Section:

Validate PDF/A documents on iOS

Validate a PDF/A document for compliance and check its conformance level. Supports all PDF/A versions and conformance levels: PDF/A-1A, PDF/A-1B, PDF/A-2A, PDF/A-2B, PDF/A-2U, PDF/A-3A, PDF/A-3B, PDF/A-3U, PDF/A-4, PDF/A-4E, PDF/A-4F.

1PTPDFACompliance *pdf_a = [[PTPDFACompliance alloc] initWithConvert:YES file_path:filename password:@"" conf:e_ptLevel2B exceptions:0 num_exceptions:10 max_ref_objs:10 first_stop:NO];
2unsigned long err_cnt = [pdf_a GetErrorCount];
3if (err_cnt == 0) 
4{
5	printf("%s: OK.", filename);
6}

Convert PDF to PDF/A
Full sample code which illustrates how to validate existing PDF documents for PDF/A compliance as well as to convert generic PDF documents to PDF/A format.

About PDF/A

PDFACompliance class is used to validate PDF documents for PDF/A (ISO 19005:1/2/3/4) compliance or to convert existing PDF files to PDF/A compliant documents.

The conversion option analyzes the content of existing PDF files and performs a sequence of modifications in order to produce a PDF/A compliant document. Features that are not suitable for long-term archiving (such as encryption, obsolete compression schemes, missing fonts, or device-dependent color) are replaced with their PDF/A compliant equivalents. Because the conversion process applies only necessary changes to the source file, the information loss is minimal. Also, because the converter provides a detailed report for each change, it is simple to inspect changes and to determine whether the conversion loss is acceptable.

The validation option can be used to quickly determine whether a PDF file fully complies with the PDF/A specification according to the international standard ISO 19005:1/2/3/4. For files that are not compliant, the validation option can be used to produce a detailed report of compliance violations as well as a list of relevant error objects.

Key Functions:

  • Checks if a PDF file is compliant with any PDF/A specifications (ISO 19005-1, 19005-2, 19005-3, 19005-4).
  • Converts any PDF to a PDF/A compliant document.
  • Supports all PDFA versions and conformance levels: PDF/A-1A, PDF/A-1B, PDF/A-2A, PDF/A-2B, PDF/A-2U, PDF/A-3A, PDF/A-3B, PDF/A-3U, PDF/A-4, PDF/A-4E, PDFA-4F.
  • Produces a detailed report of compliance violations and associated PDF objects.
  • Keeps the required changes to a minimum, preserving the consistency of the original.
  • Tracks all changes to allow for automatic assessment of data loss.
  • Allows user to customize compliance checks or omit specific changes during the conversion process.
  • Preserves tags, logical structure, and color information in existing PDF documents.
  • Supports user-defined color profiles.
  • Offers automatic font substitution, embedding, and subsetting options.

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