Skip to main content Link Search Menu Expand Document (external link)

@data-page-* : Frame Page Selection Attributes

The data-page-start and data-page-count attributes control which pages from a source document are inserted when using <frame> elements in Scryber PDF documents. These attributes enable selective page inclusion for document assembly and page range operations.

Summary

The data-page-* attributes provide fine-grained control over page insertion when assembling PDF documents from multiple sources. They work specifically with the <frame> element to:

  • Select specific pages from source PDFs
  • Define page ranges to include
  • Extract page subsets from templates
  • Assemble multi-source documents
  • Create merged documents from page selections

These attributes are essential for document assembly scenarios where you need to:

  • Include only certain pages from a multi-page PDF
  • Extract a range of pages from a larger document
  • Combine specific pages from multiple sources
  • Build custom documents from existing page libraries
  • Create personalized documents with selected content

Attributes Overview

Attribute Type Description Default
data-page-start integer Zero-based index of first page to include 0 (first page)
data-page-count integer Number of pages to include from start index All pages (int.MaxValue)

Usage

These attributes are applied to <frame> elements within a <frameset>:

Basic Syntax 

<frameset>
    <!-- Include all pages (default) -->
    <frame src="document.pdf"></frame>

    <!-- Include only first page -->
    <frame src="document.pdf" data-page-count="1"></frame>

    <!-- Include pages 3-5 (indices 2-4) -->
    <frame src="document.pdf" data-page-start="2" data-page-count="3"></frame>

    <!-- Include from page 10 to end -->
    <frame src="document.pdf" data-page-start="9"></frame>
</frameset>

Supported Elements

Frame Element

  • <frame> - Frame element for document inclusion (HTMLFrame)

Requirements:

  • Must be within a <frameset> element
  • Must have src attribute pointing to PDF or template
  • Source document must exist and be accessible

Attribute Details

data-page-start

Specifies the zero-based index of the first page to include from the source document.

Type: Integer

Default: 0 (first page)

Zero-Based: Yes (page 1 = index 0, page 2 = index 1, etc.)

Behavior:

  • Starts inclusion at specified page index
  • Combined with data-page-count to define range
  • If greater than total pages, no pages included
  • Negative values treated as 0

Property Mapping: PageStartIndex on HTMLFrame component

<!-- Include from second page onward -->
<frame src="report.pdf" data-page-start="1"></frame>

<!-- Include from page 10 onward -->
<frame src="report.pdf" data-page-start="9"></frame>

data-page-count

Specifies the maximum number of pages to include starting from the start index.

Type: Integer

Default: int.MaxValue (all remaining pages)

Behavior:

  • Limits the number of pages included
  • Combined with data-page-start to define range
  • If count exceeds available pages, includes all remaining
  • Value of 0 includes no pages
  • Negative values treated as 0

Property Mapping: PageInsertCount on HTMLFrame component

<!-- Include only first page -->
<frame src="report.pdf" data-page-count="1"></frame>

<!-- Include first 3 pages -->
<frame src="report.pdf" data-page-start="0" data-page-count="3"></frame>

<!-- Include pages 5-7 (indices 4-6) -->
<frame src="report.pdf" data-page-start="4" data-page-count="3"></frame>

Page Range Calculations

The effective page range is calculated as:

Start Page = data-page-start (zero-based) End Page = data-page-start + data-page-count - 1

Examples

start count Included Pages (1-based) Description
0 1 Page 1 First page only
0 3 Pages 1-3 First three pages
2 2 Pages 3-4 Two pages starting at page 3
5 - Pages 6 to end From page 6 onward
0 - All pages All pages (default)

Notes

Zero-Based Indexing

Important: data-page-start uses zero-based indexing:

  • First page (page 1) = index 0
  • Second page (page 2) = index 1
  • Third page (page 3) = index 2
  • And so on…

This is consistent with array indexing in programming languages.

Source Document Types

These attributes work with:

  1. PDF Files: Direct PDF file inclusion
  2. Template Files: HTML/XHTML templates that generate pages
  3. Inline HTML: HTML documents within the frame

Note: For templates, pages are counted after template generation and layout.

Document Assembly Process

When frames with page attributes are processed:

  1. Source Loading: Document or template is loaded
  2. Page Generation: If template, rendered to generate pages
  3. Page Selection: Specified range extracted
  4. Insertion: Selected pages inserted into result
  5. Page Numbering: Adjusted based on insertion point

Modification Types

The frame’s modification type is determined automatically:

  • Append: When no explicit page start, or start is at end
  • Insert: When specific page start index is set
  • None: When frame is hidden or has no content

Error Handling

Out of Range Indices:

  • Start beyond document length: No pages included
  • Count exceeds available pages: Includes remaining pages
  • No errors thrown for out-of-range values

Missing Sources:

  • Strict mode: Throws exception
  • Lax mode: Logs warning, continues

Performance Considerations

  • Page extraction is efficient (no re-rendering required for PDFs)
  • Template frames require generation before extraction
  • Large page ranges have minimal overhead
  • Consider memory for large multi-page assemblies

Page Numbering Implications

When assembling documents with page ranges:

  • Page numbers in included content are preserved
  • Document-wide page numbering may need adjustment
  • Consider using page number restart markers
  • Total page counts reflect final assembled document

Visibility and Frames

Hidden frames (using hidden="hidden") are not processed:

  • Page attributes ignored if frame hidden
  • Useful for conditional document assembly
  • ModificationType set to None for hidden frames

Examples

1. Include Complete Document

Default behavior includes all pages:

<frameset>
    <frame src="header.pdf"></frame>
    <frame src="report.pdf"></frame>
    <frame src="footer.pdf"></frame>
</frameset>

<!-- All pages from report.pdf included -->

2. Include First Page Only

Extract cover page:

<frameset>
    <frame src="report.pdf" data-page-count="1"></frame>
</frameset>

<!-- Only page 1 from report.pdf -->

3. Include Specific Page Range

Extract pages 3 through 5:

<frameset>
    <!-- Pages 3-5 (indices 2-4) -->
    <frame src="manual.pdf" data-page-start="2" data-page-count="3"></frame>
</frameset>

<!-- Pages 3, 4, 5 from manual.pdf -->

4. Skip First Page

Exclude cover, include rest:

<frameset>
    <!-- Start from second page (index 1), include all remaining -->
    <frame src="document.pdf" data-page-start="1"></frame>
</frameset>

<!-- All pages except page 1 -->

5. Multi-Source Document Assembly

Combine pages from multiple sources:

<frameset>
    <!-- Cover page -->
    <frame src="cover.pdf" data-page-count="1"></frame>

    <!-- Table of contents (pages 2-3 from master) -->
    <frame src="master.pdf" data-page-start="1" data-page-count="2"></frame>

    <!-- Main content -->
    <frame src="content.pdf"></frame>

    <!-- Appendix (last 5 pages from reference) -->
    <frame src="reference.pdf" data-page-start="45" data-page-count="5"></frame>

    <!-- Back cover -->
    <frame src="cover.pdf" data-page-start="1" data-page-count="1"></frame>
</frameset>

6. Extract Chapter from Book

Get specific chapter pages:

<frameset>
    <!-- Chapter 3: pages 42-58 (17 pages) -->
    <frame src="book.pdf" data-page-start="41" data-page-count="17"></frame>
</frameset>

7. Conditional Page Inclusion

Include pages based on data:

<frameset>
    <frame src="report.pdf"
           data-page-start=""
           data-page-count=""></frame>
</frameset>

<!-- Model: { startPage: 5, pageCount: 3 } -->
<!-- Includes pages 6-8 -->

8. Summary Document

Create executive summary from full report:

<frameset>
    <!-- Title page -->
    <frame src="full-report.pdf" data-page-count="1"></frame>

    <!-- Executive summary (pages 2-4) -->
    <frame src="full-report.pdf" data-page-start="1" data-page-count="3"></frame>

    <!-- Key findings (page 25) -->
    <frame src="full-report.pdf" data-page-start="24" data-page-count="1"></frame>

    <!-- Recommendations (pages 50-52) -->
    <frame src="full-report.pdf" data-page-start="49" data-page-count="3"></frame>
</frameset>

9. Skip Pages in Middle

Include beginning and end, skip middle:

<frameset>
    <!-- First 10 pages -->
    <frame src="document.pdf" data-page-count="10"></frame>

    <!-- Skip pages 11-90 -->

    <!-- Last 10 pages (starting at page 91) -->
    <frame src="document.pdf" data-page-start="90"></frame>
</frameset>

10. Template with Page Limit

Limit generated template pages:

<frameset>
    <frame src="header-template.html"></frame>

    <!-- Only include first 5 generated pages from template -->
    <frame src="data-template.html" data-page-count="5"></frame>

    <frame src="footer-template.html"></frame>
</frameset>

11. Personalized Document Assembly

Build custom document based on user selection:

<!-- Model: { includeIntro: true, includeTech: true, includeAppendix: false } -->
<frameset>
    <!-- Always include cover -->
    <frame src="library/cover.pdf" data-page-count="1"></frame>

    <!-- Conditional sections -->
    <frame src="library/introduction.pdf"
           hidden=""></frame>

    <frame src="library/technical.pdf"
           hidden=""></frame>

    <frame src="library/appendix.pdf"
           hidden=""></frame>
</frameset>

12. Extract Odd Pages Only

Use template with bound data to extract odd pages:

<frameset>
    <!-- Generate frames for odd pages 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 -->
    <template data-bind="">
        <frame src="document.pdf"
               data-page-start=""
               data-page-count="1"></frame>
    </template>
</frameset>

Assemble contract with variable clauses:

<!-- Model: { includeClause5: true, includeClause7: false } -->
<frameset>
    <!-- Standard opening (pages 1-2) -->
    <frame src="contract-master.pdf" data-page-count="2"></frame>

    <!-- Standard clauses 1-4 (pages 3-6) -->
    <frame src="contract-master.pdf" data-page-start="2" data-page-count="4"></frame>

    <!-- Optional clause 5 (page 7) -->
    <frame src="contract-master.pdf"
           data-page-start="6"
           data-page-count="1"
           hidden=""></frame>

    <!-- Standard clause 6 (page 8) -->
    <frame src="contract-master.pdf" data-page-start="7" data-page-count="1"></frame>

    <!-- Optional clause 7 (page 9) -->
    <frame src="contract-master.pdf"
           data-page-start="8"
           data-page-count="1"
           hidden=""></frame>

    <!-- Standard closing (pages 10-12) -->
    <frame src="contract-master.pdf" data-page-start="9"></frame>
</frameset>

14. Report with Dynamic Sections

Include sections based on data availability:

<!-- Model: { hasSalesData: true, hasMarketData: false, pageRanges: {...} } -->
<frameset>
    <!-- Executive summary -->
    <frame src="reports/executive-summary.pdf"></frame>

    <!-- Sales analysis (if data available) -->
    <frame src="reports/full-analysis.pdf"
           data-page-start=""
           data-page-count=""
           hidden=""></frame>

    <!-- Market analysis (if data available) -->
    <frame src="reports/full-analysis.pdf"
           data-page-start=""
           data-page-count=""
           hidden=""></frame>

    <!-- Always include conclusions -->
    <frame src="reports/conclusions.pdf"></frame>
</frameset>

15. Multi-Language Document

Assemble document with language-specific pages:

<!-- Model: { language: "es" } -->
<frameset>
    <!-- Universal cover -->
    <frame src="cover-universal.pdf" data-page-count="1"></frame>

    <!-- Language-specific content -->
    <frame src=""></frame>

    <!-- Language-specific legal (pages 50-52) -->
    <frame src=""
           data-page-start="49"
           data-page-count="3"></frame>
</frameset>

16. Page Range Validation Example

Safe page extraction with bounds:

<!-- Model: { startIdx: 5, count: 10, maxPages: 100 } -->
<frameset>
    <frame src="large-document.pdf"
           data-page-start=""
           data-page-count=""></frame>
</frameset>

17. Certification Document

Assemble certification with selected modules:

<!-- Model: { completedModules: [1, 3, 7] } -->
<frameset>
    <!-- Certificate cover -->
    <frame src="cert-cover.pdf" data-page-count="1"></frame>

    <!-- Include pages for completed modules -->
    <template data-bind="">
        <frame src="cert-modules.pdf"
               data-page-start=""
               data-page-count="2"></frame>
    </template>

    <!-- Certificate back -->
    <frame src="cert-cover.pdf" data-page-start="1" data-page-count="1"></frame>
</frameset>

18. Datasheet Generator

Create custom product datasheet:

<!-- Model: { productId: 42, includeSpecs: true, includeWarranty: true } -->
<frameset>
    <!-- Product page from catalog (2 pages per product) -->
    <frame src="catalog.pdf"
           data-page-start=""
           data-page-count="2"></frame>

    <!-- Technical specifications (pages 200-205) -->
    <frame src="technical-docs.pdf"
           data-page-start="199"
           data-page-count="6"
           hidden=""></frame>

    <!-- Warranty information (page 250) -->
    <frame src="legal-docs.pdf"
           data-page-start="249"
           data-page-count="1"
           hidden=""></frame>
</frameset>

19. Newsletter Assembly

Combine articles into newsletter:

<!-- Model: { articles: [{start: 5, count: 3}, {start: 12, count: 2}, ...] } -->
<frameset>
    <!-- Newsletter header -->
    <frame src="newsletter-header.pdf" data-page-count="1"></frame>

    <!-- Dynamic articles -->
    <template data-bind="">
        <frame src="article-archive.pdf"
               data-page-start=""
               data-page-count="9"></frame>
    </template>

    <!-- Newsletter footer -->
    <frame src="newsletter-footer.pdf" data-page-count="1"></frame>
</frameset>

20. Exam with Question Bank

Generate exam from question database:

<!-- Model: { questionPages: [2, 5, 8, 12, 15, 20, 23, 28, 30, 35] } -->
<frameset>
    <!-- Exam instructions -->
    <frame src="exam-instructions.pdf"></frame>

    <!-- Selected questions (each question is 1 page) -->
    <template data-bind="">
        <frame src="question-bank.pdf"
               data-page-start=""
               data-page-count="1"></frame>
    </template>

    <!-- Answer sheet -->
    <frame src="answer-sheet.pdf"></frame>
</frameset>

See Also