Generate PDF from ACF Images: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you tired of manually converting images from Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) into PDFs? Look no further! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll show you how to automate the process and generate PDFs from ACF images with ease.

Why Generate PDFs from ACF Images?

As a web developer or designer, you might have encountered situations where you need to generate PDFs from images stored in ACF. This could be for various reasons, such as:

• Creating downloadable brochures or catalogs from product images
• Generating certificates or badges from user profile pictures
• Producing reports with image-based data visualizations

In any case, manually converting images to PDFs can be a time-consuming and tedious task. That’s why we’ll explore a more efficient approach using PHP, HTML, and some clever coding tricks.

Prerequisites and Requirements

Before we dive into the tutorial, make sure you have the following:

1. A working WordPress installation with Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin installed
2. A basic understanding of PHP and HTML
3. A code editor or IDE of your choice (e.g., Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text)
4. The TCPDF library (we’ll cover installation and setup later)

Step 1: Install and Set Up TCPDF

TCPDF is a popular PHP library for generating PDFs. To install it, follow these steps:

// Download the TCPDF library from GitHub
wget https://github.com/tecnickcom/tcpdf/archive/refs/tags/6.3.2.zip

// Extract the downloaded zip file to your WordPress plugin directory
unzip 6.3.2.zip -d /wp-content/plugins/tcpdf/

// Rename the extracted folder to simply "tcpdf"
mv /wp-content/plugins/tcpdf/tcpdf-6.3.2/ /wp-content/plugins/tcpdf/

Alternatively, you can use Composer to install TCPDF:

composer require tecnickcom/tcpdf

Step 2: Create a Custom Function to Generate PDFs

Create a new PHP file in your WordPress theme’s functions directory (e.g., `functions.php` or `acf-pdf-generator.php`). Add the following code:

<?php
function generate_pdf_from_acf_images($images, $pdf_filename) {
  require_once('tcpdf/tcpdf.php');

  $pdf = new TCPDF(PDF_PAGE_ORIENTATION, PDF_UNIT, PDF_PAGE_FORMAT, true, 'UTF-8', false);

  // Set PDF metadata
  $pdf->SetCreator(PDF_CREATOR);
  $pdf->SetAuthor('Your Name');
  $pdf->SetTitle('Generated PDF from ACF Images');

  // Loop through the ACF images and add them to the PDF
  foreach ($images as $image) {
    $pdf->AddPage();
    $pdf->Image($image['url'], 10, 10, 190, 270, '', '', '', false, 300, '', false, false, 0);
  }

  // Save the PDF to a file
  $pdf->Output($pdf_filename, 'F');
}
?>

This function takes two parameters: an array of ACF image objects and a filename for the generated PDF.

Step 3: Retrieve ACF Images and Generate the PDF

Create a new PHP file in your WordPress theme’s directory (e.g., `generate-pdf.php`). Add the following code:

<?php
// Get the ACF images using the get_field() function
$images = get_field('image_field_name', 'option');

// Check if images exist
if (!empty($images)) {
  // Generate the PDF using our custom function
  generate_pdf_from_acf_images($images, 'generated-pdf.pdf');
  echo 'PDF generated successfully!';
} else {
  echo 'No images found!';
}
?>

Replace `image_field_name` with the actual name of your ACF image field.

Step 4: Trigger the PDF Generation

Create a new button or link in your WordPress admin dashboard to trigger the PDF generation. You can add the following code to your theme’s `functions.php` file:

// Add a custom button to the admin dashboard
add_action('admin_init', 'add_pdf_generation_button');
function add_pdf_generation_button() {
  ?>
  <button onclick="location.href=''">Generate PDF</button>
  

// Handle the AJAX request to generate the PDF
add_action('wp_ajax_generate_pdf', 'generate_pdf_callback');
function generate_pdf_callback() {
  require_once('generate-pdf.php');
  die();
}