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StarDocs
Web APIs

Form-filling in your web apps using Web APIs

Fill PDF forms and finalize them with ease
by Santosh Patil

Select the language for the code snippets


If you are new to StarDocs, we suggest you read the introductory article and the getting started article first. This article builds on the steps explained in those foundational articles to avoid repetition.

The API reference documentation can be found here.

PDF forms are often employed for online data-collection. They help reduce paper usage and overcome the cumbersome process of data import. Using our HTML5 viewer you can easily display a form to a user and collect the filled-in values via the HTTP submit action. Subsequently there may be a need to populate a blank form with the collected values. In this article we'll show you how to fill the values back into the form fields contained in a PDF file and optionally flatten (finalize) the fields. The filled-in form can then be displayed back to the user, processed further or downloaded and printed.

  1. After authentication and uploading of the PDF file containing form fields you will get the document URL. Using the document URL you can request for filling up the form as shown below.
  2. // Set up connection details
    var stardocs = new Gnostice.StarDocs(
      new Gnostice.ConnectionInfo(
        'https://api.gnostice.com/stardocs/v1', 
        '<API Key>', 
        '<API Secret>'),
      new Preferences(
        // Whether to force full permissions on PDF files protected 
        // with an permissions/owner/master password
        new DocPasswordSettings(true))
    );
    
    // Authenticate
    stardocs.auth.loginApp()
      .done(function(response) {
        // Upload file
        var selectedFile = document.getElementById('input').files[0];
        stardocs.storage.upload(selectedFile) 
          .done(function(response) {
            var documentUrl = response.documents[0].url;
            // Form field values
            var formFields = [
              {
                fieldName: "txtFirstName",
                fieldValue: "Nikita",
                flattenField: true
              },
              {
                fieldName: "radioGender",
                fieldValue: "radioFemale",
                flattenField: true
              },
              {
                fieldName: "listboxLanguages",
                fieldValue: "Russian,English"
              }
            ];
            // Fill form, optionally specifying the 
            // password if the document is encrypted
            stardocs.docOperations.fillForm(documentUrl, "password", formFields)
              .done(function(response) {
                var filledDocumentUrl = response.documents[0].url;
                // Do something with filledDocumentUrl
                // ...
              });
          });
      });
    
    // Set up connection details
    StarDocs starDocs = new StarDocs(
      new ConnectionInfo(
        new Uri("https://api.gnostice.com/stardocs/v1"),
        "<API Key>",
        "<API Secret>"), 
      new Preferences(
        // Whether to force full permissions on PDF files protected 
        // with an permissions/owner/master password
        new DocPasswordSettings(true))
    );
    
    // Authenticate
    starDocs.Auth.loginApp();
    
    // Upload file, optionally specifying the password if the document 
    // is encrypted
    DocObject docObjectSurveyForm = starDocs.Storage.Upload(
      @"C:\Documents\SurveyForm_blank.pdf", "password");
    
    // Form field values
    List<PDFFormFieldFillData> formFields = 
      new List<PDFFormFieldFillData>();
    formFields.Add(
      new PDFFormFieldFillData("txtFirstName", "Nikita", true));
    formFields.Add(
      new PDFFormFieldFillData("radioGender", "radioFemale", true));
    formFields.Add(
      new PDFFormFieldFillData("listboxLanguages", "Russian,English"));
    
    // Fill form
    DocObject docObjectSurveyFormFilled = 
      starDocs.DocOperations.FillForm(docObjectBalanceSheet, null, 
        formFields);
    
    // Do something with docObjectSurveyFormFilled
    // ...
    
    // Set up connection details
    StarDocs starDocs = new StarDocs(
      new ConnectionInfo(
        new java.net.URI("https://api.gnostice.com/stardocs/v1"),
        "<API Key>",
        "<API Secret>"), 
      new Preferences(
        // Whether to force full permissions on PDF files protected 
        // with an permissions/owner/master password
        new DocPasswordSettings(true))
    );
    
    // Authenticate
    starDocs.auth.loginApp();
    
    // Upload file, optionally specifying the password if the document 
    // is encrypted
    DocObject docObjectSurveyForm = starDocs.storage.upload(
      "C:\\Documents\\SurveyForm_blank.pdf", "password");
    
    // Form field values
    ArrayList<PDFFormFieldFillData> formFields = 
      new ArrayList<PDFFormFieldFillData>();
    formFields.add(
      new PDFFormFieldFillData("txtFirstName", "Nikita", true));
    formFields.add(
      new PDFFormFieldFillData("radioGender", "radioFemale", true));
    formFields.add(
      new PDFFormFieldFillData("listboxLanguages", "Russian,English"));
    
    // Fill form
    DocObject docObjectSurveyFormFilled = 
      starDocs.docOperations.fillForm(docObjectBalanceSheet, null, 
        formFields);
    
    // Do something with docObjectSurveyFormFilled
    // ...
    
    var
      StarDocs: TgtStarDocsSDK;
      DocObjectSurveyForm: TgtDocObject;
      DocObjectSurveyFormFilled: TgtDocObject;
      FormFields: TObjectList<TgtPDFFormFieldFillData>;
    begin
      StarDocs := nil;
      DocObjectSurveyForm := nil;
      DocObjectSurveyFormFilled := nil;
      FormFields := nil;
      try
        // Set up connection details
        StarDocs := TgtStarDocsSDK.Create(nil);
        StarDocs.ConnectionSettings.ApiServerUri :=
          'http://api.gnostice.com/stardocs/v1';
        StarDocs.ConnectionSettings.ApiKey := '<API Key>';
        StarDocs.ConnectionSettings.ApiSecret := '<API Secret>';
        // Force full permissions on PDF files protected 
        // with an permissions/owner/master password
        StarDocs.Preferences.DocPasswordSettings.ForceFullPermission := True;
    
        // Authenticate
        StarDocs.Auth.loginApp;
    
        // Upload file, optionally specifying the password if the document 
        // is encrypted
        DocObjectSurveyForm:= StarDocs.Storage.Upload(
          'C:\Documents\SurveyForm_blank.pdf', 'password');
    
        // Form field values
        FormFields := TObjectList<TgtPDFFormFieldFillData>.Create;
        FormFields.Add(
          TgtPDFFormFieldFillData.Create('txtFirstName', 'Nikita', True));
        FormFields.Add(
          TgtPDFFormFieldFillData.Create('radioFemale', 'Yes', True));
        FormFields.Add(
          TgtPDFFormFieldFillData.Create('listboxLanguages', 'Russian,English'));
    
        // View file, optionally specifying the password if the document 
        // is encrypted
        DocObjectSurveyFormFilled:= StarDocs.DocOperations.FillForm(
          DocObjectBalanceSheet, nil, FormFields);
    
        // Do something with DocObjectSurveyFormFilled
        // ...
      finally
        if Assigned(FormFields) then
          FreeAndNil(FormFields);
        if Assigned(DocObjectSurveyForm) then
          FreeAndNil(DocObjectSurveyForm);
        if Assigned(DocObjectSurveyFormFilled) then
          FreeAndNil(DocObjectSurveyFormFilled);
        if Assigned(StarDocs) then
          FreeAndNil(StarDocs);
      end;
    end;
    

    The content of the field name and values should match the same as what is exported from the PDF viewer (our HTML5 viewer or any other viewer such as the Adobe Reader) on a "Submit" action via the HTTP GET or POST method. The content is dependent on the field type and its other properties. The following table gives a brief explanation of the same.
    Field Type FieldName Content FieldValue Content
    Text box Form field mapping name (if present) or form field name Form field value
    Check box Form Field export value (if present) or form field name of checked box
    Radio button Form Field export value (if present) or form field name of selected radio button item
    List box (single select) Form field export value (if present) or form field display value of selected item
    List box (multi select) Comma separated list of form field export value (if present) or form field display value of selected items
    Combo box (single select) Form field export value (if present) or form field display value of selected item
    Combo box (multi select) Comma separated list of form field export value (if present) or form field display value of selected items

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