APEX Email Custom PDF Report

Baonerges

Hi Everyone,

We are working on an invoicing application which can take a reports and email it as a PDF. Currently we run a crystal report which generates the invoice, then we save as a PDF and email it.

I have been trying to figure out how to create a custom report format which matches my invoice format and can be emailed as a PDF from my APEX application. Currently I am playing around with APEX Office Print (AOP) to see if this will do what I need. Its somewhat expensive though with the volume.

The following link discusses how to integrate with Crystal but it needs a Crystal Server. I am willing to redevelop my report in any format as long as I can customize the formatting and location of data on the page. I don't want the APEX downloadable report which spits out a table.

How to generate a PDF report from APEX using Crystal Reports

Is there a simpler way for me to use built in APEX functionality to generate a custom PDF and then send it with an email?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Scott Wesley

If you have high volumes, you can always go on-premise. Either way, it's far cheaper than enterprise scale BI Publisher or Jasper. And AOP is the most tightly coupled to APEX.

Lino has a great comparison of options here

https://apex.oracle.com/pls/apex/f?p=LS_DEMO:APEX5_PRINTING

If your reports are relatively basic, just printing lots of them, you might consider one of the PL/SQL options - it just requires more time to build.

Everything's a trade-off.

Scott Wesley

If you have high volumes, you can always go on-premise. Either way, it's far cheaper than enterprise scale BI Publisher or Jasper. And AOP is the most tightly coupled to APEX.

Lino has a great comparison of options here

https://apex.oracle.com/pls/apex/f?p=LS_DEMO:APEX5_PRINTING

If your reports are relatively basic, just printing lots of them, you might consider one of the PL/SQL options - it just requires more time to build.

Everything's a trade-off.

Baonerges

Hi Scott,

Thank you so much for the comparison options. Really good overview. When you say "go on-premise", are you saying with Apex Office Print? I didn't know there was an option for that. My APEX is on premise.

Thanks again.

Baonerges

Hi Scott,

Looked and I see the option. I totally missed it before.

Thanks again for your help!

Scott Wesley

Also check out the Pricing tab at www.apexofficeprint.com

Ensure your scroll down far enough to see the prices in green, and observe the fine print.