How can I create fixed-width paragraphs with PDFbox?

Question

I can insert simple text like this:

document = new PDDocument();
page = new PDPage(PDPage.PAGE_SIZE_A4);
document.addPage(page);
PDPageContentStream content = ne         


        

Answer 1

I have been working combining Lukas answer with mgibsonbr and arrived at this. More helpful to people looking for an out-of-the-box solution, I think.

private void write(Paragraph paragraph) throws IOException {
    out.beginText();
    out.appendRawCommands(paragraph.getFontHeight() + " TL\n");
    out.setFont(paragraph.getFont(), paragraph.getFontSize());
    out.moveTextPositionByAmount(paragraph.getX(), paragraph.getY());
    out.setStrokingColor(paragraph.getColor());

    List lines = paragraph.getLines();
    for (Iterator i = lines.iterator(); i.hasNext(); ) {
        out.drawString(i.next().trim());
        if (i.hasNext()) {
            out.appendRawCommands("T*\n");
        }
    }
    out.endText();

}

public class Paragraph {

    /** position X */
    private float x;

    /** position Y */
    private float y;

    /** width of this paragraph */
    private int width = 500;

    /** text to write */
    private String text;

    /** font to use */
    private PDType1Font font = PDType1Font.HELVETICA;

    /** font size to use */
    private int fontSize = 10;

    private int color = 0;

    public Paragraph(float x, float y, String text) {
        this.x = x;
        this.y = y;
        this.text = text;
    }

    /**
     * Break the text in lines
     * @return
     */
    public List getLines() throws IOException {
        List result = Lists.newArrayList();

        String[] split = text.split("(?<=\\W)");
        int[] possibleWrapPoints = new int[split.length];
        possibleWrapPoints[0] = split[0].length();
        for ( int i = 1 ; i < split.length ; i++ ) {
            possibleWrapPoints[i] = possibleWrapPoints[i-1] + split[i].length();
        }

        int start = 0;
        int end = 0;
        for ( int i : possibleWrapPoints ) {
            float width = font.getStringWidth(text.substring(start,i)) / 1000 * fontSize;
            if ( start < end && width > this.width ) {
                result.add(text.substring(start,end));
                start = end;
            }
            end = i;
        }
        // Last piece of text
        result.add(text.substring(start));
        return result;
    }

    public float getFontHeight() {
        return font.getFontDescriptor().getFontBoundingBox().getHeight() / 1000 * fontSize;
    }

    public Paragraph withWidth(int width) {
        this.width = width;
        return this;
    }

    public Paragraph withFont(PDType1Font font, int fontSize) {
        this.font = font;
        this.fontSize = fontSize;
        return this;
    }

    public Paragraph withColor(int color) {
        this.color = color;
        return this;
    }

    public int getColor() {
        return color;
    }

    public float getX() {
        return x;
    }

    public float getY() {
        return y;
    }

    public int getWidth() {
        return width;
    }

    public String getText() {
        return text;
    }

    public PDType1Font getFont() {
        return font;
    }

    public int getFontSize() {
        return fontSize;
    }

}