Package com.itextpdf.forms

Class PdfAcroForm

java.lang.Object
com.itextpdf.kernel.pdf.PdfObjectWrapper<PdfDictionary>
com.itextpdf.forms.PdfAcroForm
public class PdfAcroForm extends PdfObjectWrapper<PdfDictionary>
This class represents the static form technology AcroForm on a PDF file.

  • Field Details

    • SIGNATURE_EXIST

      public static final int SIGNATURE_EXIST
      To be used with setSignatureFlags(int).
      If set, the document contains at least one signature field. This flag allows a conforming reader to enable user interface items (such as menu items or pushbuttons) related to signature processing without having to scan the entire document for the presence of signature fields. (ISO 32000-1, section 12.7.2 "Interactive Form Dictionary")
      See Also:

    • APPEND_ONLY

      public static final int APPEND_ONLY
      To be used with setSignatureFlags(int).
      If set, the document contains signatures that may be invalidated if the file is saved (written) in a way that alters its previous contents, as opposed to an incremental update. Merely updating the file by appending new information to the end of the previous version is safe. Conforming readers may use this flag to inform a user requesting a full save that signatures will be invalidated and require explicit confirmation before continuing with the operation. (ISO 32000-1, section 12.7.2 "Interactive Form Dictionary")
      See Also:

    • generateAppearance

      protected boolean generateAppearance
      Keeps track of whether or not appearances must be generated by the form fields themselves, or by the PDF viewer application. Default is true.

    • fields

      protected Map<String,PdfFormField> fields
      A map of field names and their associated form field objects.

    • document

      protected PdfDocument document
      The PdfDocument to which the PdfAcroForm belongs.

  • Method Details

    • getAcroForm

      public static PdfAcroForm getAcroForm (PdfDocument document, boolean createIfNotExist)
      Retrieves AcroForm from the document. If there is no AcroForm in the document Catalog and createIfNotExist flag is true then the AcroForm dictionary will be created and added to the document.
      Parameters:
      document - the document to retrieve the PdfAcroForm from
      createIfNotExist - when true, this method will create a PdfAcroForm if none exists for this document
      Returns:
      the document's AcroForm, or a new one provided that createIfNotExist parameter is true, otherwise null.

    • getAcroForm

      public static PdfAcroForm getAcroForm (PdfDocument document, boolean createIfNotExist, OnDuplicateFormFieldNameStrategy onDuplicateFieldNameStrategy)
      Retrieves AcroForm from the document. If there is no AcroForm in the document Catalog and createIfNotExist flag is true then the AcroForm dictionary will be created and added to the document.
      Parameters:
      document - the document to retrieve the PdfAcroForm from
      createIfNotExist - when true, this method will create a PdfAcroForm if none exists for this document
      onDuplicateFieldNameStrategy - the strategy to be used when a field with the same name already exists
      Returns:
      the document's AcroForm, or a new one provided that createIfNotExist parameter is true, otherwise null.

    • addField

      public void addField (PdfFormField field)
      This method adds the field to the last page in the document. If there's no pages, creates a new one.
      Parameters:
      field - the PdfFormField to be added to the form

    • addField

      public void addField (PdfFormField field, PdfPage page)
      This method adds the field to a specific page.
      Parameters:
      field - the PdfFormField to be added to the form
      page - the PdfPage on which to add the field

    • addField

      public void addField (PdfFormField field, PdfPage page, boolean throwExceptionOnError)
      This method adds the field to a specific page.
      Parameters:
      field - the PdfFormField to be added to the form
      page - the PdfPage on which to add the field
      throwExceptionOnError - true if the exception is expected to be thrown in case of error.

    • addFieldAppearanceToPage

      public void addFieldAppearanceToPage (PdfFormField field, PdfPage page)
      This method merges field with its annotation and places it on the given page. This method also work if the field has more than one widget annotation, but doesn't work with no annotations.
      Parameters:
      field - the PdfFormField to be added to the form
      page - the PdfPage on which to add the field

    • getRootFormFields

      public Map<String,PdfFormField> getRootFormFields()
      Gets root fields (i.e. direct children of Acroform dictionary).
      Returns:
      a map of field names and their associated form field objects

    • getAllFormFields

      public Map<String,PdfFormField> getAllFormFields()
      Gets all form fields as a Map including fields kids.
      Returns:
      a map of field names and their associated form field objects

    • getAllFormFieldsAndAnnotations

      public Set<AbstractPdfFormField> getAllFormFieldsAndAnnotations()
      Gets all form fields as a Set including fields kids and nameless fields.
      Returns:
      a set of form field objects.

    • getFieldsForFlattening

      public Collection<PdfFormField> getFieldsForFlattening()
      Gets a collection of form fields, prepared for flattening using partialFormFlattening(java.lang.String) method. If returned collection is empty, all form fields will be flattened on flattenFields call.
      Returns:
      a collection of form fields for flattening

    • getPdfDocument

      public PdfDocument getPdfDocument()
      Gets the PdfDocument this PdfAcroForm belongs to.
      Returns:
      the document of this form

    • setNeedAppearances

      public PdfAcroForm setNeedAppearances (boolean needAppearances)
      Sets the NeedAppearances boolean property on the AcroForm. NeedAppearances has been deprecated in PDF 2.0.
      NeedAppearances is a flag specifying whether to construct appearance streams and appearance dictionaries for all widget annotations in the document. (ISO 32000-1, section 12.7.2 "Interactive Form Dictionary")
      Parameters:
      needAppearances - a boolean. Default value is false
      Returns:
      current AcroForm.

    • getNeedAppearances

      public PdfBoolean getNeedAppearances()
      Gets the NeedAppearances boolean property on the AcroForm. NeedAppearances has been deprecated in PDF 2.0.
      NeedAppearances is a flag specifying whether to construct appearance streams and appearance dictionaries for all widget annotations in the document. (ISO 32000-1, section 12.7.2 "Interactive Form Dictionary")
      Returns:
      the NeedAppearances property as a PdfBoolean. Default value is false

    • setSignatureFlags

      public PdfAcroForm setSignatureFlags (int sigFlags)
      Sets the SigFlags integer property on the AcroForm.
      SigFlags is a set of flags specifying various document-level characteristics related to signature fields. (ISO 32000-1, section 12.7.2 "Interactive Form Dictionary")
      Parameters:
      sigFlags - an integer. Use SIGNATURE_EXIST and/or APPEND_ONLY. Use bitwise OR operator to combine these values. Default value is 0
      Returns:
      current AcroForm.

    • setSignatureFlag

      public PdfAcroForm setSignatureFlag (int sigFlag)
      Changes the SigFlags integer property on the AcroForm. This method allows only to add flags, not to remove them.
      SigFlags is a set of flags specifying various document-level characteristics related to signature fields. (ISO 32000-1, section 12.7.2 "Interactive Form Dictionary")
      Parameters:
      sigFlag - an integer. Use SIGNATURE_EXIST and/or APPEND_ONLY. Use bitwise OR operator to combine these values. Default is 0
      Returns:
      current AcroForm.

    • getSignatureFlags

      public int getSignatureFlags()
      Gets the SigFlags integer property on the AcroForm.
      SigFlags is a set of flags specifying various document-level characteristics related to signature fields (ISO 32000-1, section 12.7.2 "Interactive Form Dictionary")
      Returns:
      current value for SigFlags.

    • setCalculationOrder

      public PdfAcroForm setCalculationOrder (PdfArray calculationOrder)
      Sets the CO array property on the AcroForm.
      CO, Calculation Order, is an array of indirect references to field dictionaries with calculation actions, defining the calculation order in which their values will be recalculated when the value of any field changes (ISO 32000-1, section 12.7.2 "Interactive Form Dictionary")
      Parameters:
      calculationOrder - an array of indirect references
      Returns:
      current AcroForm

    • getCalculationOrder

      public PdfArray getCalculationOrder()
      Gets the CO array property on the AcroForm.
      CO, Calculation Order, is an array of indirect references to field dictionaries with calculation actions, defining the calculation order in which their values will be recalculated when the value of any field changes (ISO 32000-1, section 12.7.2 "Interactive Form Dictionary")
      Returns:
      an array of indirect references

    • setDefaultResources

      public PdfAcroForm setDefaultResources (PdfDictionary defaultResources)
      Sets the DR dictionary property on the AcroForm.
      DR is a resource dictionary containing default resources (such as fonts, patterns, or colour spaces) that shall be used by form field appearance streams. At a minimum, this dictionary shall contain a Font entry specifying the resource name and font dictionary of the default font for displaying text. (ISO 32000-1, section 12.7.2 "Interactive Form Dictionary")
      Parameters:
      defaultResources - a resource dictionary
      Returns:
      current AcroForm

    • getDefaultResources

      public PdfDictionary getDefaultResources()
      Gets the DR dictionary property on the AcroForm.
      DR is a resource dictionary containing default resources (such as fonts, patterns, or colour spaces) that shall be used by form field appearance streams. At a minimum, this dictionary shall contain a Font entry specifying the resource name and font dictionary of the default font for displaying text. (ISO 32000-1, section 12.7.2 "Interactive Form Dictionary")
      Returns:
      a resource dictionary

    • setDefaultAppearance

      public PdfAcroForm setDefaultAppearance (String appearance)
      Sets the DA String property on the AcroForm.
      This method sets a default (fallback value) for the DA attribute of variable text form fields.
      Parameters:
      appearance - a String containing a sequence of valid PDF syntax
      Returns:
      current AcroForm

    • getDefaultAppearance

      public PdfString getDefaultAppearance()
      Gets the DA String property on the AcroForm.
      This method returns the default (fallback value) for the DA attribute of variable text form fields.
      Returns:
      the form-wide default appearance, as a String

    • setDefaultJustification

      public PdfAcroForm setDefaultJustification (int justification)
      Sets the Q integer property on the AcroForm.
      This method sets a default (fallback value) for the Q attribute of variable text form fields.
      Parameters:
      justification - an integer representing a justification value
      Returns:
      current AcroForm
      See Also:

    • getDefaultJustification

      public PdfNumber getDefaultJustification()
      Gets the Q integer property on the AcroForm.
      This method gets the default (fallback value) for the Q attribute of variable text form fields.
      Returns:
      an integer representing a justification value
      See Also:

    • setXFAResource

      public PdfAcroForm setXFAResource (PdfStream xfaResource)
      Sets the XFA property on the AcroForm.
      XFA can either be a PdfStream or a PdfArray. Its contents must be valid XFA.
      Parameters:
      xfaResource - a stream containing the XDP
      Returns:
      current AcroForm

    • setXFAResource

      public PdfAcroForm setXFAResource (PdfArray xfaResource)
      Sets the XFA property on the AcroForm.
      XFA can either be a PdfStream or a PdfArray. Its contents must be valid XFA.
      Parameters:
      xfaResource - an array of text string and stream pairs representing the individual packets comprising the XML Data Package. (ISO 32000-1, section 12.7.2 "Interactive Form Dictionary")
      Returns:
      current AcroForm

    • getXFAResource

      public PdfObject getXFAResource()
      Gets the XFA property on the AcroForm.
      Returns:
      an object representing the entire XDP. It can either be a PdfStream or a PdfArray.

    • getField

      public PdfFormField getField (String fieldName)
      Gets a form field by its name.
      Parameters:
      fieldName - the name of the form field to retrieve
      Returns:
      the form field, or null if it isn't present

    • isGenerateAppearance

      public boolean isGenerateAppearance()
      Gets the attribute generateAppearance, which tells flattenFields() to generate an appearance Stream for all form fields that don't have one.
      Returns:
      bolean value indicating if the appearances need to be generated

    • setGenerateAppearance

      public void setGenerateAppearance (boolean generateAppearance)
      Sets the attribute generateAppearance, which tells flattenFields() to generate an appearance Stream for all form fields that don't have one.

      Not generating appearances will speed up form flattening but the results can be unexpected in Acrobat. Don't use it unless your environment is well controlled. The default is true.

      If generateAppearance is set to true, then NeedAppearances is set to false. This does not apply vice versa.

      Note, this method does not change default behaviour of PdfFormField.setValue(String) method.

      Parameters:
      generateAppearance - a boolean

    • flattenFields

      public void flattenFields()
      Flattens interactive form fields in the document. If no fields have been explicitly included via partialFormFlattening(java.lang.String), then all fields are flattened. Otherwise only the included fields are flattened.

    • removeField

      public boolean removeField (String fieldName)
      Tries to remove the form field with the specified name from the document.
      Parameters:
      fieldName - the name of the form field to remove
      Returns:
      a boolean representing whether or not the removal succeeded.

    • partialFormFlattening

      public void partialFormFlattening (String fieldName)
      Adds a form field, identified by name, to the list of fields to be flattened. Does not perform a flattening operation in itself.
      Parameters:
      fieldName - the name of the form field to be flattened

    • renameField

      public void renameField (String oldName, String newName)
      Changes the identifier of a form field.
      Parameters:
      oldName - the current name of the field
      newName - the new name of the field. Must not be used currently.

    • copyField

      public PdfFormField copyField (String name)
      Creates an in-memory copy of a PdfFormField. This new field is not added to the document.
      Parameters:
      name - the name of the form field to be copied
      Returns:
      a clone of the original PdfFormField

    • replaceField

      public void replaceField (String name, PdfFormField field)
      Replaces the PdfFormField of a certain name with another PdfFormField.
      Parameters:
      name - the name of the form field to be replaced
      field - the new PdfFormField

    • disableRegenerationForAllFields

      public void disableRegenerationForAllFields()
      Disables appearance stream regeneration for all the root fields in the Acroform, so all of its children in the hierarchy will also not be regenerated.

    • enableRegenerationForAllFields

      public void enableRegenerationForAllFields()
      Enables appearance stream regeneration for all the fields in the Acroform and regenerates them.

    • getFields

      protected PdfArray getFields()
      Gets all AcroForm fields in the document.
      Returns:
      a PdfArray of field dictionaries

    • isWrappedObjectMustBeIndirect

      protected boolean isWrappedObjectMustBeIndirect()
      Description copied from class: PdfObjectWrapper
      Defines if the object behind this wrapper must be an indirect object in the resultant document.

      If this method returns true it doesn't necessarily mean that object must be in the indirect state at any moment, but rather defines that when the object will be written to the document it will be transformed into indirect object if it's not indirect yet.

      Return value of this method shouldn't depend on any logic, it should return always true or false.
      Specified by:
      isWrappedObjectMustBeIndirect in class PdfObjectWrapper<PdfDictionary>
      Returns:
      true if in the resultant document the object behind the wrapper must be indirect, otherwise false.

    • hasXfaForm

      public boolean hasXfaForm()
      Determines whether the AcroForm contains XFA data.
      Returns:
      a boolean

    • getXfaForm

      public XfaForm getXfaForm()
      Gets the XfaForm atribute.
      Returns:
      the XFA form object

    • removeXfaForm

      public void removeXfaForm()
      Removes the XFA stream from the document.

    • put

      public PdfAcroForm put (PdfName key, PdfObject value)
      Put a key/value pair in the dictionary and overwrite previous value if it already exists.
      Parameters:
      key - the key as pdf name
      value - the value as pdf object
      Returns:
      this PdfAcroForm instance

    • release

      public void release()
      Releases underlying pdf object and other pdf entities used by wrapper. This method should be called instead of direct call to PdfObject.release() if the wrapper is used.

    • setModified

      public PdfObjectWrapper<PdfDictionary> setModified()
      Overrides:
      setModified in class PdfObjectWrapper<PdfDictionary>