How to Generate Text PDFs Using PHP Without Third-Party Libraries

In this tutorial, we will walk through how to generate PDF files with simple text using PHP without any external libraries, and we will also create a styled HTML5 form that allows you to input text and generate a PDF. This tutorial will show you how to:

• Build a form to accept text input.
• Use PHP to generate a PDF from the input text.
• Provide a download link for the generated PDF using Fetch API.

Step 1: Create the HTML Form

First, we will create a simple HTML5 form where users can input the text they want to convert into a PDF. The form will be styled for a clean and simple user experience.

Copy

        <style>
            body {
                font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
                margin: 0;
                padding: 0;
                background-color: #f7f7f7;
            }
            .container {
                max-width: 800px;
                margin: 50px auto;
                padding: 20px;
                background-color: #fff;
                box-shadow: 0 4px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
            }
            h1 {
                text-align: center;
                color: #333;
            }
            textarea {
                width: 100%;
                height: 150px;
                padding: 10px;
                font-size: 16px;
                border: 1px solid #ccc;
                margin-bottom: 20px;
                border-radius: 5px;
            }
            button {
                background-color: #28a745;
                color: white;
                padding: 10px 20px;
                font-size: 16px;
                border: none;
                cursor: pointer;
                border-radius: 5px;
                display: block;
                width: 100%;
            }
            button:hover {
                background-color: #218838;
            }
            #downloadLink {
                display: none;
                text-align: center;
                margin-top: 20px;
            }
        </style>
    <div class="container">
        <h1>Generate PDF from Text</h1>
        <form id="pdfForm">
            <textarea id="inputText" placeholder="Enter the text you want to convert to PDF..."></textarea>
            <button type="submit">Generate PDF</button>
        </form>

        <div id="downloadLink">
            <a href="#" id="pdfDownload" download>Download PDF</a>
        </div>
    </div>

    <script>
        document.getElementById('pdfForm').addEventListener('submit', async function(e) {
            e.preventDefault();

            const text = document.getElementById('inputText').value;

            // Sending data to PHP to generate PDF
            const response = await fetch('generate_pdf.php', {
                method: 'POST',
                headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
                body: JSON.stringify({ text })
            });

            const data = await response.json();

            if (data.success) {
                // Show the download link
                const pdfLink = document.getElementById('pdfDownload');
                pdfLink.href = data.pdf_url;
                document.getElementById('downloadLink').style.display = 'block';
            }
        });
    </script>

Step 2: PHP Script to Generate the PDF

Now we need a PHP script that receives the input text, creates a PDF, and returns a link to download the file.

Copy

    // Check if the request is a POST request with JSON data
    if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST') {
        $data = json_decode(file_get_contents('php://input'), true);
        
        if (isset($data['text'])) {
            $text = $data['text'];

            // Define the path for the PDF file
            $pdf_file = 'generated_pdf.pdf';

            // Open the file in write mode
            $file = fopen($pdf_file, 'w');

            // Write the raw PDF content
            fwrite($file, "%PDF-1.4\n");
            fwrite($file, "1 0 obj\n");
            fwrite($file, "<< /Type /Catalog /Pages 2 0 R >>\n");
            fwrite($file, "endobj\n");
            fwrite($file, "2 0 obj\n");
            fwrite($file, "<< /Type /Pages /Kids [3 0 R] /Count 1 >>\n");
            fwrite($file, "endobj\n");
            fwrite($file, "3 0 obj\n");
            fwrite($file, "<< /Type /Page /Parent 2 0 R /Resources << /Font << /F1 4 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0 0 300 300] /Contents 5 0 R >>\n");
            fwrite($file, "endobj\n");
            fwrite($file, "4 0 obj\n");
            fwrite($file, "<< /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /BaseFont /Helvetica >>\n");
            fwrite($file, "endobj\n");
            fwrite($file, "5 0 obj\n");
            fwrite($file, "<< /Length " . (strlen($text) + 44) . " >>\n");
            fwrite($file, "stream\n");
            fwrite($file, "BT\n");
            fwrite($file, "/F1 12 Tf\n");
            fwrite($file, "100 250 Td\n");
            fwrite($file, "($text) Tj\n");
            fwrite($file, "ET\n");
            fwrite($file, "endstream\n");
            fwrite($file, "endobj\n");

            // Cross-reference table and trailer (same as before)
            fwrite($file, "xref\n");
            fwrite($file, "0 6\n");
            fwrite($file, "0000000000 65535 f \n");
            fwrite($file, "0000000010 00000 n \n");
            fwrite($file, "0000000079 00000 n \n");
            fwrite($file, "0000000172 00000 n \n");
            fwrite($file, "0000000275 00000 n \n");
            fwrite($file, "0000000364 00000 n \n");
            fwrite($file, "trailer\n");
            fwrite($file, "<< /Size 6 /Root 1 0 R >>\n");
            fwrite($file, "startxref\n");
            fwrite($file, "474\n");
            fwrite($file, "%%EOF\n");

            // Close the file
            fclose($file);

            // Return the file URL in JSON format
            echo json_encode([
                'success' => true,
                'pdf_url' => $pdf_file
            ]);
        } else {
            echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'message' => 'No text provided']);
        }
    } else {
        echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'message' => 'Invalid request']);
    }

Step 3: Add Screenshots and YouTube Video

Screenshots And Screencast

Step 4: Promote Your Book and Course

If you enjoyed this tutorial, you will love my book, Learning PHP, where I go deeper into PHP programming concepts and much more.

Additionally, check out my comprehensive Learning PHP Course, perfect for beginners who want to become proficient in PHP.

Step 5: One-on-One PHP Tutorials

Are you looking to take your PHP skills to the next level? I offer one-on-one programming tutorials and can assist with updating or migrating your PHP applications. Contact me today to schedule a session.

That’s all for today’s tutorial! Thanks for reading, and happy coding!