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

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

c.drawString(70,h-70,"plus2net") # write text 

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

1. Importing Necessary Libraries

from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import A4

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

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

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

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 

#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]))

c.save()

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()

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.

Subhendu Mohapatra

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