You can optionally pass a font object and font size if you have loade
+d an external font.

         my $font_obj = $pdf->pdf->ttfont('new_font.ttf');
         $pdf->add_font('NewFont', $font_obj, '12');

       Refer to PDF::API2 for the various font methods, like "ttfont",
+ available.
[download]

Just from that, it appears that your $pdf->add_font('MonoFont',$font_obj); needs a font size specification added.

Furthermore, looking through the examples in PDF::API2, there are code constructs like

# from examples/*02_truetype_fonts-pl 

        foreach $fe (qw(
                adobe-standard  cp437   cp850   latin1
        )) {
                print STDERR "$fn ($fe)\n";
                $font=$pdf->ttfont($fn , -encode =>$fe);



# from examples/*02_synthetic_fonts-pl 

use PDF::API2;
use PDF::API2::SynFont;

$pdf=PDF::API2->new;

$f1=$pdf->corefont('Arial',-encode=>'latin1');
$f2=$pdf->corefont('Helvetica-Bold',-encode=>'latin1');
$f3=$pdf->corefont('Helvetica-Oblique',-encode=>'latin1');
$f4=$pdf->corefont('Helvetica-BoldOblique',-encode=>'latin1');

my $font=PDF::API2::SynFont->new_api($pdf,$f1,-bold=>4);
[download]

so you may need to specify an encoding, or at least run some simple examples to see how to get your font code right.

I'd like to clarify this thread since it wasn't conclusive, and it's the only thread that I found with this issue. I stumbled upon the same issue, and the documentation isn't clear. First PDF::API2::Simple does NOT support different encoding other than the default 8-bit encoding. PDF::API2 does support unicode, but you cannot load a corefont to the PDF and then do add it using $PDF->add_font() since it's a PDF::API2::Simple method, and it can't handle different encodings. PDF::API2::Simple only allows you to load external fonts, but only with 8 bit encoding. To use different encodings you have to use the full PDF::API2 module. The best doc for a pdf newb that I found was the following: http://pdfapi2.sourceforge.net/pdfapi2_for_fun_and_profit_APW2005.pdf Cheers, Speedy G

I have suffered the issue for adding Chinese font to my PDF document, i tried with the tutorial of the model, and it worked perfectly. But we need to put the add_font method after add_page(), otherwise the error will be same as we mentioned in this thread. Here is my code.

use PDF::API2::Simple;

use Encode;
use Gaia::Common::Utils;

my $pdf = PDF::API2::Simple->new(
    file => 'root/tmp/foo.pdf',
    width => 595,
    height => 842
);

my $font = $pdf->pdf->ttfont('root/statics/font/stsong.ttf');

$pdf->add_page();
$pdf->add_font('', $font, '12' ); # note this line need to be after ab
+ove line.

$str = "欢迎进入Perl的世界 H
+ello World";
$str = decode("utf-8", $str);
#$str = encode("utf-8", $str);
# Count
$pdf->text(
    $str,
    x           => 100,
    y           => 700,
    font_size   => 12,
);

$pdf->save();
[download]

Speedy G Thanks for reporting your findings, it certainly helps us understand what is going on..

---

I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth.
Old Perl Programmer Haiku ................... flash japh

Hi zentara
Thanks for the reply.
I have studied the perl doc extensively but have not been able to work it out.

I missed that but as per your notes and their example, I have added a font size but still get the same error:



    my $font_obj = $pdf->pdf->ttfont('freemono.ttf');
    $pdf->add_font('MonoFont',$font_obj,12);

Can't call method "text" without a package or object reference at /usr
+/share/perl5/PDF/API2/Simple.pm line 435.
[download]

The subroutine in Simple.pm that has line 435 is:

sub add_font {
  my ($self, $font_name, $font_obj, $font_size) = @_;

  if ( $font_obj ) {
LINE 435 --> $self->current_page->text->font($font_obj, $font_size);
    $self->fonts->{$font_name} = $font_obj;
  }

  if ( ! exists $self->fonts->{$font_name} ) {
    $self->fonts->{$font_name} = $self->pdf->corefont($font_name);
  }

  $self->current_font( $self->fonts->{$font_name} );
}
[download]

I have been unable to see where I'm going wrong.
I presume that what PDF::API2::Simple sends to PDF::API2 is already coded within PDF::API2::Simple, so I figured their example should be all that is needed for it to work?

Would you have any other suggestions that would help track it down or do you think I am missimg something with the above?
I would appreciate any help you could offer with this very frustrating problem.

Why not go back to PDF::API2 ? because the simple has left PDF::API2::Simple. :-)

This works for me with a generic ttf font

#!/usr/bin/perl
use strict;
use warnings;
use PDF::API2;

my $text = "Some text ";

my $pdf  = PDF::API2->new();
my $page = $pdf->page;
my $txt = $page->text;


#my $font = $pdf->corefont('Helvetica-Bold', -encoding => 'latin1');
# alternatively, use TrueType fonts:
# my $font = $pdf->ttfont('Verdana-Bold.ttf', -encoding => 'latin1');
my $font = $pdf->ttfont('./Generic.ttf', -encoding => 'latin1');    
    
$txt->font($font, 25);
$txt->translate(200, 550);
$txt->fillcolor('black');
$txt->text($text);

$pdf->saveas("$0.pdf");
[download]

---

I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth.
Old Perl Programmer Haiku ................... flash japh