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How to Generate Dynamic QR Codes for Your PDF Reports

Marcelo | Founder

Nov 16, 2024

Why You Should Use Dynamic QR Codes on Your PDF Report

Implementing dynamic QR codes into your PDF reports can significantly enhance user interaction and data accessibility. QR codes serve as anchors to deeper information, allowing users to effortlessly access external websites or additional resources.

Additionally, dynamic QR codes enable you to track analytics, providing valuable insights into user engagement with your content. This makes them an invaluable asset for SaaS applications that require flexibility and real-time updates.

How to generate dynamic QR Codes for your pdfs

An Overview of the Top QR Code Libraries in JavaScript

When it comes to generating QR codes in JavaScript, several robust libraries can facilitate the process. In this section, we will evaluate teo of the most prominent libraries:

• QRCode.js

• qrcode-generator

These libraries are widely used and offer various features suitable for different project requirements.

QRCode.js

QRCode.js offers a straightforward API for QR code generation. It supports both canvas and table rendering methods, providing flexibility depending on your project’s requirements.

Example:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/qr-code.js@1.0.0/qr-code.min.js"></script>
<canvas id="canvas"></canvas>
<script>
  let qr = new QRCode({
    content: "https://example.com",
    width: 128,
    height: 128,
    color: "#000000",
    background: "#ffffff",
    canvas: document.getElementById('canvas')
  });
</script>

qrcode-generator

qrcode-generator provides advanced features for generating QR codes, including support for different modes and error correction levels. It’s suitable for applications that require intricate QR code functionalities.

Example:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/qrcode-generator/qrcode.js"></script>
<div id="qrcode"></div>
<script>
  let typeNumber = 4;
  let errorCorrectionLevel = 'L';
  let qr = qrcode(typeNumber, errorCorrectionLevel);
  qr.addData('https://example.com');
  qr.make();
  document.getElementById('qrcode').innerHTML = qr.createImgTag();
</script>

Our Recommendation: QRCode.js

After evaluating these libraries, we recommend QRCode.js.

It is the most updated, simpler to use, and the most reliable library among the three. Its ease of integration and robust functionality make it ideal for integrating dynamic QR codes into your PDF reports.

Generating Dynamic QR Codes Programmatically

To create a QR code for your PDF document, you can start by creating an invoice template in HTML and CSS, incorporating a section dedicated to the QR code.

Creating the Invoice Template

Here’s a simple example of an invoice template with a QR code section:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <style>
        /* Your CSS styles here */
        #qrcode {
            width: 128px;
            height: 128px;
            margin-top: 15px;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <div id="invoice">
        <h1>Invoice #12345</h1>
        <!-- Invoice details here -->
        <div id="qrcode"></div>
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Importing the Library into the Invoice

Next, import qrcode.js into your invoice template and generate the QR code dynamically.

<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/qrcodejs/1.0.0/qrcode.min.js"></script>
<script>
    let qrData = "https://yourdomain.com/invoice/12345";
    new QRCode(document.getElementById("qrcode"), qrData);
</script>

Using HTML Template Engines for Dynamic QR Codes

To handle dynamic data more efficiently, you can utilize HTML template engines like Handlebars. Handlebars allows you to embed JavaScript variables directly into your HTML in a clean and readable manner.

Example with Handlebars:

<div id="qrcode"></div>
<script>
    let qrData = "{{invoiceURL}}";
    new QRCode(document.getElementById("qrcode"), qrData);
</script>

Generating the PDF

After setting up your HTML template with the dynamic QR code, you can use PDF generation tools like Playwright to convert the HTML into a PDF document. Playwright is a Node.js library that allows for high-fidelity rendering of web content, providing more control over the rendering process and better compatibility with modern web features.

Example using playwright:

const playwright = require('playwright');
const Handlebars = require('handlebars');
const fs = require('fs');

(async () => {
    // Read and compile the Handlebars template
    const templateHtml = fs.readFileSync('invoice.html', 'utf8');
    const template = Handlebars.compile(templateHtml);
    const data = { invoiceURL: 'https://yourdomain.com/invoice/12345' };
    const html = template(data);

    // Launch a headless browser instance
    const browser = await playwright.chromium.launch();
    const context = await browser.newContext();
    const page = await context.newPage();

    // Set the page content to the generated HTML
    await page.setContent(html, { waitUntil: 'networkidle' });

    // Generate the PDF from the page content
    await page.pdf({
        path: 'invoice.pdf',
        format: 'A4',
        printBackground: true
    });

    // Close the browser instance
    await browser.close();
})();

This approach allows you to programmatically generate PDFs with dynamic QR codes, providing a seamless experience in your SaaS application.

We have a full guide on how to generate pdf from html using playwright with javascript here.

If you want to check out guides for pdf from html conversion of other programming languages, check out here.

Using a Third-Party No-Code Template Builder

If you prefer a no-code solution, third-party services like pdforge offer template builders that allow you to generate PDFs with dynamic QR codes without writing any code. With pdforge, you can design your PDF templates visually and insert QR code elements that automatically generate based on your data inputs.

Benefits of Using pdforge

• Easy to Use: Create professional-looking PDF documents with dynamic QR codes using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.

• Time Efficiency: Save development time by avoiding the need to code the PDF generation and QR code integration.

• Customization: Tailor your templates extensively to match your branding and specific requirements.

How It Works

1. Design Your Template: Use pdforge’s template builder to create your PDF layout, adding text, images, and QR code placeholders.

2. Generate PDFs: Use pdforge’s API to generate the PDF documents with the dynamic QR codes embedded, sending the QR code value and other variables as parameters.

Heres an example of an API call:

fetch('https://api.pdforge.com/v1/pdf/sync', {
  method: 'POST',
  body: JSON.stringify({ templateId: 'your-template' , data: {qr_code_url:'https://example.com' } }),
  headers: { 'Authorization' : 'Bearer your-api-key' }
});

This solution is ideal for developers who want to streamline the PDF generation process and focus on other critical aspects of their SaaS application.

Conclusion

Integrating dynamic QR codes into your PDF reports can significantly enhance user engagement and data accessibility. Utilizing QRCode.js in combination with Handlebars allows for efficient and reliable QR code generation within your documents. This approach offers a seamless integration that is both powerful and easy to implement.

However, if you’re looking to simplify the process further and achieve more sophisticated layouts without coding, we recommend using third-party PDF generation APIs like pdforge. It provides a no-code solution that can save time and resources while delivering professional and dynamic PDF documents with QR codes.