The problem with this, and I should have posted this initially, is that while the datasource remains the same, the Excel, PDF, and HTML portions have very different look-and-feel requirements. For example, a set of images might be required in the PDF that's different from the HTML and that cannot be displayed in the Excel. The difference might be something as simple as a reversed image (instead of white on black, it's black on white).

The second issue is headers and footers. HTML and Excel don't have them, but PDF does.

And, that brings up the general issue of pagination. HTML doesn't paginate the same way PDF does, and Excel is different yet again. (I won't even start with RTF.) You'll end up with a really bad PDF if you attempt to PDF-ize an HTML document.

---

---

• Are you posting in the right place? Check out Where do I post X? to know for sure.
• Posts may use any of the Perl Monks Approved HTML tags. Currently these include the following:

  <code> <a> <b> <big> <blockquote> <br /> <dd> <dl> <dt> <em> <font> <h1> <h2> <h3> <h4> <h5> <h6> <hr /> <i> <li> <nbsp> <ol> <p> <small> <strike> <strong> <sub> <sup> <table> <td> <th> <tr> <tt> <u> <ul>

• Snippets of code should be wrapped in <code> tags not <pre> tags. In fact, <pre> tags should generally be avoided. If they must be used, extreme care should be taken to ensure that their contents do not have long lines (<70 chars), in order to prevent horizontal scrolling (and possible janitor intervention).
• Want more info? How to link or How to display code and escape characters are good places to start.