Solving the Dompdf PDF Rendering Issue in Mobile Chrome: A Simple Fix

Описание: Are you struggling with the `Dompdf` library not rendering PDFs correctly in mobile Chrome? Discover the simple solution to this common issue and get your invoices downloaded without hassle!
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/69020261/ asked by the user 'Harmless Guy' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/14220925/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/69064961/ provided by the user 'Harmless Guy' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/14220925/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Solving the Dompdf PDF Rendering Issue in Mobile Chrome: A Simple Fix

When creating a web application, handling PDF downloads can sometimes lead to unexpected challenges. One common issue developers face is when the Dompdf library fails to render PDF files correctly, particularly in mobile Chrome. If you've found that your PDF downloads are labeled with a .html extension and display raw code instead of the expected document, you're not alone. In this post, we'll delve into this problem and provide a straightforward solution.

Understanding the Problem

In a scenario where you are generating dynamic HTML invoices using CodeIgniter and the Dompdf library, you may experience the following:

Incorrect File Extension: When users attempt to download the PDF on their mobile Chrome browser, the file may download as filename.html instead of filename.pdf.

Raw Code Display: On opening this incorrectly named file, users are greeted with a mess of unreadable code rather than a formatted invoice.

This problem primarily stems from how the stream() method in Dompdf is handling the output—especially in mobile environments where responsive handling of downloads can vary.

The Solution

Fortunately, solving this predicament is quite simple. The key is to ensure that the PHP script terminates properly after sending the PDF to the browser. By doing this, you can prevent any additional output or code from being sent inadvertently, thus ensuring a clean PDF file download.

Here’s the Fix

In the code snippet you provided for generating the PDF, you can add an exit statement immediately after invoking the stream method. This ensures that your PHP script stops executing right after the PDF has been prepared and sent to the browser.

Here’s an updated version of your code:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Benefits of Adding exit()

Prevents Additional Output: Stops any further processing or output that could corrupt the PDF.

Ensures Proper File Naming: Avoids the mishap of files being mislabeled as .html.

Improves User Experience: Enables users to download a correctly formatted invoice with minimal hassle.

Conclusion

If you've been struggling with PDFs not rendering properly in mobile Chrome due to issues with Dompdf, the solution is simpler than you may think. By adding an exit() command after the stream() function, you can facilitate a smooth and error-free download experience for your users. Test your changes, and you should see that the PDFs are now correctly rendered and saved on mobile devices without the unwanted .html extension.

Feel free to explore more tips and tricks on how to effectively use the Dompdf library and other tools with your web applications!