TOC Rendering and Customization in HTML-to-PDF Conversion using Aspose.PDF

Aspose.PDF Product Family
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We are currently evaluating Aspose.PDF for converting HTML documents into PDF format. As part of this evaluation, we need to verify whether the Table of Contents (TOC) can be dynamically generated and customized based on a placeholder macro within the input HTML. This macro may have the following configuration options:

:small_blue_diamond: TOC Macro Configurations

  • TOC Title Name
  • Minimum and Maximum Heading Levels
  • Column Layout Support (Single / Multi-column)
  • Page Break Option (e.g., insert page break after TOC or NOT)
  • Custom CSS Support (for TOC title and entries)
  • Placeholder-based Insertion (insert TOC at specific position in the document

Objectives:

  1. Confirm if Aspose.PDF supports rendering TOC at a specific placeholder within the HTML.
  2. Explore options for setting minimum and maximum heading levels to include in TOC.
  3. Verify multi-column layout support for TOC entries.
  4. Implement page break after TOC if configured.
  5. Apply custom styles (CSS classes or inline styles) to TOC titles and entries.
  6. Document approach, limitations (if any), and alternative methods if placeholder support is not direct.
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@karan007

Aspose.PDF does support dynamic generation and customization of a Table of Contents (TOC) during HTML to PDF conversion, but there are specific considerations to ensure it meets your requirements.

Cause: You want to create a TOC that is tailored to your document’s structure and design.

Solution: Here are the key features you can utilize:

  1. Placeholder Support: Insert the TOC at a specific position in the document using a placeholder. Define a specific marker in your HTML where the TOC should be placed.

  2. Heading Levels: Specify the minimum and maximum heading levels to include in the TOC by configuring the TOC settings in your conversion options.

  3. Multi-Column Layout: Aspose.PDF supports multi-column layouts for TOC entries. Set the layout options to achieve this.

  4. Page Break Option: Configure the TOC to insert a page break after it if required, which can be set in the TOC settings.

  5. Custom CSS Support: Apply custom styles to the TOC title and entries using CSS classes or inline styles for a tailored appearance that fits your document’s design.

  6. Limitations and Alternatives: While these features are supported, there may be limitations based on the complexity of your HTML and specific configurations. If direct placeholder support is not feasible, consider programmatically manipulating the document after conversion to insert the TOC.

Next Steps: Here’s a minimal code example to get you started with generating a TOC:

// Load HTML document
Document pdfDocument = new Document("input.html");

// Create TOC settings
TocInfo tocInfo = new TocInfo();
tocInfo.Title = "Table of Contents";
tocInfo.MinHeadingLevel = 1; // Minimum heading level
tocInfo.MaxHeadingLevel = 3; // Maximum heading level
tocInfo.IsPageBreakAfter = true; // Insert page break after TOC

// Add TOC to the document
pdfDocument.TocInfo = tocInfo;

// Save the document as PDF
pdfDocument.Save("output.pdf");

Feel free to adjust the settings as per your requirements. If you need further assistance or clarification on any specific point, please let me know!

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Clarification for Your Points in Java Aspose.PDF 25.x

:small_blue_diamond: 1. Heading Levels – we confirmed this is handled by us.

In Java, we must manually identify and add headings, or process them from our HTML if you’re generating the TOC programmatically.

There’s no built-in auto-detect for heading levels unless converting HTML with proper mapping.

:small_blue_diamond: 2. Page Break after TOC – IsPageBreakAfter Not Available in Java

TocInfo in Java does not have a setIsPageBreakAfter() method like .NET.

:small_blue_diamond: 3. Multi-Column Layout in TOC – Not Supported Directly

There is no public API in Java Aspose.PDF (even v25.x) to make TOC entries appear in multi-column layout via TocInfo or any layout setting.

can you suggest workaround for above issues?

4

@karan007

Would you kindly provide your sample HTML along with the expected output PDF? Also, please share any code snippet that you have tried so far. We will log an investigation ticket to analyze your requirements and share the ID with you.