You can download one of the official distribution files from:

• http://packages.zendframework.com/

Or take a look at the source directly on GitHub.

Feel free to download the framework and try out the latest LiveDocx demo applications. I have not only ported all those from Zend Framework 1, but also added some new ones for Zend Framework 2.

Happy coding!

The final step of the tutorial is not directly relevant to this blog, but the first two steps are. To see some PHP code that illustrates how to populate templates with LiveDocx, using the Zend Framework, please take a look at this article: Brief introduction to LiveDocx in PHP.

If you have any questions about the video or need help using LiveDocx, please do not hesitate to use the comment section below.

Thank you Björn for a very easy-to-follow video tutorial.

As LiveDocx is a SOAP service, it is possible to use LiveDocx in any programming language that supports SOAP. Python supports SOAP, hence LiveDocx may be used in Python. However, it is always easiest, if a native adapter is available.

Radoslaw Benkel (@singlespl) has recently published such a native adapter, which makes using LiveDocx in Python a breeze.

Take a look a his GitHub repository for details:
https://github.com/singles/python_livedocx

To use this library, all you have to do is as follows:

from livedocx import LiveDocx
 
ld = LiveDocx()
ld.login('username', 'password')
ld.set_local_template('path/to/template.doc')
 
ld.assign_value('software', 'python_livedocx')
ld.assign_value('license', 'MIT')
 
ld.create_document()
 
data = ld.retrieve_document('PDF')
 
file = open('software info.pdf', 'wb')
file.write(data)
file.close()

If anyone else has written libraries to use LiveDocx in Python and would be willing to share details, please post a comment below.

Thank you, Radoslaw Benkel, for your contribution to the LiveDocx community.

Feel free to approach me and can talk more about using LiveDocx in PHP. I’ll be hanging round until the end of the unconference and then I’ll be at Leeds PHP on Monday night.

You can download the slides to the presentation.

You can also contact me (@JonathanMaron), if you have any further questions.

I implemented a Zend Framework 2.0 version of \Zend\Service\LiveDocx\MailMerge in June and have just added LiveDocx 2.0 functionality today.

You can download the latest version of Zend Framework 2.0, including LiveDocx 2.0 functionality, tests and demonstration applications from my GitHub.

Take a look at the following directory for a large number of demonstration applications that illustrate all LiveDocx functionality:

/demos/Zend/Service/LiveDocx/

I have sent a pull request to the Zend Framework guys, so you can expect the new code to be included in the main GIT repository shortly.

Below is the Zend Framework 2.0 version of the sample application that I posted last week:

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use Zend\Date\Date;
use Zend\Service\LiveDocx\MailMerge;
 
$mailMerge = new MailMerge();
 
$mailMerge->setUsername('username')
          ->setPassword('password');
 
$photoFilename = 'dailemaitre.jpg';
 
if (!$mailMerge->imageExists($photoFilename)) {
    $mailMerge->uploadImage($photoFilename);
}
 
$mailMerge->setLocalTemplate('template.docx');
 
$mailMerge->assign('name',        'Daï Lemaitre')
          ->assign('company',     'Megasoft Co-operation')
          ->assign('date',        Date::now()->toString(Date::DATE_LONG))
          ->assign('image:photo', $photoFilename);
 
$mailMerge->createDocument();
 
$document = $mailMerge->retrieveDocument('pdf');
 
file_put_contents('document.pdf', $document);
 
$mailMerge->deleteImage($photoFilename);
 
unset($mailMerge);

getImageImportFormats()
Returns an array of supported image formats from which can be imported (lowercase).

getImageExportFormats()
Returns as array of supported image formats to which can be exported (lowercase).

uploadImage($filename)
Uploads an image file to your account on the LiveDocx backend service.

downloadImage($filename)
Downloads an image file from your account on the LiveDocx backend service.

listImages()
Returns an array of all images that are stored on the LiveDocx backend service.

deleteImage($filename)
Deletes an image file from the LiveDocx backend service.

imageExists($filename)
Checks whether an image file is available on the LiveDocx backend service.

If you are familiar with the Zend_Service_LiveDocx_MailMerge API, you will notice that these methods an very similar to the template handling methods.

The version of Zend_Service_LiveDocx_MailMerge that contains image merging will be released with the next Zend Framework release. For the time being, it is part of the Standard Trunk and can be checked out via SVN.

If you wish to try out the above methods, take a look at the following sample applications:

/demos/Zend/Service/LiveDocx/MailMerge/images/

Image merging is useful, for example, in the case of a badge application for a conference. In addition to a name, company name and date that should appear on the badge, it is possible to insert a photo of the delegate, using the Zend Framework.

Even it is sounds a little counter-intuitive, image merging works with text fields. In fact, inserting a text field for an image is almost identical to inserting a text field for textual information. The only difference is the naming convention of the text field. Whereas, a text field for textual information can have (almost) any identifier, a text field for an image must start with image:. For example: image:photo.

For example, in the case of our badge application, we would have the following 4 fields:

The text field, into which image data will be inserted is called image:photo and can be populated just like any other text field, using the assign() method. The text fields name, company and date are normal text fields for textual information.

Before an image can be inserted, it first has to be uploaded to your account on the backend LiveDocx server. This can be achieved using the uploadImage($filename) method. We then simply reference the filename in the merge process.

The following code snippet illustrates the flow:

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$mailMerge = new Zend_Service_LiveDocx_MailMerge();
 
$mailMerge->setUsername('username')
          ->setPassword('password');
 
$photoFilename = 'dailemaitre.jpg';
 
if (!$mailMerge->imageExists($photoFilename)) {
    $mailMerge->uploadImage($photoFilename);
}
 
$mailMerge->setLocalTemplate('template.docx');
 
$mailMerge->assign('name',        'Daï Lemaitre')
          ->assign('company',     'Megasoft Co-operation')
          ->assign('date',        Zend_Date::now()->toString(Zend_Date::DATE_LONG))
          ->assign('image:photo', $photoFilename);
 
$mailMerge->createDocument();
 
$document = $mailMerge->retrieveDocument('pdf');
 
file_put_contents('document.pdf', $document);
 
$mailMerge->deleteImage($photoFilename);

The version of Zend_Service_LiveDocx_MailMerge that contains image merging will be released with the next Zend Framework release. For the time being, it is part of the Standard Trunk and can be checked out via SVN.

You can find the above sample application in the following directory:

/demos/Zend/Service/LiveDocx/MailMerge/conference-pass/

LiveDocx will be deployed by the unconference in their contribution and interests web application. Using this application, unconference participants can register a session that they would like to host, or register an interest in a specific topic. Another unconference participant can then register a session, based upon the original person’s interest.

The LiveDocx powered contribution and interests web application allows the collection of this data and generates the so called vote posters. To decide upon which sessions may actually be hosted, there is a voting process on each morning of the unconference. In this process, participants stick little stickers onto the vote posters. The session advertised on vote posters with the most stickers may then be hosted.

This democratic method of deciding upon which sessions may be hosted is the quintessence of an unconference and the defining difference from a traditional conference: The participants of an unconference decide, on the day, which sessions they would like to have hosted.

LiveDocx is also being used to generate the badges for the unconference. This is a typical mail-merge application and ideally suited to LiveDocx: The badge template, created by a graphic designer, is populated with data in PHP. The data that is inserted into the template (name, organization, blog, WiFi credentials etc.) originates from the database of unconference participants, merged with a database of WiFi credentials.

In each of the above two applications, LiveDocx is used to generate the final documents. One document per PDF file. Additionally, there is a script to concentrate each set of PDF files together, so that the unconference organizers simply need to send two PDF files to the printers to get a hard copy of all the vote posters and badges.

LiveDocx is proud to support PHP Unconference Europe with professional document generation services.

• Patch Monday: LiveDocx Server Update Policy

In these maintenance windows, the backend service will not be available. Usually, the downtime is only a few minutes.

The following article examines Zend_Service_LiveDocx_MailMerge in depth:

• PDF Generation with Zend Framework

When ZF 1.10 is released, Zend_Service_LiveDocx_MailMerge will replace Tis_Service_LiveDocx_MailMerge. With the exception of the parameters in the constructor, the public methods and functionality of the two classes are identical.

I will post more on how to migrate code from the old to new class, when ZF 1.10 is released.