Adding Nested Tables to a PDF using Java

Last Updated : 03 Apr, 2023

We can add nested tables to a PDF by installing the document class. While instantiating this class, you would like to pass a PdfDocument object as a parameter, to its constructor. Then, to feature a table to the document, you would like to instantiate the Table class and add this object to the document using the add() method.

To add a table to this table, you need to create another table (nested table), and pass it to the cell object using the add() method of the Cell class.

Below are the steps to add the nested tables to a PDF using java:

1. Create a PDF writer object

The PdfWriter class here represents the DocWriter for a PDF. This class belongs to the package com.itextpdf.kernel.pdf. The constructor of this class accepts a string, representing the trail of the file where the PDF is to be created.

Create the PdfWriter class by passing a string value (representing the trail where you would like to make a PDF) to its constructor.

2. Create a PdfDocument object

The PdfDocument class is the class that represents the PDF Document in iText. This class belongs to the package com.itextpdf.kernel.pdf. To create this class (in writing mode), you would like to pass an object of the category PdfWriter to its constructor.

Create the PdfDocument class by passing the above created PdfWriter object to its constructor.

3. Create the Document object

The Document class of the package com.itextpdf.layout is that the root element while creating a self-sufficient PDF. one among the constructors of this class accepts an object of the category PdfDocument.

Create the Document class by passing the thing of the category PdfDocument created within the previous steps.

4. Create a Table object

The Table class represents a two-dimensional grid crammed with cells, ordered in rows and columns. It belongs to the package com.itextpdf.layout.element.

5. Create the cell

Create a cell object by creating the Cell class of the package com.itextpdf.layout.

6. Create Nested Table

After creating the cell, create a nested table, and populate its cells.

7. Add Nested table to the cell

Add the nested table created in the previous step to the cell of the container table using the add() method of the Cell class. Add this cell to the containertable using the addCell() method of the Table class

8. Add the table to the document

Add the table object created in the previous step using the add() method of the Document class

9. Closing the Document

Close the document using the close() method of the Document class

Now, let us see some examples of how we can apply these steps

Java

// Java Program to add Nested Tables to a PDF

import com.itextpdf.kernel.pdf.PdfDocument;
import com.itextpdf.kernel.pdf.PdfWriter;

import com.itextpdf.layout.Document;
import com.itextpdf.layout.element.Cell;
import com.itextpdf.layout.element.Table;

public class nestedTablesPdf {
    public static void main(String args[]) throws Exception
    {
        // Creating a PdfWriter object
        String destination
            = "C:/itextExamples/addingNestedTable.pdf";
        PdfWriter writer = new PdfWriter(destination);

        // Creating a PdfDocument object
        PdfDocument pdfDoc = new PdfDocument(writer);

        // Creating a Document object
        Document doc = new Document(pdfDoc);

        // Creating a table
        float[] pointColumnWidths1 = { 130f, 130f };
        Table table = new Table(pointColumnWidths1);

        // Populating row 1 and adding it to the table
        Cell cell1 = new Cell();
        cell1.add("Name");
        table.addCell(cell1);

        Cell cell2 = new Cell();
        cell2.add("Mayank Tyagi");
        table.addCell(cell2);

        // Populating row 2 and adding it to the table
        Cell cell3 = new Cell();
        cell3.add("Designation");
        table.addCell(cell3);

        Cell cell4 = new Cell();
        cell4.add("Tech. Content Writer");
        table.addCell(cell4);

        // Populating row 3 and adding it to the table
        Cell cell5 = new Cell();
        cell5.add("Company");
        table.addCell(cell5);

        Cell cell6 = new Cell();
        cell6.add("GeeksforGeeks");
        table.addCell(cell6);

        // Creating nested table for contact
        float[] pointColumnWidths2 = { 130f, 130f };
        Table nestedTable = new Table(pointColumnWidths2);

        // Populating row 1 and adding it to the nested
        // table
        Cell nested1 = new Cell();
        nested1.add("Phone");
        nestedTable.addCell(nested1);

        Cell nested2 = new Cell();
        nested2.add("1122334455");
        nestedTable.addCell(nested2);

        // Populating row 2 and adding it to the nested
        // table
        Cell nested3 = new Cell();
        nested3.add("email");
        nestedTable.addCell(nested3);

        Cell nested4 = new Cell();
        nested4.add("[email protected]");
        nestedTable.addCell(nested4);

        // Populating row 3 and adding it to the nested
        // table
        Cell nested5 = new Cell();
        nested5.add("Address");
        nestedTable.addCell(nested5);

        Cell nested6 = new Cell();
        nested6.add("Delhi");
        nestedTable.addCell(nested6);

        // Adding table to the cell
        Cell cell7 = new Cell();
        cell7.add("Contact");
        table.addCell(cell7);

        Cell cell8 = new Cell();
        cell8.add(nestedTable);
        table.addCell(cell8);

        // Adding table to the document
        doc.add(table);

        // Closing the document
        doc.close();
        System.out.println("Table successfully added");
    }
}