Introducing two new FPDF projects

[alphp]

Introducing two new FPDF projects

After some time working around the limitations of the FPDF ecosystem, I decided to split and reorganize the work into two independent projects with clearer goals.

fpdf-mirror/fpdf

At FPDF-mirror

A clean Composer-compatible mirror of the original FPDF library.

The goal of this package is simple:

• Keep the original FPDF source code untouched
• Preserve full compatibility with the official implementation
• Provide proper Composer installation
• Maintain version tracking aligned with upstream FPDF releases

This package does not add features, modify behavior, or include third-party scripts.

It exists as a stable foundation for modern PHP projects that want to use FPDF through Composer without depending on repackaged forks or mixed distributions.

Ideal for:

• Legacy compatibility
• Minimalist setups
• Dependency control
• Base libraries for extensions

fawno/fpdf-traits

At FPDF-Traits

A dedicated package focused on converting the classic FPDF script repository into reusable PHP Traits.

This project is the natural evolution — and extraction — of the old fawno/fpdf package, which previously bundled both the FPDF mirror and the script conversions together.

That approach worked, but it mixed two very different responsibilities:

1. Maintaining an untouched FPDF mirror
2. Porting community scripts into composable Traits

Now both concerns are separated.

fawno/fpdf-traits focuses exclusively on modular extensions:

class PDF extends FPDF
{
    use RotateTrait;
    use BookmarkTrait;
    use Code128Trait;
}

Benefits:

• No inheritance chains
• Better script composition
• Cleaner architecture
• Easier maintenance
• More flexible custom PDF engines

Why the split?

Separation of concerns.

The original fawno/fpdf package was doing too much.

Splitting it allows:

• A pure upstream mirror (fpdf-mirror/fpdf)
• A standalone extensions library (fawno/fpdf-traits)
• Independent versioning
• Cleaner dependency management
• Better long-term maintainability

This makes the ecosystem more predictable, modular, and easier to adopt.

Feedback, contributions, and new script ports are welcome.

[alphp]

What about bugs or PHP compatibility issues?

A common question is: what happens if an issue is found in FPDF, or a new PHP version introduces incompatibilities before an official FPDF release is available?

To address this, fpdf-mirror/fpdf includes a dedicated development branch called dev-fawno.

This branch exists as a temporary compatibility layer where critical fixes can be introduced when necessary, such as:

• PHP deprecations
• PHP breaking changes
• Runtime warnings
• Minor bug fixes affecting compatibility

The purpose is not to fork or diverge from the original FPDF project, but to provide a practical short-term solution while waiting for an official upstream release.

This is not a hypothetical scenario — it has already happened in the past. There have been cases where compatibility issues remained unresolved for months before an official fix was published.

If such a situation occurs, switching to the temporary compatibility branch is as simple as running:

composer require fpdf-mirror/fpdf dev-fawno

This allows developers to temporarily move their projects to the patched branch without manually editing vendor files or applying custom patches.

Once the official FPDF project releases a proper fix, the mirror is updated accordingly and projects can safely switch back to the stable tagged release.

This approach preserves the integrity of the upstream project while offering a pragmatic safety net for production environments.