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The Notice PDF Generation Service is a Node.js service that generates PDFs from HTML templates for notices. It runs alongside the Django application.

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Features

  • Converts HTML to PDF using Puppeteer
  • Supports custom templates for different notice types
  • Runs as a service alongside the Django application
  • Integrated into Docker for production deployments

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Setup

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Install Dependencies

cd backend/notice_service
npm install

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Environment Configuration

Copy the example environment file: 
cp env.example .env

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Environment Variables

VariableDefaultDescription
DJANGO_ENVdevelopmentEnvironment name
NOTICE_SERVICE_PORT9229Port for the service
LOG_LEVELinfoLogging level (error, warn, info, debug)
CHROMIUM_PATH/usr/bin/chromiumPath to Chromium executable
PUPPETEER_MAX_CONCURRENCY5Maximum concurrent Puppeteer instances

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Running the Service

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Production

npm run start

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Development (with hot reloading)

npm run dev

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API Endpoints

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Health Check

GET /health
Returns the health status of the service.

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Convert to PDF

POST /convert-to-pdf
Converts HTML content to PDF. Request Body: 
{
  "marked_up_context": {
    // Template-specific context data
  },
  "customer": "customer_name",
  "template_type": "notice_detail",
  "event_type": "capital_call"
}
Response:
  • Content-Type: application/pdf
  • Body: PDF file buffer

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Templates

Templates are located in src/templates. Each customer can have custom templates.

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Directory Structure

src/templates/
├── default/
│   └── notice_detail.tsx
├── customer_a/
│   └── notice_detail.tsx
└── customer_b/
    └── notice_detail.tsx

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Adding a New Template

  1. Create a directory under src/templates/{customer_name}
  2. Add your React component for the template
  3. Add any associated CSS files
  4. Update the template registry in src/utils/generateTemplatePdf.ts

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Configuration

All configuration is centralized in config.ts. The service exports helper functions: 
import { isDev, isDeployed, config } from './config';

// Check environment
if (isDev()) {
  // Development-specific logic
}

if (isDeployed()) {
  // Staging, sandbox, or production logic
}

// Access full config
console.log(config.port);

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Docker Integration

The service is integrated into the Django Docker container and runs alongside the main application. It starts automatically when the container starts.

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Testing

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Generate Sample PDF

npm run generate
This generates a sample PDF in the current directory for verification.

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Manual Testing

  1. Start the service: npm run dev
  2. Send a test request:
curl -X POST http://localhost:9229/convert-to-pdf \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"customer": "default", "template_type": "notice_detail", "event_type": "capital_call", "marked_up_context": {}}' \
  --output test.pdf

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Troubleshooting

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Puppeteer Issues

If Puppeteer fails to launch:
  1. Ensure Chromium is installed
  2. Check CHROMIUM_PATH environment variable
  3. On Linux, install required dependencies:
apt-get install -y chromium-browser

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Memory Issues

If running out of memory with many concurrent requests:
  1. Reduce PUPPETEER_MAX_CONCURRENCY
  2. Increase container memory limits