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Version: Version 1.3

Pdftools SDK for Java

The Pdftools SDK for Java is a package that lets you create PDF files using Java.

info

The Pdftools SDK for Java requires Java version 8 or higher.

tip

For the full API reference for the Pdftools SDK, see the Java API reference.

Compilation​

When using the Java interface, the Java archive jar\com.pdftools.jar needs to be on the CLASSPATH. This can be done by either adding it to the environment variable CLASSPATH, or by specifying it using the -classpath or -cp switch:

javac -cp ".;C:\Program Files\PDF Tools AG\jar\com.pdftools.jar" ^
sampleApplication.java

Execution​

Additionally, the library needs to be in one of the system’s library directories or added to the Java system property java.library.path.

On Windows, the library is defined by the environment variable PATH.

This can be achieved by either adding this system property dynamically at program startup before using the API, or by specifying it using the switch -Djava.library.path when starting the Java VM.

Choose the correct subdirectory for the native library depending on the operating system and the platform of the Java VM. If the wrong data model is used, there is an error message similar to this: “Can't load IA 32-bit .dll on a AMD 64-bit platform”.

On Windows, two builds are available: win-x64 and win-x86.

java -cp ".;C:\Program Files\PDF Tools AG\com.pdftools.jar" ^
"-Djava.library.path=C:\Program Files\PDF Tools AG\lib\win-x64" sampleApplication
note

Note the different path separators on Windows vs. Linux or macOS

AutoCloseable objects​

Objects that must be closed explicitly (e.g. com.pdftools.pdf.Document, com.pdftools.image.Document, com.pdftools.crypto.providers.Provider, or sub-classes) implement the java.lang.AutoCloseable interface. Instead of calling close() directly, it is recommended that you use the “try ­with ­resources” statement:

try (Document document = ...) {
 ...
} // document.close() is called implicitly here

Properties​

Properties are modeled with setter and getter methods.

Error handling​

Errors are reported using exceptions. Where applicable, the SDK maps errors to corresponding native runtime exceptions, such as java.lang.IllegalArgumentException, java.lang.IllegalStateException, java.lang.UnsupportedOperationException, or java.io.IOException. The remaining errors are modeled using exception classes that inherit from a base class PdfToolsException.

Streams​

The native stream interfaces cannot be used, because they are lacking two important features:

  • The PDF file format is based on random access. Native Java streams have only limited support for this.
  • The ability to read from an output stream is crucial for processing large files.

Instead, a custom stream interface com.pdftools.sys.Stream is provided. A FileStream implementation for files is provided, backed by java.io.RandomAccessFile. For in-memory processing, a MemoryStream implementation is provided.

Lists & Iterables​

The API uses different concepts for returning collections of elements depending on the context:

  • lists (java.util.List) are usually used when the elements are already in memory and random access is possible. Depending on the context manipulation (add, remove, etc.) might also be possible.
  • iterables (java.util.Iterable) are usually used, when elements are retrieved on demand. They do not allow random access, but instead only allow iterating through the elements.

Maps​

Maps implement the native Java map interface java.util.Map.

Package​

The Pdftools SDK uses the package com.pdftools.

note

We recommend to use a custom, company specific package for your code. Using the com.pdftools package like the SDK can lead to problems with ambiguous class names, especially when using multiple of our SDKs in the same project.