iText Homepage
NEWS
July 7, 2009: release of iText 2.1.7Read more about iText in Action, the first and only book about iText:
Download two free chapters! Buy the eBook.
Try the iText Java Web Start application!
Project description
iText is a library that allows you to generate PDF files on the fly.iText is an ideal library for developers looking to enhance web- and other applications with dynamic PDF document generation and/or manipulation. iText is not an end-user tool. Typically you won't use it on your Desktop as you would use Acrobat or any other PDF application. Rather, you'll build iText into your own applications so that you can automate the PDF creation and manipulation process. For instance in one or more of the following situations:
- Due to time or size, the PDF documents can't be produced manually.
- The content of the document must be calculated or based on user input.
- The content needs to be customized or personalized.
- The PDF content needs to be served in a web environment.
- Documents are to be created in "batch process" mode.
- Serve PDF to a browser
- Generate dynamic documents from XML files or databases
- Use PDF's many interactive features
- Add bookmarks, page numbers, watermarks, etc.
- Split, concatenate, and manipulate PDF pages
- Automate filling out of PDF forms
- Add digital signatures to a PDF file
- And much more...
iText requires JDK 1.4. It's available for free under a multiple license: MPL and LGPL.
iText in Action
The book on iText 'iText in Action' can be bought at Manning.com,
Amazon.com,
Amazon.co.ukYou can find an overview of the book reviews at 1T3XT.com.
Technical Requirements
If you want to use the iText classes you should be
acquainted with JAVA (TM) programming.You'll also need the following Software:
- The Java Development Kit (JDK) 1.4 (or any later version) from Sun Microsystems Incorporated.
- The BouncyCastle: bcprov and bcmail (see installing iText)
- Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe Systems Incorporated:
Getting started with iText
There are five places that are extremely important if you want to work with iText.- The first is the book page. If you own the book, you get access to hundreds of examples, and you'll save a lot of time finding your way in the library by using the book as your tutorial.
- There's also a free tutorial that was written before the book. Not all functionality available in iText is explained, but it's a good place to start. If you click on one of the features in the overview, you get some explanation and some examples on how to use these features. There's also the Javadoc pages for more detail on every method (again: not every method is documented, but we're working on it).
- After the book was written, some special examples were compiled in the iText Wiki. They can also serve as an introduction to the library.
- If the examples don't work or you experience some typical newbie problems, please consult the Frequently Asked Questions page.
- If you need something that isn't on the feature list, please check the mailing-list archives. Lots of features are yet to be documented, but most of the iText functionality has been commented in the mailing-list. If you have a problem that has not been dealt with yet (or that should be in the FAQ), you can post it to the mailing-list. But it's always a good idea to check archives first.
Searching the net and the different iText sites