Store provided data in the SBE PDF

[waldoj]

Under the law, must we provide registrars with a PDF? Or can we give them something else? If they're just going to copy and paste it, would they prefer a plain-text file?

If a PDF, then we need to edit the PDF they've created to add the provided data. That sounds like a real pain.

[waldoj]

Maybe use mPDF?

[waldoj]

Yes, we must provide a PDF.

[waldoj]

Seems like the writeCell() method is the way to go.

[waldoj]

• [x] figure out how to load an existing PDF into mPDF
• [x] figure out how to write text into that PDF
• [x] record the coordinates for every form field as YAML/JSON, along with font size and available width
• [x] map each provided field (in the JSON) to every form field
• [x] write the code that will use that map to write the text to the PDF

[waldoj]

OK, I think pages are imported with ImportPage, after being loaded with SetSourceFile.

[waldoj]

I've got ugly, janky code, but it works. I have the coordinates recorded for every field. It remains to figure out the font size and kerning for each. Also, to figure out how to handle answers that aren't textual, but spatial, e.g. checking off the record text box. (I know how to handle that in the abstract, but I want to know how to do it nicely.) Right now, the code is only dropping in the field name (e.g., more_info_email_fax), so I also need to map the provided fields to the form fields.

[waldoj]

I took the janky code and turned it into JSON, adding font size and kerning control, although that size and kerning doesn't have any connection to the application layer.

[waldoj]

Bingo—the form is being completed, flowing in data from JSON.

[waldoj]

It remains to lay everything out nicely. We need to adjust some fields' kerning and type sizes.