Question

I created a .PDF file using Adobe Acrobat Pro. The file has several text fields. Using iTextSharp, I’m able to populate all the fields and mail out the .PDF.

One thing is bugging me – some of the next will not “fit” in the textbox. In Adobe, if I type more that the allocated height, the scroll bar kicks in – this happens when font size is NOT set to auto and multi-line is allowed.

However, when I attempt to set the following properties:

//qSize is float and set to 15;
//auto size of font is not being set here.
pdfFormFields.SetFieldProperty("notification_desc", "textsize", qSize, null);

// set multiline
pdfFormFields.SetFieldProperty("notification_desc", "setfflags", PdfFormField.FF_MULTILINE, null);

//fill the field
pdfFormFields.SetField("notification_desc", complaintinfo.OWNER_DESC);

However upon compilation and after stamping, the scroll bar does not appear in the final .PDF.

I’m not sure if this is the right thing to do. I’m thinking that perhaps I should create a table and flood it with the the text but the documentation makes little or no reference to scroll bars….

Answer 1

When you flatten a document, you remove all interactivity. Expecting working scroll bars on a flattened form, is similar to expecting working scroll bars on printed paper. That’s why you don’t get a lot of response to your question: it’s kind of absurd.

When you fill out a rectangle with text, all text that doesn’t fit will be omitted. That’s why some people set the font size to 0. In this case, the font size will be adapted to make the text fit. I don’t know if that’s an option for you as you clearly state that the font size must be 15 pt.

If you can’t change the font size, you shouldn’t expect the AcroForm form field to adapt itself to the content. ISO-32000-1 is clear about that: the coordinates of a text field are fixed.

Your only alternative is to take control over how iText should fill the field. I made an example showing how to do this in the context of my book: MovieAds.java/MovieAds.cs. In this example, I ask the field for its coordinates:

AcroFields.FieldPosition f = form.GetFieldPositions(TEXT)[0];

This object gives you the page number f.page and a Rectangle f.position. You can use these variables in combination with ColumnText to add the content exactly the way you want to (and to check if all content has been added).

I hope you understand that:

• it’s only normal that there are no scroll bars on a flattened form,
• the standard way of filling out fields clips content that doesn’t fit,
• you need to do more programming if you want a custom result.

For more info: please consult "iText in Action – Second Edition".