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Version: Version 1.6

Get started with C

This guide walks you through the steps to use a sample project, and then explains how to integrate the Pdftools SDK into your application with the C programming language.

Getting started with a sample project​

Learn how to use the Pdftools SDK using a C sample project and convert a PDF file to an image.

Prerequisites​

This sample project uses GCC toolset 4.8+ and CMake version 3.16 or higher.

Compile and run the sample​

  1. Download a sample project, and then unzip the file.

  2. Navigate to the root directory of the unzipped sample project, and then run:

    cmake .

  3. Build the sample:

    cmake --build .

  4. Run the compiled sample application. Provide inputPath for the input PDF file and outputPath path for the output image file:

    ./pdftoolspdf2imgsimple <inputPath> <outputPath>

    For example, to render the sample PDF file PdfPrimerWhitePaper.pdf to a multi-page TIFF image format, run:

    ./pdftoolspdf2imgsimple PdfPrimerWhitePaper.pdf PdfPrimerWhitePaper.tiff
note

You can apply a similar procedure described in this tutorial for other code samples. For more information, see Code samples page.

Integrate the SDK into your application​

Integrate and initialize the Pdftools SDK into your application by following the instructions in the next sections.

Add the SDK to your project​

  1. Click the download link to get the latest version of the Pdftools SDK for C in a zip archive.

    Optional: For older Linux distributions running glibc 2.12+, download the SDK from a separate download.

  2. Unzip the file on your machine into a local directory recommended for your operating system. For example:

    C:\Program Files\PDF Tools AG\

    Included subdirectories are:

    SubdirectoryDescription
    ~Contains important information in the README.md file.
    libRuntime executable binaries and runtime import libraries:
    win-x86\PdfToolsSdk.dll and win-x86\PdfToolsSdk.lib for 32-bit Windows
    win-x64\PdfToolsSdk.dll and win-x64\PdfToolsSdk.lib for 64-bit Windows
    includeHeader files to add to your C or C++ project. The main header PdfTools.h includes all the other headers.

  3. Optional: The native libraries must be available in your compiler’s library path. This step is only required if your build process doesn’t resolve it automatically:

    Add the lib\win-x64 or lib\win-x86 subdirectory to the %PATH% environment variable.

Initialize the SDK​

Initialize the Pdftools SDK with your license key. Replace the <PDFSDK,V1,include-your-key-here> in the following function with the value of your license key:

// Initialize library
PdfTools_Initialize();

// Optional: Without a license key the Pdftools SDK returns watermarked results.
// Initialize the Pdftools SDK with a license key to remove the watermark.
// The Pdftools SDK returns an error if you use an invalid license key.
GOTO_CLEANUP_IF_FALSE_PRINT_ERROR(PdfTools_Sdk_Initialize(_T("$<PDFSDK,V1,include-your-key-here>$"), NULL), _T("Failed to set the license key. %s (ErrorCode: 0x%08x).\n"), szErrorBuff, PdfTools_GetLastError());
tip

Without a valid license key the output files are watermarked. Get in touch with the Pdftools sales team through the Contact page to get a full license.

Uninitialize the SDK​

After processing files with the Pdftools SDK, call the Uninitialize function to unload the library correctly:

// Uninitialize library
PdfTools_Uninitialize();

Implement your use case​

  • Find more use cases and sample projects on the Code samples page.
  • For more technical information about the Pdftools SDK for C, consult the C technical notes.