Schedule Render multiple PDFs using same template but pass different data using API

Lukerayn3r

Hi is it possible to have an API request which passes through json data and for each record render a PDF template and use the scheduler to send the rendered template.

So far the jsreport tutorial has been a lot of help but what I am looking to do is use the beforeRender function to use the API data and render multiple reports.

For example an API passes through 3 records of data, we loop through each record. The first record renders a template using the data and then send an email to the recipients. The second then does the same and so does the third.

I want it all to be dynamic using the API rather then having to create a seperate schedule per record. We have close to 100 hundred records which will be passed in every month and I'd prefer not to have to create 100 different schedules.

jan_blaha

You can use beforeRender as you mentioned and dynamically invoke rendering of other templates and do with the result whatever you want.
The documentation
https://jsreport.net/learn/scripts#rendering-another-template-from-script

More specifically to your case, it would be something like

const jsreport = require('jsreport-proxy')
const amailer = require('<amailer>')
async function beforeRender(req, res) {  
  for (let item of req.data.myrecord) {
    const result = await jsreport.render({ template: { shortid: 'xxxxxx' }, data: item })  
    await amailer({ to: 'foo', attachment: result.content })
  } 
}

Lukerayn3r

Hi sorry it has taken me so long to reply, I have been ill over the past few days.

I have added the following code:

const jsreport = require('jsreport-proxy')

async function beforeRender(req, res) {
    var templates = ['H1xtsYmyWI', 'SJgs0QdlzU'];
    for (let template of templates) {
        const result = await jsreport.render({ template: { shortid: template }})
        
        var nodemailer = require("nodemailer");
        var sesTransport = require('nodemailer-ses-transport');

        var transporter = nodemailer.createTransport(sesTransport({
            accessKeyId: "",
            secretAccessKey: "",
            region: 'eu-west-1',
            rateLimit: 5
        }));

        var email_address = ["email1", "email2"];
        email_address.forEach(function(email) {
            var mail = {
                from: "email",
                to: email,
                subject: "Sending email from node.js",
                text: "See the attached report",
                html: "<b>See the attached report</b>",
                attachments: [
                {  
                    filename: 'Report.pdf',
                    content: new Buffer(result.content)
                }],
            }

            transporter.sendMail(mail, function(error, response){
                transporter.close();
                if(error){
                    return done(error);
                }

                return done();
            });
        });
    }
}

but keep receiving the following error, im not sure my code is correct in all honesty

Error: Render cycle detected. Template at /Intelli-Sense-Monthly-Report/template was rendered previously in this render request (hierarchy: /Intelli-Sense-Monthly-Report/template2 -> /Intelli-Sense-Monthly-Report/template -> /Intelli-Sense-Monthly-Report/template). Please verify that reporter.render is not causing cycle
    at Object.callbackRequests.(anonymous function) (/var/www/html/jsreportapp/node_modules/script-manager/lib/worker-servers.js:250:31)
    at process.<anonymous> (/var/www/html/jsreportapp/node_modules/script-manager/lib/worker-servers.js:195:30)
    at process.emit (events.js:203:15)
    at process.EventEmitter.emit (domain.js:448:20)
    at emit (internal/child_process.js:832:12)
    at process._tickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:63:19)

jan_blaha

The error seems self-explaining.

Doesn't, for example, one of these temples have the posted script linked to itself?
var templates = ['H1xtsYmyWI', 'SJgs0QdlzU'];

Lukerayn3r

This post is deleted!

Lukerayn3r

Thanks for the reply, what i would love to do is only use one template so instead of my example where I looped over the template shortcodes I have var venues = [{'name': 'Hinckley'}, {'name': 'Stockport'}]; and loop over that and then my result const is as follows -

const result = await jsreport.render({ template: { shortid: 'H1xtsYmyWI', data: venue }})

Is that possible? the reason i want it to work like this is because i will pass in API data which contains different data per venue and then I load this data into the template per venue and send it to the relevant people. hopefully that makes sense, sorry for any confusion.

I am presuming if I do it this way i need to keep the script linked to my template but then it obviously throws the previously mentioned error.

jan_blaha

I probably don't get it fully.
However, I have a feeling it could help you to exit the script when it is running for the nested template.
This can be done like this.
https://jsreport.net/learn/scripts

function beforeRender(req, res) {
    //filter out script execution for chrome header
    if (req.context.isChildRequest) {
      return
    }

    //your script code
}

Lukerayn3r

Sorry I may not have explained it correctly, i will show you all my code which will hopefully make more sense.

const jsreport = require('jsreport-proxy')

async function beforeRender(req, res) {
    var venues = [
        {'name': 'Hinckley', 'data': 10},
        {'name': 'Stockport', 'data': 10},
        {'name': 'Hereford', 'data': 10},
        {'name': 'Norwich', 'data': 10}
    ];

    for (let venue of venues) {
        console.log(venue);
        const result = await jsreport.render({ template: { shortid: 'H1xtsYmyWI', data: venue }})
        
        var nodemailer = require("nodemailer");
        var sesTransport = require('nodemailer-ses-transport');

        var transporter = nodemailer.createTransport(sesTransport({
            accessKeyId: "",
            secretAccessKey: "",
            region: 'eu-west-1',
            rateLimit: 5
        }));

        var email_address = ["email1"];
        email_address.forEach(function(email) {
            var mail = {
                from: "email2",
                to: email,
                subject: "Sending email from node.js",
                text: "See the attached report",
                html: "<b>See the attached report</b>",
                attachments: [
                {  
                    filename: 'Report.pdf',
                    content: result.content
                }],
            }

            transporter.sendMail(mail, function(error, response){
                transporter.close();
                if(error){
                    return done(error);
                }

                return done();
            });
        });
    }
}

As you can see I have a list of venues, each venue will use the same template but will send different data that the template will display. So in this example I have 4 venues, I need to render the H1xtsYmyWI template 4 times and after each one is rendered send it in an email.

is something like this possible? in my head the code example shoudl work but I could be completely wrong.

Thank you for the help so far btw!

Lukerayn3r

I have now changed my code a bit, you can see below -

const jsreport = require('jsreport-proxy')

async function beforeRender(req, res) {
    if (req.context.isChildRequest) {
      return
    }
    var venues = [
        {'name': 'Hinckley', 'data': 10},
        {'name': 'Stockport', 'data': 10}
    ];

    var nodemailer = require("nodemailer");
    var sesTransport = require('nodemailer-ses-transport');

    var transporter = nodemailer.createTransport(sesTransport({
        accessKeyId: "",
        secretAccessKey: "",
        region: 'eu-west-1',
        rateLimit: 5
    }));

    for (let venue of venues) {
        const result = await jsreport.render({ 
            template: { 
                shortid: 'H1xtsYmyWI',
                data: { post : venue }
            }
        });
        
        await sendEmail(transporter, result);
    }
}

function sendEmail(transporter, result) {
    var email_address = [email1];
    email_address.forEach(function(email) {
        var mail = {
            from: "email2",
            to: email,
            subject: "Sending email from node.js",
            text: "See the attached report",
            html: "<b>See the attached report</b>",
            attachments: [
            {  
                filename: 'Report.pdf',
                content: result.content
            }],
        }

        transporter.sendMail(mail, function(error, response){
            transporter.close();
            if(error){
                return done(error);
            }
        });
    });
}

I also commented out the code change made here - https://github.com/jsreport/jsreport-templates/commit/4e86708087bd07e771a06d5a213e00923be77969#diff-fc7a5842f485586c9089b6c1d162304d

I need to load the same template multiple times and if I am correct this was preventing me from doing so. The issue I have now is the data is not being passed to the template, the attachments on the emails i receive don't contain any of the data i passed through.

I am trying to access the data in the template using the following {{post.name}}. there may be an underlying issue which is causing this but hopefully i have just made a stupid mistake.

Lukerayn3r

Sorry for all the posts but i managed to solve everything, the data wasn't being passed to the template because I made a silly mistake of setting data within the template object instead of doing the following.

for (let venue of venues) {
    const result = await jsreport.render({ 
        template: { 
            shortid: 'H1xtsYmyWI'
        },
        data: { post : venue }
    });
        
    await sendEmail(transporter, result);
}