POST to server, receive PDF, deliver to user w/ jQuery

Question

I have a link that the user clicks to get a PDF. In jQuery, I create a POST ajax call to the server to get the PDF. The PDF comes to me with the correct content headers et

Answer 1

I had the same problem but on top use an RESTFUL webservice for this and have an complex data object which i must post.

My solution: like the jQuery Plugin i build a temp formular and submit it. But i send the data object as an parameter with json content (i use here AngularJS but it should work with jQuery.param() too.)

Javascript:

$('
' + 
    "" +
    '
').appendTo('body').submit().remove();

on the server side we use a CXF REST Service with an JACKSON Provider:

Spring Config:

in the controller i extracted the param and converted it back to an Java Pojo:

package de.controller;

import javax.ws.rs.Consumes;
import javax.ws.rs.FormParam;
import javax.ws.rs.POST;
import javax.ws.rs.Path;
import javax.ws.rs.Produces;
import javax.ws.rs.core.MediaType;
import javax.ws.rs.core.Response;

import org.codehaus.jackson.map.ObjectMapper;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;


@Path(Constants.PRINT_PATH)
@Consumes({ MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON, "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"})
@Produces("application/pdf; charset=UTF-8")
public class PrintRestController {

    @Autowired
    private PrintService printService;

    @POST
    @Produces("application/pdf")
    @Path("/pdf")
    public Response getPDF(@FormParam("data") String data) {
        return printService.getPDF(json2Versicherung(data));
    }

    private Versicherung json2Versicherung(String data) {
        Versicherung lVersicherung = null;
        try {
            ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
            lVersicherung = mapper.readValue(data, Versicherung.class);
        } catch(Exception e) {
            LOGGER.error("PrintRestController.json2Versicherung() error", e);
        }
        return lVersicherung;
    }
}

in the PrintService i build the pdf binary and the response:

@Override
public Response getPDF(Versicherung pVersicherung) {
    byte[] result = ... //build the pdf from what ever


    ResponseBuilder response = Response.ok((Object) result);
    response.header("Content-Disposition", "inline; filename=mypdf.pdf");
    return response.build();
}

This solution works for all browsers (even for IE9 which can't handle data url's) and on tablets and smartphone and it have no problems with popupblockers