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Multiple cfcontent downloads via query

Create multiple PDF using coldfusion and cfcontent. I have the CF query and I need for each person generate the PDF file. The way I do is cfoutput through the query into the variable and then put that variable into cfdocument and then use <cfcontent to produce PDF through the browser. But the broser only producing the PDF for 1 person . I think this is because cfcontent but how can i produce as many PDFs as people produced by the query

<cfoutput query="rc.getResultByCompetency" group="rateeID">
    	<cfsavecontent variable="output">
               output here
       </cfsavecontent>
<cfdocument
						name="certificate_#rateeID#"
						orientation ="portrait"
						mimetype="application/pdf" overwrite="true" 
						format="PDF">
					#output#
				</cfdocument>		
	<cfset test = evaluate("certificate_#rateeID#")>
				<cfheader name="content-disposition" value="attachment;filename=#rc.getResultByCompetency.rateeName#.pdf">
				<cfcontent type="application/pdf" variable="#toBinary(test)#" >	
 </cfoutput>

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erikTsomik

ASKER

any suggestions

_agx_

Frankly, HTTP isn't designed to do that. This thread explains it well:

HTTP is a request/response system. Any response has to come as a reply to a request. Given that, you can't send multiple responses to a single request. If nothing else, there would be no client listening for those responses (because it already got the response it was waiting for).

So essentially you have two options:

1. Issue multiple requests, one for each "file" being downloaded. This will create multiple responses for the client to expect.
2. Combine the files into a single file using some archiving tool (Zip libraries are pretty standard for this)
....

There are hacks which claim to support this, such as using iframes or jquery plugins, but it involves more complexity and browser support is iffy. If you must generate individual pdf's. the best option IMO is to Zip the pdfs, and return a single .zip file.

erikTsomik

ASKER

I need to return individual files but I like the idea of putting everything into a zip file. How can I do that in ColdFusion

_agx_

Create a directory to store the files. The directory name must be unique to avoid conflicts

<!--- create temp directory to store files --->
<cfset tempDir = ExpandPath("./#createUUID()#")>
<cfset DirectoryCreate(tempDir)>

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Generate the pdf's and save them to the temp directory

<!--- create first file --->
<cfdocument filename="#tempDir#/myFirstFile.pdf" format="pdf">First file</cfdocument>
<!--- create second file --->
<cfdocument filename="#tempDir#/mySecondFile.pdf" format="pdf">second file</cfdocument>

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Then create a zip file containing the pdf's. The file name must be unique to avoid conflicts

<cfset zipFilePath = ExpandPath('./#createUUID()#.zip')>	
<cfzip file="#zipFilePath#" source="#tempDir#">

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Download the zip file as an attachment. Change "filename=...." to whatever name you want to display

<cfheader name="Content-Disposition" value="attachment; filename=nameYouWantToDisplay.zip">
<cfcontent type="application/zip" file="#zipFilePath#" deleteFile="yes">

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Cleanup and remove the temp directory

<cfset DirectoryDelete(tempDir)>

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erikTsomik

ASKER

Awesome job . One more question . I am trying to show a progress bar but it works in HTML and it shows no image in PDF

<div class="rateBarDIV" style="background-color: ##D3D3D3;">
<img src="/includes/images/pixelDeepOrange.png" style="vertical-align: top;" height="21" width="#percent#%" />
</div>

_agx_

Maybe try adding localUrl = "yes" to <cfdocument>?

erikTsomik

ASKER

when localUrl is added it makes zip file generation so long and the image is still not ahing

<div class="rateBarDIV" style="background-color: ##D3D3D3;">
<img src="#ExpandPath('/includes/images/pixelDeepOrange.png')#" style="vertical-align: top;" height="14" width="#percent#%" />
</div>

_agx_

It shouldn't affect the zip generation, though maybe the pdf part. Unfortunately, I'm not near a CF install right now. Since this is a new issue, I'd suggest opening a new thread and hopefully someone else like GD will chime in on it...

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

_agx_

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