Google QR Codes and Zend_PDF

Now that we can generate QR codes using the Google Chart API, and we have a controller action that serves it up for us with the correct .PNG header (see my previous post), we need to get it where it’s of any use – on paper!

So following on from my last post about Zend_Pdf, we can now do the following to get it in our PDF:

//draw qr code
 $target = ''.$prop->getID();
 $img = file_get_contents($target); 
 $image = Zend_Pdf_Image::imageWithPath(APPLICATION_PATH.'/uploads/tmp/'.$prop->getID().'-qr.png');
 $page->drawImage($image, 13, 13, 94,94);

The first line of code is the url of our download controllers QR action.  file_get_contents stores the image in memory, which we then save into a temp folder using file_put_contents. These commands are the equivalent of a lot of fopen etc, so use them if you don’t already!  This example uses my property object to make a dynamic filename, but this isn’t necessary, but I don’t need to tell you that!

We then use Zend_Pdf to load our png, and when drawing an image, the numbers in the argument are x1, y1, x2, y2 being bottom left and top right corners respectively. Finally, ditch the temp file with the unlink command. Have Fun!