An Introduction to Flying Saucer
What it is
Flying Saucer is an /CSS , which means it takes files as input,XML renderer XML
applies formatting and styling using , and generates a rendered representationCSS
of that as output. The output may go to the screen (in a ), to an image,XML GUI
or to a file. Because we believe most people will be interested in re-usingPDF
their knowledge of web layout, our main target for content is 1.0 (strict),XHTML
an document format that standardizes . However, we accept anyXML HTML
well-formed for rendering as long as is provided that tells us how to lay it out. In the case of XML CSS
, default stylesheets are provided out of the box and packaged within the library, which meansXHTML
Flying Saucer can render most out of the box with decent results.XHTML
Internally, Flying Saucer works with an document and uses to determine how to lay it outXML CSS
visually. The rules for layout come from the , and according to that spec, elementCSS 2.1 specification
nodes and attributes are matched to selectors, where each selector identifies some formatting rules.CSS
We can't cover how to use here—it's a long and complex specification—but there are many goodCSS
books available, and tutorials on the web. Check out the for a starting point.W3Schools TutorialCSS
As of release R8, Flying Saucer includes a handful of features from the 3 specification, which areCSS
particularly useful in printed output; these include named pages, margin boxes and running elements.
What it does
Flying Saucer takes and as input, where the might be embeddedXML CSS CSS
in the document, or linked from it, lays it out, and renders it. The principle output
targets are interfaces via a Swing JPanel, and ; it can also render toGUI PDF
image formats, e.g. render the page and save as an image. There is experimental
support for output to .SWT
If rendering to a , hyperlinks are clickable so you can navigate between pages. As with , youGUI HTML
can also render forms, capture output, and create interactive applications. In a , Flying SaucerGUI
provides a view of the output; we cannot replace a text area, say, or Swing's or read-only JEditorPane
. However, for static content, or content created by you, Flying Saucer can be used for helpJTextPane
documents, tutorials, books, splash screens, presentations, and much more.
We can also render to . For , the layout rules come from the using the print media qualifier.PDF PDF CSS
For output we rely on the library to generate . Note that Flying Saucer supports mediaPDF iText PDF
types for , allowing you to distinguish between screen and print media, for example.CSS
Last, we have utility classes to render output to an image file. With this, you could use and toXML CSS
layout printable content—for example, a flyer, a poster, business cards, etc.—and save them as images
you can print out or email. It's also a nice way to create thumbnail or reduced-size images of pages.
What you can do with it
Flying Saucer can be used for any Java application that requires some sort of
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