FAQ - Adobe PDF Library - Datalogics

FAQ - Adobe PDF Library
www.datalogics.com
What is the Adobe PDF Library?
The Adobe ® PDF Library (APDFL) is a software development kit (SDK) that allows developers to implement PDF support
directly within their applications. APDFL is the same core technology with which Adobe builds its Acrobat family of products.
APDFL is available on multiple platforms, including several 64-bit platforms, and can be integrated into both desktop and
server applications.
What are some of the features that I can incorporate into my application with the Adobe PDF Library?
You can build applications without Acrobat or Reader that:
• edit PDF documents
• programmatically print PDFs
• view, render and rasterize PDFs
• create and manipulate hyperlinks to other PDF documents
or websites
• support double-byte languages such as Chinese, Japanese,
Korean, Hebrew, and Arabic
• search and extract text
• compress PDFs for storage
• encrypt files for secure web delivery
• embed fonts within PDF documents
• password-protect PDFs using Adobe’s encryption model
• provide linearized PDFs optimized for web delivery
What versions of PDF does the PDF Library support?
Adobe updates the PDF Library for each new major release of Adobe
Acrobat; the update is available shortly after the general release of Acrobat.
The current version of the PDF Library is version 9 - it supports documents
which conform to the latest PDF Specification, PDF v1.7.
The Adobe PDF Library is also backwards-compatible, supporting
documents which conform to earlier versions of the PDF Specification.
These backwards-compatible capabilities mirror those that are available in
Adobe Acrobat Professional.
Datalogics and Adobe
Datalogics is the premier channel
for Adobe’s PDF developer
technologies, including Adobe
Normalizer, Adobe PDF JobReady,
Adobe PDF Print Engine and the
Adobe PDF Library. These software
toolkits enable third-party developers
to build support for the PDF format
within their own applications.
Chicago-based Datalogics is an
Adobe Portfolio Company and for
over 40 years has been delivering the
highest quality software technologies
and services to meet demanding
customer needs worldwide.
Datalogics, Inc.
101 N. Wacker Drive #1800
Chicago IL 60606
phone: +1.312.853.8200
email: sales@datalogics.com
web: www.datalogics.com

What is the difference between the Adobe PDF
Library and the Acrobat SDK?
The Acrobat SDK is used for creating plugins - these
require a copy of Reader or, in most cases, a licensed copy
of Acrobat in order to run. The plugins rely on functionality
that is delivered within the Reader/Acrobat application.
In comparison, the Adobe PDF Library integrates
directly within your application, and gives you access
to Acrobat-type functionality within your application
without requiring that Acrobat or Reader be present: no
external dependencies, no interapplication communication.
This enables you to deliver standalone applications with
built-in PDF functionality; and allows you to build clientand
server-side applications (where Acrobat cannot be
deployed).
Can I access the Library from .NET?
Yes. A .NET interface is provided via the Datalogics
Enhancements (DLE) component of the Adobe PDF
Library. Java and .NET code samples are delivered as part
of the standard distribution of APDFL.
What is DLE?
Datalogics Enhancements (DLE) are a set of modules which
include performance improvements and optimizations;
enhanced functionality and language interfaces for .NET
and Java developers. DLE is provided as part of the
standard distribution of the Adobe PDF Library.
I want to display PDFs within my application. Can I
use APDFL to build my own PDF viewer?
Yes. The PDF Library contains viewer API calls which
can be used to build a custom PDF viewer, or to add PDF
viewing capabilities to your existing document viewing
application. The DLViewer code samples demonstrate how
to use these APIs to build a simple PDF viewer.
Can I use APDFL to extract text from PDFs?
Yes. Also, in addition to the text characters, style and
positional information can also be obtained. There are
several code samples which illustrate how to extract text
from PDFs.
What kind of encryption/password-protection
capabilities are in APDFL?
APDFL uses the same Adobe encryption model used
in Acrobat. This means you can use APDFL to restrict
viewing, editing, copying, printing a PDF, just as
in Acrobat. This also means these capabilities are
interoperable between APDFL and Acrobat - your
application could encrypt a document to restrict editing; and
those restrictions would be enforced within Acrobat and
Reader as well.
What platforms are available?
APDFL is available on MacOS, Linux, IBM AIX;
32- and 64-bit versions are available for Windows, Solaris,
HPUX RISC and HPUX Itanium.
What languages are supported?
Interfaces are provided for C, C++, Java and .NET.
Where can I find more information about the PDF
Library?
Contact us directly at sales@datalogics.com
or +1.312.853.8200.
Additional information is available online at:
- http://www.adobe.com/devnet/pdf/library/
- http://www.datalogics.com/products/pdfl/pdflibrary.asp
101 N. Wacker Dr. • Suite 1800 • Chicago, IL 60606 • +1.312.853.8200
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