Use NPM JavaScript library to generate PDF in MDK app

As an app developer, we always look to make use of vast collection of existing JavaScript libraries to enhance our application. So, I want to use this blog post to help you to achieve that with SAP Mobile Development Kit app.

SAP Mobile Development Kit, which is using NativeScript framework, supports basically any JavaScript library which is based on CommonJS spec. But because NativeScript framework is not DOM based and does not support any browser-APIs, for those JavaScript libraries that have DOM dependencies or any other browser-API dependencies, we need to do additional work to get these libraries to work with MDK app.

To guide you on this, we have now added a new MDK Showcase app: PDF Generation App, which will demonstrate how you can include NPM Javascript library into your application and then consume and use them in your MDK application via JavaScript rule.

In this showcase app, we will include and use pdfmake library to generate PDF document based on the data that user selected in the app.

Here is what the generated PDF looks like:

In Android:

In iOS:

Do note that this showcase app is currently only meant for mobile platform, however, we will look into enhance it to support web in the future.

With this showcase app, you will learn how to include and use a CommonJS based JavaScript Library via NPM in your MDK app.

We will create more blog posts like this to introduce showcase app that helps you learn to make the best use of MDK to develop your app.

If you have any feedback or thoughts, please do add them in the comment section.

If you have any questions about MDK in general, please do check out the Q&A in the mobile development kit SAP Community and post any questions.

This app is made available under the SAP Sample Code license, which essentially means it is provided as-is, no warranties. Feel free to grab and reuse the portions of the app that seem useful to you.