Automated creation of professional PDF documents with advanced layout features using ReportLab and Matplotlib integration.
AutoBaseDoc is a Python library that extends ReportLab's capabilities to provide automated PDF document generation with sophisticated layout management, matplotlib integration, and professional styling. It's designed for creating reports, documentation, and complex multi-page documents with minimal code.
- Portrait and Landscape: Seamless switching between orientations
- Multi-column Layouts: Configurable column structures with automatic flow
- Frame Management: Advanced frame handling with automatic sizing
- Mixed Formats: Combine different layouts within a single document
- Direct Plot Embedding: Convert matplotlib figures to PDF flowables
- Automatic Scaling: Intelligent image resizing to fit frames
- Vector Graphics: Preserve plot quality with PDF vector support
- Consistent Styling: Unified font and color management
- Table of Contents: Auto-generated with clickable links
- PDF Bookmarks: Hierarchical navigation structure
- Cross-references: Internal document linking
- Page Numbering: Flexible header/footer management
- Predefined Styles: Ready-to-use paragraph and heading styles
- Custom Fonts: TTF font support with automatic registration
- Color Management: Consistent color schemes
- Template System: Reusable document templates
pip install autobasedocgit clone https://github.com/NuCOS/autobasedoc.git
cd autobasedoc
pip install -e .If you want to create a local virtual environment with all dependencies, you can run the helper script:
./setup_env.sh- Python 3.6+
- ReportLab 3.5+
- Matplotlib 3.0+
- Additional dependencies: svglib, pdfrw
import autobasedoc.autorpt as ar
# Create document with predefined templates
doc = ar.AutoDocTemplate(
"my_report.pdf",
onFirstPage=(ar.drawFirstPortrait, 0),
onLaterPages=(ar.drawLaterPortrait, 0),
title="My Professional Report"
)
# Initialize styles
styles = ar.Styles()
# Build content
content = []
content.append(ar.Paragraph("Executive Summary", styles.title))
content.append(ar.doTableOfContents()) # Auto-generated TOC
content.append(ar.Paragraph("Introduction", styles.h1))
content.append(ar.Paragraph("This is the content...", styles.normal))
# Generate PDF
doc.multiBuild(content)# Two-column landscape document
doc = ar.AutoDocTemplate(
"newsletter.pdf",
onFirstPage=(ar.drawFirstLandscape, 1),
onLaterPages=(ar.drawLaterLandscape, 2), # 2 columns
pagesize=ar.landscape(ar.A4)
)# Add professional headers and footers
doc.addPageInfo(typ="header", pos="l", text="Company Name")
doc.addPageInfo(typ="header", pos="r", text="Report Title")
doc.addPageInfo(typ="footer", pos="c", text="Page ", addPageNumber=True)
doc.addPageInfo(typ="footer", pos="r", text="Confidential")import autobasedoc.autoplot as ap
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
# Create a matplotlib figure
@ap.pdfplot() # Decorator converts to PDF flowable
def create_chart():
plt.figure(figsize=(8, 6))
plt.plot([1, 2, 3, 4], [1, 4, 2, 3])
plt.title("Sample Chart")
plt.xlabel("X Axis")
plt.ylabel("Y Axis")
return plt.gcf()
# Add to document
chart = create_chart()
content.append(chart)autobasedoc/
├── autobasedoc/
│ ├── __init__.py # Package initialization
│ ├── autorpt.py # Core document templates
│ ├── autoplot.py # Matplotlib integration
│ ├── styles.py # Styling system
│ ├── pageinfo.py # Header/footer management
│ ├── fonts.py # Font management
│ ├── styledtable.py # Advanced table layouts
│ ├── tableofcontents.py # TOC generation
│ └── fonts/ # Bundled fonts
├── tests/ # Test suite and examples
├── sphinx_doc/ # Documentation source
- Financial statements with charts and tables
- Executive dashboards
- Performance reports with automated data visualization
- API documentation with code examples
- Research papers with matplotlib plots
- User manuals with mixed layouts
- Thesis documents with automatic formatting
- Conference papers with figure management
- Lab reports with data visualization
def custom_page_template(canv, doc):
"""Custom page template with company branding"""
# Add logo, watermarks, custom headers
canv.drawImage("logo.png", 50, 750, width=100, height=50)
# Custom frame configuration
ar.addPlugin(canv, doc, frame="Custom")
doc = ar.AutoDocTemplate(
"branded_report.pdf",
onFirstPage=(custom_page_template, 0)
)# Conditional page breaks
content.append(ar.PageBreak())
# Automatic figure numbering
content.append(ar.doImage(chart, doc, "Sales Chart", styles))
# Keep elements together
content.append(ar.KeepTogether([heading, table]))from autobasedoc.styledtable import StyledTable
# Create styled table with automatic formatting
table = StyledTable([
["Product", "Q1", "Q2", "Q3", "Q4"],
["Widget A", "100", "120", "110", "130"],
["Widget B", "80", "90", "95", "105"]
])
table.setTableStyle("grid") # Predefined styles
content.append(table)# Automatically break a long table into manageable pieces
first, second = table.split_table_iterative(frameInfo, available_height)
story.extend([first.as_flowable, PageBreak(), second.as_flowable])- Full Documentation: http://autobasedoc.readthedocs.io/
- API Reference: Comprehensive function and class documentation
- Examples Gallery: Visual examples of different layouts
- Tutorials: Step-by-step guides for common tasks
# Using pytest
pytest tests/
# Using nose2
nose2
# Run specific test file
python tests/test_autoreport.py# Generate coverage report
pytest --cov=autobasedoc tests/# Run basic example
python tests/example.py
# Run advanced document example
python tests/example_document.pyWe welcome contributions! Please see our contributing guidelines:
git clone https://github.com/NuCOS/autobasedoc.git
cd autobasedoc
pip install -e ".[dev]" # Install with development dependencies- Follow PEP 8 style guidelines
- Add type hints for new functions
- Include docstrings in NumPy format
- Write tests for new features
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'Add amazing feature') - Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature) - Open a Pull Request
- Enhanced matplotlib integration
- Improved table styling
- Bug fixes in frame management
- Multi-column layout support
- Advanced header/footer system
- Custom font management
See CHANGELOG.md for complete version history.
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
- ReportLab: BSD License
- Matplotlib: PSF License
- See individual package documentation for complete license information
- Documentation: http://autobasedoc.readthedocs.io/
- GitHub Issues: Report bugs and request features
- Stack Overflow: Tag questions with
autobasedoc
For commercial support and custom development, contact: [email protected]
- Johannes Eckstein - @eckjoh2 - Lead Developer
- Oliver Braun - Core Contributor
- ReportLab team for the excellent PDF library
- Matplotlib community for visualization tools
- Contributors and users providing feedback and improvements
- Homepage: https://github.com/NuCOS/autobasedoc
- PyPI Package: https://pypi.org/project/autobasedoc/
- Documentation: http://autobasedoc.readthedocs.io/
- Issue Tracker: https://github.com/NuCOS/autobasedoc/issues
AutoBaseDoc - Making professional PDF generation simple and powerful.