Multicell Table with repeating headers

[omerfkati]

Hi fpdf2 team,

I am working hard to create a pdf generator and am stuck on the table. I need a multi_cell in one column and want the rest of the cell to adjust to it. I tried calculating the height needed by using the split_only attribute, but I still think I am doing something wrong there. Do you have an example of a table with repeating headers and a column which takes multi_cell data?

I got it to work if anyone wants to do something similar:

from fpdf import FPDF

# Create a PDF object
pdf = FPDF('P', 'mm', 'A4')
pdf.set_margins(15, 10)

# get total page numbers
pdf.alias_nb_pages()

# Set auto page break
pdf.set_auto_page_break(auto=True, margin=15)

pdf.set_font('Helvetica', "", 11)
pdf.add_page()

def multi_cell_table():
    data = [
        {
            "amount": 1,
            "article_description": "Nulla arcu nulla, vehicula vel ex vel, sagittis ultricies elit. Nullam quis nunc sit amet mauris volutpat dapibus eu quis lorem. Praesent fermentum diam ac orci malesuada porta. Aenean a enim ac enim imperdiet aliquet ut vel purus.",
        },
        {
            "amount": 2,
            "article_description": "Nulla arcu nulla, vehicula vel ex vel, sagittis ultricies elit. Nullam quis nunc sit amet mauris volutpat dapibus eu quis lorem. Praesent fermentum diam ac orci malesuada porta. Aenean a enim ac enim imperdiet aliquet ut vel purus.",
        },
        {
            "amount": 3,
            "article_description": "Nulla arcu nulla, vehicula vel ex vel, sagittis ultricies elit. Nullam quis nunc sit amet mauris volutpat dapibus eu quis lorem. Praesent fermentum diam ac orci malesuada porta. Aenean a enim ac enim imperdiet aliquet ut vel purus.",
        },
        {
            "amount": 4,
            "article_description": "Nulla arcu nulla, vehicula vel ex vel, sagittis ultricies elit. Nullam quis nunc sit amet mauris volutpat dapibus eu quis lorem. Praesent fermentum diam ac orci malesuada porta. Aenean a enim ac enim imperdiet aliquet ut vel purus.",
        },
        {
            "amount": 5,
            "article_description": "Nulla arcu nulla, vehicula vel ex vel, sagittis ultricies elit. Nullam quis nunc sit amet mauris volutpat dapibus eu quis lorem. Praesent fermentum diam ac orci malesuada porta. Aenean a enim ac enim imperdiet aliquet ut vel purus.",
        },
            
    ]

    line_height = pdf.font_size * 2

    def render_table_header():
        pdf.set_font(style="B")  # enabling bold text
        pdf.cell(pdf.epw * 0.2, line_height, "#", border="B", align="C")
        pdf.cell(pdf.epw * 0.8, line_height, "description", border="B")
        pdf.set_font(style="")
        pdf.ln(line_height)
    render_table_header()
    for row in data:

        if pdf.will_page_break(line_height):
            render_table_header()

        multiplier = len(pdf.multi_cell(pdf.epw * 0.8, line_height, row["article_description"], border="R", align="L", split_only=True))
        
        pdf.cell(pdf.epw * 0.2, line_height * multiplier, str(row["amount"]), align="C", border="R")
        pdf.multi_cell(pdf.epw * 0.8, line_height, row["article_description"], align="L", ln=1)


multi_cell_table()

pdf.output('test.pdf')

[gmischler]

        if pdf.will_page_break(line_height):
            render_table_header()

        multiplier = len(pdf.multi_cell(pdf.epw * 0.8, row["article_description"], split_only=True))

Here you're checking if a single line would trigger a page break.
That will only work occasionally, when the remaining space happens to be less than the height of a single line.
In reality, the page break will get triggered by a multi_cell() that can be (and in the example is) several lines tall.

The following version makes sure that you're checking for a potential page break with the actual height of the next row.
Also, since you want the header to appear on the new page, you need to call add_page() explicitly first.
Trying to do this with automatic page breaks would be more complicated.

        multiplier = len(pdf.multi_cell(pdf.epw * 0.8, row["article_description"], split_only=True))

        if pdf.will_page_break(line_height * multiplier):
            pdf.add_page()
            render_table_header()