Advanced PDF/HTML
Templates
Rocky Mountain Netsuite User Group
March 2019
Agenda
● Why Use Advanced Templates?
● What Are Advanced Templates?
● Some Examples
● Netsuite Administrative Details
● Break
● Terminology
● Using the WYSIWYG Editor
● Example: Printing Search Results
● Why Edit Source Code?
● Example: RMNSUG Marketing Email Template
● Resources / Q&A
Why Use Advanced Templates?
Create Beautiful PDF and/or HTML from data
in Netsuite.
● Emailing or Printing
● Any type of Transactions
● Custom Records
● Saved Search Results
● Netsuite Email Marketing Campaigns
● If you use Scripting…
○ ANY record which can be “printed” in Netsuite
○ Any Combination of Records
○ Netsuite Data *plus* “external” data.
What are Advanced Templates?
● Rendering engine created by
Apache and bfo.com
● XML (which you create) fed into
the above engine.
● Supercedes “Basic Form Layouts”
Example: Packing Slip
● Custom Logo
● Custom Layout
● Custom Colors
● Barcode
● Order-specific details
Example: Invoice
● Line-item details
● Remittance “tear off”
footer
● Postal Barcode
Example: RMNSUG Email
● Parameterized Values
● (Lesson Learned!)
Calculated Datestamp
Administrative Details
● Enabling this feature
○ Page: Enable Features | SuiteCloud |
“Advanced PDF/HTML Templates”
● Finding (Most) Templates
○ Page:Advanced PDF/HTML Templates
○ Page: Marketing Templates
● “HTML” or “PDF”? (Personal Preference)
○ Set Preferences | Transaction | “Printing”
● Associating a Template to a Transaction
○ Page: Transaction Forms | Edit | “Printing
Type”
Break
Grab some coffee, it’s gonna get Technical!
Using the Advanced PDF/HTML WSYWIG Editor
● Looks easy, but limited options.
● Example: Create Letters from a Saved
Search
1) Create Header with WSYWIG
2) Create Footer with WSYWIG
3) “Source Code” view
4) Replace Table with Useful Snippet
5) Go back to WSYWIG view
Example: Printing a Saved Search
How to Print a single Page per Search
Result Row?
We also want a common “Header” and
“Footer” with each page.
Example: Printing a Saved Search
“Prints” Search Results into a more useful PDF
or HTML format.
1. Create and Save a Saved Search
2. “Edit” mode of your Search
3. Click “New Template” button
Or
Find your existing template in “Page:
Advanced PDF/HTML Templates”
Example: Printing a Saved Search
How to make one page per Search Row...
1. Trick: Add “page break” div in “Source Code”
mode. (See Snippet Below)
2. THEN Use WSYWIG Editor for content.
<#list results as result>
<div page-break-after="always">
Add Your content here from within
the WSYWIG.
</div>
</#list>
Why Edit Source Code?
In Essence… Control.
● Page Breaks
● Refined layout
● Table Striping
● Subsidiary Logos, Watermarks
● Barcodes, Special Fonts
● Looping through multiple records.
Very useful page!
https://freemarker.apache.org/docs/alphaidx.html
Example: RMNSUG Marketing Email Template
● Trick: Specify details at top,
let template render later on.
● Trick: Using <#assign>
● Trick: Using “?date” builtin
● Trick: Using “?string” to
format dates
We invite you to join the Rocky
Mountain NetSuite User Group on
<b>${rmnsugevent.date?string["EEEEE
, MMMMM dd, yyyy"]} from 8:00am...
Q&A - Helpful Resources
● Netsuite User Guide - “SuiteBuilder (Customization) Guide”
● Netsuite User Guide - “Advanced PDF/HTML Template Field Reference”
● Freemaker API Reference https://freemarker.apache.org/docs/alphaidx.html
● Freemarker - Getting Started https://freemarker.apache.org/docs/dgui_quickstart.html
● Freemarker - Formatting Dates
● Adding Fields to an existing Adv PDF/HTML Form
● BFO 1.1.63 User Guide https://bfo.com/products/report/docs/userguide.pdf
● BFO API Tags (Reference) https://bfo.com/products/report/docs/tags/
● Google Noto Fonts https://www.google.com/get/noto/
● RMNSUG LinkedIn Forum
● #advancedpdf channel on “netsuiteprofessionals” Slack Forum
