Get started integrating Apryse iOS SDK

• Xcode
• CocoaPods

This guide will use the latest versions of PDFNet.xcframework and Tools.xcframework. To do this, modify your PodFile to include the PDFTron and PDFTronTools pods:

1pod 'PDFTron', podspec: 'https://www.pdftron.com/downloads/ios/cocoapods/xcframeworks/pdftron/latest.podspec'
2pod 'PDFTronTools', podspec: 'https://www.pdftron.com/downloads/ios/cocoapods/xcframeworks/pdftron-tools/latest.podspec'

Then run pod install in your project directory. You should be able to use the PDFNet and Tools libraries after this process.

You can find out more about other integration options for Apryse SDK with CocoaPods.

Apryse uses a select number AppStore permissions to allow certain functionality such as adding image stamps and detecting the Apple Pencil. Your app's plist must include the following keys (with whatever description is appropriate for your app), or it will be rejected from the AppStore.

1<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
2<string>This will allow you to use the image from your camera.</string>
3<key>NSPhotoLibraryAddUsageDescription</key>
4<string>This will allow you to add images to your photo library.</string>
5<key>NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription</key>
6<string>This will allow you to create signatures and annotations from images in your photo library.</string>
7<key>NSBluetoothAlwaysUsageDescription</key>
8<string>This will allow us to detect if an Apple Pencil is paired, enabling palm rejection and the ability to scroll with one finger while annotating.</string>
9<key>NSBluetoothPeripheralUsageDescription</key>
10<string>This will allow us detect if an Apple Pencil is paired, enabling palm rejection and the ability to scroll with one finger while annotating.</string>

Initialize Apryse before you use any Apryse related classes or methods. This only needs to be done once.

The best practice to do this is to use the optional application:willFinishLaunchingWithOptions: method in the AppDelegate class found in either the AppDelegate.swift or AppDelegate.m file in the left pane depending on your choice of language:

1// In AppDelegate.swift
2import UIKit
3import PDFNet
4@UIApplicationMain
5class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
6    var window: UIWindow?
7    //... Any methods already here
8    func application(_ application: UIApplication, willFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions:[UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
9        PTPDFNet.initialize("Insert Commercial License Key Here After Purchase")
10        return true
11    }
12}

1// In AppDelegate.m
2#import "AppDelegate.h"
3#import <PDFNet/PDFNet.h>
4@interface AppDelegate ()
5@end
6@implementation AppDelegate
7// ... Any methods already here
8- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application willFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(nullable NSDictionary *)launchOptions{
9    [PTPDFNet Initialize:@"Insert Commercial License Key Here After Purchase"];
10    return true;
11}

While you are trialing Apryse, you can pass any string to the initialize method. A string that is not a license key will enable demo mode, where all pages are lightly watermarked.

You can now use Apryse SDK to view, annotate and edit documents.

You have several options for adding the Apryse iOS SDK to your project with CocoaPods. The standard way to install the SDK, which is used above in this guide, is to use the latest official release version. It is also possible to "pin" the Apryse pods to a specific version of the SDK using the full version number of the release. The following subsections outline these different options.

The PDFNet.xcframework and Tools.xcframework libraries are distributed as separate pods.

For the latest official release version of the PDFNet.xcframework and Tools.xcframework libraries, add the following to your Podfile:

1pod 'PDFTron', podspec: 'https://www.pdftron.com/downloads/ios/cocoapods/xcframeworks/pdftron/latest.podspec'
2pod 'PDFTronTools', podspec: 'https://www.pdftron.com/downloads/ios/cocoapods/xcframeworks/pdftron-tools/latest.podspec'

Then, run pod install.

When a new official version of the SDK is released, you can easily update the Apryse pods with the pod update command without having to modify your Podfile.

For a specific release of the PDFNet.xcframework and Tools.xcframework libraries, add the following to your Podfile:

1pod 'PDFTron', podspec: 'https://www.pdftron.com/downloads/ios/cocoapods/xcframeworks/pdftron/11.0.0.84637.podspec'
2pod 'PDFTronTools', podspec: 'https://www.pdftron.com/downloads/ios/cocoapods/xcframeworks/pdftron-tools/11.0.0.84637.podspec'

The legacy "pdfnet" and "pdfnet-no-tools" pods are no longer recommended for new projects due to incompatibilities with specific setups. These pods are deprecated and while they are still made available for new releases of the SDK, migrating to the new "pdftron" and "pdftron-tools" pods should be done when possible.

Then, run pod install.

Note: CocoaPods distributes the dynamic frameworks only. If you wish to use the static frameworks, you will have to integrate it manually.

Apple has information on using Swift Package Manager, which you may review for topics not covered in this guide.

Apryse is available as a Swift Package from the following URL:

1https://github.com/ApryseSDK/pdftron-apple-package

To include it, open your project's Swift Package Manager pane:

Enter the github link to the package. Add a high maximum version number to ensure you are always up-to-date. Apryse versioning does not strictly follow a semantic versioning system. (We very rarely make changes that break public APIs.)

Apryse uses a select number AppStore permissions to allow certain functionality such as adding image stamps and detecting the Apple Pencil. Your app's plist must include the following keys (with whatever description is appropriate for your app), or it will be rejected from the AppStore.

1<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
2<string>This will allow you to use the image from your camera.</string>
3<key>NSPhotoLibraryAddUsageDescription</key>
4<string>This will allow you to add images to your photo library.</string>
5<key>NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription</key>
6<string>This will allow you to create signatures and annotations from images in your photo library.</string>
7<key>NSBluetoothAlwaysUsageDescription</key>
8<string>This will allow us to detect if an Apple Pencil is paired, enabling palm rejection and the ability to scroll with one finger while annotating.</string>
9<key>NSBluetoothPeripheralUsageDescription</key>
10<string>This will allow us detect if an Apple Pencil is paired, enabling palm rejection and the ability to scroll with one finger while annotating.</string>

You only need to explicitly initialize Apryse when you have purchased a license key.

Initialize Apryse before you use any Apryse related classes or methods. This only needs to be done once.

The best practice to do this is to use the optional application:willFinishLaunchingWithOptions: method in the AppDelegate class found in either the AppDelegate.swift or AppDelegate.m file in the left pane depending on your choice of language:

1// In AppDelegate.swift
2import UIKit
3import PDFNet
4@UIApplicationMain
5class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
6    var window: UIWindow?
7    //... Any methods already here
8    func application(_ application: UIApplication, willFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions:[UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
9        PTPDFNet.initialize("Insert Commercial License Key Here After Purchase")
10        return true
11    }
12}

1// In AppDelegate.m
2#import "AppDelegate.h"
3#import <PDFNet/PDFNet.h>
4@interface AppDelegate ()
5@end
6@implementation AppDelegate
7// ... Any methods already here
8- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application willFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(nullable NSDictionary *)launchOptions{
9    [PTPDFNet Initialize:@"Insert Commercial License Key Here After Purchase"];
10    return true;
11}

While you are trialing Apryse, you can pass any string to the initialize method. A string that is not a license key will enable demo mode, where all pages are lightly watermarked.

You can now use Apryse SDK to view, annotate and edit documents.

Note: SPM distributes the dynamic .xcframework only. If you wish to use the .framework, you will need to use CocoaPods or Manual integration. If you wish to use the static framework, you will have to integrate it manually.