Export Flutter DataGrid to PDF (SfDataGrid)

13 Oct 202118 minutes to read

The SfDataGrid provides support to export the content to PDF document with several customization options.

Add dependency

The following dependencies must be added to your pubspec.yaml file for exporting to PDF.

dependencies:

syncfusion_flutter_datagrid_export: ^xx.x.xx

NOTE Here, xx.x.xx denotes the current version of Syncfusion Flutter DataGrid Export package.

Import package

Import the following package in your Dart code.

dart
import 'package:syncfusion_flutter_datagrid_export/export.dart';

import 'package:syncfusion_flutter_pdf/pdf.dart';

You can export the SfDataGrid to PDF by using the following extension methods present in the SfDataGridState class:

Add GlobalKey for the DataGrid

Create the GlobalKey using the SfDataGridState class. Exporting related methods are available via SfDataGridState class.

Set the created GlobalKey to the SfDataGrid.

dart
final GlobalKey<SfDataGridState> key = GlobalKey<SfDataGridState>();

The following code illustrates how to create and display a SfDataGrid using the global key.

dart
GlobalKey<SfDataGridState> key = GlobalKey<SfDataGridState>();

@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
  return Scaffold(
    body: Column(
      children: [
        ElevatedButton(
            child: Text('Export To Pdf'),
            onPressed: () {
              PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument()
              final List<int> bytes = document.save();
            }),
        Expanded(
          child: SfDataGrid(
            source: _employeeDataSource,
            columns: [
              GridColumn(
                  columnName: 'ID',
                  label: Container(
                      padding: EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 16.0),
                      alignment: Alignment.center,
                      child: Text(
                        'ID',
                        overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
                      ))),
              GridColumn(
                  columnName: 'Name',
                  label: Container(
                      padding: EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 16.0),
                      alignment: Alignment.center,
                      child: Text(
                        'Name',
                        overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
                      ))),
              GridColumn(
                  columnName: 'Designation',
                  label: Container(
                      padding: EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 16.0),
                      alignment: Alignment.center,
                      child: Text(
                        'Designation',
                        overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
                      ))),
              GridColumn(
                  columnName: 'Salary',
                  label: Container(
                      padding: EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 16.0),
                      alignment: Alignment.center,
                      child: Text(
                        'Salary',
                        overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
                      ))),
            ],
          ),
        ),
      ],
    ),
  );
}

Save the PDF document as file

To save the file as PDF document, it’s necessary to include mobile, web and desktop platform-specific file generating code.

Export DataGrid to PDF document

You can export the data to PdfDocument by using the exportToPdfDocument method from key.currentState of the DataGrid.

dart
PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument();
final List<int> bytes = document.save();
File('DataGrid.pdf').writeAsBytes(bytes);

Export DataGrid to PDF Grid

You can export the data to PdfGrid by using the exportToPdfGrid method from key.currentState of the DataGrid.

dart
PdfDocument document = PdfDocument();
PdfPage pdfPage = document.pages.add();
PdfGrid pdfGrid = key.currentState!.exportToPdfGrid();
pdfGrid.draw(
 page: pdfPage,
 bounds: Rect.fromLTWH(0, 0, 0, 0),
);
final List<int> bytes = document.save();
File('DataGrid.pdf').writeAsBytes(bytes);

Exporting options

Exclude columns when exporting

By default, all the columns in the SfDataGrid are exported to PDF. To exclude some particular columns while exporting to PDF, add those column names to the excludeColumns parameter.

dart
PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument( excludeColumns: ['Name']);
final List<int> bytes = document.save();

pdf document shows grid with exclude column

Disable column headers on each page

You can disable the column headers on each page by setting the canRepeatHeaders parameter as false.

dart
PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument(canRepeatHeaders: false);
final List<int> bytes = document.save();

Export all columns in one page

You can fit all the columns in one page by setting the fitAllColumnsInOnePage parameter as true.

dart
PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument(fitAllColumnsInOnePage: true);
final List<int> bytes = document.save();

Exclude table summaries when exporting

By default, table summaries in SfDataGrid are exported to PDF. Set the exportTableSummaries parameter as false to export the SfDataGrid without table summaries.

dart
PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument(exportTableSummaries: false);
final List<int> bytes = document.save();

Exclude stacked headers when exporting

By default, stacked headers in SfDataGrid are exported to PDF. Set the exportStackedHeaders parameter as false to export the SfDataGrid without stacked headers.

dart
PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument(exportStackedHeaders: false);
final List<int> bytes = document.save();

Auto-size column widths in PDF

In order, to export the actual column width from SfDataGrid instead of the auto column width, set the autoColumnWidth parameter as false.

dart
PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument(autoColumnWidth: false);
final List<int> bytes = document.save();

NOTE
If you disabled the autoColumnWidth, then you must set fitAllColumnsInOnePage as false. Then only, the overflowing columns are drawn in next page. Because fitAllColumnsInOnePage has topmost priority.

Change the orientation of the PDF document

You can change the orientation of a page in PDF document by using the PdfDocument.pageSettings.orientation property.

To change the page orientation, you need to export the SfDataGrid to PdfGrid using the exportToPdfGrid method and draw the exported PdfGrid into a PdfDocument.

dart
PdfDocument document = PdfDocument();
document.pageSettings.orientation = PdfPageOrientation.landscape;
PdfPage pdfPage = document.pages.add();
PdfGrid pdfGrid = key.currentState!.exportToPdfGrid();
pdfGrid.draw(
  page: pdfPage,
  bounds: Rect.fromLTWH(0, 0, 0, 0));
final List<int> bytes = document.save();

Export the selected rows to PDF

By default, entire grid is exported to PDF. You can export selected rows only by passing the dataGridController.selectedRows to rows parameter in exportToPdfDocument and exportToPdfGrid methods.

dart
PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument(rows: dataGridController.selectedRows,);
final List<int> bytes = document.save();

Setting header and footer in PDF document

SfDataGrid provides a way to display additional content at the top (Header) and bottom (Footer) of the PDF page while exporting to PDF. This can be achieved by using headerFooterExport parameter in exportToPdfDocument or exportToPdfGrid methods.

Setting the PdfPageTemplateElement to headerFooterExport.pdfDocumentTemplate.top loads the content at the top of the page, while setting the PdfPageTemplateElement to headerFooterExport.pdfDocumentTemplate.bottom loads the content at the bottom of the page.

dart
PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument(
    headerFooterExport: (DataGridPdfHeaderFooterExportDetails headerFooterExport) {
      final double width = headerFooterExport.pdfPage.getClientSize().width;
      final PdfPageTemplateElement header = PdfPageTemplateElement(Rect.fromLTWH(0, 0, width, 65));
      header.graphics.drawString(
        'Company Details',
        PdfStandardFont(PdfFontFamily.helvetica, 13, style: PdfFontStyle.bold),
        bounds: const Rect.fromLTWH(0, 25, 200, 60),
      );
      headerFooterExport.pdfDocumentTemplate.top = header;
    },
);
final List<int> bytes = document.save();

pdf document shows the document header

Styling cells based on cell type in PDF

You can customize the cell styles based on cell type using the cellExport parameter, which is a callback in exportToPdfDocument or exportToPdfGrid methods.

dart
PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument(cellExport: (details) {
    if (details.cellType == DataGridExportCellType.columnHeader) {
      details.pdfCell.style.backgroundBrush = PdfBrushes.pink;
    }
    if (details.cellType == DataGridExportCellType.row) {
      details.pdfCell.style.backgroundBrush = PdfBrushes.lightCyan;
    }
});
final List<int> bytes = document.save();

pdf document show the cell styles

Cell customization when exporting

Customize cell values while exporting

The cell value can be customized while exporting to PDF by directly setting the cell value of a cell in PdfGrid via PdfCell property available in argument of cellExport callback.

dart
PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument(cellExport: (details) {
   if (details.cellType == DataGridExportCellType.row &&
       details.columnName == 'Designation') {
     if (details.cellValue == 'Project Lead') {
       details.pdfCell.value = 'Lead';
     }
   }    
});
final List<int> bytes = document.save();

pdf document shows the cell customization

Customize the Cells based on Column Name

You can customize the column style based on the column name while exporting to PDF by using the cellExport parameter.

dart
PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument(cellExport: (details) {
    if (details.cellType == DataGridExportCellType.row && details.columnName == 'Customer Name') {
     details.pdfCell.style.textBrush = PdfBrushes.red;
    }
  }
);
final List<int> bytes = document.save();

Customize Exporting Behavior

You can customize the exporting behavior by overriding the available methods in DataGridToPdfConverter class and setting the instance of custom pdf converter to converter parameter in exportToPdfDocument or exportToPdfGrid method.

dart
class CustomDataGridToPdfConverter extends DataGridToPdfConverter {
  @override
  void exportColumnHeader(SfDataGrid dataGrid, GridColumn column,
      String columnName, PdfGrid pdfGrid) {
    // TODO: Add your requirements column header

    super.exportColumnHeader(dataGrid, column, columnName, pdfGrid);
  }

  @override
  void exportColumnHeaders(
      SfDataGrid dataGrid, List<GridColumn> columns, PdfGrid pdfGrid) {
    // TODO: Add your requirements column headers

    super.exportColumnHeaders(dataGrid, columns, pdfGrid);
  }

  @override
  void exportRows(
      List<GridColumn> columns, List<DataGridRow> rows, PdfGrid pdfGrid) {
    // TODO: Add your requirements in exportRows

    super.exportRows(columns, rows, pdfGrid);
  }

  @override
  void exportRow(List<GridColumn> columns, DataGridRow row, PdfGrid pdfGrid) {
    // TODO: Add your requirements in exportRow

    super.exportRow(columns, row, pdfGrid);
  }
}

The following code sample illustrates how to create an instance of CustomDataGridToPdfConverter class and setting the instance to converter parameter in exportToPdfDocument or exportToPdfGrid method.

dart
CustomDataGridToPdfConverter customDataGridToPdfConverter = CustomDataGridToPdfConverter();

PdfDocument document = key.currentState!.exportToPdfDocument(converter: customDataGridToPdfConverter);
final List<int> bytes = document.save();