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Scryber.Core Learning Guides

Comprehensive learning series to master PDF generation with Scryber.Core, from beginner to advanced.

Welcome!

These learning guides take you on a structured journey through Scryber.Core, covering everything from installation to production deployment. Each series builds on the previous, with complete examples, working code, and practical applications.

Learning Series

1. Getting Started (9 articles)

Start here if you’re new to Scryber!

Learn the fundamentals: installation, basic documents, HTML/CSS for PDFs, and troubleshooting.

You’ll learn:

  • Install and configure Scryber
  • Create your first PDF document
  • Understand HTML-to-PDF conversion
  • Use CSS for styling
  • Work with pages and sections
  • Add basic content
  • Configure output options
  • Troubleshoot common issues

Time investment: 2-3 hours Prerequisites: Basic HTML/CSS, C# fundamentals

Start learning →

2. Data Binding & Expressions (9 articles)

Make your documents dynamic!

Master Handlebars-style data binding, expressions, functions, and conditional rendering.

You’ll learn:

  • Bind data to templates with ``
  • Use functions (string, math, calc, conditionals)
  • Iterate with templates and ``
  • Conditional rendering with ``
  • Work with variables and Document.Params
  • Understand context and scope
  • Format output (numbers, dates, currency)
  • Apply advanced patterns

Time investment: 3-4 hours Prerequisites: Series 1 completed

Start learning →

3. Styling & Appearance (9 articles)

Create beautiful PDFs!

Master CSS styling for professional-looking documents with colors, spacing, and measurements.

You’ll learn:

  • CSS selectors and specificity
  • Colors and backgrounds
  • Borders and spacing
  • Units & measurements (pt, em, %, calc())
  • Text styling
  • Display and visibility
  • Style organization
  • Best practices

Time investment: 3-4 hours Prerequisites: Series 1 completed

Start learning →

4. Layout & Positioning (9 articles)

Control page structure!

Master page-based layout, positioning, breaks, and multi-page document structure.

You’ll learn:

  • Page sizes and orientation
  • Page margins and printable area
  • Sections for different layouts
  • Page breaks and pagination control
  • Column layouts
  • Positioning for overlays and watermarks
  • Headers and footers
  • Layout best practices

Time investment: 3-4 hours Prerequisites: Series 1, 3 recommended

Start learning →

5. Typography & Fonts (9 articles)

Master fonts and text!

Learn font usage, including custom fonts, Google Fonts, Font Awesome, and CSS counters.

You’ll learn:

  • Font basics and properties
  • Custom fonts (TTF, OTF, WOFF)
  • Google Fonts integration
  • Font Awesome icons
  • Web fonts from CDNs
  • Text metrics (line height, spacing)
  • CSS counters for automatic numbering
  • Typography best practices

Time investment: 2-3 hours Prerequisites: Series 1 completed

Start learning →

6. Content Components (9 articles)

Add rich content!

Master images, SVG graphics, lists, tables, and embedded content.

You’ll learn:

  • Images (local, remote, data binding)
  • SVG basics and positioning
  • SVG drawing with data binding
  • Lists (ordered, unordered, nested)
  • Tables - structure and styling
  • Advanced tables - dynamic data, calculations
  • Attachments and embedded content
  • Content best practices

Time investment: 4-5 hours Prerequisites: Series 1, 2 recommended

Start learning →

7. Document Configuration (8 articles)

Production-ready documents!

Configure logging, security, conformance, and optimization for enterprise deployment.

You’ll learn:

  • Document properties and metadata
  • Logging for diagnostics
  • Error handling and conformance modes
  • PDF versions and compliance
  • Security (encryption, passwords, permissions)
  • Optimization and performance
  • Production deployment

Time investment: 2-3 hours Prerequisites: Series 1 completed

Start learning →

8. Practical Applications (9 articles)

Learn by building!

Complete, real-world examples you can adapt for your projects.

You’ll build:

  • Professional invoices
  • Business letters
  • Multi-section reports
  • Certificates
  • Data-driven reports
  • Product catalogs
  • Print forms
  • Multi-language branded documents

Time investment: 5-6 hours Prerequisites: Series 1 completed, others helpful

Start learning →

Learning Paths

Quick Start (2-3 days)

Perfect for getting productive quickly:

  1. Getting Started - Foundation (2-3 hours)
  2. Data Binding - Dynamic content (3-4 hours)
  3. Practical Applications - Pick one example (1-2 hours)

Result: Create basic data-driven PDFs

Comprehensive (1-2 weeks)

For complete mastery:

  1. Getting Started - Foundation
  2. Data Binding - Dynamic content
  3. Styling - Beautiful design
  4. Layout - Page structure
  5. Typography - Professional fonts
  6. Content - Rich content
  7. Configuration - Production-ready
  8. Practical Applications - Real-world examples

Result: Expert-level PDF generation skills

Task-Focused

Jump to what you need:

Making invoices? → Data Binding + Invoice Example

Creating reports? → Content Components + Report Example

Need custom fonts? → Typography & Fonts

Building forms? → Layout & Positioning + Form Example

Production deployment? → Document Configuration

Key Features Covered

Data Binding

  • `` syntax
  • `` iteration
  • `` conditionals
  • <var> element for storage
  • Document.Params access
  • Nested data structures

Calculations

  • Math functions (add, subtract, multiply, divide)
  • calc() function
  • Running totals
  • Aggregations

Layout

  • Page sizes and orientation
  • Page breaks (before, after, inside)
  • Column layouts
  • Positioning (static, relative, absolute)
  • Headers and footers

Typography

  • Custom fonts (local files)
  • Google Fonts
  • Font Awesome icons
  • CSS counters for numbering
  • Text metrics

Content

  • Images (PNG, JPEG, GIF, SVG)
  • SVG graphics with data binding
  • Dynamic tables
  • Calculated columns
  • Lists and attachments

Configuration

  • Logging and diagnostics
  • Security and permissions
  • Conformance modes
  • PDF/A and PDF/X compliance
  • Performance optimization

Additional Resources

Reference Documentation

Examples

API Documentation

Community

Getting Help

Stuck on Something?

  1. Check the relevant series - Most topics are covered
  2. Search the reference docs - Specific element/property details
  3. Review practical examples - Real-world implementations
  4. Ask in Discussions - Community support

Found a Bug?

Report issues on GitHub

Want to Contribute?

Contributions welcome! See Contributing Guide

Quick Reference

Essential Syntax

XHTML Format (with namespace):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<body>
    <!-- Data binding -->
    <p>{{propertyName}}</p>
    <p>{{object.property}}</p>
    <p>{{calc(a, '+', b)}}</p>

    <!-- Iteration -->
    {{#each items}}
        <li>{{this.name}}</li>
    {{/each}}

    <!-- Conditionals -->
    {{#if condition}}
        <p>Content</p>
    {{/if}}

    <!-- Variables -->
    <var data-id="myVar" data-value="{{expression}}" />
    <p>{{Document.Params.myVar}}</p>
</body>
</html>

Parsing Methods:

// XHTML with namespace (ParseDocument)
var doc = Document.ParseDocument("template.html");

// HTML5 without namespace (ParseHTML)
var doc = Document.ParseHTML("template.html");

Common Patterns 

/* Page setup */
@page {
    size: A4 portrait;
    margin: 1in;
}

/* Calculations */
width: calc(100% - 40pt);

height: calc({{value}} * 2pt);

/* Positioning */
position: absolute;
top: 50%;
left: 50%;

Ready to start? Begin your journey with Getting Started →

Already know the basics? Jump to Data Binding or Practical Applications →