Raphaël Peguet

Challenge Many users need to display SVG images stored in a database within their JasperReports. This can be challenging because SVG data is typically stored as text, and needs to be properly rendered as an image in the report. There are multiple ways to store SVG data in a database here we use an xml representation of the svg. Solution Overview We'll first create a simple PostgreSQL table to store SVG data as XML text, then build a JasperReports template that retrieves and displays this SVG image in a report. This solution allows for efficient storage of vector graphics in the database and high-quality rendering in reports. Database Setup First, create a table in PostgreSQL to store the SVG data as XML text: sql CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS public.svg_images ( "ID" integer NOT NULL DEFAULT nextval('"svg_images_ID_seq"'::regclass), svg_data text COLLATE pg_catalog."default" NOT NULL, CONSTRAINT svg_images_pkey PRIMARY KEY ("ID") ) Next we’ll insert a sample SVG image in XML format into our new table. sql INSERT INTO public.svg_images(svg_data) VALUES ('<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="100" height="100"> <circle cx="50" cy="50" r="40" stroke="black" stroke-width="3" fill="red" /> </svg>'); This inserts a simple red circle as an SVG image in XML format. Note on SVG Storage Formats For the purposes of this tutorial and for simplicity, we're using the XML format to store SVG data as text since this is a widely used approach. The expression of the image in the template will differ whether you’re using JSON or binary formats instead but it should still work. Building the Template Here are the key components of the JRXML template (full jrxml file attached at the bottom of the article): Query: Retrieve all SVG images from the table: xml <queryString language="SQL"> <![CDATA[SELECT * FROM svg_images]]> </queryString> Fields: Define fields for the ID and SVG data: xml <field name="ID" class="java.lang.Integer"/> <field name="svg_data" class="java.lang.String"/> Image Element: Use an image element in the detail band to display the SVG: xml <detail> <band height="125" splitType="Stretch"> <image> <reportElement x="120" y="0" width="310" height="125" uuid="ad8e8219-0eef-44f9-b0c6-6a079a34ec93"/> <imageExpression><![CDATA[net.sf.jasperreports.renderers.BatikRenderer.getInstance($F{svg_data}.getBytes("UTF-8"))]]></imageExpression> </image> </band> </detail> This will print all records from the svg_images table. The crucial part is the imageExpression. It uses BatikRenderer to render the SVG data retrieved from the database. The output should look like this: PrintSVG.jrxml