Concatenating PDF - pdf

After concatenating 2 pdf's using PdfCopyFields, I am able to edit the PDF fields, but I can't save the merged PDF. Why am I not able to save the PDF after doing this?

A form that has been Reader Enabled must be saved in append mode in order to continue working as such. PdfCopyFields creates a new PDF from scratch.
To get this working, you'll have to duplicate most of PdfCopyField's code via a PdfStamper set to append. Hurray for open source.
And keep in mind that iText 5.x is AGPL. Anyone with access to the program output must also have access to the source.
(which is why quite a few people are still using 2.1.7)

Related

Convert ppt to pdf and protect the file

The below is the line of code I'm using it currently which converts ppt to pdf, however I want to protect pdf , Is there any possibility
PowerPointapp.ActivePresentation.SaveAs path & pdffileNm & ".pdf", 32
This is not possible with the default vba functions available!
See this, not tested by me, example of using an external library to save pdf with password in the past.
Protecting a PDF is not permanent, once the file is opened (using the users decryption key provided by handing over the password), the contents are available to the new owner to add comment or fill forms or otherwise modify by print or text edit or remove watermarks.
Adobe reader will use different parts of those keys to reduce user writes, but no other editor has to.
Browsers need to edit PDF in exactly the same way so my Firefox pdf reader allows me to correct / change web page content or the embedded pdf contents, exactly the same as any other browser or pdf viewer or editor can. The only protected PDF is an unpublished one.

Using a GoogleSpreadsheet to fill in a PDF form

I have a very specific question and I would be extremely happy if anybody has any guess on how to solve it. I have: 1.- a PDF form which I have not created myself. 2.- a GoogleSpreadsheet created by myself.
Now the question is: is there any way I can fill in the PDF form using the information in the GoogleSpreadsheet, taking into account that this process should be activated from the GoogleSpreadsheet (since the PDF form is not mine)?
Best regards and thanks so much for everyone's input!
It depends.
You would need edit access to the PDF form, in order to get the field names. With that information, you could create a FDF (Forms Data Format, a PDF-related file format for data, using PDF syntax) file from the Google spreadsheet, which does refer to the PDF form as a base PDF. You then could open that FDF from the spreadsheet, and it should, if your webbrowser supports the Acrobat browser plug-in, grab the base PDF and populate it.
If you can not get the opening from the spreadsheet to work, download the FDF file and open it in Acrobat/Reader, or open the base form in Acrobat/Reader and import the data from the FDF file.

Save out a new PDF with updates from users

In my iOS app, I would like to regenerate an existing pdf into another pdf after the users are done annotating on the existing pdf.
My regenerated pdf should be an exact replica of the existing pdf but should have embedded annotations and highlights etc which can be opened and viewed on desktops as well.
I have done some research on this including the solutions proposed on other SO posts. I have tried libharu etc.
But somehow I am not able to convert an existing pdf into a replica pdf. I am able to add annotations to a new pdf I create using libharu.
Now my problem is to copy the existing pdf as is to my regenerated pdf. Any pointers will be much helpful.
My understanding is that a library that can save back out a PDF with "true" annotations (those that can be hidden in Acrobat, for example) is not something that exists in a FOSS solution.
LibHaru, for example, only supports creating new PDFs, not editing or appending existing PDFs. From their homepage:
At this moment libHaru does not support reading and editing existing
PDF files and it's unlikely this support will ever appear.
You can render the PDF on a page by page basis, and then re-save it with some additional information. This S.O question has a reasonable looking piece of code. That will save any "annotations" more as an image in the PDF itself, though.
You might try a paid library like PDFNet.

Using Texmaker, I want to lock the PDF file created so others cannot copy text or print the file

I'm creating PDFs using Texmaker. I would like to create some of the PDF files so that when I give the PDF to others, they are not able to print the file or to copy the text. I know I can do this with some PDF creator applications, but can I do that from some command like program I have with Latex, MikTex and TexMaker?
It wouldn't be effective anyway. There are bits in the pdf format that purport to forbid the user from doing this, but they are really just suggestions that the reader application may or may not act on. There is nothing to stop a user from removing the code that inspects the bits from a free/libre PDF reader, or just to run a tool over the file to remove the restrictions.

Saving the modified contents of a pdf

I've got a form that I downloaded, I'd like to prefill some content on the form (this is easy using cfpdfform).
Where it gets tricky is I would like to allow the user to modify the contents of that form, and then somehow have those modified contents accessible to me. I didnt build the source PDF so I dont know how to allow the user to "save" the new contents so they can be read.
Any ideas on where I might start on this one?
You can also use the cfpdfform tag to read/write data to a PDF file which has a form. The important thing is that the PDF document already have the form fields available, or that you add them.
I just recently completed a task where I had to have a user fill out a normal web form, and then create a filled version of an existing PDF document. It worked like a breeze!
I think that depending on what you are trying to accomplish, having the user fill out the data in a web form is less confusing than serving up a PDF and expecting them to save that to update a file on a remote server. Just my opinion, though.
http://www.cfquickdocs.com/cf8/?getDoc=cfpdfform#cfpdfform
It's possible for users to complete most PDF forms in Adobe Reader, but when user's try to save the changes they get a popup prompting them that the PDF cannot be saved and would need to upgrade to Adobe Acrobat to have this functionality.
Since Acrobat 7 (or possibly) 8 it's possible to create a form so that it can be completed and saved in reader. In Acrobat open your PDF, and select Advanced -> Enable usage right in reader from the menu. This will prompt you to save the form and then anyone using Adobe reader can complete it.
Once that's done you can open the form in ColdFusion, populate some of the fields and serve it up to the user. Once they fill it in, save it and get it back in ColdFusion you can read the contents using the PDF related tags.
Please note: It's currently not possible to set the "enable usage rights in reader" flag from ColdFusion, you need a copy of Adobe Acrobat or access to Adobe LifeCycle server to do this.
This document may help you:
http://www.adobe.com/education/instruction/teach/coldfusion/CF8-2_advanced_cf8_development_unit8.pdf