Fill in PDF Form Fields Using the Open Source iTextSharp DLL

Scott Lysle

PDF iTextSharpWin Forms ProgrammingItextsharp.dll

43 Comments

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Farhan Yazdani3y ago
Working with xla form type it is a different scenario, write now I am working on it and i got null in acrofields,how to work with XFA Form can someone help here
Dinesh Gabhane6y ago
Nice Article. Thanks
Delyan Alexandrov6y ago
After days of fighting with this kind of thing, I managed to see the light in the tunnel, thanks to your application, source code and detailed documentation. My pdf was malformed - meaning not with fillable cells/forms. So I've found a solution and I think now everything would work. Thanks again.
Frej Lindström7y ago
Hi, thank you very much. I have a form, but it seems like there are no AcroFields. How can I master this kind of pdf?
S Sharma8y ago
Thanks for the solution. It works for me in last rush hour to do the similar functionality ready.
Pramod Peyyala8y ago
Working very well thanks, But I want Fill this pdf form with database values, dynamically,1)While Getting form fields It is not fetching sequentially, after getting the 1st Form field it fetching random form field id. 1)For Example in My document 1st it is fetching 10th page form field id as 1st form id. 2)The form field name are like (textbox1,textbox2,..textbox55), then how will identify the particular form field id belongs last name or first name???That's why i thought its better to find label name and Id before particular form fields. Please Tell to get form fields sequentially and dynamically Fill pdf with database values.
Chanchal Bhardwaj9y ago
I want to check the second option of check box. My code is working fine for checking first option:pdfFormFields.SetField("Check Box26", "Yes"); My checkbox options are Single, Married
Rupinder Kaur11y ago
Hi I tried your code it works fine with the pdf provided by you but if I try to fill my own pdf form it doesn't do anything. I tried debugging actually PdfReader pdfReader = new PdfReader(pdfTemplate); the pdfReader is null when I provide my pdf as template.Please help why it is so?
Webo AL Khayami11y ago
Thanks a lot that what i was looking fori used this code in ASP.Net after changing some parts but when i write DictionaryEntry de it couse error i changed (DictionaryEntry ) to (KeyValuePair<string, iTextSharp.text.pdf.AcroFields.Item>) and it works perfectly thanks again :)
Chirag Patel11y ago
In Firefox Mozzila browser check box check not working it will print 4 instead of tick mark. Please find following code: pdfStamper.AcroFields.SetField(fd.name, value);
Dan Man13y ago
I get the following error Error 1 Cannot convert type 'System.Collections.Generic.KeyValuePair<string,iTextSharp.text.pdf.AcroFields.Item>' to 'System.Collections.DictionaryEntry' C:\Users\dan\Desktop\PdfGenerator_CS\PdfGenerator\Form1.cs 51 13 PdfGenerator
- Ken Kirkpatrick7y ago
  Did you figure this out? -same problem
Goran Markovic14y ago
How to fill pdf fields from my texbox items?
- dsdad fsdf13y ago
  pdfFormFields.SetField("f1_01(0)", "textBox1.text");
- dsdad fsdf13y ago
  and fill textBox using pdf field... PdfReader pdfReader = new PdfReader(pdfTemplate); AcroFields pdfFormFields = pdfReader.AcroFields; textbox1.text = pdfFormFields.GetField(
Tolga Altintas14y ago
Hi thanks for the good introduction !!! My problem is, that the method setField doenst work!! The old values in the pdf are not change, but i get a new pdf document :S Below is my code: string pdfTemplate = @"C:\Users\taltinta\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\WebSites\Lieferantenbewertung\templates\Muster1.pdf"; string newFile = @"C:\Users\taltinta\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\WebSites\Lieferantenbewertung\templates\Muster3.pdf"; PdfReader pdfReader = new PdfReader(pdfTemplate); PdfStamper pdfStamper = new PdfStamper(pdfReader, new FileStream(newFile, FileMode.Create)); AcroFields pdfFormFields = pdfStamper.AcroFields; // set form pdfFormFields // The first worksheet and W-4 form pdfFormFields.SetField("1", "a"); pdfFormFields.SetField("2", "b"); // flatten the form to remove editting options, set it to false // to leave the form open to subsequent manual edits pdfStamper.FormFlattening = false; // close the pdf pdfStamper.Close(); Thanks!
Anil Kumar15y ago
Thanks this helped me.... Bravo !!!
James Williams15y ago
I tried your code and was able to generate a pdf. However, instead of displaying a filled pdf form, the pdf displays this message: "To view the full contents of this document, you need a later version of the PDF viewer." Even after upgrading to the latest version of pdf, I still get this error. Any ideas why I'm running into this issue?
Sandra16y ago
I try to fill a form in pdf with data that is in xml format. In the iText examples for Java, I found a code example using xfa.fillXFAForm(). I am using C# with iTextSharp and can not find the similar method in XFAForm. Does anyone know how to do this in C#?
- hdfc manoj15y ago
  we can fil any pdf using the following code. The FillCell() fuction has few parameters which embed the text in the specified co-ordinate. I am using the edit function to stamp text in the existing Doc.pdf. public void EditPDF() { try { PdfReader reader = new PdfReader(Path.Combine(Server.MapPath(“~/pdf”), “Doc.pdf”)); string sPdfName = Path.Combine(Server.MapPath(“~/pdf”), “Doc221.pdf”); //int n = reader.GetPageSize(); PdfStamper stamp = new PdfStamper(reader, new FileStream( sPdfName, FileMode.Create)); PdfContentByte over; BaseFont bf = BaseFont.CreateFont(BaseFont.HELVETICA, BaseFont.WINANSI, BaseFont.EMBEDDED); over = stamp.GetOverContent(1); //over = stamp.getUnderContent(i); /*Image img = Image.getInstance(“Blank.JPG”); img.setAbsolutePosition(170, 279); over.addImage(img); */ over.BeginText(); //over.setFontAndSize(bf, 18); //over.setTextMatrix(30, 30); //over.showText(“page ” + i); over.SetFontAndSize(bf, 10); FillCell(over, “xyzabc”, 280F, 692F); over.EndText(); stamp.Close(); reader.Close(); return; } catch (Exception e) { //e.printStackTrace(); } } public void FillCell(PdfContentByte over,String sText,float x,float y) { try { //System.out.println(sText.length()); float fx=x;; over.ShowTextAligned(1, sText, fx , y, 0f); return; } catch(Exception e) { //e.printStackTrace(); } }
Tom McKeown17y ago
I get no exceptions... I dont see the new file being created... string fileName = MapPath(@"docs/Recall Templates.pdf"); string newFile = System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(fileName) + "_out.pdf"; //PdfDocument doc = PdfReader.Open(fileName, PdfDocumentOpenMode.Import); iTextSharp.text.pdf.PdfReader pdfReader = new iTextSharp.text.pdf.PdfReader(fileName); iTextSharp.text.pdf.PdfStamper pdfStamper = new iTextSharp.text.pdf.PdfStamper(pdfReader, new System.IO.FileStream(newFile, System.IO.FileMode.Create)); iTextSharp.text.pdf.AcroFields fields = pdfReader.AcroFields; iTextSharp.text.pdf.AcroFields.Item item = fields.GetFieldItem("title_mfr"); item.values[0] = "Tom Spines"; //fields.SetField("title_mfr", "Toms Spines"); pdfStamper.FormFlattening = true; pdfStamper.Close(); pdfReader.Close();
- Tom McKeown17y ago
  ok, i figured out file path issue (suprise it was my code)... But if I use "fields.Setfield("title_mfr(0)", "test"); I get "This AcroFields instance is read-only." error.... whats up?
Tim17y ago
I was able to use your itextsharp.dll to set text fields of a pdf but I'm struggling to set the href property of an Image Field with your dll. Any assitance with this would be appreciated. Thanks, Tim
P S17y ago
It's an excellent concept and more or less of a solution to something I am looking for. I was just wondering that is it possible to achieve the same result by creating aspx page where users just fill in the data and on click of a button it saves a filled PDF file. As I am trying to avoid having to install app on each and every users computer.
wendell smith17y ago
Do you know if the DLL is compatable with Visual C++ 6.0? wendell smith
- riya subbu16y ago
  Hi wendell, Do you know how to use this dll in c++? Thanks
Barry Carden17y ago
I am new to iTextSharp (I think its a grand piece of software) and Adobe and pdf. I am trying to prepopulate pdf forms from a C# program. I am able to do this but after the form has been prepopulated it is not longer editable from Adobe Reader. I need this capability as only some of the fields are prepopulated by the the C# program and this will always be the case. Is there any way around this limitation or am I doing something incorrectly. Barry
- Barry Carden17y agoedited
  Hi Thanks for the suggestion but when I do the following: pdfStamper.FormFlattening = false; It makes no difference I get the message: Please Note: You cannot save a completed copy of this form on your computer. If You would like a copy for your records, please fill it in and print it. And this defeats the purpose of having an electronic copy of the form that can be filled out. I have several questions to ask. Can we discuss my problems away from this forum?? Later that same day..... I have found out that when I open the file in Adobe Reader I cannot edit it (and the fields are not shaded) but if I open the same file in Acrobat Professional and click on Advanced / Enable usage Rights in Adobe Reader, I get the message "This document already has enabled usage rights in Adobe Reader". I am now confused and need some answers. Barry
- Scott Lysle17y ago
  Barry: Are you setting the stamper's form flattening property to false? That should leave the form open to subsequent manual edits. pdfStamper.FormFlattening = false;
- Scott Lysle17y ago
  I sent an email; we will take a look.
Samir Shah18y ago
Hi, I am trying to add new text field to the form but it's not working. i.e. pdfStamper.AcroFields.Fields.Add(newField, ""); Is it possible to add new field to existing form? How? Thanks in advance. Samir
- Scott Lysle18y ago
  Take a look at this; it addresses creating documents: http://www.devshed.com/c/a/Java/Creating-Simple-PDF-Files-With-iTextSharp/3/
L H18y ago
I tried your code, but working on my pdf I got zero returned fields. the pdf is made by Acrobat 8.1. could this be a problem?
- Scott Lysle18y ago
  More than likely there are no controls in the PDF. If they person that built the document intended for it to be printed and filled out by hand, they probably just used text and graphics in lieu of controls.
Olu Dare18y ago
How can you accomplish the same task interactively? Gven that all information have to be entered as needed and not within the program. And can you make this an installation apps so that the IDE (VB 2005) is not used or needed?
L H18y ago
Suppose I'm trying to sign pdf documents with your DLL. Is it possible to do it automatically (signatures reside on the computer). Thank you in advance.
D S18y ago
Hi, I tried your code and it worked fine. For some reason it didnot work with my pdf. I've an editable form similar to your W4. I could not see the names of any of the textboxes or checkboxes in the textbox. Can you help. Thanks.
- D S18y ago
  Is there a way of keeping the form editable so that the user can save the form itself and not the copy of it?
- Scott Lysle18y ago
  When you open the PDF you generally open the original as a template and then save a version of that document as the marked up copy of the original; this protects the original. I did not try it out but it seems if you make the target (saved version) the path to the original it should overwrite it (that is, use the same path for both the template and the saved version).
- Scott Lysle18y ago
  Well, it could be that the form does that you are using does not actually having any controls contained within it. It is possible to layout a PDF without using any controls at all; such forms would have been designed to print and might use rectangles instead of checkboxes and lines instead of textboxes. The surest way to tell would be to open the pdf in acrobat and see if you can edit the form from acrobat directly. If not, you'd need the adobe tools to add in the controls you need in order to make it something that could be editted in code.

Introduction

This article describes a quick and simple approach to programmatically completing a PDF document through the use of the iTextSharp DLL. The article also discusses how one might go about using the iTextSharp DLL to discover and map the fields available within an existing PDF if the programmer has only the PDF but does not have Adobe Designer or even a list of the names of the fields present in the PDF.

Figure 1: Resulting PDF after Filling in Fields Programmatically.

iTextSharp is a C# port of a Java library written to support the creation and manipulation of PDF document; the project is available for download through SourceForge.net here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/itextsharp/

With the iTextSharp DLL, it is possible to not only populate fields in an existing PDF document but also to dynamically create PDFs. The examples here are limited to a description of the procedures associated with completion of a PDF; the download will contain examples of PDF creation in both Visual Basic and C#.

The examples contained herein are dependent upon the availability of the iTextSharp DLL; use the link provided previously in order to download the DLL locally to your development machine.

In order to demonstrate filling out a PDF using the iTextSharp DLL, I downloaded a copy of the W-4 PDF form from the IRS website. The form contains controls and may be filled out programmatically so it serves as a good example.

PDF documents that do not contain controls; those meant to be printed and filled in with a pencil, cannot be completed using this approach. Of course if you have access to the Adobe tools (Adobe Professional, Adobe Designer), you can always create your own PDFs with controls, or can add controls to existing PDFs. Further, though not demonstrated here, one can also use iTextSharp to create a PDF document with embedded controls.

Getting Started

In order to get started, fire up the Visual Studio 2005 IDE and open the attached solution. The solution consists of a single Win Forms project with a single form.

I have also included a PDF that will be used for demonstration purposes; this form is the IRS W-4 form completed by US taxpayers; however, any PDF with embedded controls (text boxes, check boxes, etc.) is fair game for this approach. Note that a reference to the iTextSharp DLL has been included in the project.

All of the project code is contained with the single Windows form. The form itself contains only a docked textbox used to display all of the field names from an existing PDF document. The completed PDF is generated and stored in the local file system; the PDF is not opened for display by the application.

The application uses the existing PDF as a template and from that template; it creates and populates the new PDF. The template PDF itself is never populated and it is used only to define the format and contents of the completed PDF.

Figure 2: Solution Explorer.

The Code: Main Form

As was previously mentioned, all of the code used in the demonstration application is contained entirely in the project's single Windows form. The following section will describe the contents of the code file.

The file begins with the appropriate library imports needed to support the code. Note that the iTextSharp libraries have been included into the project. The namespace and class declaration are in the default configuration.

using System;
using System.Collections;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using iTextSharp;
using iTextSharp.text;
using iTextSharp.text.pdf;
using iTextSharp.text.xml;
using System.IO;
namespace PdfGenerator
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{

The next section of code contains the default constructor and the form 1 load event handler. During form load, two functions are called; those functions are used to display all of the fields present in the template PDF and to create a new PDF populated with a set of field values.

public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
ListFieldNames();
FillForm();
}

The next section of code contained in the demo application defines a function used to collect the names of all of the fields from the target PDF. The field names are displayed in a text box contained in the application's form.

/// <summary>
/// List all of the form fields into a textbox. The
/// form fields identified can be used to map each of the
/// fields in a PDF.
/// </summary>
private void ListFieldNames()
{
string pdfTemplate = @"c:\Temp\PDF\fw4.pdf";
// title the form
this.Text += " - " + pdfTemplate;
// create a new PDF reader based on the PDF template document
PdfReader pdfReader = new PdfReader(pdfTemplate);
// create and populate a string builder with each of the
// field names available in the subject PDF
StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
foreach (DictionaryEntry de in pdfReader.AcroFields.Fields)
{
sb.Append(de.Key.ToString() + Environment.NewLine);
}
// Write the string builder's content to the form's textbox
textBox1.Text = sb.ToString();
textBox1.SelectionStart = 0;
}

Figure 3 shows the field names collected from the target PDF using the ListFieldNames function call. In order to map these fields to specific fields in the PDF, one need only copy this list and pass values to each of the fields to identify them. For example, if the form contains ten fields, setting the value (shown next) to a sequential number will result in the display of the numbers 1 to 10 in each of the fields. One can then track that field value back to the field name using this list as the basis for the map. Once the fields have been identified, the application can be written to pass the correct values to the related field.

Checkbox controls may be a little more challenging to figure out. I tried passing several values to the checkbox controls before lining up a winner. In this example, I tried pass zero, one, true, false, etc. to the field before figuring out that 'yes' sets the check.

Figure 3: The Available PDF Fields.