If you want to handle PDFs on a free host, here are two possible solutions
Solution 1: Basic PDF Generation (FPDF, Simplest)
FPDF is a lightweight pure-PHP library with no dependencies. Simply download the source code, upload it to your website directory, and you can use it to generate simple PDFs (text, images).
Steps:
-
Download the FPDF source code: https://www.fpdf.org/en/download.php (select the latest version, unzip it, and upload to your website directory, e.g., /includes/fpdf/);
-
Create a PHP file for PDF processing (e.g., create_pdf.php):
<?php
// Include the FPDF library (adjust the path based on where you uploaded it)
require_once(__DIR__ . '/includes/fpdf/fpdf.php');
// Initialize the PDF object
$pdf = new FPDF();
$pdf->AddPage(); // Add a page
// Set font (English is supported by default; additional config is needed for Chinese)
$pdf->SetFont('Arial', 'B', 16);
// Write content (parameters: width, height, text, border, line break position, alignment)
$pdf->Cell(0, 10, 'PDF generated on free hosting', 0, 1, 'C');
$pdf->SetFont('Arial', '', 12);
$pdf->Cell(0, 10, 'No exec() or Ghostscript required', 0, 1, 'C');
// Save the PDF to the server (F = save to file, I = download in browser)
// Note: Use absolute path for free hosting, e.g., your path is /home/vol19_1/infinityfree.com/if0_41101602/htdocs/
$savePath = '/home/vol19_1/infinityfree.com/if0_41101602/htdocs/generated.pdf';
$pdf->Output($savePath, 'F');
// Verify if generation was successful
if (file_exists($savePath)) {
echo "PDF generated successfully! Path: {$savePath}";
} else {
echo "PDF generation failed. Please check path permissions.";
}
?>
Solution 2: Advanced PDF Processing (TCPDF, Supports Chinese/Cover/Editing)
If you need more complex operations (e.g., generating PDF covers, handling Chinese, merging PDFs), TCPDF is recommended — it’s also compatible with free hosting:
Steps:
-
Download the TCPDF source code: https://github.com/tecnickcom/TCPDF (unzip it and upload to /includes/tcpdf/);
-
Example: Generate a PDF with an image cover (adapted to your generateCoverWithGhostscript requirement):
<?php
// Include the TCPDF library
require_once(__DIR__ . '/includes/tcpdf/tcpdf.php');
// Create a PDF instance (set page orientation, unit, format)
$pdf = new TCPDF('P', 'mm', 'A4', true, 'UTF-8', false);
// Set basic PDF information
$pdf->SetCreator('Your Website');
$pdf->SetTitle('PDF Cover Example');
?>
Summary
- Solution 1 (FPDF) is ideal for simple English PDF generation on free hosting, with zero external dependencies and easy deployment.
- Solution 2 (TCPDF) supports advanced features like cover images and multi-language (including Chinese) for more complex PDF needs, still fully compatible with free hosting restrictions.
- Both solutions avoid using
exec() (blocked on free hosting) and replace Ghostscript/Imagick with pure-PHP logic.