How do I dynamically render a hyperlink within PDF from an HTML 'a' tag?
January 8, 2010 7:00 AM Subscribe
Is there an easier way to dynamically generate a hyperlink in PDF from the HTML 'a' tag within a database text field?
We have a nvarchar field in our database, and it contains free text entered by our client, which can include the HTML 'a' tag to create a hyperlink. We then export that field to a dynamically generated PDF report (using .NET and Crystal Reports) that is accessed via a web site. The client wants to be able to enter a hyperlink in the database, and have it render as a hyperlink on the PDF, just as it would in HTML.
The problem is that none of the tools we've tried do this automatically: some HTML code can be handled within text fields by Crystal Reports, but not the 'a' tag. The only solution we've envisaged is to parse the text field, remember the URL, and overlay the hyperlink area within the PDF, which would require a horseload of coding (such as remembering the text location, handling potential multiple URLs for word wrapping, etc) for a seemingly simple task! Has anyone come across this issue before? Is there an easier way?
We have a nvarchar field in our database, and it contains free text entered by our client, which can include the HTML 'a' tag to create a hyperlink. We then export that field to a dynamically generated PDF report (using .NET and Crystal Reports) that is accessed via a web site. The client wants to be able to enter a hyperlink in the database, and have it render as a hyperlink on the PDF, just as it would in HTML.
The problem is that none of the tools we've tried do this automatically: some HTML code can be handled within text fields by Crystal Reports, but not the 'a' tag. The only solution we've envisaged is to parse the text field, remember the URL, and overlay the hyperlink area within the PDF, which would require a horseload of coding (such as remembering the text location, handling potential multiple URLs for word wrapping, etc) for a seemingly simple task! Has anyone come across this issue before? Is there an easier way?
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