PDF::Reuse::Tutorial 0.11

PDF::Reuse::Tutorial is a Perl module that will teach you how to produce PDF-files with PDF::Reuse.

In this tutorial I will show some aspects of PDF::Reuse, so you should be able to use it in your own programs. Most important is how to produce and reuse PDF-code, and then if you are interested, you can look at Graphics and JavaScript, so you can to do special things.

Reusing code:

You can take advantage of what has been done before, it is not necessary to start from scratch every time you create a PDF-file. You use old PDF-files as a source for forms, images, fonts and texts. The components are taken as they are, or rearranged, and you add your own texts and you produce new output.
If you don't care too much about the size of your templates, you should make them with a commercial, visual tool, that's most practical; and then you should use PDF::Reuse to mass produce your files. In this tutorial I show in many places how create single files with PDF::Reuse. That is possible, but more of an exception. I do it here to show the technique. You will anyway need it to add texts and graphics to your templates.

Graphics:

With this module you get a good possibility to program directly with the basic graphic operators of PDF. This is perhaps an advanced level, and you can avoid it if you want. On the other hand, it is not very difficult, and if you take advantage of it, your possibilities to manage text and graphics increase very much. You should look at the "PDF-reference manual" which probably is possible to download from http://partners.adobe.com/asn/developer/acrosdk/docs.html. Look especially at chapter 4 and 5, Graphics and Text, and the Operator summary.
Whenever the function prAdd() is used in this tutorial, you can probably get more explanations in the "PDF-reference manual". The code, you add to the content stream with prAdd(), has to follow the PDF syntax completely.

JavaScript:

You can add JavaScript to your PDF-file programmatically. This works with Acrobat Reader 5.0.5 or Acrobat 5.0 and higher versions.

You should have the "Acrobat JavaScript Object Specification" by hand. If you haven't got Acrobat, you can probably download it from http://partners.adobe.com/asn/developer/technotes/acrobatpdf.html. It is technical note # 5186. JavaScript for HTML and PDF differs so much that you need the manual, even if you know JavaScript very well.

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Requirements:

· Perl