217 lines
8.5 KiB
Plaintext
217 lines
8.5 KiB
Plaintext
|
================================================
|
||
|
PDFlib - A library for generating PDF on the fly
|
||
|
================================================
|
||
|
|
||
|
Portable C library for dynamically generating PDF ("Adobe Acrobat") files,
|
||
|
with support for many other programming languages.
|
||
|
|
||
|
The PDFlib distribution is available from www.pdflib.com
|
||
|
|
||
|
PDFlib is a library for generating PDF files. It offers an API with
|
||
|
support for text, vector graphics, raster image, and hypertext. Call PDFlib
|
||
|
routines from within your client program and voila: dynamic PDF files!
|
||
|
|
||
|
PDFlib is available on a wide variety of operating system platforms,
|
||
|
and supports many programming languages and development environments:
|
||
|
|
||
|
- C
|
||
|
- C++
|
||
|
- Cobol
|
||
|
- COM (Visual Basic, ASP, Windows Script Host, Delphi, and many others)
|
||
|
- Java via the JNI, including servlets and JSP (but not EJB)
|
||
|
- .NET framework (VB.NET, ASP.NET, C# and others).
|
||
|
- Perl
|
||
|
- PHP Hypertext Processor
|
||
|
- Python
|
||
|
- REALbasic
|
||
|
- RPG
|
||
|
- Ruby
|
||
|
- Tcl
|
||
|
|
||
|
An overview of PDFlib features can be found in the PDFlib tutorial and
|
||
|
the PDFlib reference manual. Separate Windows editions of these manuals
|
||
|
cover the COM, .NET, and REALbasic bindings.
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
PDFlib flavors
|
||
|
==============
|
||
|
The PDFlib software is available in different flavors (see the PDFlib
|
||
|
tutorial for a detailed comparison):
|
||
|
|
||
|
- PDFlib Lite
|
||
|
Open-source edition for basic PDF generation, free for personal use.
|
||
|
PDFlib Lite does not support all languages, and is not available on
|
||
|
EBCDIC platforms.
|
||
|
Important note: PDFlib Lite supports only a subset of PDFlib features.
|
||
|
The differences are detailed in the PDFlib tutorial.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- PDFlib
|
||
|
The commercial edition adds various features for advanced PDF generation.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- PDFlib+PDI
|
||
|
Includes PDFlib plus the PDF Import library PDI which can be used to
|
||
|
integrate pages from existing PDF documents in the generated output
|
||
|
|
||
|
- PDFlib Personalization Server (PPS)
|
||
|
Includes PDFlib+PDI, plus advanced block processing functions for
|
||
|
easily personalizing PDF documents. PPS also includes the Block
|
||
|
plugin for Adobe Acrobat which can be used to create PDFlib blocks
|
||
|
interactively.
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
Binary Packages
|
||
|
===============
|
||
|
PDFlib, PDFlib+PDI, and PPS are available in binary form, and require
|
||
|
a commercial license. All of these products are available in a single
|
||
|
library, and can be evaluated without any restrictions without any
|
||
|
license. However, unless a valid license key is applied a demo stamp
|
||
|
will be generated across all pages.
|
||
|
The binary packages support C plus various other language bindings.
|
||
|
Instructions for using these packages can be found in doc/readme-binary.txt.
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
PDFlib Lite Source Packages
|
||
|
===========================
|
||
|
PDFlib Lite is available in source form, and can be used for free under
|
||
|
certain conditions. Source code is also available for selected language
|
||
|
wrappers. If you are working with a source code package you need an ANSI C
|
||
|
compiler. Detailed instructions for building PDFlib from source code
|
||
|
can be found in doc/readme-source-*.txt
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
Documentation and Samples
|
||
|
=========================
|
||
|
We provide the following material to assist you in using PDFlib successfully:
|
||
|
|
||
|
- The mini samples (hello, image, pdfclock, etc.) are available in all
|
||
|
packages and for all supported language bindings. They provide minimalistic
|
||
|
sample code for text output, images, and vector graphics. The mini samples
|
||
|
are mainly useful for testing your PDFlib installation, and for getting a
|
||
|
very quick overview of writing PDFlib applications.
|
||
|
|
||
|
The hello, pdfclock, chartab, and image examples work with PDFlib or
|
||
|
PDFlib Lite.
|
||
|
|
||
|
The invoice and quickreference examples require PDFlib+PDI, and demonstrate
|
||
|
how to deal with existing PDF documents.
|
||
|
|
||
|
The businesscard example requires the PDFlib Personalization Server (PPS),
|
||
|
and contains a simple personalization example.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- The starter samples are contained in all packages and are available for a
|
||
|
variety of language bindings. They provide a useful generic starting point
|
||
|
for important topics, and cover simple text and image output, Textflow and
|
||
|
table formatting, PDF/A and PDF/X creation and other topics. The starter
|
||
|
samples demonstrate the basic techniques for achieving a particular goal
|
||
|
with PDFlib products. It is strongly recommended to take a look at the
|
||
|
starter samples.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- The PDFlib Tutorial, which is contained in all packages as a single PDF
|
||
|
document, explains important programming concepts in more detail, using
|
||
|
explanations, tables, and small or large pieces of sample code. If you
|
||
|
start extending your code beyond the starter samples you should read up on
|
||
|
relevant topics in the PDFlib Tutorial.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- The PDFlib Reference, which is contained in all packages as a single PDF
|
||
|
document, contains a concise description of all functions, parameters, and
|
||
|
options which together comprise the PDFlib application programming interface
|
||
|
(API). The PDFlib Reference is the definitive source for looking up parameter
|
||
|
details, supported options, input conditions, and other programming rules
|
||
|
which must be observed. Note that some versions of the PDFlib reference are
|
||
|
incomplete, e.g. the Javadoc API listing for PDFlib and the PDFlib function
|
||
|
listing on php.net. Make sure to always use the full PDFlib Reference when
|
||
|
working with PDFlib.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- The PDFlib Cookbook is a growing collection of PDFlib coding fragments for
|
||
|
solving specific problems. Most Cookbook examples are written in the Java
|
||
|
language, but can easily be adjusted to other programming languages since
|
||
|
the PDFlib API is almost identical for all supported language bindings. The
|
||
|
PDFlib Cookbook is maintained as a growing collection of sample programs.
|
||
|
It is available on the Web at the following URL:
|
||
|
|
||
|
www.pdflib.com/developer/cookbook
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
Other PDFlib resources
|
||
|
======================
|
||
|
In addition to the PDFlib reference manual the following resources
|
||
|
are available:
|
||
|
|
||
|
- The PDFlib FAQ collects information about known bugs, patches,
|
||
|
and workarounds: www.pdflib.com
|
||
|
|
||
|
- The PDFlib mailing list discusses PDFlib deployment in a variety of
|
||
|
environments. You can access the mailing list archives over the Web,
|
||
|
and don't need to subscribe in order to use it:
|
||
|
groups.yahoo.com/group/pdflib
|
||
|
|
||
|
- Commercial PDFlib licensees are eligible to standard product
|
||
|
support from PDFlib GmbH. Please send your inquiry along with your
|
||
|
PDFlib license number to support@pdflib.com.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- Customers with a valid support contract can benefit from additional
|
||
|
advantages, including short response times and free minor and major
|
||
|
updates; see our Web site for details.
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
Submitting Bug Reports
|
||
|
======================
|
||
|
In case of trouble you should always check the PDFlib Web site in order
|
||
|
to see whether your problem is already known, or a patch exists. If not
|
||
|
so, please observe the following:
|
||
|
|
||
|
If you have trouble with running PDFlib, please send the following
|
||
|
information to support@pdflib.com
|
||
|
|
||
|
- a description of your problem
|
||
|
- the platform in use
|
||
|
- the PDFlib version number you are using
|
||
|
- the language binding you are using, along with relevant version numbers
|
||
|
- relevant code snippets for reproducing the problem, or a small PDF file
|
||
|
exhibiting the problem if you can't construct a code snippet easily
|
||
|
- sample data files if necessary (image files, for example)
|
||
|
- details of the PDF viewer (if relevant) where the problem occurs
|
||
|
|
||
|
If you have trouble compiling the PDFlib Lite source code, please send the
|
||
|
following information to support@pdflib.com:
|
||
|
|
||
|
- a description of your problem and the platform in use
|
||
|
- the PDFlib version number you are using
|
||
|
- the output of "./libtool --config" (Unix systems only)
|
||
|
- most welcome: suggested patches or solutions, other helpful information
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
Licensing and Copyright
|
||
|
=======================
|
||
|
THIS IS NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN OR FREEWARE SOFTWARE!
|
||
|
|
||
|
PDFlib Lite can freely be used for non-profit personal use.
|
||
|
The license text can be found in the file PDFlib-Lite-license.pdf.
|
||
|
|
||
|
PDFlib, PDFlib+PDI, and PPS can only be used under the terms of
|
||
|
a commercial license, and always require a license fee. Details
|
||
|
of the license can be found in the file PDFlib-license.pdf.
|
||
|
Licensing information is available in the file PDFlib-purchase-order.pdf,
|
||
|
and on our Web site www.pdflib.com.
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
Please contact us if you are interested in obtaining a commercial
|
||
|
PDFlib license:
|
||
|
|
||
|
PDFlib GmbH
|
||
|
Licensing Department
|
||
|
Franziska-Bilek-Weg 9, 80339 Munich, Germany
|
||
|
fax +49/89/452 33 84-99
|
||
|
|
||
|
License inquiries: sales@pdflib.com
|
||
|
|
||
|
Support for PDFlib licensees: support@pdflib.com
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
Technical inquiries if you have not licensed PDFlib:
|
||
|
mailing list and archives at groups.yahoo.com/group/pdflib
|
||
|
|
||
|
Copyright (c) 1997-2010 PDFlib GmbH and Thomas Merz. All rights reserved.
|
||
|
PDFlib and the PDFlib logo are registered trademarks of PDFlib GmbH.
|