I'm using iText 4.2.1 to generate my pdf reports. So basically I have a PDF template which contains a cover page, end page and a content page (that just contains an image header).
I'm using PdfCopy & PdfImportedPage to copy my template and PageStamp to add my content dynamically.
Need: I need to use the content page many times: as much as content pages in my report.
Problem: If I use pdfCopy.createPageStamp(importedPage) and ColumnText.showTextAligned to add some text the stamp persists over the next content pages. Thus my content page n°2 contains the text of the 1st one (added by PageStamp) and its own text (added by another PageStamp).
Here is an example of code:
// Init
Document doc = new Document();
PdfCopy pdfCopy = new PdfCopy( doc, new FileOutputStream( new File("Result.pdf") ) );
doc.open();
PdfReader pdfReader = new PdfReader( "pdf-template.pdf" );
// Page 1
PdfImportedPage importedPage1= pdfCopy.getImportedPage(pdfReader, 2);
String text1= "Text of the first page - 1";
PageStamp stamp1 = pdfCopy.createPageStamp( importedPage1 );
ColumnText.showTextAligned( stamp.getOverContent(), Element.ALIGN_CENTER,
new Phrase(text1), 400, 500, 0 );
stamp.alterContents();
pdfCopy.addPage(importedPage1);
// Page 2
PdfImportedPage importedPage2= pdfCopy.getImportedPage(pdfReader, 2);
String text2 = "Text of the second page - 2";
PageStamp stamp2 = pdfCopy.createPageStamp( importedPage2 );
ColumnText.showTextAligned( stamp2.getOverContent(), Element.ALIGN_CENTER,
new Phrase(text2), 200, 700, 0 );
stamp2.alterContents();
pdfCopy.addPage(importedPage2);
// Closing
doc.close();
--> In the 2nd page I will see my text1 and my text2
I tried using the same PdfImportedPage: same result.
I tried using the same PageStamp: same result.
I tried using a different PdfReader: it works but is this really the solution??
Thanks for your help.
@Bruno and @Amedee already commented on using a version 4.2.1, so I do not need to talk about that. The question you ask still is valid for the current iText version, though. Thus:
Problem: If I use pdfCopy.createPageStamp(importedPage) and ColumnText.showTextAligned to add some text the stamp persists over the next content pages. Thus my content page n°2 contains the text of the 1st one (added by PageStamp) and its own text (added by another PageStamp).
This is to be expected as it is the documented behavior. Have a look at the PdfCopy.createPageStamp JavaDocs:
/**
* Create a page stamp. New content and annotations, including new fields, are allowed.
* The fields added cannot have parents in another pages. This method modifies the PdfReader instance.<p>
* The general usage to stamp something in a page is:
* <p>
* <pre>
* PdfImportedPage page = copy.getImportedPage(reader, 1);
* PdfCopy.PageStamp ps = copy.createPageStamp(page);
* ps.addAnnotation(PdfAnnotation.createText(copy, new Rectangle(50, 180, 70, 200), "Hello", "No Thanks", true, "Comment"));
* PdfContentByte under = ps.getUnderContent();
* under.addImage(img);
* PdfContentByte over = ps.getOverContent();
* over.beginText();
* over.setFontAndSize(bf, 18);
* over.setTextMatrix(30, 30);
* over.showText("total page " + totalPage);
* over.endText();
* ps.alterContents();
* copy.addPage(page);
* </pre>
* @param iPage an imported page
* @return the <CODE>PageStamp</CODE>
*/
public PageStamp createPageStamp(PdfImportedPage iPage)
As it says in the second line: This method modifies the PdfReader instance.
Thus,
I tried using a different PdfReader: it works but is this really the solution??
This is one solution but depending on the source PDF quite a resource-intensive one. Another one is to use PdfCopy without PageStamps and apply your changes in a separate PdfStamper. Depending on your use case there are other ones...
PageStamps represent a very lightweight way to stamp while copying because they simply manipulate the PdfReader and do not have to build their own intermediary structures. In case of incompatible use cases,