Creating PDF Documents with Grid and 2D List Data Using ReportLab


drawing grid in pdf page

Part I: Simple grid added to a PDF page.

from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import A4
my_path='E:\\testing\\my_pdf\\my_pdf.pdf'# file path
c = canvas.Canvas(my_path,bottomup=1,pagesize=A4)
w,h=A4 # width and height of the page

xlist = [20, 70, 120, 170] # Horizontal coordinates 
ylist = [h - 20, h - 70, h - 120, h - 170] # vertical 
c.grid(xlist, ylist) # adding grid
c.save() # stores the file and close  the canvas
Adding text to the grid
c.drawString(70,h-70,"plus2net") # write text 



Adding Grid with text to PDF Files Using ReportLab Canvas on Colab Part-1

Part II : Using List of Data to place inside a grid

We'll populate each cell of the grid with data from a 2D list. This approach is useful for creating structured documents like tables and reports programmatically.

1. Importing Necessary Libraries

from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import A4
- reportlab.pdfgen.canvas: Used to create PDF files.
- reportlab.lib.pagesizes.A4: Provides the A4 page size.

2. Defining the File Path and Canvas

my_path='E:\\testing\\my_pdf\\my_pdf.pdf'  # File path
c = canvas.Canvas(my_path, bottomup=1, pagesize=A4)
w, h = int(A4[0]), int(A4[1])  # Width and height as integers
- Define the file path where the PDF will be saved.
- Create a canvas object with A4 page size.

3. Preparing Data

l1 = [('id', 'name', 'class', 'mark', 'gender'),
      (1, 'John Deo', 'Four', 75, 'female'),
      (2, 'Max Ruin', 'Three', 85, 'male'),
      (3, 'Arnold', 'Three', 55, 'male')]  # Data to be used
- Create a list of tuples representing the data to be placed in the grid.

4. Calculating Grid Dimensions

rows, cols = len(l1), len(l1[0])  # Rows and columns of the grid
width_cell, height_cell = 75, 20  # Width and height of each cell
- Calculate the number of rows and columns in the grid.
- Define the dimensions of each cell.

5. Generating Grid Coordinates

xlist=list(range(20,width_cell*(cols+1),width_cell))
ylist=list(range(h-20,h-(height_cell*(rows+2)),-height_cell))
c.grid(xlist, ylist) # add the grid to Canvas 
Data from the list of tuple is added to each cell by looping
#Adding Data inside each cell of the grid by looping 
for i in range(rows):
    for j in range(cols):
        c.drawString(xlist[j]+2,ylist[i]-int(height_cell/1.5),
                     str(i) + str(j) +'-'+ str(l1[i][j]))
Save the pdf file as per the path given above.
c.save()
Full code is here
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import A4
my_path='E:\\testing\\my_pdf\\my_pdf.pdf'# file path
c = canvas.Canvas(my_path,bottomup=1,pagesize=A4)
w,h=int(A4[0]),int(A4[1]) # Width and height as Integer  

l1=[('id', 'name', 'class', 'mark', 'gender'),
(1, 'John Deo', 'Four', 75, 'female'),
(2, 'Max Ruin', 'Three', 85, 'male'),
(3, 'Arnold', 'Three', 55, 'male')] # data to be used

rows,cols=len(l1),len(l1[0]) # rows and columns of the grid 
width_cell,height_cell=75,20 # Update to match the data 

xlist=list(range(20,width_cell*(cols+1),width_cell))
ylist=list(range(h-20,h-(height_cell*(rows+2)),-height_cell))
c.grid(xlist, ylist) # add the grid to Canvas 

#Adding Data inside each cell of the grid by looping 
for i in range(rows):
    for j in range(cols):
        c.drawString(xlist[j]+2,ylist[i]-int(height_cell/1.5),
                     str(i) + str(j) +'-'+ str(l1[i][j]))
print(xlist,ylist) # print the list used for grid 
c.save()

Creating PDF and Populating Data grid from a 2D List Using ReportLab in Python on Colab Part-2

When to Use grid

  • Simple Layouts: When we need a simple grid structure to align text or basic elements without complex formatting.
  • Custom Drawings: When we need to combine grid lines with custom drawing operations on the canvas (e.g., shapes, annotations).
  • Manual Control: When we require manual control over each cell's content and placement, especially if the content varies significantly in format or size.
  • Background Grids: When we need a background grid to assist with aligning other elements on the canvas.
  • Non-tabular Data: When the data isn’t strictly tabular and doesn’t need the rich features of a table (like spanning cells, automatic layout, etc.).

When to Use Table

  • Tabular Data: When presenting data in a structured, table format with multiple rows and columns.
  • Rich Formatting: When we need advanced formatting capabilities, such as cell spanning, border control, padding, and alignment.
  • Ease of Use: When we prefer to use higher-level abstractions for creating and styling tables rather than manually drawing each element.
  • Automatic Layout: When we want ReportLab to handle the layout, spacing, and adjustments automatically.

PDF Table from different data sources to PDF file
Bar charts in PDF Line charts in PDF Pie Charts Paragraph
Python

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