Pdflib: how to create drop cap using add_flowtext() - php

Question

I took the cookbook example and modified it to use add_textflow() instead of create_textflow() but I can't get it to work. Instead of interpreting the macros it just writes it as plain text. What am I doing wrong?
From documentation I got the understanding that I should define the macros inline - or did I misunderstand it? Have tried everything I could think of...
$tf = 0;
$optlist = "";
$llx = 100; $lly = 50; $urx = 450; $ury = 800;
$t_fontsize = 16; // font size of the text
$t_leading = 20; // leading of the text
$c_num = 3; // no. of lines for the drop cap to cover
$c_textrise = -(($c_num - 1) * $t_leading); // text rise of the drop cap
$c_fontsize = -($c_textrise * 1.8); // font size of the drop cap
try {
$p = new pdflib();
$p->set_option("errorpolicy=exception");
$p->set_option("stringformat=utf8");
$p->begin_document("", "");
$optlist = "fontname=Helvetica fontsize=" . $t_fontsize . " encoding=unicode ";
$text = "<macro " .
"{cap_start {fontsize=" . $c_fontsize . " leading=" . $t_leading .
" textrise=" . $c_textrise .
" matchbox={createwrapbox boxheight={leading textrise}}} " .
"cap_end {matchbox=end fontsize=" . $t_fontsize . " textrise=0}}>";
$text .= "<&cap_start>O<&cap_end>ver the mountains... ";
$tf = $p->add_textflow($tf, $text, $optlist);
$text =
"Paper Planes are the ideal way of " .
"passing the time. We offer revolutionary " .
"new develop­ments of the traditional com­mon " .
"paper planes. If your lesson, conference, or lecture " .
"turn out to be deadly boring, you can have a wonderful time " .
"with our planes. ";
$tf = $p->add_textflow($tf, $text, $optlist);
do {
$p->begin_page_ext(0, 0, "width=a4.width height=a4.height");
$result = $p->fit_textflow($tf, $llx, $lly, $urx, $ury, "");
$p->end_page_ext("");
} while ($result == "_boxfull" || $result == "_nextpage");
/* Check for errors */
if (!$result == "_stop") {
if ($result == "_boxempty")
throw new Exception ("Error: Textflow box too small");
else {
throw new Exception ("User return '" . $result .
"' found in Textflow");
}
}
$p->delete_textflow($tf);
$p->end_document("");
$buf = $p->get_buffer();
$len = strlen($buf);
header("Content-type: application/pdf");
header("Content-Length: $len");
header("Content-Disposition: inline; filename=drop_caps.pdf");
print $buf;
} catch (PDFlibException $e) {
die("PDFlib exception occurred:\n".
"[" . $e->get_errnum() . "] " . $e->get_apiname() .
": " . $e->get_errmsg() . "\n");
} catch (Exception $e) {
die($e->getMessage());
}
$p = 0;

Answer 1

this is simple: only create_texflow() support inline options (because you must specify the data in a single chunk). With add_textflow() you have the possibility to "build" the textflow handle in multiple steps, for each text fragment with the related options.
In your case, it might look like the following way:
$optlistmacro = " macro " .
"{cap_start {fontsize=" . $c_fontsize . " leading=" . $t_leading .
" textrise=" . $c_textrise .
" matchbox={createwrapbox boxheight={leading textrise}}} " .
"cap_end {matchbox=end fontsize=" . $t_fontsize . " textrise=0}}";
$tf = $p->add_textflow($tf, "", $optlist . $optlistmacro);
$tf = $p->add_textflow($tf, "O", "&cap_start");
$tf = $p->add_textflow($tf, "ver the mountains... ", "&cap_end");
In this code fragment, I do the first add_textflow() without text but all the
macros settings. Then it place the "O" with the macro (&cap_start) in
the option list. The following text "ver the mountains... " is done
in the next add_textflow() and as option I place the &cap_end.