Can a PDF file be generated in client side

[jbeteta]

Hello,

My ASP.NET 2003 application generates Crystal Reports to PDF files, but
on the server side.
Is it possible to create these PDF files in CLIENT side?

Here is my function to create PDF files on server side:

Private Function To_PDF(ByVal oRpt As ReportClass)
PDFName = Session.SessionID + ".pdf"
'oRpt.Load()
'oRpt.SetParameterValue("param1", strMensajeRep)
Dim exportOpts As ExportOptions = oRpt.ExportOptions
oRpt.ExportOptions.ExportFormatType =
ExportFormatType.PortableDocFormat
oRpt.ExportOptions.ExportDestinationType =
ExportDestinationType.DiskFile
oRpt.ExportOptions.DestinationOptions = New
DiskFileDestinationOptions
CType(oRpt.ExportOptions.DestinationOptions,
DiskFileDestinationOptions).DiskFileName = Server.MapPath("../Temp/" +
PDFName)
oRpt.Export()
oRpt.Close()
oRpt.Dispose()
Dim popupScript As String = "<script>window.open('../Temp/" +
PDFName +
"','_self','menubar=yes,scrollbars=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,resizable=yes')</script>"
Page.RegisterStartupScript("PopupScript", popupScript)

End Function

Thank you!

 

[JustinBlat]

I doubt there is really anything you could do on the client completely.
If you're just trying to avoid the postback, you could always make an
xmlhttp call to the server and return this code, or load the PDF page
in an iframe.

 

[jbeteta]

I asked this question because we have a web application which users can
run a Crystal Report and then
generate a PDF file (on server side, of course). BUT... I think that
many users using this functionality at the same time a lot of times,
can reduce performance of the web server significatively. How could I
avoid that, giving at the same time the chance to create PDF files?

 

[Guest]

You can off load the pdf creation and possibly the report generation onto a
compute grid. This gets the computation off your web servers.

Here is a link to a case study that is very similar to your situation (no
Crystal Report generation, but PDF conversion):
http://www.digipede.net/products/case_pacevents.html

And here is a link to a free Digipede Network Developer Edition:
http://www.digipede.net/products/dev-edition.html that you can use to test
the solution.

Kim Greenlee