How do I get a TextField from AcroFields using iText/Sharp?

Question

I am using iTextSharp to loop through the fields in the AcroFields collection so I can set a various properties on an annotation. I have worked out how to pull most of the properties for each of the annotation fields, but would like to be able to cast the individual annotation to the correct field object (i.e., TextField, PushButtonField, RadioCheckField, etc.).

Short of creating a new TextField, reading and then setting all of the settings/properties associated with it, is there a concise way of getting to:

int index = 0;
AcroFields acroFields = stamper.AcroFields;
TextField tf = acroFields.GetTextField(acroField.Key.ToString(), index);

I am using a very old version of iTextSharp (4.0.6.0). I am unable to upgrade to the latest version as there are breaking changes between 4 and 5.

Additional Information: My PDF files have multiple repeated fields (e.g., two pages have the customer name), so setting a property by using just a key name can have unintended side effects. One field might be left justified while another is centered.

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 14 '15 at 13:51

3

Unfortunately no, TextField, PushButtonField and others are all part of iText's abstraction for document creation and there's no built-in way to reverse an AcroFields.Item object back to one of these.

answered Oct 14 '15 at 13:51

Chris Haas

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score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 14 '15 at 18:14

1

You can use the GetFieldType() while iterating the AcroFields. But not all properties are available to change. Let me know if there are any questions.

AcroFields acroFields = reader.AcroFields;
foreach (KeyValuePair<String, AcroFields.Item> field in acroFields.Fields)
{
    // Check to see if it is the type we want.
    Boolean isTextField = (AcroFields.FIELD_TYPE_TEXT == acroFields.GetFieldType(field.Key));

    if (isTextField)
    {
        // Change the text.
        acroFields.SetField(field.Key, "new  string");
    }
}

The constant int field types available are:

public const int FIELD_TYPE_CHECKBOX = 2;
public const int FIELD_TYPE_COMBO = 6;
public const int FIELD_TYPE_LIST = 5;
public const int FIELD_TYPE_NONE = 0;
public const int FIELD_TYPE_PUSHBUTTON = 1;
public const int FIELD_TYPE_RADIOBUTTON = 3;
public const int FIELD_TYPE_SIGNATURE = 7;
public const int FIELD_TYPE_TEXT = 4;

answered Oct 14 '15 at 18:14

Rick Burns

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My PDF files have multiple repeated fields (e.g., two pages have the customer name), so setting a property by using just a key name can have unintended side effects. One field might be left justified while another is centered. – Adam Zuckerman Oct 14 '15 at 18:19
@AdamZuckerman, I believe in my version of iTextSharp, the Key values reported via acroFields.Fields are unique (delimited with dots) even in cases where the names are identical. (like shown here: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6714255/itextsharp-acrofields-setfield-method-and-multiple-form-fields-with-same-name) – Rick Burns Oct 14 '15 at 18:27
The version I am using (4.0.6.0) does not report the duplicated fields with a dot to indicate which instance of the field your are referencing. – Adam Zuckerman Oct 14 '15 at 18:29
@AdamZuckerman Please edit your question to explain what properties you're trying to set (it can't be values, correct?). – Rick Burns Oct 14 '15 at 18:35
I want all of the properties for the field. I have written a function that will do this for me, but I was looking for something that is built in. – Adam Zuckerman Oct 14 '15 at 19:40

How do I get a TextField from AcroFields using iText/Sharp?

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