Section:

JavaScript PDF form filling library

Overview

WebViewer is a JavaScript PDF library that provides support for interactive forms which are a collection of fields for gathering information interactively from the user.

An interactive form (sometimes referred to as an AcroForm) is a collection of fields (such as text boxes, checkboxes, radio buttons, drop-down lists, and pushbuttons) for gathering information interactively from the user. A PDF document may contain any number of Fields appearing on any combination of pages. All these fields make up a single, global interactive form spanning the entire document. While PDF forms are similar to HTML forms, there are some important differences:

  • Unlike HTML pages, a PDF document has a single, global interactive form spanning the entire document.
  • In PDF documents, the field and value appearance can be completely customized. Although field appearances give incredible customization power to PDF forms, developers need to learn to work with forms where field's value and appearance are two different entities.
  • The PDF format supports combo boxes with text editing.
  • In the PDF format, it's possible to associate fields with different kinds of Actions (or Action chains).

Apryse SDK fully supports reading, writing, and editing PDF forms and provides utility methods to make working with forms simple and efficient. Using the Apryse SDK forms API, arbitrary subsets of form fields can be imported or exported from the document, new forms can be created from scratch, and the appearance of existing forms can be modified.

Forms Data Format (FDF) and XML Forms Data Format (XFDF) contain a list of Form Fields with their associated values. These formats can be used to import and export form data to and from PDF Form Fields.

Apryse SDK benefits include:

  • Fill PDF Forms
  • Read PDF form field values
  • PDF form field flattening
  • Support for all form field properties and appearances
  • Support for encrypted PDF forms
  • Support for FDF (Forms Data Format)
  • Import FDF to PDF
  • Export FDF from PDF
  • Forms templating
  • Form field name management
  • Create new form fields
  • Support for JavaScript calculation in forms

Major features of WebViewer form support:

  • Rendering of the form field widgets as from the original PDF document
  • Dynamic data entry into form field widgets
  • Loading and saving of form field data
  • Support for a number of form actions, including embedded JavaScript
  • Programmatic access to form field data, values and child widgets via the Annotations.Forms.FieldManager class
  • Ability to add indicators on form field widgets to guide users through the process of form filling

New in WebViewer 11

New features were added in the WebViewer 11 major release:

  • See real-time previews of form fields while creating them - what you see is what you get.
  • Access and manage all your form fields through a new modular UI panel.
  • Ability to style border and fill colors for all form fields.

Demos

Form Build
Form Fill
Form Flatten
Form Field Detection (Beta)

Get started

Importing and exporting forms
To import and export annotations with a PDF document.

Explore the form builder
To learn how to navigate the form builder UI for filling and modifying PDF forms.

Create new form fields and widget annotations
To create new form fields and widget annotations within a new document.

Working with form fields and widget annotations
To update form field values, update widget flags, configure multiple widgets for one field, and more.

Modify form fields
To modify properties for existing form fields.

Fill form fields
To fill values for existing form fields.

Styling form fields
To fill in values for existing form fields.

Form flattening
To flatten form fields in a PDF document.

Form Field Indicators
To add visual indicators for guiding users through form filling.

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