Programmatically Disassembling PDF Documents

You can disassemble a PDF document by passing it to the Assembler service. Typically, this task is useful when the PDF document was originally created from many individual documents, such as a collection of statements. In the following illustration, DocA is divided into multiple resultant documents, where the first level 1 bookmark on a page identifies the start of a new resultant document.

View full size graphic

To disassemble a PDF document, ensure that the PDFsFromBookmarks element is located in the DDX document. The PDFsFromBookmarks element is a resultant element and can be only a child element of the DDX element. It does not have a result attribute because it can result in the generation of multiple documents.

The PDFsFromBookmarks element causes a single document to be generated for each level 1 bookmark in the source document.

For the purpose of this discussion, assume the following DDX document is used. 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> 
<DDX xmlns="http://ns.adobe.com/DDX/1.0/"> 
     <PDFsFromBookmarks prefix="stmt"> 
    <PDF source="AssemblerResultPDF.pdf"/> 
</PDFsFromBookmarks> 
</DDX>
Before reading this section, it is recommended that you be familiar with assembling PDF documents by using the Assembler service. (See Programmatically Assembling PDF Documents .)
Note: When passing a single PDF document to the Assembler service and getting back a single document, you can invoke the invokeOneDocument operation. However, to disassemble a PDF document, use the invokeDDX operation because although one input PDF document is passed to the Assembler service, the Assembler service returns a collection object that contains one or more documents.
Note: For more information about the Assembler service, see Services Reference for LiveCycle .
Note: For more information about a DDX document, see Assembler Service and DDX Reference .

Summary of steps

To disassemble a PDF document, perform the following tasks:

  1. Include project files.

  2. Create a PDF Assembler client.

  3. Reference an existing DDX document.

  4. Reference a PDF document to disassemble.

  5. Set run-time options.

  6. Disassemble the PDF document.

  7. Save the disassembled PDF documents.

Include project files

Include the necessary files in your development project. If you are creating a client application by using Java, include the necessary JAR files. If you are using web services, ensure that you include the proxy files.

The following JAR files must be added to your project’s class path:

  • adobe-livecycle-client.jar

  • adobe-usermanager-client.jar

  • adobe-assembler-client.jar

  • adobe-utilities.jar (required if LiveCycle is deployed on JBoss)

  • jbossall-client.jar (required if LiveCycle is deployed on JBoss)

if LiveCycle is deployed on a supported J2EE application server that is not JBoss, you must replace adobe-utilities.jar and jbossall-client.jar with JAR files that are specific to the J2EE application server on which LiveCycle is deployed.

Create a PDF Assembler client

Before you can programmatically perform an Assembler operation, you must create an Assembler service client.

Reference an existing DDX document

A DDX document must be referenced to disassemble a PDF document. This DDX document must contain the PDFsFromBookmarks element.

Reference a PDF document to disassemble

To disassemble a PDF document, reference a PDF file that represents the PDF document to disassemble. When passed to the Assembler service, a separate PDF document is returned for each level 1 bookmark in the document.

Set run-time options

You can set run-time options that control the behaviour of the Assembler service while it performs a job. For example, you can set an option that instructs the Assembler service to continue processing a job if an error is encountered.

Disassemble the PDF document

After you create the Assembler service client, reference the DDX document, reference a PDF document to disassemble, and set run-time options, you can disassemble a PDF document by invoking the invokeDDX method. Provided that the DDX document contains instructions to disassemble the PDF document, the Assembler service returns disassembled PDF documents within a collection object.

Save the disassembled PDF documents

All disassembled PDF documents are returned within a collection object. Iterate through the collection object and save each PDF document as a PDF file.

See also

Disassemble a PDF document using the Java API

Disassemble a PDF document using the web service API

Including LiveCycle Java library files

Setting connection properties

Programmatically Assembling PDF Documents

Disassemble a PDF document using the Java API

Disassemble a PDF document by using the Assembler Service API (Java):

  1. Include project files.

    Include client JAR files, such as adobe-assembler-client.jar, in your Java project’s class path.

  2. Create a PDF Assembler client.

    • Create a ServiceClientFactory object that contains connection properties.

    • Create an AssemblerServiceClient object by using its constructor and passing the ServiceClientFactory object.

  3. Reference an existing DDX document.

    • Create a java.io.FileInputStream object that represents the DDX document by using its constructor and passing a string value that specifies the location of the DDX file.

    • Create a com.adobe.idp.Document object by using its constructor and passing the java.io.FileInputStream object.

  4. Reference a PDF document to disassemble.

    • Create a java.util.Map object that is used to store input PDF documents by using a HashMap constructor.

    • Create a java.io.FileInputStream object by using its constructor and passing the location of the PDF document to disassemble.

    • Create a com.adobe.idp.Document object and pass the java.io.FileInputStream object that contains the PDF document to disassemble.

    • Add an entry to the java.util.Map object by invoking its put method and passing the following arguments:

      • A string value that represents the key name. This value must match the value of the PDF source element specified in the DDX document.

      • A com.adobe.idp.Document object that contains the PDF document to disassemble.

  5. Set run-time options.

    • Create an AssemblerOptionSpec object that stores run-time options by using its constructor.

    • Set run-time options to meet your business requirements by invoking a method that belongs to the AssemblerOptionSpec object. For example, to instruct the Assembler service to continue processing a job when an error occurs, invoke the AssemblerOptionSpec object’s setFailOnError method and pass false .

  6. Disassemble the PDF document.

    Invoke the AssemblerServiceClient object’s invokeDDX method and pass the following required values:

    • A com.adobe.idp.Document object that represents the DDX document to use

    • A java.util.Map object that contains the PDF document to disassemble

    • A com.adobe.livecycle.assembler.client.AssemblerOptionSpec object that specifies the run-time options, including the default font and the job log level

    The invokeDDX method returns a com.adobe.livecycle.assembler.client.AssemblerResult object that contains the disassembled PDF documents and any exceptions that occurred.

  7. Save the disassembled PDF documents.

    To obtain the disassembled PDF documents, perform the following actions:

    • Invoke the AssemblerResult object’s getDocuments method. This returns a java.util.Map object.

    • Iterate through the java.util.Map object until you find the resultant com.adobe.idp.Document object.

    • Invoke the com.adobe.idp.Document object’s copyToFile method to extract the PDF document.

See also

Programmatically Disassembling PDF Documents

Quick Start (EJB mode): Disassembling a PDF document using the Java API

Quick Start (SOAP mode): Disassembling a PDF document using the Java API

Including LiveCycle Java library files

Setting connection properties

Disassemble a PDF document using the web service API

Disassemble a PDF document by using the Assembler Service API (web service):

  1. Include project files.

    Create a Microsoft .NET project that uses MTOM. Ensure that you use the following WSDL definition when setting a service reference: http://localhost:8080/soap/services/AssemblerService?WSDL&lc_version=9.0.1 .

    Note: Replace localhost with the IP address of the server hosting LiveCycle.

  2. Create a PDF Assembler client.

    • Create an AssemblerServiceClient object by using its default constructor.

    • Create an AssemblerServiceClient.Endpoint.Address object by using the System.ServiceModel.EndpointAddress constructor. Pass a string value that specifies the WSDL to the LiveCycle service (for example, http://localhost:8080/soap/services/AssemblerService?blob=mtom ). You do not need to use the lc_version attribute. This attribute is used when you create a service reference.

    • Create a System.ServiceModel.BasicHttpBinding object by getting the value of the AssemblerServiceClient.Endpoint.Binding field. Cast the return value to BasicHttpBinding .

    • Set the System.ServiceModel.BasicHttpBinding object’s MessageEncoding field to WSMessageEncoding.Mtom . This value ensures that MTOM is used.

    • Enable basic HTTP authentication by performing the following tasks:

      • Assign the AEM forms user name to the field AssemblerServiceClient.ClientCredentials.UserName.UserName .

      • Assign the corresponding password value to the field AssemblerServiceClient.ClientCredentials.UserName.Password .

      • Assign the constant value HttpClientCredentialType.Basic to the field BasicHttpBindingSecurity.Transport.ClientCredentialType .

      • Assign the constant value BasicHttpSecurityMode.TransportCredentialOnly to the field BasicHttpBindingSecurity.Security.Mode .

  3. Reference an existing DDX document.

    • Create a BLOB object by using its constructor. The BLOB object is used to store the DDX document.

    • Create a System.IO.FileStream object by invoking its constructor. Pass a string value that represents the file location of the DDX document and the mode in which to open the file.

    • Create a byte array that stores the content of the System.IO.FileStream object. You can determine the size of the byte array by getting the System.IO.FileStream object’s Length property.

    • Populate the byte array with stream data by invoking the System.IO.FileStream object’s Read method and passing the byte array, the starting position, and the stream length to read.

    • Populate the BLOB object by assigning its MTOM property with the contents of the byte array.

  4. Reference a PDF document to disassemble.

    • Create a BLOB object by using its constructor. The BLOB object is used to store the input PDF document. This BLOB object is passed to the invokeOneDocument as an argument.

    • Create a System.IO.FileStream object by invoking its constructor and passing a string value that represents the file location of the input PDF document and the mode in which to open the file.

    • Create a byte array that stores the content of the System.IO.FileStream object. You can determine the size of the byte array by getting the System.IO.FileStream object’s Length property.

    • Populate the byte array with stream data by invoking the System.IO.FileStream object’s Read method and passing the byte array, the starting position, and the stream length to read.

    • Populate the BLOB object by assigning its MTOM field the contents of the byte array.

    • Create a MyMapOf_xsd_string_To_xsd_anyType object. This collection object is used to store the PDF to disassemble.

    • Create a MyMapOf_xsd_string_To_xsd_anyType_Item object.

    • Assign a string value that represents the key name to the MyMapOf_xsd_string_To_xsd_anyType_Item object’s key field. This value must match the value of the PDF source element specified in the DDX document.

    • Assign the BLOB object that stores the PDF document to the MyMapOf_xsd_string_To_xsd_anyType_Item object’s value field.

    • Add the MyMapOf_xsd_string_To_xsd_anyType_Item object to the MyMapOf_xsd_string_To_xsd_anyType object. Invoke the MyMapOf_xsd_string_To_xsd_anyType object’ Add method and pass the MyMapOf_xsd_string_To_xsd_anyType object.

  5. Set run-time options.

    • Create an AssemblerOptionSpec object that stores run-time options by using its constructor.

    • Set run-time options to meet your business requirements by assigning a value to a data member that belongs to the AssemblerOptionSpec object. For example, to instruct the Assembler service to continue processing a job when an error occurs, assign false to the AssemblerOptionSpec object’s failOnError field.

  6. Disassemble the PDF document.

    Invoke the AssemblerServiceClient object’s invokeDDX method and pass the following values:

    • A BLOB object that represents the DDX document that disassembles the PDF document

    • The MyMapOf_xsd_string_To_xsd_anyType object that contains the PDF document to disassemble

    • An AssemblerOptionSpec object that specifies run-time options

    The invokeDDX method returns an AssemblerResult object that contains the job results and any exceptions that occurred.

  7. Save the disassembled PDF documents.

    To obtain the newly created PDF documents, perform the following actions:

    • Access the AssemblerResult object’s documents field, which is a Map object that contains the disassembled PDF documents.

    • Iterate through the Map object to obtain each resultant document. Then, cast that array member’s value to a BLOB .

    • Extract the binary data that represents the PDF document by accessing its BLOB object’s MTOM property. This returns an array of bytes that you can write out to a PDF file.

See also

Programmatically Disassembling PDF Documents

Quick Start (MTOM): Disassembling a PDF document using the web service API

Invoking LiveCycle using MTOM

// Ethnio survey code removed