JSF 2.x ResourceHandler that enables the PDF to be generated and downloaded.

Answer 2

Create an HttpServlet and give back the PDF in the response.
Then just link your commandButton to the URL of the servlet and you´re done ...

Answer 3

The browser will open the document if you return a ByteArrayOutputStream.
`FacesContext context = FacesContext.getCurrentInstance();
HttpServletResponse response = (HttpServletResponse) context.getExternalContext().getResponse();
response.setContentType("application/pdf");
response.setHeader("Content-disposition", "attachement;filename=Quote_.pdf");
response.encodeRedirectURL("_blank");
byte[] bytes = printPDFBean.createQuotationPDF(current, cfgDoc, cfgEntity, quoteDetailList, customer).toByteArray();
response.getOutputStream().write(bytes);
context.responseComplete();`
This code calls my createQuotationPDF method which returns ByteArrayOutputStream object. The issue is, the document is opened in the current window and not a new one.
`public ByteArrayOutputStream createQuotationPDF(Quotation currentQuote, CfgDoc cfgDoc, CfgEntity cfgEntity, List<QuotationDetail> quoteDetailList, Customer customer) {
String filePath = FacesContext.getCurrentInstance().getExternalContext().getRealPath("/");
String imagesFolder = filePath + FacesContext.getCurrentInstance().getExternalContext().getInitParameter("smefin.images");
String fontsFolder = filePath + FacesContext.getCurrentInstance().getExternalContext().getInitParameter("smefin.fonts");
PDDocument doc = null;
PDPage page = null;
ByteArrayOutputStream output;
output = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
try {
doc = new PDDocument();
page = new PDPage();
doc.addPage(page);
File fontLatoBlackFile = new File(fontsFolder + "Lato-Black.ttf");
File fontLatoLiteFile = new File(fontsFolder + "Lato-Light.ttf");
Encoding encoding = new WinAnsiEncoding();
PDFont fontLatoBold = PDTrueTypeFont.load(doc, fontLatoBlackFile, encoding);
PDFont fontLatoLite = PDTrueTypeFont.load(doc, fontLatoLiteFile, encoding);
content.beginText();
content.setFont(fontLatoBold, 11);
content.newLineAtOffset(50, 60);
content.showText("Text");
content.endText();
}
doc.save("D:/TestData/Quote_.pdf");
doc.close();
} catch (Exception e) {
System.out.println("" + e);
}
return output;
}`