Generate PDF Reports in LabVIEW

Issue Details

• I am using the LabVIEW Report Generation Toolkit for Microsoft Office and I want to save my reports as PDFs. How can I achieve this?

• How can I generate PDF reports in LabVIEW?

• What LabVIEW Toolkit is required to save and print PDF files?

• How can I save a LabVIEW Front Panel image as a PDF?

Solution

You will need to use the Report Generation Toolkit in order to save your report as a PDF. Below are 2 different methods to accomplish this. 

1. Using ActiveX References

Use this method if you want to generate a report using only internal LabVIEW functionality and want it to be completely automated. It calls the appropriate ActiveX functions for both Word and Excel to save the report as a PDF. NOTE: this method does not work with HTML reports.

2. Using a PDF Printer

This method uses a third-party PDF printer to generate the PDF file. The example above is using CutePDF Writer, but any PDF printer software will work. The code works by using the Report Generation Toolkit Print Report.vi and using the PDF printer software as the selected printer. This method will prompt the user where and how the PDF report should be saved. Use method 1 if you need a fully automated solution.

Additional Information

The code for both of these examples are linked below. You will need Microsoft Word installed and the Report Generation Toolkit for both solutions to work.

If both solutions are not possible, an alternative is to use a Third-Party Add-On such as Custom PDF Generator for LabVIEW. This Add-On is proposed by Simplicity AI and an evaluation version can be downloaded from the VI Package Manager.