What Is an PHP and PDF File?
In this section, we will introduce the PHP file and PDF file.
What Is the PHP File?
When learning the PHP scripting language, you will create and write files with a .php extension. So, what exactly is a PHP file?
Generally speaking, a PHP file is a plain text file that contains code written in the PHP programming language. Since PHP is a server-side (backend) scripting language, the code written in a PHP file is executed on the server.
The PHP engine on the web server converts all the code written in PHP into HTML, so the resulting web page contains only HTML code when it is sent to the client to be rendered in the user's browser.
If you view the source code of any PHP file in a browser, you will never see the original PHP code in it because it has been executed and converted to HTML by the server.
What Is the PDF File?
PDF, short for Portable Document Format, is a versatile file format created by Adobe that provides an easy, reliable way for people to present and exchange documents - no matter what software, hardware, or operating system the person viewing the document is using.
The reason is that PDF files are based on the PostScript language, encapsulating a complete description of a fixed-layout flat document, including text, fonts, vector graphics, raster images, and other information needed for display.
However, for some reasons, people may need to convert PHP to PDF. Do you also need to do the conversion. If so, continue reading.
PHP to PDF Conversion Tools
In this section, we will introduce several 5 tools to convert PHP to PDF on your desktop. All of these advanced converters require technical knowledge as most of them exist as GitHub repositories.
# 1. TCPDF
This is an open-source PHP library that allows you to create PDF documents from scratch or using existing HTML content. TCPDF provides a wide range of features, including support for multiple fonts, images, and page layouts. It also provides methods to add headers, footers, and watermarks to PDFs.
# 2. FPDF
Another popular open-source library, FPDF is lightweight and easy to use. It has a simple application programming interface (API) that enables you to quickly create basic PDF documents. FPDF supports text formatting, images, and basic geometric graphics.
# 3. DOMPDF
DOMPDF is a PHP library that converts HTML and CSS code to PDF format. It uses the same rendering engine as modern web browsers, which means it can handle complex CSS styles and layouts. This makes it a great choice for converting web pages or HTML-based reports to PDF.
# 4. mPDF
mPDF, PHP to PDF converter, is a PHP library that generates PDF from UTF-8 encoded HTML. It excels at rendering complex HTML pages and supports advanced CSS styles, making it ideal for creating visually appealing documents. Apart from this, mPDF is also widely used for its ability to handle multi-page layouts efficiently.
mPDF supports a wide range of CSS properties, including inline styles and external style sheets. It is easy to integrate into PHP projects due to its simple setup process and comes with detailed documentation.
# 5. PDFLib
PDFLib is a commercial library that creates and manipulates PHP to PDF for accessibility. It is known for its advanced features, high efficiency, and is suitable for enterprise-level applications. Most importantly, PDFLib is versatile and allows developers to seamlessly add dynamic content to PDF.
Bonus Tip: A Great PDF Editor – MiniTool PDF Editor
After you get the PDF file, you can use this all-in-one PDF manager - MiniTool PDF Editor to further edit and manage it. It's a comprehensive PDF editor with a wide range of features, allowing you to convert/merge/split/compress PDFs.
If you are interested in this free PDF editor, you can click the download button below to download and install it on your PC and have a try yourself.
MiniTool PDF EditorClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Bottom Line
How to convert PHP to PDF? This post provides 5 conversion tools to help you do that. Also, it introduces an all-in-one PDF editor for you.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Vega joined MiniTool as an editor after graduation. She enjoys helping people with computer problems, including disk management, data recovery, and more. She is constantly expanding her knowledge in related fields. And she will continue to bring more easy-to-understand professional articles to help people solve various problems on the PC. In her daily life, Vega enjoys hanging out with friends, shopping online, and listening to music. She is someone who knows how to enjoy life.