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JavaScript™ for Acrobat® API Reference

Adobe® Acrobat® SDK
April 2007

Version 8.1

© 2007 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Adobe® Acrobat® SDK 8.1 JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference for Microsoft® Windows® and Mac OS®.
Edition 2.0, April 2007
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Contents
Preface ........................................................................................................................................ 28
What’s in this guide? ...................................................................................................................................................................28
Who should read this guide? ...................................................................................................................................................28
Related documentation .............................................................................................................................................................28

1

Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 30
Syntax ...............................................................................................................................................................................................30
Paths..................................................................................................................................................................................................31
Safe path..........................................................................................................................................................................................31
Privileged context ........................................................................................................................................................................31
Privileged versus non-privileged context ...........................................................................................................................32
User preferences...........................................................................................................................................................................32
Quick bars........................................................................................................................................................................................33
Domain names in code samples.............................................................................................................................................34

2

JavaScript API ............................................................................................................................ 35
ADBC .................................................................................................................................................................................................36
ADBC properties.....................................................................................................................................................................36
SQL types ............................................................................................................................................................................36
JavaScript types................................................................................................................................................................37
ADBC methods........................................................................................................................................................................38
getDataSourceList ...........................................................................................................................................................38
newConnection................................................................................................................................................................38
Alerter...............................................................................................................................................................................................40
Alerter methods......................................................................................................................................................................40
dispatch...............................................................................................................................................................................40
AlternatePresentation ................................................................................................................................................................43
AlternatePresentation properties ....................................................................................................................................43
active ....................................................................................................................................................................................43
type.......................................................................................................................................................................................43
AlternatePresentation methods .......................................................................................................................................44
start .......................................................................................................................................................................................44
stop .......................................................................................................................................................................................44
Annotation......................................................................................................................................................................................45
Annotation types ...................................................................................................................................................................45
Annotation properties..........................................................................................................................................................47
alignment ...........................................................................................................................................................................47
AP ..........................................................................................................................................................................................48
arrowBegin.........................................................................................................................................................................49
arrowEnd.............................................................................................................................................................................50
attachIcon...........................................................................................................................................................................50
author...................................................................................................................................................................................51
borderEffectIntensity .....................................................................................................................................................51
borderEffectStyle .............................................................................................................................................................52
callout ..................................................................................................................................................................................52
caretSymbol.......................................................................................................................................................................52
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JavaScript API (Continued)
Annotation (Continued)
Annotation properties (Continued)
contents ..............................................................................................................................................................................53
creationDate......................................................................................................................................................................53
dash ......................................................................................................................................................................................54
delay .....................................................................................................................................................................................54
doc ........................................................................................................................................................................................55
doCaption...........................................................................................................................................................................56
fillColor ................................................................................................................................................................................56
gestures...............................................................................................................................................................................57
hidden..................................................................................................................................................................................57
inReplyTo............................................................................................................................................................................58
intent....................................................................................................................................................................................58
leaderExtend .....................................................................................................................................................................59
leaderLength .....................................................................................................................................................................59
lineEnding ..........................................................................................................................................................................60
lock........................................................................................................................................................................................60
modDate .............................................................................................................................................................................61
name.....................................................................................................................................................................................61
noteIcon ..............................................................................................................................................................................62
noView.................................................................................................................................................................................63
opacity .................................................................................................................................................................................63
page......................................................................................................................................................................................64
point .....................................................................................................................................................................................64
points ...................................................................................................................................................................................65
popupOpen .......................................................................................................................................................................66
popupRect..........................................................................................................................................................................66
print ......................................................................................................................................................................................67
quads....................................................................................................................................................................................67
rect ........................................................................................................................................................................................68
readOnly..............................................................................................................................................................................68
refType.................................................................................................................................................................................68
richContents ......................................................................................................................................................................69
richDefaults........................................................................................................................................................................70
rotate....................................................................................................................................................................................70
seqNum ...............................................................................................................................................................................71
soundIcon...........................................................................................................................................................................71
state ......................................................................................................................................................................................72
stateModel .........................................................................................................................................................................72
strokeColor.........................................................................................................................................................................72
style.......................................................................................................................................................................................73
subject .................................................................................................................................................................................73
textFont...............................................................................................................................................................................74
textSize ................................................................................................................................................................................75
toggleNoView ...................................................................................................................................................................75
type.......................................................................................................................................................................................76
vertices ................................................................................................................................................................................76
width ....................................................................................................................................................................................77

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JavaScript API (Continued)
Annotation (Continued)
Annotation methods ............................................................................................................................................................77
destroy.................................................................................................................................................................................77
getProps..............................................................................................................................................................................78
getStateInModel ..............................................................................................................................................................79
setProps...............................................................................................................................................................................79
transitionToState .............................................................................................................................................................80
Annot3D ..........................................................................................................................................................................................82
Annot3D properties ..............................................................................................................................................................82
activated .............................................................................................................................................................................82
context3D...........................................................................................................................................................................82
innerRect.............................................................................................................................................................................83
name.....................................................................................................................................................................................83
page......................................................................................................................................................................................83
rect ........................................................................................................................................................................................84
app.....................................................................................................................................................................................................85
app properties.........................................................................................................................................................................85
activeDocs ..........................................................................................................................................................................85
calculate ..............................................................................................................................................................................86
constants ............................................................................................................................................................................86
focusRect ............................................................................................................................................................................87
formsVersion .....................................................................................................................................................................87
fromPDFConverters ........................................................................................................................................................88
fs.............................................................................................................................................................................................88
fullscreen ............................................................................................................................................................................89
language .............................................................................................................................................................................89
media ...................................................................................................................................................................................90
monitors..............................................................................................................................................................................90
numPlugIns........................................................................................................................................................................91
openInPlace .......................................................................................................................................................................91
platform...............................................................................................................................................................................92
plugIns .................................................................................................................................................................................92
printColorProfiles.............................................................................................................................................................93
printerNames ....................................................................................................................................................................93
runtimeHighlight .............................................................................................................................................................94
runtimeHighlightColor ..................................................................................................................................................94
thermometer .....................................................................................................................................................................94
toolbar .................................................................................................................................................................................95
toolbarHorizontal ............................................................................................................................................................95
toolbarVertical ..................................................................................................................................................................96
viewerType.........................................................................................................................................................................96
viewerVariation ................................................................................................................................................................97
viewerVersion....................................................................................................................................................................97
app methods ...........................................................................................................................................................................97
addMenuItem ...................................................................................................................................................................97
addSubMenu.....................................................................................................................................................................99
addToolButton............................................................................................................................................................... 100
alert.................................................................................................................................................................................... 101
beep................................................................................................................................................................................... 103
beginPriv.......................................................................................................................................................................... 104

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JavaScript API (Continued)
app (Continued)
app methods (Continued)
browseForDoc................................................................................................................................................................ 104
clearInterval .................................................................................................................................................................... 106
clearTimeOut.................................................................................................................................................................. 106
endPriv.............................................................................................................................................................................. 106
execDialog....................................................................................................................................................................... 107
execMenuItem............................................................................................................................................................... 120
getNthPlugInName...................................................................................................................................................... 124
getPath ............................................................................................................................................................................. 124
goBack .............................................................................................................................................................................. 125
goForward....................................................................................................................................................................... 125
hideMenuItem ............................................................................................................................................................... 126
hideToolbarButton....................................................................................................................................................... 126
launchURL ....................................................................................................................................................................... 127
listMenuItems ................................................................................................................................................................ 127
listToolbarButtons ........................................................................................................................................................ 128
mailGetAddrs ................................................................................................................................................................. 129
mailMsg............................................................................................................................................................................ 130
newDoc ............................................................................................................................................................................ 131
newFDF ............................................................................................................................................................................ 133
openDoc .......................................................................................................................................................................... 133
openFDF........................................................................................................................................................................... 136
popUpMenu ................................................................................................................................................................... 136
popUpMenuEx............................................................................................................................................................... 137
removeToolButton....................................................................................................................................................... 139
response........................................................................................................................................................................... 139
setInterval........................................................................................................................................................................ 140
setTimeOut...................................................................................................................................................................... 141
trustedFunction............................................................................................................................................................. 143
trustPropagatorFunction ........................................................................................................................................... 146
app.media .................................................................................................................................................................................... 150
app.media properties ........................................................................................................................................................ 150
align ................................................................................................................................................................................... 150
canResize ......................................................................................................................................................................... 151
closeReason .................................................................................................................................................................... 151
defaultVisible.................................................................................................................................................................. 152
ifOffScreen....................................................................................................................................................................... 152
layout ................................................................................................................................................................................ 153
monitorType................................................................................................................................................................... 153
openCode........................................................................................................................................................................ 154
over .................................................................................................................................................................................... 155
pageEventNames.......................................................................................................................................................... 155
raiseCode ......................................................................................................................................................................... 156
raiseSystem ..................................................................................................................................................................... 156
renditionType................................................................................................................................................................. 157
status ................................................................................................................................................................................. 157
trace................................................................................................................................................................................... 158
version .............................................................................................................................................................................. 158
windowType................................................................................................................................................................... 159

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JavaScript API (Continued)
app.media (Continued)
app.media methods........................................................................................................................................................... 159
addStockEvents............................................................................................................................................................. 159
alertFileNotFound ........................................................................................................................................................ 160
alertSelectFailed............................................................................................................................................................ 160
argsDWIM ........................................................................................................................................................................ 161
canPlayOrAlert............................................................................................................................................................... 161
computeFloatWinRect ................................................................................................................................................ 162
constrainRectToScreen............................................................................................................................................... 163
createPlayer .................................................................................................................................................................... 163
getAltTextData .............................................................................................................................................................. 165
getAltTextSettings........................................................................................................................................................ 166
getAnnotStockEvents ................................................................................................................................................. 167
getAnnotTraceEvents.................................................................................................................................................. 167
getPlayers ........................................................................................................................................................................ 167
getPlayerStockEvents.................................................................................................................................................. 168
getPlayerTraceEvents.................................................................................................................................................. 169
getRenditionSettings .................................................................................................................................................. 169
getURLData..................................................................................................................................................................... 169
getURLSettings.............................................................................................................................................................. 170
getWindowBorderSize................................................................................................................................................ 172
openPlayer ...................................................................................................................................................................... 172
removeStockEvents ..................................................................................................................................................... 174
startPlayer........................................................................................................................................................................ 174
Bookmark ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 175
Bookmark properties ......................................................................................................................................................... 175
children ............................................................................................................................................................................ 175
color................................................................................................................................................................................... 175
doc ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 176
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 176
open................................................................................................................................................................................... 177
parent................................................................................................................................................................................ 177
style.................................................................................................................................................................................... 177
Bookmark methods............................................................................................................................................................ 178
createChild ...................................................................................................................................................................... 178
execute ............................................................................................................................................................................. 178
insertChild ....................................................................................................................................................................... 179
remove.............................................................................................................................................................................. 180
setAction.......................................................................................................................................................................... 180
catalog........................................................................................................................................................................................... 181
catalog properties............................................................................................................................................................... 181
isIdle................................................................................................................................................................................... 181
jobs..................................................................................................................................................................................... 181
catalog methods ................................................................................................................................................................. 182
getIndex ........................................................................................................................................................................... 182
remove.............................................................................................................................................................................. 182
CatalogJob................................................................................................................................................................................... 183
CatalogJob properties....................................................................................................................................................... 183
path.................................................................................................................................................................................... 183
type.................................................................................................................................................................................... 183
status ................................................................................................................................................................................. 183

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JavaScript API (Continued)
Certificate ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 184
Certificate properties......................................................................................................................................................... 184
binary ................................................................................................................................................................................ 184
issuerDN ........................................................................................................................................................................... 184
keyUsage.......................................................................................................................................................................... 185
MD5Hash ......................................................................................................................................................................... 185
privateKeyValidityEnd................................................................................................................................................. 185
privateKeyValidityStart ............................................................................................................................................... 186
SHA1Hash........................................................................................................................................................................ 186
serialNumber.................................................................................................................................................................. 186
subjectCN ........................................................................................................................................................................ 187
subjectDN........................................................................................................................................................................ 187
ubRights........................................................................................................................................................................... 187
usage ................................................................................................................................................................................. 188
validityEnd....................................................................................................................................................................... 190
validityStart..................................................................................................................................................................... 190
Collab............................................................................................................................................................................................. 191
Collab methods ................................................................................................................................................................... 191
addStateModel .............................................................................................................................................................. 191
documentToStream..................................................................................................................................................... 192
removeStateModel ...................................................................................................................................................... 192
color ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 193
Color arrays ........................................................................................................................................................................... 193
color properties ................................................................................................................................................................... 193
color methods ...................................................................................................................................................................... 194
convert.............................................................................................................................................................................. 194
equal.................................................................................................................................................................................. 195
colorConvertAction .................................................................................................................................................................. 196
colorConvertAction properties ...................................................................................................................................... 196
action ................................................................................................................................................................................ 196
alias .................................................................................................................................................................................... 196
colorantName ................................................................................................................................................................ 197
convertIntent ................................................................................................................................................................. 197
convertProfile................................................................................................................................................................. 198
embed............................................................................................................................................................................... 198
isProcessColor................................................................................................................................................................ 198
matchAttributesAll....................................................................................................................................................... 199
matchAttributesAny .................................................................................................................................................... 200
matchIntent .................................................................................................................................................................... 200
matchSpaceTypeAll ..................................................................................................................................................... 201
matchSpaceTypeAny .................................................................................................................................................. 202
preserveBlack ................................................................................................................................................................. 202
useBlackPointCompensation ................................................................................................................................... 203
Column.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 204
Column properties.............................................................................................................................................................. 204
columnNum.................................................................................................................................................................... 204
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 204
type.................................................................................................................................................................................... 204
typeName ........................................................................................................................................................................ 205
value .................................................................................................................................................................................. 205

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JavaScript API (Continued)
ColumnInfo.................................................................................................................................................................................. 206
ColumnInfo properties...................................................................................................................................................... 206
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 206
description ...................................................................................................................................................................... 206
type.................................................................................................................................................................................... 206
typeName ........................................................................................................................................................................ 207
Connection .................................................................................................................................................................................. 208
Connection methods......................................................................................................................................................... 208
close................................................................................................................................................................................... 208
getColumnList ............................................................................................................................................................... 208
getTableList .................................................................................................................................................................... 209
newStatement ............................................................................................................................................................... 209
console .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 210
console methods................................................................................................................................................................. 210
clear ................................................................................................................................................................................... 210
hide .................................................................................................................................................................................... 210
println ............................................................................................................................................................................... 210
show .................................................................................................................................................................................. 211
Data ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 212
Data properties .................................................................................................................................................................... 212
creationDate................................................................................................................................................................... 212
description ...................................................................................................................................................................... 212
MIMEType........................................................................................................................................................................ 213
modDate .......................................................................................................................................................................... 213
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 213
path.................................................................................................................................................................................... 214
size ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 214
DataSourceInfo .......................................................................................................................................................................... 215
DataSourceInfo properties .............................................................................................................................................. 215
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 215
description ...................................................................................................................................................................... 215
dbg.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 216
dbg properties ..................................................................................................................................................................... 216
bps...................................................................................................................................................................................... 216
dbg methods ........................................................................................................................................................................ 217
c........................................................................................................................................................................................... 217
cb ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 217
q .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 217
sb ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 218
si.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 219
sn ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 219
so ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 219
sv......................................................................................................................................................................................... 219
Dialog............................................................................................................................................................................................. 220
Dialog methods ................................................................................................................................................................... 220
enable ............................................................................................................................................................................... 220
end ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 220
load .................................................................................................................................................................................... 221
store................................................................................................................................................................................... 221

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JavaScript API (Continued)
DirConnection ............................................................................................................................................................................ 222
DirConnection properties ................................................................................................................................................ 222
canList............................................................................................................................................................................... 222
canDoCustomSearch................................................................................................................................................... 222
canDoCustomUISearch .............................................................................................................................................. 223
canDoStandardSearch ................................................................................................................................................ 223
groups............................................................................................................................................................................... 224
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 224
uiName ............................................................................................................................................................................. 224
DirConnection methods................................................................................................................................................... 225
search................................................................................................................................................................................ 225
setOutputFields............................................................................................................................................................. 226
Directory ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 228
Directory properties........................................................................................................................................................... 228
info ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 228
Directory methods.............................................................................................................................................................. 230
connect............................................................................................................................................................................. 230
Doc.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 232
Doc properties ..................................................................................................................................................................... 233
alternatePresentations ............................................................................................................................................... 233
author................................................................................................................................................................................ 234
baseURL............................................................................................................................................................................ 234
bookmarkRoot ............................................................................................................................................................... 234
calculate ........................................................................................................................................................................... 235
creationDate................................................................................................................................................................... 235
creator............................................................................................................................................................................... 236
dataObjects..................................................................................................................................................................... 236
delay .................................................................................................................................................................................. 237
dirty.................................................................................................................................................................................... 237
disclosed .......................................................................................................................................................................... 238
docID ................................................................................................................................................................................. 239
documentFileName ..................................................................................................................................................... 239
dynamicXFAForm ......................................................................................................................................................... 240
external............................................................................................................................................................................. 240
filesize ............................................................................................................................................................................... 241
hidden............................................................................................................................................................................... 241
hostContainer ................................................................................................................................................................ 242
icons .................................................................................................................................................................................. 242
info ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 243
innerAppWindowRect ................................................................................................................................................ 244
innerDocWindowRect................................................................................................................................................. 245
isModal ............................................................................................................................................................................. 245
keywords.......................................................................................................................................................................... 245
layout ................................................................................................................................................................................ 246
media ................................................................................................................................................................................ 246
metadata.......................................................................................................................................................................... 247
modDate .......................................................................................................................................................................... 248
mouseX............................................................................................................................................................................. 249
mouseY............................................................................................................................................................................. 249
noautocomplete ........................................................................................................................................................... 250

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JavaScript API (Continued)
Doc (Continued)
Doc properties (Continued)
nocache............................................................................................................................................................................ 250
numFields........................................................................................................................................................................ 251
numPages........................................................................................................................................................................ 251
numTemplates............................................................................................................................................................... 252
path.................................................................................................................................................................................... 252
outerAppWindowRect ................................................................................................................................................ 253
outerDocWindowRect ................................................................................................................................................ 253
pageNum......................................................................................................................................................................... 253
pageWindowRect ......................................................................................................................................................... 254
permStatusReady ......................................................................................................................................................... 254
producer .......................................................................................................................................................................... 255
requiresFullSave............................................................................................................................................................ 255
securityHandler ............................................................................................................................................................. 255
selectedAnnots.............................................................................................................................................................. 256
sounds .............................................................................................................................................................................. 256
spellDictionaryOrder ................................................................................................................................................... 257
spellLanguageOrder.................................................................................................................................................... 257
subject .............................................................................................................................................................................. 258
templates......................................................................................................................................................................... 258
title ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 259
URL ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 259
viewState ......................................................................................................................................................................... 259
xfa ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 261
XFAForeground............................................................................................................................................................. 262
zoom.................................................................................................................................................................................. 263
zoomType........................................................................................................................................................................ 263
Doc methods ........................................................................................................................................................................ 264
addAnnot......................................................................................................................................................................... 264
addField ........................................................................................................................................................................... 266
addIcon............................................................................................................................................................................. 267
addLink............................................................................................................................................................................. 267
addRecipientListCryptFilter ...................................................................................................................................... 269
addRequirement ........................................................................................................................................................... 270
addScript.......................................................................................................................................................................... 271
addThumbnails.............................................................................................................................................................. 272
addWatermarkFromFile ............................................................................................................................................. 272
addWatermarkFromText............................................................................................................................................ 274
addWeblinks................................................................................................................................................................... 276
bringToFront .................................................................................................................................................................. 276
calculateNow.................................................................................................................................................................. 277
closeDoc........................................................................................................................................................................... 277
colorConvertPage......................................................................................................................................................... 278
createDataObject.......................................................................................................................................................... 279
createTemplate ............................................................................................................................................................. 280
deletePages .................................................................................................................................................................... 281
deleteSound ................................................................................................................................................................... 281
embedDocAsDataObject........................................................................................................................................... 282
embedOutputIntent.................................................................................................................................................... 282

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JavaScript API (Continued)
Doc (Continued)
Doc methods (Continued)
encryptForRecipients .................................................................................................................................................. 283
encryptUsingPolicy ...................................................................................................................................................... 285
exportAsFDF ................................................................................................................................................................... 287
exportAsFDFStr ............................................................................................................................................................. 288
exportAsText .................................................................................................................................................................. 289
exportAsXFDF ................................................................................................................................................................ 290
exportAsXFDFStr........................................................................................................................................................... 291
exportDataObject......................................................................................................................................................... 292
exportXFAData .............................................................................................................................................................. 293
extractPages ................................................................................................................................................................... 295
flattenPages.................................................................................................................................................................... 296
getAnnot.......................................................................................................................................................................... 296
getAnnot3D .................................................................................................................................................................... 297
getAnnots........................................................................................................................................................................ 297
getAnnots3D .................................................................................................................................................................. 298
getColorConvertAction .............................................................................................................................................. 299
getDataObject ............................................................................................................................................................... 299
getDataObjectContents ............................................................................................................................................. 300
getField............................................................................................................................................................................. 301
getIcon.............................................................................................................................................................................. 302
getLegalWarnings ........................................................................................................................................................ 303
getLinks ............................................................................................................................................................................ 307
getNthFieldName ......................................................................................................................................................... 308
getNthTemplate............................................................................................................................................................ 309
getOCGs ........................................................................................................................................................................... 309
getOCGOrder ................................................................................................................................................................. 310
getPageBox..................................................................................................................................................................... 310
getPageLabel ................................................................................................................................................................. 311
getPageNthWord.......................................................................................................................................................... 311
getPageNthWordQuads............................................................................................................................................. 312
getPageNumWords ..................................................................................................................................................... 312
getPageRotation ........................................................................................................................................................... 313
getPageTransition ........................................................................................................................................................ 313
getPrintParams .............................................................................................................................................................. 314
getSound ......................................................................................................................................................................... 314
getTemplate ................................................................................................................................................................... 314
getURL .............................................................................................................................................................................. 315
gotoNamedDest............................................................................................................................................................ 316
importAnFDF.................................................................................................................................................................. 316
importAnXFDF............................................................................................................................................................... 317
importDataObject ........................................................................................................................................................ 317
importIcon....................................................................................................................................................................... 318
importSound .................................................................................................................................................................. 319
importTextData ............................................................................................................................................................. 320
importXFAData.............................................................................................................................................................. 321
insertPages...................................................................................................................................................................... 321
mailDoc ............................................................................................................................................................................ 322
mailForm.......................................................................................................................................................................... 323

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JavaScript API (Continued)
Doc (Continued)
Doc methods (Continued)
movePage........................................................................................................................................................................ 324
newPage .......................................................................................................................................................................... 325
openDataObject............................................................................................................................................................ 325
print ................................................................................................................................................................................... 326
removeDataObject....................................................................................................................................................... 328
removeField.................................................................................................................................................................... 328
removeIcon..................................................................................................................................................................... 329
removeLinks ................................................................................................................................................................... 329
removeRequirement ................................................................................................................................................... 330
removeScript .................................................................................................................................................................. 330
removeTemplate .......................................................................................................................................................... 330
removeThumbnails...................................................................................................................................................... 331
removeWeblinks ........................................................................................................................................................... 331
replacePages .................................................................................................................................................................. 332
resetForm ........................................................................................................................................................................ 332
saveAs ............................................................................................................................................................................... 333
scroll .................................................................................................................................................................................. 335
selectPageNthWord..................................................................................................................................................... 336
setAction.......................................................................................................................................................................... 336
setDataObjectContents.............................................................................................................................................. 337
setOCGOrder .................................................................................................................................................................. 339
setPageAction................................................................................................................................................................ 339
setPageBoxes ................................................................................................................................................................. 340
setPageLabels ................................................................................................................................................................ 340
setPageRotations.......................................................................................................................................................... 341
setPageTabOrder.......................................................................................................................................................... 342
setPageTransitions ....................................................................................................................................................... 343
spawnPageFromTemplate ........................................................................................................................................ 343
submitForm .................................................................................................................................................................... 345
syncAnnotScan.............................................................................................................................................................. 349
Doc.media .................................................................................................................................................................................... 351
Doc.media properties........................................................................................................................................................ 351
canPlay.............................................................................................................................................................................. 351
Doc.media methods........................................................................................................................................................... 352
deleteRendition............................................................................................................................................................. 352
getAnnot.......................................................................................................................................................................... 352
getAnnots........................................................................................................................................................................ 353
getOpenPlayers............................................................................................................................................................. 354
getRendition................................................................................................................................................................... 355
newPlayer ........................................................................................................................................................................ 355
Embedded PDF .......................................................................................................................................................................... 357
Embedded PDF properties .............................................................................................................................................. 357
messageHandler ........................................................................................................................................................... 357
Embedded PDF methods................................................................................................................................................. 358
postMessage................................................................................................................................................................... 358

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JavaScript API (Continued)
Error................................................................................................................................................................................................ 359
Error properties.................................................................................................................................................................... 360
fileName........................................................................................................................................................................... 360
lineNumber ..................................................................................................................................................................... 360
extMessage ..................................................................................................................................................................... 360
message ........................................................................................................................................................................... 361
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 361
Error methods....................................................................................................................................................................... 361
toString............................................................................................................................................................................. 361
event .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 362
Event type/name combinations .................................................................................................................................... 362
Document Event Processing........................................................................................................................................... 371
Form event processing ..................................................................................................................................................... 372
Multimedia event processing......................................................................................................................................... 372
event properties .................................................................................................................................................................. 373
change .............................................................................................................................................................................. 373
Example............................................................................................................................................................................ 373
changeEx ......................................................................................................................................................................... 373
commitKey ...................................................................................................................................................................... 375
fieldFull............................................................................................................................................................................. 375
keyDown.......................................................................................................................................................................... 376
modifier............................................................................................................................................................................ 377
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 377
rc ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 378
richChange...................................................................................................................................................................... 378
richChangeEx ................................................................................................................................................................. 379
richValue .......................................................................................................................................................................... 380
selEnd................................................................................................................................................................................ 381
selStart .............................................................................................................................................................................. 381
shift .................................................................................................................................................................................... 382
source................................................................................................................................................................................ 382
target................................................................................................................................................................................. 383
targetName..................................................................................................................................................................... 383
type.................................................................................................................................................................................... 384
value .................................................................................................................................................................................. 384
willCommit...................................................................................................................................................................... 385
EventListener .............................................................................................................................................................................. 386
EventListener methods..................................................................................................................................................... 387
afterBlur............................................................................................................................................................................ 387
afterClose......................................................................................................................................................................... 387
afterDestroy .................................................................................................................................................................... 388
afterDone......................................................................................................................................................................... 388
afterError.......................................................................................................................................................................... 389
afterEscape...................................................................................................................................................................... 389
afterEveryEvent ............................................................................................................................................................. 389
afterFocus........................................................................................................................................................................ 390
afterPause........................................................................................................................................................................ 390
afterPlay ........................................................................................................................................................................... 391
afterReady ....................................................................................................................................................................... 391

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JavaScript API (Continued)
EventListener (Continued)
EventListener methods (Continued)
afterScript ........................................................................................................................................................................ 392
afterSeek .......................................................................................................................................................................... 393
afterStatus ....................................................................................................................................................................... 394
afterStop .......................................................................................................................................................................... 394
onBlur................................................................................................................................................................................ 395
onClose............................................................................................................................................................................. 395
onDestroy ........................................................................................................................................................................ 396
onDone............................................................................................................................................................................. 396
onError.............................................................................................................................................................................. 396
onEscape.......................................................................................................................................................................... 397
onEveryEvent ................................................................................................................................................................. 397
onFocus............................................................................................................................................................................ 398
onGetRect........................................................................................................................................................................ 398
onPause............................................................................................................................................................................ 399
onPlay ............................................................................................................................................................................... 399
onReady ........................................................................................................................................................................... 399
onScript ............................................................................................................................................................................ 400
onSeek .............................................................................................................................................................................. 400
onStatus ........................................................................................................................................................................... 400
onStop .............................................................................................................................................................................. 401
Events ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 402
Events methods ................................................................................................................................................................... 402
add ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 402
dispatch............................................................................................................................................................................ 403
remove.............................................................................................................................................................................. 404
FDF.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 405
FDF properties...................................................................................................................................................................... 405
deleteOption .................................................................................................................................................................. 405
isSigned............................................................................................................................................................................ 405
numEmbeddedFiles..................................................................................................................................................... 406
FDF methods ........................................................................................................................................................................ 406
addContact ..................................................................................................................................................................... 406
addEmbeddedFile ........................................................................................................................................................ 407
addRequest..................................................................................................................................................................... 408
close................................................................................................................................................................................... 408
mail .................................................................................................................................................................................... 409
save .................................................................................................................................................................................... 410
signatureClear................................................................................................................................................................ 410
signatureSign ................................................................................................................................................................. 411
signatureValidate.......................................................................................................................................................... 412
Field................................................................................................................................................................................................ 413
Field versus widget attributes ........................................................................................................................................ 414
Field properties.................................................................................................................................................................... 415
alignment ........................................................................................................................................................................ 415
borderStyle ..................................................................................................................................................................... 415
buttonAlignX.................................................................................................................................................................. 416
buttonAlignY.................................................................................................................................................................. 417

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JavaScript API (Continued)
Field (Continued)
Field properties (Continued)
buttonFitBounds........................................................................................................................................................... 418
buttonPosition............................................................................................................................................................... 418
buttonScaleHow ........................................................................................................................................................... 419
buttonScaleWhen......................................................................................................................................................... 419
calcOrderIndex .............................................................................................................................................................. 420
charLimit .......................................................................................................................................................................... 421
comb ................................................................................................................................................................................. 421
commitOnSelChange.................................................................................................................................................. 422
currentValueIndices..................................................................................................................................................... 422
defaultStyle..................................................................................................................................................................... 424
defaultValue ................................................................................................................................................................... 425
doNotScroll ..................................................................................................................................................................... 425
doNotSpellCheck .......................................................................................................................................................... 426
delay .................................................................................................................................................................................. 426
display............................................................................................................................................................................... 427
doc ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 428
editable ............................................................................................................................................................................ 428
exportValues................................................................................................................................................................... 429
fileSelect........................................................................................................................................................................... 429
fillColor ............................................................................................................................................................................. 430
hidden............................................................................................................................................................................... 431
highlight........................................................................................................................................................................... 431
lineWidth ......................................................................................................................................................................... 432
multiline ........................................................................................................................................................................... 433
multipleSelection.......................................................................................................................................................... 433
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 434
numItems......................................................................................................................................................................... 434
page................................................................................................................................................................................... 435
password.......................................................................................................................................................................... 436
print ................................................................................................................................................................................... 436
radiosInUnison............................................................................................................................................................... 436
readonly ........................................................................................................................................................................... 437
rect ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 437
required............................................................................................................................................................................ 438
richText............................................................................................................................................................................. 439
richValue .......................................................................................................................................................................... 440
rotation............................................................................................................................................................................. 441
strokeColor...................................................................................................................................................................... 442
style.................................................................................................................................................................................... 442
submitName ................................................................................................................................................................... 443
textColor .......................................................................................................................................................................... 444
textFont............................................................................................................................................................................ 444
textSize ............................................................................................................................................................................. 446
type.................................................................................................................................................................................... 446
userName ........................................................................................................................................................................ 447
value .................................................................................................................................................................................. 448
valueAsString ................................................................................................................................................................. 448

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JavaScript API (Continued)
Field (Continued)
Field methods....................................................................................................................................................................... 449
browseForFileToSubmit............................................................................................................................................. 449
buttonGetCaption ........................................................................................................................................................ 449
buttonGetIcon ............................................................................................................................................................... 450
buttonImportIcon......................................................................................................................................................... 451
buttonSetCaption......................................................................................................................................................... 452
buttonSetIcon ................................................................................................................................................................ 452
checkThisBox.................................................................................................................................................................. 453
clearItems ........................................................................................................................................................................ 454
defaultIsChecked .......................................................................................................................................................... 454
deleteItemAt................................................................................................................................................................... 455
getArray............................................................................................................................................................................ 456
getItemAt......................................................................................................................................................................... 456
getLock............................................................................................................................................................................. 457
insertItemAt.................................................................................................................................................................... 457
isBoxChecked ................................................................................................................................................................. 458
isDefaultChecked.......................................................................................................................................................... 458
setAction.......................................................................................................................................................................... 459
setFocus ........................................................................................................................................................................... 460
setItems............................................................................................................................................................................ 460
setLock.............................................................................................................................................................................. 461
signatureGetModifications ....................................................................................................................................... 462
signatureGetSeedValue.............................................................................................................................................. 464
signatureInfo .................................................................................................................................................................. 464
signatureSetSeedValue .............................................................................................................................................. 465
signatureSign ................................................................................................................................................................. 473
signatureValidate.......................................................................................................................................................... 475
FullScreen..................................................................................................................................................................................... 477
FullScreen properties......................................................................................................................................................... 477
backgroundColor.......................................................................................................................................................... 477
clickAdvances................................................................................................................................................................. 477
cursor ................................................................................................................................................................................ 478
defaultTransition........................................................................................................................................................... 478
escapeExits...................................................................................................................................................................... 479
isFullScreen ..................................................................................................................................................................... 479
loop.................................................................................................................................................................................... 479
timeDelay ........................................................................................................................................................................ 480
transitions........................................................................................................................................................................ 480
usePageTiming.............................................................................................................................................................. 481
useTimer .......................................................................................................................................................................... 481
global............................................................................................................................................................................................. 482
Creating global properties............................................................................................................................................... 482
Deleting global properties .............................................................................................................................................. 483
Global object security policy........................................................................................................................................... 483
global methods.................................................................................................................................................................... 484
setPersistent ................................................................................................................................................................... 484
subscribe.......................................................................................................................................................................... 484

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JavaScript API (Continued)
HostContainer ............................................................................................................................................................................ 486
HostContainer properties ................................................................................................................................................ 486
messageHandler ........................................................................................................................................................... 486
HostContainer methods ................................................................................................................................................... 488
postMessage................................................................................................................................................................... 488
Icon ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 489
Icon Stream.................................................................................................................................................................................. 490
identity .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 491
identity properties.............................................................................................................................................................. 491
corporation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 491
email.................................................................................................................................................................................. 491
loginName....................................................................................................................................................................... 491
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 492
Index .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 493
Index properties .................................................................................................................................................................. 493
available ........................................................................................................................................................................... 493
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 493
path.................................................................................................................................................................................... 494
selected ............................................................................................................................................................................ 494
Index methods ..................................................................................................................................................................... 494
build................................................................................................................................................................................... 494
Link ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 496
Link properties ..................................................................................................................................................................... 496
borderColor .................................................................................................................................................................... 496
borderWidth ................................................................................................................................................................... 496
highlightMode............................................................................................................................................................... 496
rect ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 497
Link methods........................................................................................................................................................................ 497
setAction.......................................................................................................................................................................... 497
Marker............................................................................................................................................................................................ 498
Marker properties ............................................................................................................................................................... 498
frame ................................................................................................................................................................................. 498
index.................................................................................................................................................................................. 498
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 498
time.................................................................................................................................................................................... 499
Markers.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 500
Markers properties.............................................................................................................................................................. 500
player................................................................................................................................................................................. 500
Markers methods ................................................................................................................................................................ 500
get ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 500
MediaOffset ................................................................................................................................................................................. 502
MediaOffset properties..................................................................................................................................................... 502
frame ................................................................................................................................................................................. 502
marker............................................................................................................................................................................... 502
time.................................................................................................................................................................................... 503

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JavaScript API (Continued)
MediaPlayer................................................................................................................................................................................. 504
MediaPlayer properties..................................................................................................................................................... 504
annot ................................................................................................................................................................................. 504
defaultSize....................................................................................................................................................................... 504
doc ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 505
events................................................................................................................................................................................ 505
hasFocus .......................................................................................................................................................................... 505
id ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 506
innerRect.......................................................................................................................................................................... 506
isOpen............................................................................................................................................................................... 507
isPlaying ........................................................................................................................................................................... 507
markers............................................................................................................................................................................. 507
outerRect ......................................................................................................................................................................... 508
page................................................................................................................................................................................... 508
settings ............................................................................................................................................................................. 509
uiSize ................................................................................................................................................................................. 509
visible ................................................................................................................................................................................ 510
MediaPlayer methods ....................................................................................................................................................... 511
close................................................................................................................................................................................... 511
open................................................................................................................................................................................... 511
pause................................................................................................................................................................................. 512
play..................................................................................................................................................................................... 512
seek.................................................................................................................................................................................... 513
setFocus ........................................................................................................................................................................... 514
stop .................................................................................................................................................................................... 515
triggerGetRect ............................................................................................................................................................... 515
where ................................................................................................................................................................................ 516
MediaReject................................................................................................................................................................................. 517
MediaReject properties..................................................................................................................................................... 517
rendition .......................................................................................................................................................................... 517
MediaSelection........................................................................................................................................................................... 518
MediaSelection properties .............................................................................................................................................. 518
selectContext ................................................................................................................................................................. 518
players............................................................................................................................................................................... 519
rejects................................................................................................................................................................................ 519
rendition .......................................................................................................................................................................... 520
MediaSettings............................................................................................................................................................................. 521
MediaSettings properties................................................................................................................................................. 521
autoPlay ........................................................................................................................................................................... 521
baseURL............................................................................................................................................................................ 521
bgColor............................................................................................................................................................................. 522
bgOpacity ........................................................................................................................................................................ 522
data .................................................................................................................................................................................... 523
duration............................................................................................................................................................................ 523
endAt................................................................................................................................................................................. 524
floating ............................................................................................................................................................................. 525
layout ................................................................................................................................................................................ 526
monitor............................................................................................................................................................................. 526
monitorType................................................................................................................................................................... 527

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JavaScript API (Continued)
MediaSettings (Continued)
MediaSettings properties (Continued)
page................................................................................................................................................................................... 528
palindrome...................................................................................................................................................................... 528
players............................................................................................................................................................................... 529
rate ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 530
repeat................................................................................................................................................................................ 530
showUI.............................................................................................................................................................................. 531
startAt ............................................................................................................................................................................... 531
visible ................................................................................................................................................................................ 532
volume.............................................................................................................................................................................. 533
windowType................................................................................................................................................................... 533
Monitor ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 535
Monitor properties ............................................................................................................................................................. 535
colorDepth ...................................................................................................................................................................... 535
Example............................................................................................................................................................................ 535
isPrimary .......................................................................................................................................................................... 535
Example............................................................................................................................................................................ 536
rect ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 536
workRect .......................................................................................................................................................................... 536
Monitors........................................................................................................................................................................................ 537
Monitors methods .............................................................................................................................................................. 537
bestColor.......................................................................................................................................................................... 537
bestFit ............................................................................................................................................................................... 538
desktop............................................................................................................................................................................. 538
document ........................................................................................................................................................................ 539
filter.................................................................................................................................................................................... 539
largest ............................................................................................................................................................................... 540
leastOverlap.................................................................................................................................................................... 540
mostOverlap................................................................................................................................................................... 541
nonDocument................................................................................................................................................................ 541
primary ............................................................................................................................................................................. 542
Example............................................................................................................................................................................ 542
secondary ........................................................................................................................................................................ 542
select ................................................................................................................................................................................. 542
tallest................................................................................................................................................................................. 543
widest................................................................................................................................................................................ 543
Net .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 545
Net properties ...................................................................................................................................................................... 545
SOAP.................................................................................................................................................................................. 545
Discovery ......................................................................................................................................................................... 546
HTTP .................................................................................................................................................................................. 546
Net methods ......................................................................................................................................................................... 547
Net.HTTP....................................................................................................................................................................................... 548
Net.HTTP methods.............................................................................................................................................................. 548
request.............................................................................................................................................................................. 548

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JavaScript API (Continued)
OCG ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 551
OCG properties .................................................................................................................................................................... 551
constants ......................................................................................................................................................................... 551
initState ............................................................................................................................................................................ 552
locked................................................................................................................................................................................ 552
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 552
state ................................................................................................................................................................................... 553
OCG methods ....................................................................................................................................................................... 554
getIntent .......................................................................................................................................................................... 554
setAction.......................................................................................................................................................................... 554
setIntent........................................................................................................................................................................... 555
PlayerInfo ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 556
PlayerInfo properties ......................................................................................................................................................... 556
id ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 556
mimeTypes...................................................................................................................................................................... 556
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 557
version .............................................................................................................................................................................. 557
PlayerInfo methods ............................................................................................................................................................ 558
canPlay.............................................................................................................................................................................. 558
canUseData..................................................................................................................................................................... 558
honors............................................................................................................................................................................... 559
PlayerInfoList............................................................................................................................................................................... 563
PlayerInfoList methods ..................................................................................................................................................... 563
select ................................................................................................................................................................................. 563
PlugIn............................................................................................................................................................................................. 564
PlugIn properties................................................................................................................................................................. 564
certified ............................................................................................................................................................................ 564
loaded ............................................................................................................................................................................... 564
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 564
path.................................................................................................................................................................................... 565
version .............................................................................................................................................................................. 565
PrintParams ................................................................................................................................................................................. 566
PrintParams properties ..................................................................................................................................................... 566
binaryOK .......................................................................................................................................................................... 566
bitmapDPI ....................................................................................................................................................................... 566
booklet.............................................................................................................................................................................. 567
colorOverride ................................................................................................................................................................. 569
colorProfile...................................................................................................................................................................... 570
constants ......................................................................................................................................................................... 571
downloadFarEastFonts............................................................................................................................................... 571
fileName........................................................................................................................................................................... 572
firstPage ........................................................................................................................................................................... 573
flags.................................................................................................................................................................................... 573
fontPolicy......................................................................................................................................................................... 575
gradientDPI..................................................................................................................................................................... 576
interactive........................................................................................................................................................................ 576
lastPage ............................................................................................................................................................................ 577
nUpAutoRotate ............................................................................................................................................................. 577
nUpNumPagesH............................................................................................................................................................ 578
nUpNumPagesV............................................................................................................................................................ 578

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JavaScript API (Continued)
PrintParams (Continued)
PrintParams properties (Continued)
nUpPageBorder............................................................................................................................................................. 579
nUpPageOrder............................................................................................................................................................... 579
pageHandling ................................................................................................................................................................ 580
pageSubset ..................................................................................................................................................................... 581
printAsImage.................................................................................................................................................................. 582
printContent................................................................................................................................................................... 582
printerName ................................................................................................................................................................... 583
psLevel.............................................................................................................................................................................. 584
rasterFlags ....................................................................................................................................................................... 584
reversePages .................................................................................................................................................................. 586
tileLabel............................................................................................................................................................................ 586
tileMark............................................................................................................................................................................. 586
tileOverlap....................................................................................................................................................................... 587
tileScale ............................................................................................................................................................................ 587
transparencyLevel ........................................................................................................................................................ 588
usePrinterCRD................................................................................................................................................................ 588
useT1Conversion .......................................................................................................................................................... 589
RDN................................................................................................................................................................................................. 590
ReadStream ................................................................................................................................................................................. 592
Rendition ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 593
Rendition properties.......................................................................................................................................................... 593
altText ............................................................................................................................................................................... 593
doc ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 593
fileName........................................................................................................................................................................... 594
type.................................................................................................................................................................................... 594
uiName ............................................................................................................................................................................. 595
Rendition methods............................................................................................................................................................. 595
getPlaySettings.............................................................................................................................................................. 595
select ................................................................................................................................................................................. 596
testCriteria....................................................................................................................................................................... 597
Report ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 598
Report properties................................................................................................................................................................ 598
absIndent......................................................................................................................................................................... 598
color................................................................................................................................................................................... 598
size ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 599
style.................................................................................................................................................................................... 599
Report methods................................................................................................................................................................... 600
breakPage........................................................................................................................................................................ 600
divide................................................................................................................................................................................. 600
indent................................................................................................................................................................................ 600
mail .................................................................................................................................................................................... 601
open................................................................................................................................................................................... 601
outdent............................................................................................................................................................................. 602
Report ............................................................................................................................................................................... 602
save .................................................................................................................................................................................... 602
writeText .......................................................................................................................................................................... 603
Row................................................................................................................................................................................................. 605

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JavaScript API (Continued)
ScreenAnnot ............................................................................................................................................................................... 606
ScreenAnnot properties ................................................................................................................................................... 606
altText ............................................................................................................................................................................... 606
alwaysShowFocus ........................................................................................................................................................ 606
display............................................................................................................................................................................... 607
doc ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 607
events................................................................................................................................................................................ 607
extFocusRect .................................................................................................................................................................. 608
innerDeviceRect ............................................................................................................................................................ 608
noTrigger ......................................................................................................................................................................... 609
outerDeviceRect............................................................................................................................................................ 609
page................................................................................................................................................................................... 610
player................................................................................................................................................................................. 610
rect ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 610
ScreenAnnot methods ...................................................................................................................................................... 611
hasFocus .......................................................................................................................................................................... 611
setFocus ........................................................................................................................................................................... 611
search............................................................................................................................................................................................. 612
search properties ................................................................................................................................................................ 612
attachments.................................................................................................................................................................... 612
available ........................................................................................................................................................................... 612
bookmarks....................................................................................................................................................................... 613
docInfo.............................................................................................................................................................................. 613
docText............................................................................................................................................................................. 613
docXMP ............................................................................................................................................................................ 614
ignoreAccents................................................................................................................................................................ 614
ignoreAsianCharacterWidth ..................................................................................................................................... 614
indexes ............................................................................................................................................................................. 615
jpegExif............................................................................................................................................................................. 615
legacySearch .................................................................................................................................................................. 615
markup ............................................................................................................................................................................. 616
matchCase....................................................................................................................................................................... 616
matchWholeWord ........................................................................................................................................................ 616
maxDocs .......................................................................................................................................................................... 617
objectMetadata ............................................................................................................................................................. 617
proximity.......................................................................................................................................................................... 617
proximityRange............................................................................................................................................................. 618
refine ................................................................................................................................................................................. 618
soundex............................................................................................................................................................................ 618
stem ................................................................................................................................................................................... 619
thesaurus ......................................................................................................................................................................... 619
wordMatching ............................................................................................................................................................... 620
search methods ................................................................................................................................................................... 620
addIndex .......................................................................................................................................................................... 620
getIndexForPath ........................................................................................................................................................... 621
query ................................................................................................................................................................................. 621
removeIndex .................................................................................................................................................................. 622

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JavaScript API (Continued)
security.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 623
security constants ............................................................................................................................................................... 623
security properties.............................................................................................................................................................. 624
handlers............................................................................................................................................................................ 624
validateSignaturesOnOpen ...................................................................................................................................... 625
security methods................................................................................................................................................................. 626
chooseRecipientsDialog............................................................................................................................................. 626
chooseSecurityPolicy .................................................................................................................................................. 628
exportToFile.................................................................................................................................................................... 629
getHandler ...................................................................................................................................................................... 629
getSecurityPolicies....................................................................................................................................................... 630
importFromFile.............................................................................................................................................................. 632
SecurityHandler ......................................................................................................................................................................... 633
SecurityHandler properties ............................................................................................................................................. 633
appearances ................................................................................................................................................................... 633
digitalIDs.......................................................................................................................................................................... 634
directories........................................................................................................................................................................ 635
directoryHandlers......................................................................................................................................................... 635
docDecrypt ..................................................................................................................................................................... 636
docEncrypt ...................................................................................................................................................................... 636
isLoggedIn....................................................................................................................................................................... 636
loginName....................................................................................................................................................................... 637
loginPath.......................................................................................................................................................................... 637
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 637
signAuthor ...................................................................................................................................................................... 638
signFDF............................................................................................................................................................................. 638
signInvisible.................................................................................................................................................................... 638
signValidate .................................................................................................................................................................... 639
signVisible ....................................................................................................................................................................... 639
uiName ............................................................................................................................................................................. 639
validateFDF ..................................................................................................................................................................... 640
SecurityHandler methods ................................................................................................................................................ 640
login................................................................................................................................................................................... 640
logout................................................................................................................................................................................ 643
newDirectory.................................................................................................................................................................. 643
newUser ........................................................................................................................................................................... 644
setPasswordTimeout................................................................................................................................................... 645
SecurityPolicy.............................................................................................................................................................................. 647
SecurityPolicy properties ................................................................................................................................................. 647
SignatureInfo .............................................................................................................................................................................. 648
SignatureInfo properties .................................................................................................................................................. 648
SOAP .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 657
SOAP properties .................................................................................................................................................................. 657
wireDump........................................................................................................................................................................ 657
SOAP methods ..................................................................................................................................................................... 657
connect............................................................................................................................................................................. 657
queryServices ................................................................................................................................................................. 660
resolveService ................................................................................................................................................................ 662
request.............................................................................................................................................................................. 664

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JavaScript API (Continued)
SOAP (Continued)
SOAP methods (Continued)
response........................................................................................................................................................................... 672
streamDecode................................................................................................................................................................ 673
streamDigest .................................................................................................................................................................. 674
streamEncode ................................................................................................................................................................ 674
streamFromString ........................................................................................................................................................ 675
stringFromStream ........................................................................................................................................................ 675
Sound............................................................................................................................................................................................. 676
Sound properties ................................................................................................................................................................ 676
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 676
Sound methods ................................................................................................................................................................... 676
pause................................................................................................................................................................................. 676
play..................................................................................................................................................................................... 676
stop .................................................................................................................................................................................... 676
Span................................................................................................................................................................................................ 677
Span properties ................................................................................................................................................................... 677
alignment ........................................................................................................................................................................ 677
fontFamily ....................................................................................................................................................................... 677
fontStretch ...................................................................................................................................................................... 678
fontStyle........................................................................................................................................................................... 678
fontWeight ...................................................................................................................................................................... 679
strikethrough.................................................................................................................................................................. 679
subscript........................................................................................................................................................................... 679
superscript....................................................................................................................................................................... 679
text ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 680
textColor .......................................................................................................................................................................... 681
textSize ............................................................................................................................................................................. 681
underline.......................................................................................................................................................................... 681
spell ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 683
spell properties .................................................................................................................................................................... 683
available ........................................................................................................................................................................... 683
dictionaryNames........................................................................................................................................................... 683
dictionaryOrder ............................................................................................................................................................. 684
domainNames................................................................................................................................................................ 684
languages ........................................................................................................................................................................ 685
languageOrder .............................................................................................................................................................. 686
spell methods....................................................................................................................................................................... 687
addDictionary ................................................................................................................................................................ 687
addWord .......................................................................................................................................................................... 687
check ................................................................................................................................................................................. 688
checkText......................................................................................................................................................................... 689
checkWord ...................................................................................................................................................................... 689
customDictionaryClose .............................................................................................................................................. 690
customDictionaryCreate ............................................................................................................................................ 691
customDictionaryDelete ............................................................................................................................................ 692
customDictionaryExport ............................................................................................................................................ 692
customDictionaryOpen .............................................................................................................................................. 693
ignoreAll........................................................................................................................................................................... 694

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JavaScript API (Continued)
spell (Continued)
spell methods (Continued)
removeDictionary......................................................................................................................................................... 694
removeWord................................................................................................................................................................... 695
userWords ....................................................................................................................................................................... 695
Statement..................................................................................................................................................................................... 697
Statement properties ........................................................................................................................................................ 697
columnCount ................................................................................................................................................................. 697
rowCount......................................................................................................................................................................... 697
Statement methods ........................................................................................................................................................... 698
execute ............................................................................................................................................................................. 698
getColumn ...................................................................................................................................................................... 698
getColumnArray............................................................................................................................................................ 699
getRow ............................................................................................................................................................................. 699
nextRow ........................................................................................................................................................................... 700
TableInfo....................................................................................................................................................................................... 702
Template....................................................................................................................................................................................... 703
Template properties .......................................................................................................................................................... 703
hidden............................................................................................................................................................................... 703
name.................................................................................................................................................................................. 703
Template methods ............................................................................................................................................................. 704
spawn................................................................................................................................................................................ 704
Thermometer.............................................................................................................................................................................. 706
Thermometer properties.................................................................................................................................................. 706
cancelled.......................................................................................................................................................................... 706
duration............................................................................................................................................................................ 707
text ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 707
value .................................................................................................................................................................................. 707
Thermometer methods .................................................................................................................................................... 708
begin ................................................................................................................................................................................. 708
end ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 708
this .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 709
TTS .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 711
TTS properties ...................................................................................................................................................................... 711
available ........................................................................................................................................................................... 711
numSpeakers.................................................................................................................................................................. 711
pitch................................................................................................................................................................................... 712
soundCues....................................................................................................................................................................... 712
speaker ............................................................................................................................................................................. 712
speechCues..................................................................................................................................................................... 713
speechRate...................................................................................................................................................................... 713
volume.............................................................................................................................................................................. 713
TTS methods ......................................................................................................................................................................... 713
getNthSpeakerName................................................................................................................................................... 713
pause................................................................................................................................................................................. 714
qSilence............................................................................................................................................................................ 714
qSound ............................................................................................................................................................................. 714
qText.................................................................................................................................................................................. 715
reset ................................................................................................................................................................................... 715

Adobe Acrobat SDK
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2

Contents
27

JavaScript API (Continued)
TTS (Continued)
TTS methods (Continued)
resume .............................................................................................................................................................................. 715
stop .................................................................................................................................................................................... 715
talk...................................................................................................................................................................................... 715
util ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 716
util methods.......................................................................................................................................................................... 716
crackURL........................................................................................................................................................................... 716
iconStreamFromIcon................................................................................................................................................... 717
printd................................................................................................................................................................................. 718
printf.................................................................................................................................................................................. 720
printx ................................................................................................................................................................................. 722
scand ................................................................................................................................................................................. 723
spansToXML ................................................................................................................................................................... 724
streamFromString ........................................................................................................................................................ 724
stringFromStream ........................................................................................................................................................ 725
xmlToSpans .................................................................................................................................................................... 726
XFA.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 727
XMLData ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 728
XMLData methods.............................................................................................................................................................. 728
applyXPath...................................................................................................................................................................... 728
parse .................................................................................................................................................................................. 732

3

New Features and Changes.....................................................................................................736
Acrobat 8.1 changes................................................................................................................................................................. 736
Acrobat 8.0 changes................................................................................................................................................................. 736
Acrobat 7.0.5 changes ............................................................................................................................................................. 740
Acrobat 7.0 changes................................................................................................................................................................. 741
Introduced in Acrobat 7.0.......................................................................................................................................... 742
Modified in Acrobat 7.0 .............................................................................................................................................. 744
Acrobat 6.0 changes................................................................................................................................................................. 746
Introduced in Acrobat 6.0.......................................................................................................................................... 746
Modified in Acrobat 6.0 .............................................................................................................................................. 753
Deprecated in Acrobat 6.0......................................................................................................................................... 754
Introduced in Acrobat 6.0.2 ...................................................................................................................................... 755
Acrobat 5.0 changes................................................................................................................................................................. 761
Introduced in Acrobat 5.0.......................................................................................................................................... 761
Modified in Acrobat 5.0 .............................................................................................................................................. 768
Deprecated in Acrobat 5.0......................................................................................................................................... 768
Modified in Acrobat 5.05............................................................................................................................................ 769
Modified in Adobe Reader 5.1 ................................................................................................................................. 769

Preface
This reference contains the documentation of the objects, properties and methods of the JavaScript™
extensions for Adobe® Acrobat® Professional, Acrobat Standard and Adobe Reader®.

What’s in this guide?
This guide describes the JavaScript for Acrobat API:
●

“JavaScript API” on page 35 describes the JavaScript API in detail. All objects, properties and methods
are documented and extensive code examples are presented.

●

“New Features and Changes” on page 736 summarizes the new features and changes introduced in
recent versions of Acrobat.

Note: Certain properties and methods that may be discoverable through JavaScript's introspection
facilities are not documented here. Undocumented properties and methods should not be used.
They are entirely unsupported and subject to change without notice at any time.

Who should read this guide?
This document is intended for users familiar with core JavaScript 1.6. The intended audience includes, but
is not limited to, authors of interactive PDF documents, form designers of intelligent documents, and
Acrobat plug-in developers.
A knowledge of the Acrobat user interface is essential. Familiarity with the PDF file format is helpful.
The use of JavaScript to control additional Acrobat features such as ADBC, multimedia, SOAP, XML, and
various security protocols requires knowledge of the corresponding technologies.

Related documentation
This document refers to the following sources for additional information about JavaScript and related
technologies. The Acrobat documentation is available through the Acrobat Family Developer Center,
http://www.adobe.com/go/acrobat_developer.
For information about

See

A guide to the documentation in the Acrobat SDK.

Acrobat SDK Documentation Roadmap

Known issues and implementation details.

Readme

Answers to frequently asked questions about the Acrobat SDK.

Developer FAQ

New features in this Acrobat SDK release.

What’s New

A general overview of the Acrobat SDK.

Overview

A guide to the sections of the Acrobat SDK that pertain to
Adobe Reader.

Developing for Adobe Reader

28

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JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Related documentation

For information about

See

A guide to the sample code included with the Acrobat SDK.

Guide to SDK Samples

Using DDE, OLE, Apple events, and AppleScript to control
Acrobat and Adobe Reader and to render PDF documents.

Developing Applications Using
Interapplication Communication

Detailed descriptions of DDE, OLE, Apple event, and
AppleScript APIs for controlling Acrobat and Adobe Reader or
for rendering PDF documents.

Interapplication Communication
API Reference

Detailed descriptions of JavaScript APIs for adding interactivity
to 3D annotations within PDF documents.

JavaScript for Acrobat 3D Annotations
API Reference

Using JavaScript to develop and enhance standard workflows
in Acrobat and Adobe Reader.

Developing Acrobat Applications
Using JavaScript

Using RSS to track remote resources in an
occasionally-connected environment.

Acrobat Tracker

A detailed description of an extension to the PostScript®
language which allows the description of PDF features not
found in standard PostScript.

pdfmark Reference

A detailed description of the PDF file format.

PDF Reference

Using JavaScript to perform repetitive operations on a
collection of files.

Batch Sequences

A detailed description of the parameters for opening PDF files
and for performing actions on them using a URL or command.

Parameters for Opening PDF Files

Describes the XFA specification.

XFA Specification

Describes the specific language for describing patterns utilized
for formatting or parsing data.

XFA-Picture Clause 2.0 Specification

This document is the XFDF specification.

XML Form Data Format Specification

This document describes the different models available in the
XML Form Object Model for scripting. It provides detailed
information about the different objects in each of those
models, and their associated properties and methods.

Adobe XML Form Object Model
Reference

This document describes methods of converting Acrobat
forms to Adobe LiveCycle® Designer forms, and explains the
differences between the Acrobat and LiveCycle Designer
form object models.

Converting Acrobat JavaScript for
Use in LiveCycle Designer Forms

This document describes the digital signature capabilities of
Acrobat, which document authors can use to create certified
documents, signable forms, and custom workflows and
appearances.

Acrobat 8.0 Security Feature
User Reference

29

1

Introduction
JavaScript is the cross-platform scripting language of the Adobe Acrobat family of products that includes
Acrobat Professional, Acrobat Standard, and Adobe Reader. Through JavaScript extensions, the viewer
application and its plug-ins expose much of their functionality to document authors, form designers, and
plug-in developers.
This functionality includes the following features, among others:
●

Processing forms within the document

●

Batch processing collections of PDF documents

●

Developing and maintaining online collaboration schemes

●

Communicating with local databases

●

Controlling multimedia events

In addition to being available in Acrobat and Adobe Reader, the objects, properties, and methods for the
Acrobat extensions for JavaScript can also be accessed through Microsoft Visual Basic to automate the
processing of PDF documents. See the Interapplication Communication API Reference for details.

Syntax
Some JavaScript objects are static objects that can be used as is and must be spelled as indicated. For
example, the app object represents the JavaScript application. There is only one such object and it must
be spelled app (case-sensitive).
Other objects are dynamic objects that can be assigned to a variable. For example, a Doc object may be
obtained and assigned to a variable:
var myDoc = app.newDoc();

In this example, myDoc can access all methods and properties of the Doc object. For example:
myDoc.closeDoc();

Method arguments
Many of the JavaScript methods provided by Acrobat accept either a list of arguments, as is customary in
JavaScript, or a single object argument with properties that contain the arguments. For example, these
two calls are equivalent:
app.alert( "Acrobat Multimedia", 3);
app.alert({ cMsg: "Acrobat Multimedia", nIcon: 3});

Note: The JavaScript methods defined in support of multimedia do not accept these two argument
formats interchangeably. Use the exact argument format described for each method.

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Introduction
Paths

31

Parameter help
When using Acrobat Professional, if you give an Acrobat method an argument of acrohelp and execute
that method in the JavaScript Debugger console (or any internal JavaScript editor), the method returns a
list of its own arguments.
For example, enter the following code in the console window.
app.response(acrohelp)

While the cursor is still on the line just entered, press either Ctrl + Enter or the Enter key on the numeric
pad. The console displays the following message.
HelpError: Help.
app.response:1:Console undefined:Exec
====> [cQuestion: string]
====> [cTitle: string]
====> [cDefault: string]
====> [bPassword: boolean]
====> [cLabel: string]

Parameters listed in square brackets indicate optional parameters.
Note: Parameter help is not implemented for every JavaScript method. For example, it is not implemented
for methods defined in the App JavaScript folder.

Paths
Several methods take device-independent paths as arguments. See the PDF Reference, version 1.7, for
details about the device-independent path format.

Safe path
Acrobat 6.0 introduced the concept of a safe path for JavaScript methods that write data to the local hard
drive based on a path passed to it by one of its parameters.
A path cannot point to a system critical folder, for example a root, windows or system directory. A path is
also subject to other unspecified tests.
For many methods, the file name must have an extension appropriate to the type of data that is to be
saved. Some methods may have a no-overwrite restriction. These additional restrictions are noted in the
documentation.
Generally, when a path is judged to be not safe, a NotAllowedError exception is thrown (see Error
object) and the method fails.

Privileged context
A context in which you have the right to do something that is normally restricted. Such a right (or
privilege) could be granted by executing a method in a specific way (through the console or batch
process), by some PDF property, or because the document was signed by someone you trust. For example,
trusting a document certifier’s certificate for executing JavaScript creates a privileged context which
enables the JavaScript to run where it otherwise would not.

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Introduction
Privileged versus non-privileged context

32

Privileged versus non-privileged context
Some JavaScript methods, marked in this book by S in the third column of the quick bar, have security
restrictions. These methods can be executed only in a privileged context, which includes console, batch and
application initialization events. All other events (for example, page open and mouse-up events) are
considered non-privileged.
The description of each security-restricted method indicates the events during which the method can be
executed.
Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, security-restricted methods can execute without restrictions if the document
certifier’s certificate is trusted for running embedded high privilege JavaScript.
In Acrobat versions earlier than 7.0, menu events were considered privileged contexts. Beginning with
Acrobat 7.0, execution of JavaScript through a menu event is no longer privileged. You can execute
security-restricted methods through menu events in one of the following ways:
●

By opening the JavaScript category of the Acrobat preferences and checking the item named “Enable
Menu Items JavaScript Execution Privileges”.

●

By executing a specific method through a trusted function (introduced in Acrobat 7.0). Trusted
functions allow privileged code—code that normally requires a privileged context to execute—to
execute in a non-privileged context. For details and examples, see app.trustedFunction.

User preferences
There are many references in this document to the Acrobat user preferences. The preferences dialog box is
accessed through the following menu commands, depending on platform:
Microsoft® Windows®: Edit > Preferences
Mac OS: Acrobat > Preferences
The preferences dialog box contains several categories that have relevant commands, including Forms,
General, and JavaScript.
The following methods, if run from a document-level script, no longer affect the user preferences:
●

app.fs.defaultTransition, app.fsTransition

●

app.fs.useTimer, app.fsUseTimer

●

app.fs.usePageTiming, app.fsUsePageTiming

●

app.fs.loop, app.fsLoop

●

app.fs.escapeExits, app.fsEscape

●

app.fsClick, app.fs.clickAdvances

●

app.fsTimeDelay, app.fs.timeDelay

●

app.fsColor, app.fs.backgroundColor

●

app.fsCursor, app.fs.cursor

●

app.openInPlace

These methods still affect user preferences if run from an application-level script.
Also note that app.fs.escapeExits and app.fsEscape can now only be set to false when running
in a privileged context.

Adobe Acrobat SDK

Introduction

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Quick bars

33

Quick bars
At the beginning of most property and method descriptions, a small table or quick bar provides a
summary of the item’s availability and usage recommendations.
The quick bar shown here has descriptive column headings that are not shown in the reference.
Version or
Deprecated

Save and
Preferences

Security

Availability

6.0

D

S

C

The following tables show the symbols that can appear in each column and their meanings.
Column 1: Version or deprecated
#.#

A number indicates the version of the software in which a property or method became available. If
the number is specified, the property or method is available only in versions of the Acrobat
software greater than or equal to that number.
For Acrobat 8.0, there are some compatibility issues with older versions. Before accessing the
property or method, the script should check that the forms version is greater than or equal to that
number to ensure backward compatibility. For example:
if (typeof app.formsVersion != "undefined" && app.formsVersion >= 8.0)
{
// Perform version specific operations.
}

If the first column is blank, no compatibility checking is necessary.

X

The property or method is deprecated.

Column 2: Save and Preferences

D
P

Writing to this property or method dirties (modifies) the PDF document. If the document is
subsequently saved, the effects of this method are saved as well. (In Adobe Reader, the document
requires specific rights to be saved.)
Even though this property does not change the document, it can permanently change a user’s
application preferences.

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Domain names in code samples

34

Column 3: Security

S

For security reasons, this property or method may be available only during certain events. These
events include batch processing, application start, or execution within the console. (See the
event object for details of the Acrobat events.)
Beginning with Acrobat 7.0, to execute a security-restricted method through a menu event, one of
the following must be true:
●

The JavaScript user preferences item Enable Menu Items JavaScript Execution Privileges is
checked.

●

The method is executed through a trusted function. For details and examples, see the
app.trustedFunction method.

See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for more information.
Note: (Acrobat 6.0 or later) Methods marked with S will execute without restriction in a certified
document provided the certifier’s certificate is trusted for running embedded high privilege
JavaScript and other limitations in the quick bar fields are met.

Column 4: Availability
If the column is blank, the property or method is allowed in Adobe Reader, Acrobat Professional or
Acrobat Standard.

X
F
C
S
D
G

P

The property or method is not allowed in Adobe Reader but is available in Acrobat Professional
and Acrobat Standard.
The property or method is allowed in Acrobat Professional and Acrobat Standard. It can be
accessed in Adobe Reader (version 5.1 or later) depending on additional usage rights that have
been applied to the document:
●

F — Requires forms rights

●

C — Requires the right to manipulate comments

●

S — Requires the document save right

●

D — Requires file attachment rights

●

G — Requires digital signature rights

The property or method is available only in Acrobat Professional

Domain names in code samples
Throughout this document there are numerous code samples that use URLs. Such examples use the
domain names example.com, example.net, and example.org, which are reserved for the purpose of
illustration. Some examples use IP addresses, these addresses come from the range 172.16.0.0 through
172.31.255.255, which are reserved for private networks.

2

JavaScript API
This chapter is a complete reference to the Acrobat extensions to JavaScript, its objects, methods, and
properties. The chapter is organized alphabetically by object name.
The Acrobat extensions to core JavaScript date back to Adobe Exchange 3.01. JavaScript functionality was
added to this version by means of the “Acrobat Forms Author Plug-in 3.5 Update”. Initially, JavaScript
version 1.2 was used, as the table below shows. In Acrobat 5.0, there was a major effort to extend core
JavaScript, then version 1.5, to include much of the functionality of the application and its plug-ins. The
most recent version of Acrobat now uses JavaScript 1.6.
Acrobat version

3.01 4.0

JavaScript version 1.2

1.2

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

1.5

1.5

1.5

1.6

When developing a JavaScript solution, you must have a minimal Acrobat (or Adobe Reader) version in
mind. The choice of target application determines, by the table above, the version of JavaScript you should
use.
Most JavaScript API function are documented in all versions of Acrobat and Adobe Reader, while others
are only defined in later versions. Still, some APIs are restricted to Acrobat Professional and some cannot
be used by Adobe Reader, while others can be used in Adobe Reader only when the document has the
appropriate Reader Extension Rights. Again, for a JavaScript solution, all these factors must be considered.
See “Quick bars” on page 33 for a description of the symbols that appear at the beginning of property and
method descriptions. The quick bar reflects the version number where the method was first defined,
security restrictions, limitations on Adobe Reader, and needed Adobe Reader usage rights.
For documentation on core JavaScript, the reader is directed to the Mozilla Developer Center,
http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/JavaScript.

35

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ADBC

36

ADBC
5.0

X

The ADBC plug-in allows JavaScript in PDF documents to access databases through a consistent object
model. ADBC is a Windows-only feature and requires ODBC to be installed on the client machine.
The object model is based on general principles used in the object models for the ODBC and JDBC APIs.
Like ODBC and JDBC, ADBC is a means of communicating with a database through SQL.
Note: ADBC provides no security for any of the databases it is programmed to access. It is the
responsibility of the database administrator to keep all data secure.
The ADBC object is a global object whose methods allow a script to create database connection contexts
or connections. Related objects used in database access are described separately.
Related object

Brief description

Page

Connection

An object through which a list of tables in the connected
database can be obtained.

page 208

Statement

An object through which SQL statements can be executed and
rows retrieved based on the query.

page 697

ADBC properties
SQL types
5.0

X

The ADBC object has the following constant properties representing various SQL types:
Constant property name

Value

SQLT_BIGINT

0

SQLT_BINARY

1

SQLT_BIT

2

SQLT_CHAR

3

SQLT_DATE

4

SQLT_DECIMAL

5

SQLT_DOUBLE

6

SQLT_FLOAT

7

SQLT_INTEGER

8

Version

Adobe Acrobat SDK

JavaScript API

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

JavaScript types

Constant property name

Value

Version

SQLT_LONGVARBINARY

9

SQLT_LONGVARCHAR

10

SQLT_NUMERIC

11

SQLT_REAL

12

SQLT_SMALLINT

13

SQLT_TIME

14

SQLT_TIMESTAMP

15

SQLT_TINYINT

16

SQLT_VARBINARY

17

SQLT_VARCHAR

18

SQLT_NCHAR

19

6.0

SQLT_NVARCHAR

20

6.0

SQLT_NTEXT

21

6.0

The type properties of the Column object and ColumnInfo object use these properties.

JavaScript types
5.0

X

The ADBC object has the following constant properties representing various JavaScript data types.
Constant property name

Value

Numeric

0

String

1

Binary

2

Boolean

3

Time

4

Date

5

TimeStamp

6

The Statement object methods getColumn and getColumnArray use these types.

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getDataSourceList

38

ADBC methods
getDataSourceList
X

5.0

Obtains information about the databases accessible from a given system.

Returns
An array containing a DataSourceInfo object for each accessible database on the system. The method
never fails but may return a zero-length array.

Example
See ADBC.newConnection.

newConnection
5.0

S

X

Creates a Connection object associated with the specified database. Optionally, you can supply a user ID
and a password.
Note: (Acrobat 6.0 and later) It is possible to connect to a database using a connection string with no Data
Source Name (DSN), but this is only permitted, beginning with Acrobat 6.0, during a console or
batch event. See also “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32.

Parameters
cDSN

The data source name (DSN) of the database

cUID

(optional) User ID

cPWD

(optional) Password

Returns
A Connection object, or null on failure.

Example
Get the array of DataSourceInfo objects available on the system, and display them to the console, while
searching for the data source named q32000data.
/* First, get the array of DataSourceInfo objects available on the system */
var aList = ADBC.getDataSourceList();
console.show(); console.clear();

Adobe Acrobat SDK
JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

JavaScript API
newConnection

try {
/* Now display them, while searching for the one named
"q32000data". */
var DB = "", msg = "";
if (aList != null) {
for (var i=0; i < aList.length; i++) {
console.println("Name: "+aList[i].name);
console.println("Description: "+aList[i].description);
// and choose one of interest
if (aList[i].name=="q32000data")
DB = aList[i].name;
}
}
// Did we find the database?
if (DB != "") {
// Yes, establish a connection.
console.println("The requested database has been found!");
var Connection = ADBC.newConnection(DB);
if (Connection == null) throw "Not Connected!";
} else
// No, display message to console.
throw "Could not find the requested database.";
} catch (e) {
console.println(e);
}
// Alternatively, we could simple connect directly.
var Connection = ADBC.newConnection("q32000data");

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JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Alerter

40

Alerter
7.0
The Acrobat multimedia plug-in displays error alerts under various conditions such as a missing media file.
JavaScript code can customize these alerts, either for an entire document or for an individual media player.
In an alert situation, the internal function app.media.alert is called with parameters containing
information about the alert. The app.media.alert method handles the alert by looking for alerter
objects and calling their dispatch methods, in this order:
args.alerter
doc.media.alerter
doc.media.stockAlerter

To handle alerts for a specific player, provide an alerter object in args.alerter when you call
app.media.createPlayer or app.media.openPlayer.
To handle alerts for an entire document, set doc.media.alerter to an alerter object.
All alerts can be suppressed for a player or document by setting args.alerter or
doc.media.alerter to null.
doc.media.stockAlerter provides the default alerts that are used if a custom alerter is not specified.
This property is initialized automatically by app.media.alert. Normally, doc.media.stockAlerter

would not be referenced in developer code.

Alerter methods
dispatch
7.0
Called by app.media.alert to handle alert situations.

Parameters
alert

An Alert object (see below).

Returns
A Boolean value, true to stop further alert processing, false to continue processing.

Adobe Acrobat SDK

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JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

dispatch

41

Alert object
Properties

Type

Description

type

String

All alert types

doc

Doc object

All alert types

fromUser

Boolean

All alert types

error

Object

Available for the Exception type alert. The error
object has a message property:
error: { message: String }

errorText

String

Available for the PlayerError type alert.

fileName

String

Available for the FileNotFound type alert.

selection

MediaSelection object

Available for the SelectFailed type alert.

Example 1
Open a media player and suppress all alerts for this player.
app.media.openPlayer({ alerter: null });
// A more elaborate way to do the same thing
app.media.openPlayer(
{
alerter:
{
dispatch() { return true; }
}
});

Example 2
For all players in this document, log any alerts to a text field and allow the normal alert box to be displayed.
function logAlerts( doc )
{
count = 0;
doc.alerter =
{
dispatch( alert )
{
doc.getField("AlertLog").value += "Alert #"
+ ++count + ": " + alert.type + "\n";
}
}
}
logAlerts( this );

Adobe Acrobat SDK
JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

// Another way to keep the counter
function logAlerts( doc )
{
doc.alerter =
{
count = 0,
dispatch( alert )
{
doc.getField("AlertLog").value += "Alert #"
+ ++this.count + ": " + alert.type + "\n";
}
}
}
logAlerts( this );

Example 3
Handle the PlayerError alert here, with defaults for other alerts.
this.media.alerter =
{
dispatch( alert )
{
switch( alert.type )
{
case "PlayerError":
app.alert( "Player error: " + alert.errorText );
return true;
}
}
}

JavaScript API
dispatch

42

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JavaScript API
AlternatePresentation

43

AlternatePresentation
This object provides an interface to the document's particular alternate presentation. Use the Doc object
method alternatePresentations to acquire an AlternatePresentation object.
See the PDF Reference version 1.7 for additional details on alternate presentations.

AlternatePresentation properties
active
6.0
This property is true if the presentation is currently active and false otherwise. When a presentation is
active, it controls how the document that owns it is displayed.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

Example
See the start method for an example.

type
6.0
The type of the alternate presentation. Currently, the only supported type is “SlideShow”.

Type
String

Access
R

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start

44

AlternatePresentation methods
start
6.0
Switches the document view into the alternate presentation mode and sets the active property to true.
An exception is thrown if this or any other alternate presentation is already active.

Parameters
cOnStop

(optional) An expression to be evaluated by Acrobat when the presentation
completes for any reason (as a result of a call to stop, an explicit user action, or the
presentation logic itself ).

cCommand

(optional) A command or script to pass to the alternate presentation.
Note: This command is presentation-specific (not a JavaScript expression).

Example
Assume there is a named presentation called “MySlideShow” within the document.
// oMySlideShow is an AlternatePresentation object
oMySlideShow = this.alternatePresentations.MySlideShow;
if (!oMySlideShow.active) oMySlideShow.start();

Note that this.alternatePresentations is used to access the specified presentation by property
name.

stop
6.0
Stops the presentation and switches the document into normal (PDF) presentation. An exception is
thrown if this presentation is not active.

Example
In this example, oMySlideShow is an AlternatePresentations object. See start for a related example.
// Stop the show if already active
if (oMySlideShow.active) oMySlideShow.stop();

Adobe Acrobat SDK

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Annotation

45

Annotation
This object represents an Acrobat annotation. Annotations can be created using the Acrobat annotation
tool or by using the Doc object method addAnnot.
Before an annotation can be accessed, it must be bound to a JavaScript variable through a Doc object
method such as getAnnot:
var a = this.getAnnot(0, "Important");

The script can then manipulate the annotation named “Important” on page 1 (0-based page numbering
system) by means of the variable a. For example, the following code first stores the type of annotation in
the variable thetype, then changes the author to “John Q. Public”.
var thetype = a.type;
// read property
a.author = "John Q. Public"; // write property

Another way of accessing the Annotation object is through the Doc object getAnnots method.
Note: In Adobe Reader 5.1 or later, you can get the value of any annotation property except contents.
The ability to set these properties depends on Comments document rights, as indicated by the C
icon.
The user interface in Acrobat refers to annotations as comments.

Annotation types
Annotations are of different types, as reflected in the type property. Each type is listed in the table below,
along with all documented properties returned by the getProps method.
Annotation type

Properties

Caret

author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle,
caretSymbol, contents, creationDate, delay, hidden, inReplyTo,
intent, lock, modDate, name, noView, opacity, page, popupOpen,
popupRect, print, readOnly, rect, refType, richContents, rotate,
seqNum, strokeColor, style, subject, toggleNoView, type, width

Circle

author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle, contents,
creationDate, dash, delay, fillColor, hidden, inReplyTo, intent,
lock, modDate, name, noView, opacity, page, popupOpen, popupRect,
print, readOnly, rect, refType, richContents, rotate, seqNum,
strokeColor, style, subject, toggleNoView, type, width

FileAttachment

attachIcon, author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle,
contents, creationDate, delay, hidden, inReplyTo, intent, lock,
modDate, name, noView, opacity, page, point, print, readOnly, rect,
refType, richContents, rotate, seqNum, strokeColor, style,
subject, toggleNoView, type, width

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Annotation

46

Annotation type

Properties

FreeText

alignment, author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle,
callout, contents, creationDate, dash, delay, fillColor, hidden,
inReplyTo, intent, lineEnding, lock, modDate, name, noView,
opacity, page, print, readOnly, rect, refType, richContents,
richDefaults, rotate, seqNum, strokeColor, style, subject,
textFont, textSize, toggleNoView, type, width

Highlight

author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle, contents,
creationDate, delay, hidden, inReplyTo, intent, lock, modDate,
name, noView, opacity, page, popupOpen, popupRect, print, quads,
readOnly, rect, refType, richContents, rotate, seqNum,
strokeColor, style, subject, toggleNoView, type, width

Ink

author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle, contents,
creationDate, dash, delay, gestures, hidden, inReplyTo, intent,
lock, modDate, name, noView, opacity, page, popupOpen, popupRect,
print, readOnly, rect, refType, richContents, rotate, seqNum,
strokeColor, style, subject, toggleNoView, type, width

Line

arrowBegin, arrowEnd, author, borderEffectIntensity,
borderEffectStyle, contents, creationDate, dash, delay,
doCaption, fillColor, hidden, inReplyTo, intent, leaderExtend,
leaderLength, lock, modDate, name, noView, opacity, page, points,
popupOpen, popupRect, print, readOnly, rect, refType,
richContents, rotate, seqNum, strokeColor, style, subject,
toggleNoView, type, width

Polygon

author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle, contents,
creationDate, dash, delay, fillColor, hidden, inReplyTo, intent,
lock, modDate, name, noView, opacity, page, popupOpen, popupRect,
print, readOnly, rect, refType, richContents, rotate, seqNum,
strokeColor, style, subject, toggleNoView, type, vertices, width

PolyLine

arrowBegin, arrowEnd, author, borderEffectIntensity,
borderEffectStyle, contents, creationDate, dash, delay,
fillColor, hidden, inReplyTo, intent, lock, modDate, name, noView,
opacity, page, popupOpen, popupRect, print, readOnly, rect,
refType, richContents, rotate, seqNum, strokeColor, style,
subject, toggleNoView, type, vertices, width

Sound

author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle, contents,
creationDate, delay, hidden, inReplyTo, intent, lock, modDate,
name, noView, opacity, page, point, print, readOnly, rect, refType,
richContents, rotate, seqNum, soundIcon, strokeColor, style,
subject, toggleNoView, type, width

Square

author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle, contents,
creationDate, dash, delay, fillColor, hidden, inReplyTo, intent,
lock, modDate, name, noView, opacity, page, popupOpen, popupRect,
print, readOnly, rect, refType, richContents, rotate, seqNum,
strokeColor, style, subject, toggleNoView, type, width

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alignment

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Annotation type

Properties

Squiggly

author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle, contents,
creationDate, delay, hidden, inReplyTo, intent, lock, modDate,
name, noView, opacity, page, popupOpen, popupRect, print, quads,
readOnly, rect, refType, richContents, rotate, seqNum,
strokeColor, style, subject, toggleNoView, type, width

Stamp

AP, author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle,
contents, creationDate, delay, hidden, inReplyTo, intent, lock,
modDate, name, noView, opacity, page, popupOpen, popupRect, print,
readOnly, rect, refType, rotate, seqNum, strokeColor, style,
subject, toggleNoView, type

StrikeOut

author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle, contents,
creationDate, delay, hidden, inReplyTo, intent, lock, modDate,
name, noView, opacity, page, popupOpen, popupRect, print, quads,
readOnly, rect, refType, richContents, rotate, seqNum,
strokeColor, style, subject, toggleNoView, type, width

Text

author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle, contents,
creationDate, delay, hidden, inReplyTo, intent, lock, modDate,
name, noView, noteIcon, opacity, page, point, popupOpen,
popupRect, print, readOnly, rect, refType, richContents, rotate,
seqNum, state, stateModel, strokeColor, style, subject,
toggleNoView, type, width

Underline

author, borderEffectIntensity, borderEffectStyle, contents,
creationDate, delay, hidden, inReplyTo, intent, lock, modDate,
name, noView, opacity, page, popupOpen, popupRect, print, quads,
readOnly, rect, refType, richContents, rotate, seqNum,
strokeColor, style, subject, toggleNoView, type, width

Annotation properties
The PDF Reference version 1.7 documents all Annotation properties and specifies how they are stored.
Some property values are stored in the PDF document as names and others are stored as strings (see the
PDF Reference version 1.7 for details). A property stored as a name can have only 127 characters.
Examples of properties that have a 127-character limit include AP, beginArrow, endArrow,
attachIcon, noteIcon, and soundIcon.

alignment
5.0

D

C

Controls the alignment of the text for a FreeText annotation.

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AP

Alignment

Value

Left aligned

0

Centered

1

Right aligned

2

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Annotations
FreeText

AP
5.0

D

C

The named appearance of the stamp to be used in displaying a stamp annotation. The names of the
standard stamp annotations are given below:
Approved
AsIs
Confidential
Departmental
Draft
Experimental
Expired
Final
ForComment
ForPublicRelease
NotApproved
NotForPublicRelease
Sold
TopSecret

Type
String

Access
R/W

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arrowBegin

49

Annotations
Stamp

Example
Programmatically add a stamp annotation.
var annot = this.addAnnot({
page: 0,
type: "Stamp",
author: "A. C. Robat",
name: "myStamp",
rect: [400, 400, 550, 500],
contents: "Try it again, this time with order and method!",
AP: "NotApproved" });

Note: The name of a particular stamp can be found by opening the PDF file in the Stamps folder that
contains the stamp in question. For a list of stamp names currently in use in the document, see the
Doc object icons property.

arrowBegin
5.0

D

C

Determines the line cap style that specifies the shape to be used at the beginning of a line annotation.
Permissible values are:
None (default)
OpenArrow
ClosedArrow
ROpenArrow
RClosedArrow
Butt
Diamond
Circle
Square
Slash

// Acrobat 6.0
// Acrobat 6.0
// Acrobat 6.0

// Acrobat 7.0

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
Line, PolyLine

Example
See the setProps method.

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arrowEnd

arrowEnd
5.0

D

C

Determines the line cap style that specifies the shape to be used at the end of a line annotation. The
following list shows the allowed values:
None (default)
OpenArrow
ClosedArrow
ROpenArrow
RClosedArrow
Butt
Diamond
Circle
Square
Slash

// Acrobat 6.0
// Acrobat 6.0
// Acrobat 6.0

// Acrobat 7.0

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
Line, PolyLine

Example
See the setProps method.

attachIcon
5.0

D

C

The name of an icon to be used in displaying the annotation. Recognized values are listed below:
Paperclip
PushPin (default)
Graph
Tag

Type
String

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author

51

Access
R/W

Annotations
FileAttachment

author
5.0

D

C

Gets or sets the author of the annotation.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

Example
See the contents property.

borderEffectIntensity
6.0

D

C

The intensity of the border effect, if any. This represents how cloudy a cloudy rectangle, polygon, or oval is.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

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borderEffectStyle

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borderEffectStyle
6.0

D

C

If non-empty, the name of a border effect style. Currently, the only supported border effects are the empty
string (nothing) or “C” for cloudy.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

callout
7.0

D

C

An array of four or six numbers specifying a callout line attached to the free text annotation. See the PDF
Reference version 1.7 for additional details.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Annotations
FreeText

caretSymbol
6.0

D

C

The symbol associated with a Caret annotation, which is a visual symbol that indicates the presence of text
edits. Valid values are “” (nothing), “P” (paragraph symbol) or “S” (space symbol).

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contents

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
Caret

contents
5.0

D

C

Accesses the contents of any annotation that has a pop-up window. For sound and file attachment
annotations, specifies the text to be displayed as a description.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

Example
Create a text annotation, with author and contents specified.
var annot = this.addAnnot({
page: 0,
type: "Text",
point: [400,500],
author: "A. C. Robat",
contents: "Call Smith to get help on this paragraph.",
noteIcon: "Help"
});

See also the Doc object addAnnot method.

creationDate
6.0

C

The date and time when the annotation was created.

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dash

54

Type
Date

Access
R

Annotations
All

dash
5.0

D

C

A dash array defining a pattern of dashes and gaps to be used in drawing a dashed border. For example, a
value of [3, 2] specifies a border drawn with 3-point dashes alternating with 2-point gaps.
To set the dash array, the style property must be set to D.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Annotations
FreeText, Line, PolyLine, Polygon, Circle, Square, Ink

Example
Assuming annot is an Annotation object, this example changes the border to dashed.
annot.setProps({ style: "D", dash: [3,2] });

See also the example following the delay property.

delay
5.0

C

If true, property changes to the annotation are queued and then executed when delay is set back to
false. (Similar to the Field object delay property.)

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doc

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

Example
Assuming annot is an Annotation object, the code below changes the border to dashed.
annot.delay=true;
annot.style = "D";
annot.dash = [4,3];
annot.delay = false;

doc
5.0

C

The Doc object of the document in which the annotation resides.

Type
Doc object

Access
R

Annotations
All

Example
Construct an annotation, and illustrate the use of the doc property.
var inch = 72;
var annot = this.addAnnot({
page: 0,
type: "Square",
rect: [1*inch, 3*inch, 2*inch, 3.5*inch]
});
/* displays, for example, "file:///C|/Adobe/Annots/myDoc.pdf" */
console.println(annot.doc.URL);

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doCaption

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doCaption
7.0

D

C

If true, draws the rich contents in the line appearance itself.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Annotations
Line

Example
See the example following the points property, page 65.

fillColor
5.0

D

C

Sets the background color for circle, square, line, polygon, polyline, and free text annotations. Values are
defined by using transparent, gray, RGB or CMYK color. See “Color arrays” on page 193 for information
on defining color arrays and how values are used with this property.

Type
Color

Access
R/W

Annotations
Circle, Square, Line, Polygon, PolyLine, FreeText

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gestures

57

Example
Create a Circle annotation and set the background color.
var annot = this.addAnnot(
{
type: "Circle",
page: 0,
rect: [200,200,400,300],
author: "A. C. Robat",
name: "myCircle",
popupOpen: true,
popupRect: [200,100,400,200],
contents: "Hi World!",
strokeColor: color.red,
fillColor: ["RGB",1,1,.855]
});

gestures
5.0

D

C

An array of arrays, each representing a stroked path. Each array is a series of alternating x and y coordinates
in default user space, specifying points along the path. When drawn, the points are connected by straight
lines or curves in an implementation-dependent way. See the PDF Reference version 1.7 for more details.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Annotations
Ink

hidden
5.0

D

C

If true, the annotation is not shown and there is no user interaction, display, or printing of the annotation.

Type
Boolean

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inReplyTo

58

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

inReplyTo
6.0

D

C

If non-empty, specifies the name value of the annotation that this annotation is in reply to.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

intent
7.0

D

C

This property allows a markup annotation type to behave differently, depending on the intended use of
the annotation. For example, the Callout Tool is a free text annotation with intent set to
FreeTextCallout.
Though this property is defined for all annotations, currently, only free text, polygon, and line annotations
have non-empty values for intent.

Type
String

Access
R/W

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leaderExtend

59

Annotations
All
The table below lists the tools available through the UI for creating annotations with special appearances.
UI

Annotation type

Intent

Callout Tool

FreeText

FreeTextCallout

Cloud Tool

Polygon

PolygonCloud

Arrow Tool

Line

LineArrow

Dimensioning Tool

Line

LineDimension

leaderExtend
7.0

D

C

Specifies the length of leader line extensions that extend from both endpoints of the line, perpendicular to
the line. These lines extend from the line proper 180 degrees from the leader lines. The value should
always be greater than or equal to zero.
The default is zero (no leader line extension).

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Annotations
Line

leaderLength
7.0

D

C

Specifies the length of leader lines that extend from both endpoints of the line, perpendicular to the line.
The value may be negative to specify an alternate orientation of the leader lines.
The default is 0 (no leader line).

Type
Number

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lineEnding

Access
R/W

Annotations
Line

lineEnding
7.0

D

C

This property determines how the end of a callout line is stroked. It is relevant only for a free text
annotation when the value of intent is FreeTextCallout. Recognized values are listed below:
None (default)
OpenArrow
ClosedArrow
ROpenArrow
RClosedArrow
Butt
Diamond
Circle
Square
Slash

// Acrobat 6.0
// Acrobat 6.0
// Acrobat 6.0

// Acrobat 7.0

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
FreeText

lock
5.0

D

C

If true, the annotation is locked, which is equivalent to readOnly except that the annotation is
accessible through the properties dialog box in the UI.

Type
Boolean

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modDate

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

modDate
C

5.0

The last modification date for the annotation.

Type
Date

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

Example
Print the modification date to the console.
console.println(util.printd("mmmm dd, yyyy", annot.modDate));

name
5.0

D

C

The name of an annotation. This value can be used by the Doc object getAnnot method to find and
access the properties and methods of the annotation.

Type
String

Access
R/W

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noteIcon

Annotations
All

Example
Locate the annotation named myNote and appends a comment.
var gannot = this.getAnnot(0, "myNote");
gannot.contents += "\r\rDon’t forget to check with Smith";

noteIcon
5.0

D

C

The name of an icon to be used in displaying the annotation. Recognized values are given below:
Check
Circle
Comment
Cross
Help
Insert
Key
NewParagraph
Note(default)
Paragraph
RightArrow
RightPointer
Star
UpArrow
UpLeftArrow

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
Text

Example
See the contents property.

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noView

63

noView
5.0

D

C

If true, the annotation is hidden, but if the annotation has an appearance, that appearance should be
used for printing only.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

Example
See the toggleNoView property.

opacity
5.0

D

C

The constant opacity value to be used in painting the annotation. This value applies to all visible elements
of the annotation in its closed state (including its background and border), but not to the pop-up window
that appears when the annotation is opened. Permissible values are 0.0 - 1.0. A value of 0.5 makes the
annotation semitransparent.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

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page

64

page
5.0

D

C

The page on which the annotation resides.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

Example
The following code moves the Annotation object annot from its current page to page 3 (0-based page
numbering system).
annot.page = 2;

point
5.0

D

C

An array of two numbers, [xul, yul] that specifies the upper left-hand corner in default user space of the icon
for a text, sound or file attachment annotation.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Annotations
Text, Sound, FileAttachment

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points

65

Example
Place a help note icon at specified coordinates. The icon is located at the upper right corner of the popup
note.
var annot = this.addAnnot({
page: 0,
type: "Text",
point: [400,500],
contents: "Call Smith to get help on this paragraph.",
popupRect: [400,400,550,500],
popupOpen: true,
noteIcon: "Help"
});

See also the noteIcon property and the Doc object addAnnot method.

points
5.0

D

C

An array of two points, [[x1, y1], [x2, y2]], specifying the starting and ending coordinates of the line in default
user space.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Annotations
Line

Example
Draw a line between two specified points.
var annot = this.addAnnot({
type: "Line",
page: 0,
author: "A. C. Robat",
doCaption: true,
contents: "Look at this again!",
points: [[10,40],[200,200]],
});

See the arrowBegin and arrowEnd properties, the setProps method, and the Doc object addAnnot
method.

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popupOpen

66

popupOpen
5.0

D

C

If true, the pop-up text note appears open when the page is displayed.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Annotations
All except FreeText, Sound, FileAttachment

Example
See the print property.

popupRect
5.0

D

C

An array of four numbers [xll, yll, xur, yur] specifying the lower-left x, lower-left y, upper-right x, and
upper-right y coordinates—in default user space—of the rectangle of the pop-up annotation associated
with a parent annotation. It defines the location of the pop-up annotation on the page.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Annotations
All except FreeText, Sound, FileAttachment

Example
See the print property.

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print

67

print
5.0

D

C

Indicates whether the annotation should be printed (true) or not (false).

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

quads
5.0

D

C

An array of 8 x n numbers specifying the coordinates of n quadrilaterals in default user space. Each
quadrilateral encompasses a word or group of contiguous words in the text underlying the annotation.
See the PDF Reference version 1.7 for more details. The quads for a word can be obtained through calls to
the Doc object getPageNthWordQuads method.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Annotations
Highlight, StrikeOut, Underline, Squiggly

Example
See the Doc object getPageNthWordQuads method.

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rect

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rect
5.0

D

C

The rect array consists of four numbers [xll, yll, xur, yur] specifying the lower-left x, lower-left y, upper-right
x, and upper-right y coordinates—in default user space—of the rectangle defining the location of the
annotation on the page. See also the popupRect property.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

readOnly
5.0

D

C

If true, the annotation should display but not interact with the user.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

refType
7.0

D

C

The reference type of the annotation. The property distinguishes whether inReplyTo indicates a plain
threaded discussion relationship or a group relationship. Recognized values are “R” and “Group”. See the
PDF Reference version 1.7 for additional details.

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richContents

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

richContents
6.0

D

C

This property gets the text contents and formatting of an annotation. The rich text contents are
represented as an array of Span objects containing the text contents and formatting of the annotation.

Type
Array of Span objects

Access
R/W

Annotations
All except Sound, FileAttachment

Example
Create a text annotation and give it some rich text contents.
var annot = this.addAnnot({
page: 0,
type: "Text",
point: [72,500],
popupRect: [72, 500,6*72,500-2*72],
popupOpen: true,
noteIcon: "Help"
});
var spans = new Array();
spans[0] = new Object();
spans[0].text = "Attention:\r";
spans[0].textColor = color.blue;
spans[0].textSize = 18;

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richDefaults

70

spans[1] = new Object();
spans[1].text = "Adobe Acrobat 6.0\r";
spans[1].textColor = color.red;
spans[1].textSize = 20;
spans[1].alignment = "center";
spans[2] = new Object();
spans[2].text = "will soon be here!";
spans[2].textColor = color.green;
spans[2].fontStyle = "italic";
spans[2].underline = true;
spans[2].alignment = "right";
// Now give the rich field a rich value
annot.richContents = spans;

See also the Field object richValue method and the event object methods richValue, richChange,
and richChangeEx for examples of using the Span object.

richDefaults
6.0

D

C

This property defines the default style attributes for a free text annotation. See the description of the Field
object defaultStyle property for additional details.

Type
Span object

Access
R/W

Annotations
FreeText

rotate
5.0

D

C

The number of degrees (0, 90, 180, 270) the annotation is rotated counterclockwise relative to the page.
This property is only significant for free text annotations.

Type
Integer

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seqNum

Access
R/W

Annotations
FreeText

seqNum
C

5.0

A read-only sequence number for the annotation on the page.

Type
Integer

Access
R

Annotations
All

soundIcon
5.0

D

C

The name of an icon to be used in displaying the sound annotation. A value of “Speaker” is recognized.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
Sound

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state

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state
6.0

D

C

The state of the text annotation. The values of this property depend on the stateModel. For a state model
of Marked, values are Marked and Unmarked. For a Review state model, the values are Accepted, Rejected,
Cancelled, Completed and None.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
Text

stateModel
6.0

D

C

Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, annotations may have an author-specific state associated with them. The state
is specified by a separate text annotation that refers to the original annotation by means of its IRT entry
(see the inReplyTo property). There are two types of state models, “Marked” and “Review”.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
Text
See also the getStateInModel method.

strokeColor
5.0

D

C

Sets the appearance color of the annotation. Values are defined by using transparent, gray, RGB or
CMYK color. In the case of a free text annotation, strokeColor sets the border and text colors. See “Color
arrays” on page 193 for information on defining color arrays and how values are used with this property.

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style

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Type
Color

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

Example
Make a text note red.
var annot = this.addAnnot({type: "Text"});
annot.strokeColor = color.red;

style
5.0

D

C

This property gets and sets the border style. Recognized values are S (solid) and D (dashed). The style
property is defined for all annotation types but is only relevant for line, free text, circle, square, polyline,
polygon and ink annotations.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
All
See the dash property for an example.

subject
6.0

D

C

Text representing a short description of the subject being addressed by the annotation. The text appears
in the title bar of the pop-up window, if there is one, or the properties dialog box.

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textFont

74

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

textFont
D

5.0

C

Determines the font that is used when laying out text in a free text annotation. Valid fonts are defined as
properties of the font object (see the Field object textFont property).
An arbitrary font can be used when laying out a free text annotation by setting the value of textFont
equal to a string that represents the PostScript name of the font.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Annotations
FreeText

Example
Create a FreeText annotation using the Helvetica font.
var annot = this.addAnnot({
page: 0,
type: "FreeText",
textFont: font.Helv, // or, textFont: "Viva-Regular",
textSize: 10,
rect: [200, 300, 200+150, 300+3*12], // height for three lines
width: 1,
alignment: 1 });

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textSize

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textSize
5.0

D

C

The text size (in points) for a free text annotation. Valid text sizes include zero and the range from 4 to 144,
inclusive. Zero indicates the largest point size that allows all the text to fit in the annotation’s rectangle.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Annotations
FreeText

Example
See the textFont property.

toggleNoView
6.0

D

C

If true, the noView flag is toggled when the mouse hovers over the annotation or the annotation is
selected.
If an annotation has both the noView and toggleNoView flags set, the annotation is usually invisible.
However, when the mouse is over it or it is selected, it becomes visible.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Annotations
All

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type

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type
C

5.0

The type of annotation. The type of an annotation can only be set within the object-literal argument of the
Doc object addAnnot method. The valid values are:
Text
FreeText
Line
Square
Circle
Polygon
PolyLine
Highlight
Underline
Squiggly
StrikeOut
Stamp
Caret
Ink
FileAttachment
Sound

Type
String

Access
R

Annotations
All

vertices
6.0

D

C

An array of coordinate arrays representing the alternating horizontal and vertical coordinates, respectively,
of each vertex, in default user space of a polygon or polyline annotation. See the PDF Reference version 1.7
for details.

Type
Array of arrays

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width

Access
R/W

Annotations
Polygon, PolyLine

width
5.0

D

C

The border width in points. If this value is 0, no border is drawn. The default value is 1.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Annotations
Square, Circle, Line, Ink, FreeText

Annotation methods
destroy
5.0

D

C

Destroys the annotation, removing it from the page. The object becomes invalid.

Example
Remove all "FreeText" annotations on page 0.
var annots = this.getAnnots({ nPage:0 });
for (var i = 0; i < annots.length; i++)
if (annots[i].type == "FreeText") annots[i].destroy();

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getProps

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getProps
5.0
Get the collected properties of an annotation. Can be used to copy an annotation.

Returns
An object literal of the properties of the annotation. The object literal is just like the one passed to the Doc
object addAnnot method.

Example 1
Copy a given annotation to every page in the document.
var annot = this.addAnnot({
page: 0,
type: "Text",
rect: [40, 40, 140, 140]
});
// Make a copy of the properties of annot
var copy_props = annot.getProps();
// Now create a new annot with the same properties on every page
var numpages = this.numPages;
for (var i=0; i < numpages; i++) {
var copy_annot = this.addAnnot(copy_props);
// but move it to page i
copy_annot.page=i;
}

Example 2
Display all properties and values of an annotation.
var a = this.getAnnots(0); // get all annots on page 0
if ( a != null ) {
var p = a[0].getProps();// get the properties of first one
for ( o in p ) console.println( o + " : " + p[o] );
}

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getStateInModel

79

getStateInModel
6.0
Gets the current state of the annotation in the context of a state model. See also the
transitionToState method.

Parameters
The state model to determine the state of the annotation.

cStateModel

Returns
The result is an array of the identifiers for the current state of the annotation:
●

If the state model was defined to be exclusive, there is only a single state (or no states if the state has
not been set).

●

If the state model is non-exclusive, there may be multiple states (or no entries if the state has not been
set and there is no default).

Example
Report on the status of all annotations on all pages of this document.
annots = this.getAnnots()
for ( var i= 0; i< annots.length; i++) {
states = annots[i].getStateInModel("Review");
if ( states.length > 0 ) {
for(j = 0; j < states.length; j++)
{
var d = util.printd(2, states[j].modDate);
var s = states[j].state;
var a = states[j].author;
console.println(annots[i].type + ": " + a + " "
+ s + " " + d + "on page "
+ (annots[i].page+1) );
}
}
}

setProps
5.0

D

C

Sets many properties of an annotation simultaneously.

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transitionToState

80

Parameters
object literal

A generic object that specifies the properties of the Annotation object to be
created (such as type, rect, and page). This object is the same as the parameter of
the Doc object addAnnot method.

Returns
The Annotation object

Example
Set various properties of a Line annotation.
var annot = this.addAnnot({type: "Line"})
annot.setProps({
page: 0,
points: [[10,40],[200,200]],
strokeColor: color.red,
author: "A. C. Robat",
contents: "Check with Jones on this point.",
popupOpen: true,
popupRect: [200, 100, 400, 200], // Place rect at tip of the arrow
arrowBegin: "Diamond",
arrowEnd: "OpenArrow"
});

transitionToState
6.0

D

C

Sets the state of the annotation to cState by performing a state transition. The state transition is
recorded in the audit trail of the annotation.
See also the getStateInModel method.
Note: For the states to work correctly in a multiuser environment, all users must have the same state
model definitions. Therefore, it is best to place state model definitions in a folder-level JavaScript file
that can be distributed to all users or installed on all systems.

Parameters
cStateModel

The state model in which to perform the state transition. cStateModel must
have been previously added by calling the Collab method addStateModel.

cState

A valid state in the state model to transition to.

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Example
Define a custom set of transition states, then set the state of an annotation.
try {
// Create a document
var myDoc = app.newDoc();
// Create an annot
var myAnnot = myDoc.addAnnot
({
page: 0,
type: "Text",
point: [300,400],
name: "myAnnot",
});
// Create the state model
var myStates = new Object();
myStates["initial"] = {cUIName: "Haven't reviewed it"};
myStates["approved"] = {cUIName: "I approve"};
myStates["rejected"] = {cUIName: "Forget it"};
myStates["resubmit"] = {cUIName: "Make some changes"};
Collab.addStateModel({
cName: "ReviewStates",
cUIName: "My Review",
oStates: myStates,
cDefault: "initial"
});
} catch(e) { console.println(e); }
// Change the states
myAnnot.transitionToState("ReviewStates", "resubmit");
myAnnot.transitionToState("ReviewStates", "approved");

JavaScript API
transitionToState

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JavaScript API
Annot3D

82

Annot3D
An Annot3D object represents a particular Acrobat 3D annotation; that is, an annotation created using the
Acrobat 3D Tool. The Annot3D object can be acquired from the Doc object methods getAnnot3D and
getAnnots3D.

Annot3D properties
activated
7.0
A Boolean value that indicates whether the annotation is displaying the 3D artwork (true) or just the
posterboard picture (false).
See the context3D property.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

context3D
7.0
If activated is true, this property returns the context of the 3D annotation (a global object
containing the 3D scene.) (See the JavaScript for Acrobat 3D Annotations API Reference for more
information.) If activated is false, this property returns undefined.

Type
global object

Access
R

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innerRect

innerRect
7.0
An array of four numbers [xll, yll, xur, yur] specifying the lower-left x, lower-left y, upper-right x and
upper-right y coordinates, in the coordinate system of the annotation (lower-left is [0, 0], top right is
[width, height]), of the 3D annotation’s 3DB box, where the 3D artwork is rendered.

Type
Array

Access
R

name
7.0
The name of the annotation.

Type
String

Access
R

page
7.0
The 0-based page number of the page containing the annotation.

Type
Integer

Access
R

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rect

84

rect
7.0
Returns an array of four numbers [xll, yll, xur, yur] specifying the lower-left x, lower-left y, upper-right x and
upper-right y coordinates, in default user space, of the rectangle defining the location of the annotation
on the page.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

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app

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app
A static JavaScript object that represents the Acrobat application. It defines a number of Acrobat-specific
functions plus a variety of utility routines and convenience functions.

app properties
activeDocs
5.0

S

An array containing the Doc object for each active document. If no documents are active, activeDocs
returns nothing; that is, it has the same behavior as d = new Array(0) in core JavaScript.
In versions of Acrobat earlier than 7.0, executing the script d = app.activeDocs in the console
returned [object Global] to the console. Beginning with Acrobat 7.0, no toString() value is output
to the console.
Note: You should be aware of the following version-related information:
●

In Acrobat 5.0, this property returns an array containing the Doc object for each active document.

●

In Acrobat 5.0.5, this property was changed to return an array of Doc objects of only those open
documents that have the Doc object disclosed property set to true.

●

Beginning with the Acrobat 5.0.5 Accessibility and Forms Patch and continuing with Acrobat 6.0 and
later, the behavior is as follows: During a batch, console or menu event, activeDocs ignores the
disclosed property and returns an array of Doc objects of the active documents. During any other
event, activeDocs returns an array of Doc objects of only those active documents that have
disclosed set to true.

●

Beginning with Acrobat 7.0, execution of JavaScript through a menu event is no longer privileged. See
“Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details.

The array returned by app.activeDocs includes any documents opened by app.openDoc with the
bHidden parameter set to true, subject to the security restrictions described above.

Type
Array

Access
R

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JavaScript API
calculate

86

Example
This example searches among the open documents for the document with a title of myDoc, then inserts a
button in that document using the Doc object addField method. Whether the documents must be
disclosed depends on the version of Acrobat executing this code and on the placement of the code (for
example, console versus mouse-up action).
var d = app.activeDocs;
for (var i=0; i < d.length; i++)
if (d[i].info.Title == "myDoc") {
var f = d[i].addField("myButton", "button", 0 , [20, 100, 100, 20]);
f.setAction("MouseUp","app.beep(0)");
f.fillColor=color.gray;
}

calculate
X
If true (the default value), calculations can be performed. If false, calculations are not permitted.
The use of this property is discouraged; the Doc object property calculate is preferred.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

constants
7.0
A wrapper object for holding various constant values. Currently, this property returns an object with a
single property, align.
app.constants.align is an object that has the possible properties left, center, right, top, and
bottom, indicating the type of alignment. These values can be used to specify alignment, such as when

adding a watermark.

Type
Object

Access
R

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focusRect

87

Example
See the Doc object methods addWatermarkFromFile and addWatermarkFromText for examples.

focusRect
4.05

P

Turns the focus rectangle on and off. The focus rectangle is the faint dotted line around buttons, check
boxes, radio buttons, and signatures to indicate that the form field has the keyboard focus. A value of true
turns on the focus rectangle.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example
Turn off the focus rectangle.
app.focusRect = false;

formsVersion
4.0
The version number of the viewer forms software. Check this property to determine whether objects,
properties, or methods in newer versions of the software are available if you want to maintain backward
compatibility in your scripts.

Type
Number

Access
R

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JavaScript API
fromPDFConverters

88

Example
if (typeof app.formsVersion != "undefined" && app.formsVersion >= 5.0)
{
// Perform version specific operations here.
// For example, toggle full screen mode
app.fs.cursor = cursor.visible;
app.fs.defaultTransition = "";
app.fs.useTimer = false;
app.fs.isFullScreen = !app.fs.isFullScreen;
}
else app.fullscreen = !app.fullscreen;

fromPDFConverters
6.0
An array of file type conversion ID strings. A conversion ID string can be passed to the Doc object saveAs
method.

Type
Array

Access
R

Example
List all currently supported conversion ID strings.
for ( var i = 0; i < app.fromPDFConverters.length; i++)
console.println(app.fromPDFConverters[i]);

fs
5.0
A FullScreen object, which can be used to access the fullscreen properties.

Type
Object

Access
R

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fullscreen

89

Example
// This code puts the viewer into fullscreen (presentation) mode.
app.fs.isFullScreen = true;

See also fullScreenObject.isFullScreen.

fullscreen
X
The use of this property is discouraged; it has been superseded by the FullScreen object property
isFullScreen. The fs method returns a FullScreen object that can be used to access the fullscreen
properties.
Controls whether the viewer is in full screen mode or regular viewing mode.
Note: A PDF document being viewed from within a web browser cannot be put into full screen mode. Full
screen mode can be initiated from within the browser, but applies only to a document open in the
Acrobat viewer application, if any, not to the browser itself.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

language
3.01
The language of the running Acrobat viewer. It can be one of the following strings.
String

Language

CHS

Chinese Simplified

CHT

Chinese Traditional

DAN

Danish

DEU

German

ENU

English

ESP

Spanish

FRA

French

ITA

Italian

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String

Language

KOR

Korean

JPN

Japanese

NLD

Dutch

NOR

Norwegian

PTB

Brazilian Portuguese

SUO

Finnish

SVE

Swedish

media

90

Type
String

Access
R

media
6.0
Defines an extensive number of properties and methods useful for setting up and controlling a
multimedia player.
See the app.media object for a listing of the properties and methods of this object, as well as numerous
examples of use.

Type
Object

Access
R

monitors
6.0
A Monitors object, which is an array containing one or more Monitor objects representing each of the
display monitors connected to the user’s system. Each access to app.monitors returns a new, up-to-date
copy of this array.
A Monitors object also has several methods that can be used to select a display monitor. Alternatively,
JavaScript code can look through the array explicitly.

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numPlugIns

Type
Monitors object

Access
R

Example
Count the number of display monitors connected to the user’s system.
var monitors = app.monitors;
console.println("There are " + monitors.length
+ " monitor(s) connected to this system.");

numPlugIns
X
Note: This method has been superseded by the plugIns property.
Indicates the number of plug-ins that have been loaded by Acrobat.

Type
Number

Access
R

openInPlace
4.0

P

Specifies whether cross-document links are opened in the same window or opened in a new window.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

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platform

Example
Open cross-document links in the same window.
app.openInPlace = true;

platform
4.0
The platform that the script is currently executing on. There are three valid values:
WIN
MAC
UNIX

Type
String

Access
R

plugIns
5.0
An array of PlugIn objects representing the plug-ins that are currently installed in the viewer.

Type
Array

Access
R

Example
// Get array of PlugIn objects
var aPlugins = app.plugIns;
// Get number of plug-ins
var nPlugins = aPlugins.length;
// Enumerate names of all plug-ins
for ( var i = 0; i < nPlugins; i++)
console.println("Plugin \#"+i+" is " + aPlugins[i].name);

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printColorProfiles

printColorProfiles
6.0

X

A list of available printer color spaces. Each of these values is suitable to use as the value of the
colorProfile property of a PrintParams object.

Type
Array of Strings

Access
R

Example
Print out a listing of available printer color spaces:
var l = app.printColorProfiles.length
for ( var i = 0; i < l; i++)
console.println("(" + (i+1) + ") " + app.printColorProfiles[i]);

printerNames
6.0
A list of available printers. Each of these values is suitable to use in the printerName property of the
PrintParams object. If no printers are installed on the system, an empty array is returned.

Type
Array of Strings

Access
R

Example
Print out a listing of available printers:
var l = app.printerNames.length
for ( var i = 0; i < l; i++)
console.println("(" + (i+1) + ") " + app.printerNames[i]);

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runtimeHighlight

94

runtimeHighlight
6.0

P

If true, the background color and hover color for form fields are shown.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example
If run-time highlighting is off (false), do nothing, otherwise change the preferences.
if (!app.runtimeHighlight)
{
app.runtimeHighlight = true;
app.runtimeHighlightColor = color.red;
}

runtimeHighlightColor
6.0

P

Sets the color for runtime highlighting of form fields.
The value of this property is a color array. (See “Color arrays” on page 193 for details.)

Type
Color array

Access
R/W

Example
See the runtimeHighlight property.

thermometer
6.0
A Thermometer object, which is a combined status window/progress bar that indicates to the user that a
lengthy operation is in progress.

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toolbar

Type
Object

Access
R

Example
See the Thermometer object.

toolbar
3.01

P

Allows a script to show or hide both the horizontal and vertical Acrobat toolbars. It does not hide the
toolbar in external windows (that is, in an Acrobat window within a web browser).

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example
Hide the toolbar.
app.toolbar = false;

toolbarHorizontal
X

P

Note: This property has been deprecated in Acrobat 5.0 and later. If accessed, it acts like toolbar.
Allows a script to show or hide the Acrobat horizontal toolbar. It does not hide the toolbar in external
windows (that is, in an Acrobat window within a web browser).

Type
Boolean

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toolbarVertical

Access
R/W

toolbarVertical
X

P

Note: This property has been deprecated in Acrobat 5.0 and later. If accessed, it acts like toolbar.
Allows a script to show or hide the Acrobat vertical toolbar. It does not hide the toolbar in external
windows (that is, in an Acrobat window within a web browser).

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

viewerType
3.01
A string that indicates which viewer application is running. It can be one of these values.
Value

Description

Reader

Acrobat Reader version 5.0 or earlier / Adobe Reader version 5.1 or later

Exchange

Adobe Acrobat earlier than version 6.0 / Acrobat Standard version 6.0 or later

Exchange-Pro

Acrobat Professional version 6.0 or later

Type
String

Access
R

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viewerVariation

viewerVariation
5.0
Indicates the packaging of the running viewer application. It can be one of these values:
Reader
Fill-In
Business Tools
Full

Type
String

Access
R

viewerVersion
4.0
Indicates the version number of the current viewer application.

Type
Number

Access
R

app methods
addMenuItem
5.0

S

Adds a menu item to a menu.
Note: This method can only be executed during application initialization or console events. See the
event object for a discussion of JavaScript events.
See also the addSubMenu, execMenuItem, hideMenuItem, and listMenuItems methods.

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addMenuItem

98

Parameters
cName

The language-independent name of the menu item. This name can be used by other
methods (for example, hideMenuItem) to access the menu item.

cUser

(optional) The user string (language-dependent name) to display as the menu item name.
If cUser is not specified, cName is used.

cParent

The name of the parent menu item. Its submenu will have the new menu item added to it.
If cParent has no submenu, an exception is thrown.
Menu item names can be obtained with the listMenuItems method.

nPos

(optional) The position within the submenu to locate the new menu item. The default
behavior is to append to the end of the submenu. Specifying nPos as 0 adds the menu to
the top of the submenu. Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, the value of nPos can also be the
language-independent name of a menu item.
(Acrobat 6.0) If the value nPos is a string, this string is interpreted as a named item in the
menu (a language-independent name of a menu item). The named item determines the
position at which the new menu item is to be inserted. See bPrepend for additional details.
The nPos parameter is ignored in certain menus that are alphabetized. The alphabetized
menus are
●

The first section of View > Navigation Panels.

●

The first section of View > Toolbars.

●

The first section of the Advanced submenu.

Note: When nPos is a number, nPos is not obeyed in the Tools menu. A menu item
introduced into the Tools menu comes in at the top of the menu. nPos is obeyed
when it is a string referencing another user-defined menu item.
cExec

An expression string to evaluate when the menu item is selected by the user.
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 7.0, execution of JavaScript through a menu event is no
longer privileged. See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for
details.

cEnable

(optional) An expression string that is evaluated to determine whether to enable the
menu item. The default is that the menu item is always enabled. This expression should
set event.rc to false to disable the menu item.

cMarked

(optional) An expression string that determines whether the menu item has a check mark
next to it. The expression should set event.rc to false to uncheck the menu item and
true to check it. The default is that the menu item is not marked.

bPrepend

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) Determines the position of the new menu item relative to the
position specified by nPos. The default value is false. If bPrepend is true, the rules for
insertion are as follows:
●

If nPos is a string, the new item is placed before the named item.

●

If nPos is a number, the new item is placed before the numbered item.

●

If the named item cannot be found or nPos is not between zero and the number of
items in the list, inclusive, the new item is inserted as the first item in the menu (rather
than at the end of the menu).

bPrepend is useful when the named item is the first item in a group.

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addSubMenu

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Example 1
At the top of the File menu, add a menu item that opens an alert dialog box displaying the active
document title. This menu is only enabled if a document is opened.
app.addMenuItem({ cName: "Hello", cParent: "File",
cExec: "app.alert(event.target.info.title, 3);",
cEnable: "event.rc = (event.target != null);",
nPos: 0
});

Example 2 (Acrobat 6.0)
Place two menu items in the File menu, one before the Close item and the other after the Close item.
// Insert after the "Close" item (the default behavior)
app.addMenuItem( { cName: "myItem1", cUser: "My Item 1", cParent:
"File", cExec: "_myProc1()", nPos: "Close"});
// Insert before the "Close" item, set bPrepend to true.
app.addMenuItem( { cName: "myItem2", cUser: "My Item 2", cParent:
"File", cExec: "_myProc2()", nPos: "Close", bPrepend: true });

addSubMenu
5.0

S

Adds a menu item with a submenu to the application.
See also the addMenuItem, execMenuItem, hideMenuItem, and listMenuItems methods.
Note: This method can only be executed during application initialization or console events. See the
event object for a discussion of JavaScript events.

Parameters
cName

The language-independent name of the menu item. This language-independent name is
used to access the menu item (for example, for hideMenuItem).

cUser

(optional) The user string (language-dependent name) to display as the menu item name.
If cUser is not specified, cName is used.

cParent

The name of the parent menu item to receive the new submenu.
Menu item names can be discovered with listMenuItems.

nPos

(optional) The position within the parent’s submenu to locate the new submenu. The
default is to append to the end of the parent’s submenu. Specifying nPos as 0 adds the
submenu to the top of the parent’s submenu.
The nPos parameter is ignored in certain menus that are alphabetized. The alphabetized
menus are
●
The first section of View > Navigational Panels.
●
The first section of View > Toolbars.
●
The first section of the Advanced submenu.
Note: When nPos is a number, nPos is not obeyed in the Tools menu. A menu item
introduced into the Tools menu comes in at the top of the menu. nPos is obeyed
when nPos is a string referencing another user-defined menu item.

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addToolButton

100

Example
See the newDoc method.

addToolButton
6.0
Adds a button to the “Add-on” toolbar of Acrobat.
If there is an active document (for example, docA.pdf) open in Acrobat when this method is called to
add a button, Acrobat will remove the button when docA.pdf is either no longer active or is closed. In
the former case, the button will be automatically added to the toolbar if docA.pdf becomes the active
document again.
The icon size is restricted to 20 by 20 pixels. If an icon of larger dimensions is used, an exception is thrown.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) A number of changes have been made with regard to the secure use of this method.
Execution of addToolButton in the console and application initialization is considered privileged
execution and is trusted.
If this method is called from nonprivileged script, the warning “JavaScript Window” appears on the
“Add-on” toolbar, which will not be dockable. (See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on
page 32.)
See also removeToolButton.

Parameters
cName

A unique language-independent identifier for the button. The
language-independent name is used to access the button for other methods (for
example, removeToolButton).
Note: The value of cName must be unique. To avoid a name conflict, check
listToolbarButtons, which lists all toolbar button names currently
installed.

oIcon

An Icon Stream object.
Beginning with Acrobat 7.0, this parameter is optional if a cLabel is provided.

cExec

The expression string to evaluate when the button is selected.

cEnable

(optional) An expression string that determines whether to enable the toolbutton.
The default is that the button is always enabled. This expression should set
event.rc to false to disable the button.

cMarked

(optional) An expression string that determines whether the toolbutton is marked.
The default is that the button is not marked. This expression should set event.rc to
true to mark the button.

cTooltext

(optional) The text to display in the button help text when the mouse is over the
toolbutton. The default is not to have a tool tip.
Note: Avoid the use of extended characters in the cTooltext string as the string
may be truncated.

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alert

nPos

(optional) The button number to place the added button before in the toolbar. If
nPos is -1 (the default), the button is appended to the toolbar.

cLabel

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) A text label to be displayed on the button to the right of the
icon. The default is not to have a label.

101

Returns
undefined

Example
Create a button from an icon graphic on the user’s hard drive. This script is executed from the console.
// Create a document
var myDoc = app.newDoc();
// import icon (20x20 pixels) from the file specified
myDoc.importIcon("myIcon", "/C/myIcon.jpg", 0);
// convert the icon to a stream.
oIcon = util.iconStreamFromIcon(myDoc.getIcon("myIcon"));
// close the doc now that we have grabbed the icon stream
myDoc.closeDoc(true);
// add a toolbutton
app.addToolButton({
cName: "myToolButton",
oIcon: oIcon,
cExec: "app.alert('Someone pressed me!')",
cTooltext: "Push Me!",
cEnable: true,
nPos: 0
});
app.removeToolButton("myToolButton")

See also the example following util.iconStreamFromIcon.

alert
3.01
Displays an alert dialog box.
Note: If this method is called on a button click event using LiveCycle Designer 7 or 8, it appends the title
"Warning: JavaScript Window - " in Acrobat 8.

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Parameters
cMsg

A string containing the message to be displayed.

nIcon

(optional) An icon type. Possible values are these:
0 — Error (default)
1 — Warning
2 — Question
3 — Status

Note: In Mac OS, there is no distinction between warnings and questions.
nType

(optional) A button group type. Possible values are these:
0 — OK (default)
1 — OK, Cancel
2 — Yes, No
3 — Yes, No, Cancel

cTitle

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) The dialog box title. If not specified, the title “Adobe Acrobat” is used.

oDoc

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) The Doc object that the alert should be associated with.

oCheckbox

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) If specified, a check box is created in the lower left region of the
alert box. oCheckbox is a generic JavaScript object that has three properties. The first
two property values are passed to the alert method; the third property returns a
Boolean value.
cMsg — (optional) A string to display with the check box. If not specified, the default

string is “Do not show this message again”.
bInitialValue — (optional) If true, the initial state of the check box is checked.
The default is false.
bAfterValue — When the alert method exits, contains the state of the check box
when the dialog box is closed. If true, the check box was checked when the alert

box is closed.

Returns
nButton, the type of the button that was pressed by the user:
1 — OK
2 — Cancel
3 — No
4 — Yes

Example 1
Display a simple alert box:
app.alert({
cMsg: "Error! Try again!",
cTitle: "Acme Testing Service"
});

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Example 2
Close the document with the user’s permission:
// A MouseUp action
var nButton = app.alert({
cMsg: "Do you want to close this document?",
cTitle: "A message from A. C. Robat",
nIcon: 2, nType: 2
});
if ( nButton == 4 ) this.closeDoc();

Example 3 (Acrobat 6.0)
One document creates an alert box in another document. There are two documents, DocA and DocB, one
open in a browser and the other in the viewer.
// The following is a declaration at the document level in DocA
var myAlertBoxes = new Object;
myAlertBoxes.oMyCheckbox = {
cMsg: "Care to see this message again?",
bAfterValue: false
}

The following is a mouse-up action in DocA. The variable theOtherDoc is the Doc object of DocB. The
alert box asks if the user wants to see this alert box again. If the user clicks the check box, the alert does not
appear again.
if ( !myAlertBoxes.oMyCheckbox.bAfterValue )
{
app.alert({
cMsg: "This is a message from the DocA?",
cTitle: "A message from A. C. Robat",
oDoc:theOtherDoc,
oCheckbox: myAlertBoxes.oMyCheckbox
});
}

beep
3.01
Causes the system to play a sound.
Note: On Mac OS and UNIX systems the beep type is ignored.

Parameters
nType

(optional) The sound type. Values are associated with sounds as follows:
0 — Error
1 — Warning
2 — Question
3 — Status
4 — Default (default value)

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beginPriv
7.0

S

Raises the execution privilege of the current stack frame such that methods marked secure can execute
without security exceptions. For the method to succeed, there must be a frame on the stack representing
the execution of a trusted function, and all frames (including the frame making the call) between the
currently executing frame and that frame must represent the execution of trust propagator functions.
Use app.endPriv to revoke privilege. The app.trustedFunction method can create a trusted
function, and app.trustPropagatorFunction can create a trust propagator function. The term stack
frame is discussed following the description of app.trustedFunction.

Returns
undefined on success, exception on failure

Example
For examples of usage, see trustedFunction and trustPropagatorFunction.

browseForDoc
7.0

S

7.0

Presents a file system browser and returns an object containing information concerning the user’s
response.
Note: This method can only be executed during a batch or console event. See the event object for a
discussion of JavaScript events. See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for
details.

Parameters
bSave

(optional) A Boolean value that, if true, specifies that the file system browser should
be presented as it would be for a save operation. The default is false.

cFilenameInit (optional) A string that specifies the default file name for the file system browser to

be populated with.
cFSInit

(optional) A string that specifies the file system that the file system browser operates
on initially. Two values are supported: “” (the empty string) representing the default
file system and “CHTTP”. The default is the default file system. This parameter is only
relevant if the web server supports WebDAV.

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Returns
On success, returns an object that has three properties.
Property

Description

cFS

A string containing the resulting file system name for the chosen file.

cPath

A string containing the resulting path for the chosen file.

cURL

A string containing the resulting URL for the chosen file

If the user cancels, the return value is undefined. On error, throws an exception.

Example 1
Browse for a document and report the results to the console.
var oRetn = app.browseForDoc({
cFilenameInit: "myComDoc.pdf",
cFSInit: "CHTTP",
});
if ( typeof oRetn != "undefined" )
for ( var o in oRetn )
console.println( "oRetn." + o + "=" + oRetn[o]);
else console.println("User cancelled!");

If the user selects a file on a WebDAV server, a possible output of this code is given below:
oRetn.cFS=CHTTP
oRetn.cPath=http://www.example.com/WebDAV/myComDoc.pdf
oRetn.cURL=http://www.example.com/WebDAV/myComDoc.pdf

Should the user select a file in the default file system, a typical output of this code is given below:
oRetn.cFS=DOS
oRetn.cPath=/C/temp/myComDoc.pdf
oRetn.cURL=file:///C|/temp/myComDoc.pdf

The script can go on to open the selected file using app.openDoc.
var myURL = (oRetn.cFS=="CHTTP") ? encodeURI(oRetn.cPath) : oRetn.cPath;
var oDoc = app.openDoc({cPath: myURL, cFS: oRetn.cFS});

Note: app.openDoc requires cPath to be an escaped string when retrieving a file from a WebDAV
server. See app.openDoc for a brief description and example.

Example 2
Browse and save a document.
var oRetn = app.browseForDoc({
bSave: true,
cFilenameInit: "myComDoc.pdf",
cFSInit: "CHTTP",
});
if ( typeof oRetn != "undefined" ) this.saveAs({
cFS: oRetn.cFS, cPath: oRetn.cPath, bPromptToOverwrite: false});

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clearInterval

clearInterval
5.0
Cancels a previously registered interval initially set by the setInterval method.
See also setTimeOut and clearTimeOut.

Parameters
The registered interval to cancel.

oInterval

Example
See setTimeOut.

clearTimeOut
5.0
Cancels a previously registered time-out interval. Such an interval is initially set by setTimeOut.
See also setInterval and clearInterval.

Parameters
The previously registered time-out interval to cancel.

oTime

Example
See setTimeOut.

endPriv
7.0

S

Revokes any privilege bestowed upon the current stack frame by app.beginPriv. Does not revoke
privilege bestowed by the current event.
Related methods are app.trustedFunction, app.trustPropagatorFunction and
app.beginPriv.

Returns
undefined on success, exception on failure

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Example
For examples of usage, see trustedFunction and trustPropagatorFunction.

execDialog
7.0
Presents a modal dialog box to the user. Modal dialog boxes must be closed by the user before the host
application can be directly used again.
The monitor parameter specifies a dialog descriptor, which is a generic object literal that consists of a set
of handler functions for various events and a set of properties that describe the contents of the dialog box.
Dialog box items are identified by an ItemID, which is a unique 4-character string. An ItemID is necessary
only if the element must be referred to elsewhere in the dialog box description (for example, to set or get
a value for the element, to add a handler for the element, or to set a tab order including the element).
Note: To distinguish Acrobat dialog boxes from those created by JavaScript, dialog boxes that are added
at the document level have a title of “JavaScript Dialog” and display the text “Warning: JavaScript
Dialog” at the bottom.

Parameters
monitor

An object literal. It consists of several handlers (see “Dialog box handlers” on
page 108) and a description property that describes the dialog box elements
(see “description property” on page 108).

inheritDialog

(optional) A Dialog object that should be reused when displaying this dialog box.
It is useful when displaying a series of dialog boxes (such as a wizard) to prevent
one from disappearing before the new one is displayed. The default is not to reuse
a dialog box.

parentDoc

(optional) A Doc object to use as the parent for this dialog box. The default parent
is the Acrobat application.

Returns
A string, which is the ItemID of the element that caused the dialog box to be dismissed. The return value is
“ok” or “cancel” if the dismissing element is the ok or cancel button.
Note: Debugging is disabled while a modal dialog box created by app.execDialog is active.

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Dialog box handlers
The dialog box handlers are called when specific dialog box events occur. Each handler is optional and is
passed a Dialog object that can be used to query or set values in the dialog box. The supported handlers
are listed in the table that follows.
Dialog box handler

Description

initialize

Called when the dialog box is being initialized.

validate

Called when a field is modified to determine if the value is acceptable (by
returning true) or unacceptable (by returning false).

commit

Called when the OK button of the dialog box is clicked.

destroy

Called when the dialog box is being destroyed.

ItemID

Called when the dialog box element ItemID is modified. For a text box, it is when
the text box loses focus. For other controls, it is when the selection changes.
If ItemID is not a JavaScript identifier, the name must be enclosed in double
quotes when the method is defined, as in the following example.
"bt:1": function () { .... }

If ItemID is a JavaScript identifier, the double quotes are optional. For example, the
following are both correct.
"butn": function () { .... }
butn: function () { .... }

description property
The description property is an object literal that contains properties describing the dialog. Its
elements property specifies the elements of the dialog box, and each of the elements in turn can have an
elements property describing subelements.
The dialog properties at the root level of the description property are listed in the table that follows.
Property

Type

Description

name

String

The title bar of the dialog box, which should be localized.

first_tab

String

An ItemID for the dialog box item that should be first in the tab
order. This dialog box item will also be active when the dialog box is
created. This property is required for setting up a tabbing order. See
the next_tab property defined below.

width

Numeric

The width of the dialog box in pixels. If no width is specified, the
combined width of the contents is used.

height

Numeric

The height of the dialog box in pixels. If no height is specified, the
combined height of the contents is used.

char_width

Numeric

The width of the dialog box in characters. If no width is specified,
the combined width of the contents is used.

char_height

Numeric

The height of the dialog box in characters. If no height is specified,
the combined height of the contents is used.

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Property

Type

Description

align_children

String

The alignment for all descendants. Must be one of the following
values:
“align_left”: Left aligned
“align_center”: Center aligned
“align_right”: Right aligned
“align_top”: Top aligned
“align_fill”: Align to fill the parent’s width; may widen objects.
“align_distribute”: Distribute the contents over the parent’s
width.
“align_row”: Distribute the contents over the parent’s width with
a consistent baseline.
“align_offscreen”: Align items one on top of another.

elements

Array

An array of object literals that describe the dialog box elements
contained within this dialog (see elements property).

elements property
A dialog box elements property specifies an object literal with the following set of properties.
Property

Type

Description

name

String

The displayed name of the dialog box element, which should be
localized.
Note: This property is ignored for the “edit_text” type.

item_id

String

An ItemID for this dialog box, which is a unique 4-character
string.

type

String

The type of this dialog box element. It must be one of the
following strings:
“button” - A push button.
“check_box” - A check box.
“radio” - A radio button.
“list_box” - A list box.
“hier_list_box” - A hierarchical list box.
“static_text” - A static text box.
“edit_text” - An editable text box.
“popup” - A pop-up control.
“ok” - An OK button.
“ok_cancel” - An OK and Cancel Button.
“ok_cancel_other” - An OK, Cancel, and Other button.
“view” - A container for a set controls.
“cluster” - A frame for a set of controls.
“gap” - A place holder.

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Property

Type

Description

next_tab

String

An ItemID for the next dialog box item in the tab order.

110

Note: Tabbing does not stop at any dialog box item that is not
the target of the next_tab (or first_tab) property.
Tabbing should form a circular linked list.
width

Numeric

Specifies the width of the element in pixels. If no width is
specified, the combined width of the contents is used.

height

Numeric

Specifies the height of the element in pixels. If no height is
specified, the combined height of the contents is used.

char_width

Numeric

Specifies the width of the element in characters. If no width is
specified, the combined width of the contents is used.

char_height

Numeric

Specifies the height of the element in characters. If no height is
specified, the combined height of the contents is used.

font

String

The font to use for this element. Must be one of the following
strings:
“default” - Default font
“dialog” - Dialog box font
“palette” - Palette (small) Font

bold

Boolean

Specify if the font is bold.

italic

Boolean

Specify if the font is italic.

alignment

String

Sets the alignment for this element. Must be one of the following
values:
“align_left”: Left aligned
“align_center”: Center aligned
“align_right”: Right aligned
“align_top”: Top aligned
“align_fill”: Align to fill the parent’s width; may widen objects.
“align_distribute”: Distribute the contents over the parent’s
width.
“align_row”: Distribute the contents over the parent’s width
with a consistent baseline.
“align_offscreen”: Align items one on top of another.

align_children

String

Sets the alignment for all descendants. Possible values are the
same as for alignment.

elements

Array

An array of object literals that describe the subelements of this
dialog box element. Its properties are the same as those
described in this table.

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Additional attributes of some dialog box elements
Some of the element types have additional attributes, as listed below.
Element type

Property

Type

Description

static_text

multiline

Boolean

If true, this static text element is multiline.
Note: For Mac OS, the height property must
be at least 49 to display the up/down
buttons, which allow users to read the
whole box content.

edit_text

multiline

Boolean

If true, this edit text element is multiline.

readonly

Boolean

If true, this text element is read only.
Note: This property is ignored when
password is set to true.

password

Boolean

If true, this text element is a password field.

PopupEdit

Boolean

If true, it is a pop-up edit text element.

SpinEdit

Boolean

If true, it is a spin edit text element.

radio

group_id

String

The group name to which this radio button
belongs.

ok, ok_cancel,
ok_cancel_other

ok_name

String

The name for the OK button.

cancel_name

String

The name for the cancel button.

other_name

String

The name for the other button.

Example 1
The following dialog box descriptor can be a document-level or folder-level JavaScript. The dialog box
created contains text fields for your first and last name. When the OK button is clicked, the names entered
are reported to the console.
var dialog1 = {
initialize: function (dialog) {
// Create a static text containing the current date.
var todayDate = dialog.store()["date"];
todayDate = "Date: " + util.printd("mmmm dd, yyyy", new Date());
dialog.load({ "date": todayDate });
},
commit:function (dialog) { // called when OK pressed
var results = dialog.store();
// Now do something with the data collected, for example,
console.println("Your name is " + results["fnam"]
+ " " + results["lnam"] );
},

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description:
{
name: "Personal Data",
// Dialog box title
align_children: "align_left",
width: 350,
height: 200,
elements:
[
{
type: "cluster",
name: "Your Name",
align_children: "align_left",
elements:
[
{
type: "view",
align_children: "align_row",
elements:
[
{
type: "static_text",
name: "First Name: "
},
{
item_id: "fnam",
type: "edit_text",
alignment: "align_fill",
width: 300,
height: 20
}
]
},
{
type: "view",
align_children: "align_row",
elements:
[
{
type: "static_text",
name: "Last Name: "
},
{
item_id: "lnam",
type: "edit_text",
alignment: "align_fill",
width: 300,
height: 20
}
]
},
{
type: "static_text",
name: "Date: ",

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113

char_width: 25,
item_id: "date"
},
]
},
{
alignment: "align_right",
type: "ok_cancel",
ok_name: "Ok",
cancel_name: "Cancel"
}
]
}
};

Now, the following line can be executed from actions such as the mouse-up action of a button or a menu
action.
app.execDialog(dialog1);

Example 2
The following example uses a check box and a radio button field. This code might be a document-level
JavaScript.
var dialog2 =
{
initialize: function(dialog) {
// Set a default value for radio button field
dialog.load({"rd01": true });
this.hasPet = false;
// Disable radio button field
dialog.enable({
"rd01" : this.hasPet,
"rd02" : this.hasPet,
"rd03" : this.hasPet
});
},
commit: function(dialog) {
// When the user presses "Ok", this handler will execute first
console.println("commit");
var results = dialog.store();
// Do something with the data, for example,
var hasPet = (this.hasPet) ? "have" : "don't have";
console.println("You " + hasPet + " a pet.");
if (this.hasPet)
console.println("You have " + this.getNumPets(results)
+ " pet(s).");
},
getNumPets: function (results) {
for ( var i=1; i<=3; i++) {
if ( results["rd0"+i] ) {
switch (i) {
case 1:
var nPets = "one";
break;

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execDialog

case 2:
var nPets = "two";
break;
case 3:
var nPets = "three or more";
}
}
};
return nPets;
},
ok: function(dialog) {
// The handler for the Ok button will be handed after commit
console.println("Ok!");
},
ckbx: function (dialog) {
// Process the checkbox, if the user has a pet, turn on radios
this.hasPet = !this.hasPet;
dialog.enable({
"rd01" : this.hasPet,
"rd02" : this.hasPet,
"rd03" : this.hasPet
});
},
cancel: function(dialog) { // Handle the cancel button
console.println("Cancel!");
},
other: function(dialog){ // Handle the other button
app.alert("Thanks for pressing me!");
dialog.end("other"); // End the dialog box, return "other"!
},
// The dialog box description
description:
{
name: "More Personal Information",
elements:
[
{
type: "view",
align_children: "align_left",
elements:
[
{
type: "static_text",
name: "Personal Information",
bold: true,
font: "dialog",
char_width: 30,
height: 20
},
{
type: "check_box",
item_id: "ckbx",
name: "Pet Owner"
},
{

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type: "view",
align_children: "align_row",
elements:
[
{
type: "static_text",
name: "Number of pets: "
},
{
type: "radio",
item_id: "rd01",
group_id: "rado",
name: "One"
},
{
type: "radio",
item_id: "rd02",
group_id: "rado",
name: "Two",
},
{
type: "radio",
item_id: "rd03",
group_id: "rado",
name: "Three or more",
}
]
}
]
},
{
type: "gap", //Add a small vertical gap between
height: 10
//..radio fields and buttons
},
{
type: "ok_cancel_other",
ok_name: "Ok",
cancel_name: "Cancel",
other_name: "Press Me"
}
]
}
};

The following line can be executed in situations such as the mouse-up action of a button or a menu action.
var retn = app.execDialog(dialog2);

The value of retn is “ok” if the Ok button was clicked, “cancel” if the Cancel button was clicked, and
“other” if the button labeled “Press Me” was clicked.

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JavaScript API
execDialog

Example 3
This example uses a list box.
var dialog3 = {
// This dialog box is called when the dialog box is created
initialize: function(dialog) {
this.loadDefaults(dialog);
},
// This dialog box is called when the OK button is clicked.
commit: function(dialog) {
// See the Dialog object for a description of how dialog.load
// and dialog.store work.
var elements = dialog.store()["subl"];
// do something with the data.
},
// Callback for when the button "butn" is clicked.
butn: function(dialog) {
var elements = dialog.store()["subl"]
for(var i in elements) {
if ( elements[i] > 0 ) {
app.alert("You chose \"" + i
+ "\", which has a value of " + elements[i] );
}
}
},
loadDefaults: function (dialog) {
dialog.load({
subl:
{
"Acrobat Professional": +1,
"Acrobat Standard": -2,
"Adobe Reader": -3
}
})
},
// The dialog box description
description:
{
name: "Adobe Acrobat Products", // Title of the dialog box
elements: // Child element array
[
{
type: "view",
align_children: "align_left",
elements: // Child element array
[
{
type: "cluster",
name: "Select",
elements: // Child Element Array
[
{
type: "static_text",
name: "Select Acrobat you use",

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font: "default"
},
{
type: "list_box",
item_id: "subl",
width: 200,
height: 60
},
{
type: "button",
item_id: "butn",
name: "Press Me"
}
]
},
{
type: "ok_cancel"
}
]
}
]
}
}

Then execute
app.execDialog(dialog3);

In the example above, if the line type: "list_box" is replaced by type: "popup" and the height
specification is removed, the example will run with a pop-up control rather than a list box.

Example 4
This example shows a hierarchical list box. After the dialog box is opened, a hierarchical list is presented.
After a selection is made and the user clicks the Select button, the document jumps to the destination
chosen by the user. The Doc object is passed to the dialog box by making it a property of the dialog box.
var dialog4 = {
initialize: function(dialog) {
dialog.load({
subl:
{
"Chapter 1":
{
"Section 1":
{
"SubSection 1": -1,
"SubSection 2": -2,
},
"Section 2":
{
"SubSection 1": -3,
"SubSection 2": -4,
}
},
"Chapter 3": -5,

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"Chapter 4": -6
}
})
},
subl: function(dialog) {
console.println("Selection Box Hit");
},
getHierChoice: function (e)
{
if (typeof e == "object") {
for ( var i in e ) {
if ( typeof e[i] == "object" ) {
var retn = this.getHierChoice(e[i]);
if ( retn ) {
retn.label = i + ", " + retn.label;
return retn;
}
// if e[i] > 0, we’ve found the selected item
} else if ( e[i] > 0 ) return { label:i, value: e[i] };
}
} else {
if ( e[i] > 0 ) return e[i];
}
},
butn: function (dialog)
{
var element = dialog.store()["subl"]
var retn = this.getHierChoice(element);
if ( retn ) {
// Write to the console the full name of the item selected
console.println("The selection you've chosen is \""
+ retn.label + "\", its value is " + retn.value );
dialog.end("ok");
// this.doc is the doc object of this document
this.doc.gotoNamedDest("dest"+retn.value);
}
else app.alert("Please make a selection, or cancel");
},
cncl: function (dialog) { dialog.end("cancel") },
// Dialog box description
description:
{
name: "My Novel",
elements:
[
{
type: "view",
align_children: "align_left",
elements:
[
{
type: "cluster",
name: "Book Headings",

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elements:
[
{
type: "static_text",
name: "Make a selection",
},
{
type: "hier_list_box",
item_id: "subl",
char_width: 20,
height: 200
}
]
},
{
type: "view",
align_children: "align_row",
elements:
[
{
type: "button",
item_id: "cncl",
name: "Cancel"
},
{
item_id: "butn",
type: "button",
name: "Select"
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
};

This function attaches the Doc object to the dialog box, then passes the dialog box to the
app.execDialog method. The dialog4 object and this function can be at the document level.
function dotheDialog(dialog,doc)
{
dialog.doc = doc;
var retn = app.execDialog( dialog )
}

Finally, the following script can be executed from a mouse-up action, for example.
dotheDialog( dialog4, this );

Example 5
See “Example 2” on page 147, which shows how to execute privileged code from a non-privileged context.

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execMenuItem
4.0

S

Executes the specified menu item.
Beginning with Acrobat 5.0, app.execMenuItem("SaveAs") can be called, subject to the restrictions
described below. Executing the Save As menu item saves the current file to the user’s hard drive after
presenting a dialog box asking the user to select a folder and file name. The file is saved as a linearized file
if “Save As Optimizes for Fast Web View” is checked in the Documents preferences.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) In previous versions of Acrobat, the following code could only be executed during a
batch, console or menu event.
app.execMenuItem("SaveAs");

Acrobat 7.0 removes this restriction, so that app.execMenuItem("SaveAs") can be executed
during a mouse-up event, for example.
If the user preferences are set to “Save As Optimizes for Fast Web View”, a form object will not
survive a Save As operation. Field objects are no longer valid, and an exception may be thrown
when trying to access a Field object immediately after saving. See the examples that follow.
For security reasons, scripts are not allowed to execute the Quit menu item. Beginning with Acrobat
6.0, scripts are not allowed to execute the Paste menu item.
(Acrobat 8.0) The execution of menu items through execMenuItem method is restricted to a short
list of safe menus. The execMenuItem method will silently fail if a named menu item is executed
that is not on the safe menu list. Menu items may be removed in future releases, or their behavior
may change.
To see the list of safe menus, create a form button, and in the Button Properties dialog box, select
the Actions tab. From the Select Action list, select “Execute a menu item”. Finally, click the Add
button to see the Menu Item dialog box with the list of safe menus.
The app.execMenuItem method may be executed, without restriction, in a privileged context,
such as in the console or in a batch sequence. For folder JavaScript, app.execMenuItem can be
executed, again, without restriction, through a trusted function with raised privilege. See Example
4, below.
Another approach to executing app.execMenuItem without restriction is through Sign & Certify.
When the document author signs and certifies the document, privileged methods can be executed
from a non-privileged context provided the document consumer lists the author’s certificate in the

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list of trusted identities and the consumer trusts the author for execution of embedded high
privilege JavaScript.
To ensure a secure environment, the menu items that can be executed are limited to the following:
●

AcroSendMail:SendMail

●

ActualSize

●

AddFileAttachment

●

BookmarkShowLocation

●

Close

●

CropPages

●

DeletePages

●

ExtractPages

●

Find

●

FindCurrentBookmark

●

FindSearch

●

FirstPage

●

FitHeight

●

FitPage

●

FitVisible

●

FitWidth

●

FullScreen

●

GeneralInfo (Properties)

●

GeneralPrefs

●

GoBack

●

GoForward

●

GoToPage

●

InsertPages

●

LastPage

●

NextPage

●

OneColumn

●

OpenOrganizer

●

PageSetup

●

PrevPage

●

Print

●

PropertyToolbar

●

Quit

●

ReplacePages

●

RotatePages

●

SaveAs

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●

Scan

●

ShowHideAnnotManager

●

ShowHideArticles

●

ShowHideBookmarks

●

ShowHideFields

●

ShowHideFileAttachment

●

ShowHideModelTree

●

ShowHideOptCont

●

ShowHideSignatures

●

ShowHideThumbnails

●

ShowHideToolbarBasicTools

●

ShowHideToolbarCommenting

●

ShowHideToolbarData

●

ShowHideToolbarEdit

●

ShowHideToolbarEditing

●

ShowHideToolbarFile

●

ShowHideToolbarFind

●

ShowHideToolbarForms

●

ShowHideToolbarMeasuring

●

ShowHideToolbarNavigation

●

ShowHideToolbarPageDisplay

●

ShowHideToolbarPrintProduction

●

ShowHideToolbarRedaction

●

ShowHideToolbarTasks

●

ShowHideToolbarTypewriter

●

SinglePage

●

Spelling

●

Spelling:Check

●

TwoColumns

●

TwoPages

●

Web2PDF:OpenURL

●

ZoomTo

●

ZoomViewIn

●

ZoomViewOut

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This list applies only to document-level access to menu items. It does not apply to application-level
JavaScript or JavaScript from a privileged context.
The list is written to the Acrobat registry and can be edited if you determine that the list must be
expanded. If you need to modify the list, you can edit the related registry entries:

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●

The key for the default list is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Adobe
Acrobat\8.0\FeatureLockDown\cDefaultExecMenuItems.

●

The key for the list used by Tuner is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Adobe
Acrobat\8.0\FeatureLockDown\cAdminExecMenuItems.

For both keys, the value name is tWhiteList and the type is REG_SZ. The value data contains all
menu item names and each menu item name is separated with the "|" delimiter.
See also addMenuItem, addSubMenu, and hideMenuItem. Use listMenuItems to have the console
list the names of all menu items.

Parameters
cMenuItem

The menu item to execute.
A list of menu item names can be obtained with listMenuItems.

oDoc

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) oDoc is the Doc object of a document that is not hidden (see
the Doc object hidden property). If this parameter is present, execMenuItem
executes the menu item in the document’s context.

Example 1
This example executes the File > Open menu item. It displays a dialog box asking for the file to be opened.
app.execMenuItem("Open");

Example 2 (Acrobat 5.0)
This example illustrates how a form object does not survive the execution of
app.execMenuItem("SaveAs"), as noted above.
var f = this.getField("myField");
// Assume preferences set to save linearized
app.execMenuItem("SaveAs");
// Exception thrown, field not updated
f.value = 3;

Example 3 (Acrobat 5.0)
After executing app.execMenuItem("SaveAs"), Field objects must be acquired again.
var f = this.getField("myField");
// Assume preferences set to save linearized
app.execMenuItem("SaveAs");
// Get the field again after the linear save
var f = getField("myField");
// Field updated to a value of 3
f.value = 3;

Example 4 (Acrobat 8.0)
Execute app.execMenuItem in folder JavaScript using a trusted function.
myTrustedMenu = app.trustedFunction( function( name )

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{
app.beginPriv();
app.execMenuItem(name);
app.endPriv();
});

Once Acrobat or Adobe Reader is restarted, the script, for example,
myTrustedMenu("PropertyToolbar");

may be executed from a non-privileged context, such as a mouse-up button action, without silent failure.
The script above shows/hides the Properties toolbar.

getNthPlugInName
X
Note: This method has been superseded by the plugIns property.
Obtains the name of the nth plug-in that has been loaded by the viewer.

Parameters
The nth plug-in loaded by the viewer.

nIndex

Returns
cName, the plug-in name that corresponds to nIndex.

getPath
6.0

S

Returns the path to folders created during installation. A distinction is made between application folders
and user folders. The method throws a GeneralError exception (see Error object) if the path does not
exist.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) This method can only be executed during a batch or console event (see the event
object). See also “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32.

Parameters
cCategory

(optional) The category of folder sought. Valid values are app (the default) and user.

cFolder

(optional) A platform-independent string that indicates the folder. Valid values are
root, eBooks, preferences, sequences, documents,
javascript, stamps, dictionaries, plugIns
spPlugIns,help, temp, messages, resource, update

The default is root.

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Returns
The path to the folder determined by the parameters. An exception is thrown if the folder does not exist.

Example 1
Find the path to the user’s Sequences folder.
try {
var userBatch = app.getPath("user","sequences");
} catch(e) {
var userBatch = "User has not defined any custom batch sequences";
}
console.println(userBatch);

Example 2
On a Windows platform, create and save a document to the My Documents folder.
var myDoc = app.newDoc();
var myPath = app.getPath("user", "documents") + "/myDoc.pdf"
myDoc.saveAs(myPath);
myDoc.closeDoc();

goBack
3.01
Goes to the previous view on the view stack, which is equivalent to clicking the Previous View button on
the Acrobat toolbar.

Example
Create a go-back button. This code could be part of a batch sequence, for example, to place navigation
buttons on the selected PDF documents.
var aRect = this.getPageBox();
var width = aRect[2] - aRect[0];
// The rectangle is 12 points high and 18 points wide, centered at bottom
rect = [width/2-8, 10, width/2+8, 22];
f = this.addField("goBack", "button", 0, rect);
f.textFont="Wingdings";
f.textSize=0;
f.buttonSetCaption("\u00E7");
// Left pointing arrow
f.setAction("MouseUp", "app.goBack()");
// Add an action

goForward
3.01
Goes to the next view on the view stack, which is equivalent to clicking the go Next View button on the
Acrobat toolbar.

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Example
See the example following app.goBack.

hideMenuItem
4.0

S

Removes a specified menu item.
See also addMenuItem, addSubMenu, execMenuItem, and listMenuItems.
Note: This method can only be executed during a console or application initialization event. See the
event object for a discussion of JavaScript events.

Parameters
The menu item name to remove.

cName

Menu item names can be discovered with listMenuItems.

hideToolbarButton
4.0

S

Removes a specified toolbar button.
Note: This method can only be executed during console or application initialization event. See the event
object for a discussion of JavaScript events.

Parameters
cName

The name of the toolbar button to remove.
Toolbar item names can be discovered with listToolbarButtons.

Example
A file named, myConfig.js, containing the following script is placed in one of the folder-level JavaScript
folders.
app.hideToolbarButton("Hand");

When the viewer is started, the “Hand” icon does not appear.

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launchURL
7.0

S

Launches a URL in a browser window.
Note: This method does not support URLs that begin with either scheme name javascript or file.

Parameters
cURL

A string that specifies the URL to launch.

bNewFrame

(optional) If true, this method launches the URL in a new window of the browser
application. The default is false.

Returns
The value undefined is returned on success. An exception is thrown on failure.

Example 1
app.launchURL("http://www.example.com/", true);

Example 2
Add an online help item to the menu system. This code should be placed in a folder-level JavaScript file, or
executed from the JavaScript Debugger console.
app.addMenuItem({
cName: "myHelp", cUser: "Online myHelp",
cParent: "Help",
cExec: "app.launchURL('www.example.com/myhelp.html');",
nPos: 0
});

Related methods are openDoc and the Doc object getURL method.

listMenuItems
5.0
Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, returns an array of TreeItem objects, which describes a menu hierarchy.
Prior to Acrobat 6.0, this method returned a list of menu item names to the console.
See also addMenuItem, addSubMenu, execMenuItem, and hideMenuItem.

Returns
Array of TreeItem objects.

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TreeItem Object
A generic JavaScript object that represents a menu or toolbar item hierarchy. An array of these objects is
returned by app.listMenuItems and app.listToolbarButtons (starting in Acrobat 6.0). It
contains the following properties.
cName

The name of a menu item or toolbar button.

oChildren

(optional) An array of treeItem objects containing the submenus or flyout buttons.

Example 1
List all menu item names to the console.
var menuItems = app.listMenuItems()
for( var i in menuItems)
console.println(menuItems[i] + "\n")

Example 2
List all menu items to the console using a fancy format.
function FancyMenuList(m, nLevel)
{
var s = "";
for (var i = 0; i < nLevel; i++) s += " ";
console.println(s + "+-" + m.cName);
if ( m.oChildren != null )
for ( var i = 0; i < m.oChildren.length; i++ )
FancyMenuList(m.oChildren[i], nLevel + 1);
}
var m = app.listMenuItems();
for ( var i=0; i < m.length; i++ ) FancyMenuList(m[i], 0);

listToolbarButtons
5.0
Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, returns an array of treeItem objects that describes a toolbar hierarchy (with
flyout toolbars).
Prior to Acrobat 6.0, this method displayed a list of toolbar button names in the console.
(Acrobat 8.0) In the Documents category of the Preferences dialog box, when “Show each document in its
own window (requires restart)” item is checked, the document window must be empty in order for
listToolbarButtons to return the array of TreeItem objects.

Returns
Array of TreeItem objects

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Example
List all toolbar names in the console.
var toolbarItems = app.listToolbarButtons()
for( var i in toolbarItems)
console.println(toolbarItems[i] + "\n")

See also the hideToolbarButton method.

mailGetAddrs
6.0

S

X

Note: This method is a Windows-only feature.
Displays an address book dialog box to let the user choose e-mail recipients. The dialog box is optionally
prepopulated with semicolon-separated lists of addressees in the cTo, cCc, and cBcc strings. The bCc
and bBcc Boolean values control whether the user should be allowed to choose CC and BCC recipients.
See also mailMsg, the Doc object methods mailDoc and mailForm, the FDF object mail method and
the Report object mail method.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) This method can only be executed during a batch or console event. See also
“Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32. See the event object for a discussion of
JavaScript events.

Parameters
cTo

(optional) A semicolon-separated list of “To” addressees to use.

cCc

(optional) A semicolon-separated list of CC addressees to use.

cBcc

(optional) A semicolon-separated list of BCC addressees to use.

cCaption

(optional) A string to appear on the caption bar of the address dialog box.

bCc

(optional) A Boolean value to indicate whether the user can choose CC recipients.

bBcc

(optional) A Boolean value to indicate whether the user can choose BCC recipients.
This Boolean should only be used when bCc is true; otherwise, the method fails
(and returns undefined).

Returns
On failure (the user cancelled), returns undefined. On success, returns an array of three strings for To, CC,
and BCC.

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Example
Give the user two chances to provide mail addresses.
var attempts = 2;
while (attempts > 0)
{
var recipients = app.mailGetAddrs
({
cCaption: "Select Recipients, Please",
bBcc: false
})
if (typeof recipients == "undefined" ) {
if (--attempts == 1)
app.alert("You did not choose any recipients, try again");
} else break;
}
if (attempts == 0)
app.alert("Cancelling the mail message");
else {
// JavaScript statements to send mail
}

mailMsg
4.0

X

Sends out an e-mail message with or without user interaction.
See also the Doc object mailDoc and mailForm methods, the FDF object mail method and the Report
object mail method.
Note: On Windows: The client machine must have its default mail program configured to be MAPI
enabled to use this method.

Parameters
bUI

Indicates whether user interaction is required. If true, the remaining parameters are
used to seed the compose-new-message window that is displayed to the user. If
false, the cTo parameter is required and others are optional.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) When this method is executed in a non-privileged context, the
bUI parameter is not honored and defaults to true. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32.

cTo

A semicolon-separated list of addressees.

cCc

(optional) A semicolon-separated list of CC addressees.

cBcc

(optional) A semicolon-separated list of BCC addressees.

cSubject

(optional) Subject line text. The length limit is 64 KB.

cMsg

(optional) Mail message text. The length limit is 64 KB.

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Example
Open the compose new message window.
app.mailMsg(true);

Send the message to fun1@example.com and fun2@example.com.
app.mailMsg(false, "fun1@example.com; fun2@example.com", "", "",
"This is the subject", "This is the body of the mail.");

It is possible to compose a message containing form data.
var cMyMsg = "Below are the current budget figures:\n\n";
cMyMsg += "Date Compiled: " + this.getField("date").value + "\n";
cMyMsg += "Current Estimate: " + this.getField("budget").value + "\n";
app.mailMsg({
bUI: true,
cTo: "myBoss@example.com",
cSubject: "The latest budget figures",
cMsg: cMyMsg
} );

newDoc
5.0

S

X

Creates a new document and returns its Doc object. The optional parameters specify the media box
dimensions of the document in points.
Note: This method can only be executed during a batch or console event. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32. See the event object for a discussion of JavaScript events.

Parameters
nWidth

(optional) The width (in points) for the new document. The default value is 612.

nHeight

(optional) The height (in points) for the new document. The default value is 792.

Returns
The object of the newly created document.

Example
Add a New item to the Acrobat File menu. Within New, there are three menu items: Letter, A4, and Custom.
This script should go in a folder-level JavaScripts .js file.
app.addSubMenu({ cName: "New", cParent: "File", nPos: 0 })
app.addMenuItem({ cName: "Letter", cParent: "New", cExec:
"app.newDoc();"});
app.addMenuItem({ cName: "A4", cParent: "New", cExec:
"app.newDoc(420,595)"});
app.addMenuItem({ cName: "Custom...", cParent: "New", cExec:

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"var nWidth = app.response({ cQuestion:'Enter Width in Points',\
cTitle:
'Custom Page Size'});"
+"if (nWidth == null) nWidth = 612;"
+"var nHeight = app.response({ cQuestion:'Enter Height in Points',\
cTitle: 'Custom Page Size'});"
+"if (nHeight == null) nHeight = 792;"
+"app.newDoc({ nWidth: nWidth, nHeight: nHeight })"});

The script above works for versions of Acrobat prior to 7.0. For Acrobat 7.0, it works correctly if the user
JavaScript preference Enable Menu Items JavaScript Execution Privileges is enabled.
If this item is not checked, the app.newDoc method must be executed through a trustedFunction
because execution of JavaScript through a menu event is no longer privileged beginning with Acrobat 7.0.
See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32.
The same example can be worked as follows:
trustedNewDoc = app.trustedFunction( function (nWidth, nHeight)
{
app.beginPriv();
switch( arguments.length ) {
case 2:
app.newDoc( nWidth, nHeight );
break;
case 1:
app.newDoc( nWidth );
break;
default:
app.newDoc();
}
app.endPriv();
})
app.addSubMenu({ cName: "New", cParent: "File", nPos: 0 })
app.addMenuItem({ cName: "Letter", cParent: "New", cExec:
"trustedNewDoc();"});
app.addMenuItem({ cName: "A4", cParent: "New", cExec:
"trustedNewDoc(420,595)"});
app.addMenuItem({ cName: "Custom...", cParent: "New", cExec:
"var nWidth = app.response({ cQuestion:'Enter Width in Points',\
cTitle: 'Custom Page Size'});"
+"if (nWidth == null) nWidth = 612;"
+"var nHeight = app.response({ cQuestion:'Enter Height in Points',\
cTitle: 'Custom Page Size'});"
+"if (nHeight == null) nHeight = 792;"
+"trustedNewDoc(nWidth, nHeight) "});

The code is incomplete. In the case of the Custom menu item, additional lines can be inserted to prevent
the user from entering the empty string, or a value too small or too large. See the PDF Reference version 1.7
for the current limitations.

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Example
Create a blank document and acquire the Doc object, then insert a watermark.
var myNewDoc = app.newDoc();
myNewDoc.addWatermarkFromText("Confidential",0,font.Helv,24,color.red);

This example uses the Doc object addWatermarkFromText method.

newFDF
S

6.0

X

Creates a new FDF object that contains no data.
Note: This method is available only during batch, console and application initialization. Not available in
Adobe Reader. See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32.

Returns
A new FDF object.

Example
Create an FDF with an embedded PDF file.
var fdf = app.newFDF();
fdf.addEmbeddedFile( "/c/myPDFs/myFile.pdf", 1);
fdf.save( "/c/myFDFs/myFile.fdf" );

This example continues following the description of app.openFDF.

openDoc
5.0
Opens a specified PDF document and returns its Doc object. This object can be used by the script to call
methods, or to get or set properties in the newly opened document.
Note: When a batch sequence is running, a modal dialog box is open, which prevents user interference
while processing. Consequently, this method cannot be executed through a batch sequence.
An exception is thrown and an invalid Doc object is returned when an HTML document is opened
using this method. To catch the exception, enclose app.openDoc in a try/catch construct. See
Example 2 below.

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Parameters
cPath

A device-independent path to the document to be opened. If oDoc is specified, the
path can be relative to it. The target document must be accessible in the default file
system.
Note: When cFS is set to “CHTTP”, the cPath string should be escaped, perhaps
using the core JavaScript global function encodeURI. See Example 5 (Acrobat
7.0) below.

oDoc

(optional) A Doc object to use as a base to resolve a relative cPath. Must be
accessible in the default file system.

cFS

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) A string that specifies the source file system name. Two values
are supported: “” (the empty string, which is the default), representing the default file
system, and “CHTTP”. This parameter is relevant only if the web server supports
WebDAV.

bHidden

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) A Boolean value that if true, opens the PDF file with its
window hidden. The default is false.

bUseConv

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) A Boolean value that is used when cPath references a
non-PDF file. If true, the method tries to convert the non-PDF file to a PDF
document. The default is false.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) bUseConv can only be set to true during a console or batch
event. See also “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32.

cDest

(optional, Acrobat 8.0) The name of the destination within a document. This
parameter forces opening at named destination within the PDF document. For
details on named destinations and how to create them, see the PDF Reference version
1.7.

Returns
A Doc object or null:
●

In Acrobat 5.0, this method returns a Doc object.

●

In Acrobat 5.0.5, the method returns the Doc object unless the disclosed property of the target
document is not true, in which case it returns null.

●

Beginning with the Acrobat 5.0.5 Accessibility and Forms Patch and continuing with Acrobat 6.0 and
later, openDoc behaves as follows:
●

During a batch, console or menu event, openDoc ignores the disclosed property and returns the
Doc object of the file specified by cPath.

●

During any other event, openDoc returns the Doc, if disclosed is true, and null, otherwise.

Example 1
This example opens another document, inserts a prompting message into a text field, sets the focus in the
field, and then closes the current document.
var otherDoc = app.openDoc("/c/temp/myDoc.pdf");
otherDoc.getField("name").value="Enter your name here: "
otherDoc.getField("name").setFocus();

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this.closeDoc();

Same example as above, but a relative path is used.
var otherDoc = app.openDoc("myDoc.pdf", this);
otherDoc.getField("name").value="Enter your name here: "
otherDoc.getField("name").setFocus();
this.closeDoc();

This example uses the Doc closeDoc method and the Field object setFocus method.

Example 2
Open an HTML document on the user’s hard drive and convert it to PDF.
try {
app.openDoc("/c/myWeb/myHomePage.html");
} catch (e) {};

Example 3 (Acrobat 7.0)
Open a hidden PDF document, extract information from it, and close it.
oDoc = app.openDoc({
cPath:"/C/myDocs/myInfo.pdf",
bHidden: true
});
var v = oDoc.getField("myTextField").value;
this.getField("yourTextField").value = v;
oDoc.closeDoc();

Example 4 (Acrobat 7.0)
Open a non-PDF file by converting it to a PDF document. The following script can be executed successfully
from the console.
app.openDoc({
cPath: "/c/temp/myPic.jpg",
bUseConv: true
})

Example 5 (Acrobat 7.0)
Open a file from a WebDAV server. The app.openDoc method requires the path to the file to be escaped.
var myURL = encodeURI("http://www.example.com/My Folder/ComDoc.pdf");
app.openDoc({cPath: myURL, cFS: "CHTTP" });

See also app.browseForDoc.

Example 6 (Acrobat 8.0)
Open a document and jump to a named destination.
app.openDoc({ cPath: "/c/temp/myDoc.pdf", cDest: "myDest" });

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In versions previous to 8.0, this jump is not possible unless the document is disclosed. See the example
following gotoNamedDest.

openFDF
6.0

S

X

Creates a new FDF object by opening the specified file. The FDF object has methods and properties that
can be used on the data that this file contains.
Note: This method is available only during batch, console and application initialization events. See also
“Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32.

Parameters
cDIPath

The device-independent path to the file to be opened.

Returns
The FDF object for the FDF file that is opened.

Example
Create an FDF file with an embedded PDF file.
var fdf = app.newFDF();
fdf.addEmbeddedFile( "/c/myPDFs/myFile.pdf", 1);
fdf.save( "/c/myFDFs/myFile.fdf" ); // save and close this FDF
// Now open the FDF file and embed another PDF doc.
var fdf = app.openFDF( "/c/myFDFs/myFile.fdf" );
fdf.addEmbeddedFile( "/c/myPDFs/myOtherFile.pdf", 1);
fdf.save( "/c/myFDFs/myFile.fdf" ); // save and close this FDF

See the FDF object signatureSign method for another example of usage.

popUpMenu
5.0
Note: popUpMenuEx is preferred over this method.
Creates a pop-up menu at the current mouse position, containing the specified items.

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Parameters
cItem

(optional) If the argument is a string, it is listed in the menu as a menu item. The menu
item name "-" is reserved to draw a separator line in the menu.

Array

(optional) If the argument is an array, it appears as a submenu where the first element in
the array is the parent menu item. This array can contain further submenus.

Returns
The name of the menu item that was selected, or null if no item was selected.

Example
Create a pop-up menu consisting of chapter of a document.
var cChoice = app.popUpMenu("Introduction", "-", "Chapter 1",
[ "Chapter 2", "Chapter 2 Start", "Chapter 2 Middle",
["Chapter 2 End", "The End"]]);
app.alert("You chose the \"" + cChoice + "\" menu item");

popUpMenuEx
6.0
Creates a pop-up menu at the current mouse position. Each of the parameters is a MenuItem object that
describes a menu item to be included in the pop-up menu.
This method is preferred over the use of popUpMenu.

Parameters
One or more MenuItem objects (see below).

Returns
The cReturn value of the menu item that was selected, or its cName if cReturn was not specified for that
item. The method returns null if no selection was made.

MenuItem Object
This generic JavaScript object represents a menu item. It has the following properties.
Property

Description

cName

The menu item name, which is the string to appear on the menu item. The value of
"-" is reserved to draw a separator line in the menu.

bMarked

(optional) A Boolean value specifying whether the item is to be marked with a check.
The default is false (not marked).

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Property

Description

bEnabled

(optional) A Boolean value specifying whether the item is to appear enabled or
grayed out. The default is true (enabled).

cReturn

(optional) A string to be returned when the menu item is selected. The default is the
value of cName.

oSubMenu

(optional) A MenuItem object representing a submenu item or an array of submenu
items, each represented by a MenuItem object.

Example 1
Show all the features of the popUpMenuEx method.
var cChoice = app.popUpMenuEx
(
{cName: "Item 1", bMarked:true, bEnabled:false},
{cName: "-"},
{cName: "Item 2", oSubMenu:
[ {cName: "Item 2, Submenu 1"},
{
cName: "Item 2, Submenu 2",
oSubMenu: {cName:"Item 2, Submenu 2, Subsubmenu 1", cReturn: "0"}
}
]
},
{cName: "Item 3"},
{cName: "Item 4", bMarked:true, cReturn: "1"}
)
app.alert("You chose the \"" + cChoice + "\" menu item");

Example 2
Because the popupMenuEx method takes a list of MenuItem objects, its parameters cannot be passed to
it as a JavaScript variable. As a workaround, you can create an array of menu items and use the Function
object method apply from core JavaScript. This method allows arguments to be passed as an array.
// Declare pop-up menu properties as an array.
var aParams = [
{cName: "Adobe Web Page", cReturn: "www.adobe.com"},
{cName: "-"},
{cName: "The Adobe Acrobat family",
cReturn: "http://www.adobe.com/products/Acrobat/main.html"},
{cName: "Adobe Reader",
cReturn: "http://www.adobe.com/products/Acrobat/readstep2.html"}
];
// Apply the function app.popUpMenuEx to the app object, with an array
// of parameters aParams
var cChoice = app.popUpMenuEx.apply( app, aParams );
if ( cChoice != null ) app.launchURL(cChoice);

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removeToolButton
6.0
Removes a previously added button from the toolbar.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) To remove a toolbutton added by the addToolButton method,
removeToolButton must be executed within the same context as when addToolButton was
executed.
If no document was open in Acrobat when the button was added, there must be no document
open in Acrobat when the button is removed. See Example 2 below.
Similarly, if a certain document was the active document when a toolbutton was added, that same
document must be active for the button to be removed using removeToolButton.
In the case of a document that is active when the toolbutton is added, the button is automatically
removed when this document is closed. See also the notes following the description of
addToolButton.

Parameters
cName

The language-independent identifier provided when addToolButton was called.

Example 1
See the example following addToolButton.

Example 2
This example shows the removal of a toolbutton with the same context as addToolButton. Initially,
there is no document open in the Acrobat. Execute the following code from the console:
app.addToolButton({cName: "button1", cExec:"app.alert('pressed');",
cTooltext:"Button1"});

Open a PDF document in Acrobat and execute the next line from the console:
app.removeToolButton({cName:"button1"});

An exception is thrown and the removal of the button fails.
If you close the PDF document and execute the removeToolButton script again, the button is removed.

response
3.01
Displays a dialog box containing a question and an entry field for the user to reply to the question.

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Parameters
cQuestion

The question to be posed to the user.

cTitle

(optional) The title of the dialog box.

cDefault

(optional) A default value for the answer to the question. If not specified, no default
value is presented.

bPassword

(optional) If true, indicates that the user’s response should show as asterisks (*) or
bullets (•) to mask the response, which might be sensitive information. The default is
false.

cLabel

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) A short string to appear in front of and on the same line as the
edit text field.

Returns
A string containing the user’s response. If the user clicks the Cancel button, the response is the null
object.

Example
Asks for a response from the user and report back the response.
var cResponse = app.response({
cQuestion: "How are you today?",
cTitle: "Your Health Status",
cDefault: "Fine",
cLabel: "Response:"
});
if (cResponse == null)
app.alert("Thanks for trying anyway.");
else
app.alert("You responded, \""+cResponse+"\", to the health "
+ "question.",3);

setInterval
5.0
Specifies a JavaScript script and a time period. The script is executed every time the period elapses.
The return value of this method must be held in a JavaScript variable. Otherwise, the interval object is
subject to garbage-collection, which would cause the clock to stop.
To terminate the periodic execution, pass the returned interval object to clearInterval.
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 7.05, an interval is automatically terminated when the document whose
script called setInterval is closed (assuming it was not previously terminated).
Opening and closing the document JavaScripts dialog box causes the JavaScript interpreter to
re-read the document JavaScripts and consequently to re-initialize any document-level variables.
Resetting document-level variables in this way after JavaScript expressions have been registered to

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be evaluated by setInterval or setTimeOut may cause JavaScript errors if those scripts use
document-level variables.
See also clearInterval, setTimeOut and clearTimeOut.

Parameters
cExpr

The JavaScript script to be executed.

nMilliseconds

The time period in milliseconds.

Returns
An interval object

Example
Create a simple color animation on a field called “Color” that changes every second.
function DoIt() {
var f = this.getField("Color");
var nColor = (timeout.count++ % 10 / 10);
// Various shades of red.
var aColor = new Array("RGB", nColor, 0, 0);
f.fillColor = aColor;
}
// save return value as a variable
timeout = app.setInterval("DoIt()", 1000);
// Add a property to our timeout object so that DoIt() can keep
// a count going.
timeout.count = 0;

See setTimeOut for an additional example.

setTimeOut
5.0
Specifies a JavaScript script and a time period. The script is executed one time only, after the period
elapses.
The return value of this method must be held in a JavaScript variable. Otherwise, the timeout object is
subject to garbage-collection, which would cause the clock to stop.
To cancel the timeout event, pass the returned timeout object to clearTimeOut.
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 7.05, an interval is automatically terminated when the document whose
script called setInterval is closed (assuming it was not previously terminated).
Opening and closing the document JavaScripts dialog box causes the JavaScript interpreter to
re-read the document JavaScripts and consequently to re-initialize any document-level variables.
Resetting document-level variables in this way after JavaScript expressions have been registered to

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be evaluated by setInterval or setTimeOut may cause JavaScript errors if those scripts use
document-level variables.
See also clearTimeOut, setInterval, and clearInterval.

Parameters
cExpr

The JavaScript script to be executed.

nMilliseconds

The time period in milliseconds.

Returns
A timeout object

Example
Create a simple running marquee. Assume there is a text field named “marquee”. The default value of this
field is “Adobe Acrobat version 8.0 will soon be here!”.
// Document-level JavaScript function
function runMarquee() {
var f = this.getField("marquee");
var cStr = f.value;
// get field value
var aStr = cStr.split("");
// Convert to an array
aStr.push(aStr.shift());
// Move first char to last
cStr = aStr.join("");
// Back to string again
f.value = cStr;
// Put new value in field
}
// Insert a mouse-up action into a "Go" button
run = app.setInterval("runMarquee()", 100);
// stop after a minute
stoprun=app.setTimeOut("app.clearInterval(run)",6000);
// Insert a mouse-up action into a "Stop" button
try {
app.clearInterval(run);
app.clearTimeOut(stoprun);
} catch (e){}

The Stop button code is protected with a try/catch construct. If the user clicks the Stop button without
having first clicked Go, run and stoprun will be undefined and the Stop code will throw an exception.
When the exception is thrown, the catch code is executed. In this example, the code does nothing if the
user clicks Stop first.

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trustedFunction
7.0

S

Marks a function as trusted. Trusted functions can explicitly increase the current privilege level for their
stack frame. Typically, the stack frame (which corresponds to the body of the function) contains
security-restricted methods that require a privileged context in which to run. By increasing the privilege
level, these restricted methods can be executed in non-privileged contexts. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32.
Within the body of the function definition, calls to the app.beginPriv and app.endPriv methods
must enclose any code that normally executes in a privileged context, as the examples below show.
Note: This method is available only during batch, console and application initialization events

Parameters
oFunc

A function object that specifies the function to mark as trusted.

Returns
On success, returns the same function object that was passed in. After successful execution, the function
object will be trusted. On error, throws NotAllowedError.

Syntax
This method can be called in two ways.
myTrustedFunction = app.trustedFunction(
function()
{
<function body>
}
);

or
function myOtherTrustedFunction()
{
<function body>
};
app.trustedFunction(myOtherTrustedFunction);

The following examples, along with the examples following the app.trustPropagatorFunction
method, contain many comments that clarify the notion of trusted function and highlight some of the
nuances of the topic.

Example 1
app.newDoc is a security-restricted method that needs a privileged context in which to run. For example,
it cannot normally be executed from a mouse-up event. This example shows how this method can be
executed from a mouse-up event by creating a trusted function.

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Place the following script in a .js file in the User (or App) JavaScript folder.
trustedNewDoc = app.trustedFunction( function (nWidth, nHeight)
{
// Additional code may appear above
app.beginPriv(); // Explicitly raise privilege
app.newDoc( nWidth, nHeight );
app.endPriv();
// Additional code may appear below.
})

After Acrobat is restarted, the trustedNewDoc function can be executed from anywhere. The following
script for a mouse-up action of a button creates a new document that is 200 points by 200 points.
trustedNewDoc( 200, 200 );

Because of security restrictions, app.newDoc(200,200) cannot normally be executed from a mouse-up
event. The trusted function permits the creation of a new document.
Note: This example is simplified. The trusted function could be modified so that it also has the two
optional arguments of the app.newDoc method.
The trustedNewDoc function can also be executed as a menu item.
app.addMenuItem( {
cName: "myTrustedNewDoc",
cUser: "New Doc", cParent: "Tools",
cExec: "trustedNewDoc(200,200)", nPos: 0
} );

Again, trustedNewDoc could be enhanced by having the user input the dimensions for the new
document, either through a series of app.response dialog boxes, or a full dialog box, created by
app.execDialog.
Note: If app.newDoc is not enclosed in the app.beginPriv/app.endPriv pair, executing
trustedNewDoc from a non-privileged context will fail and an exception will be thrown. You must
explicitly raise the privilege level in the way shown.

Example 2
The app.activeDocs property behaves differently depending on the setting:
●

During a console or batch event, it returns an array of all active documents.

●

In a non-privileged context, it returns an array of only those active documents that have their
disclosed property set to true.

To overcome this limitation in non-privileged context, you can define a trusted function that raises the
privilege level and calls activeDocs. This function would be defined in a .js file in the User (or App)
JavaScript folder.
trustedActiveDocs = app.trustedFunction (
function()
{
app.beginPriv(); // Explicitly raise the privilege
var d = app.activeDocs;
app.endPriv();
return d;

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}
)

The following code can be executed from a mouse-up action of a form button.
var d = trustedActiveDocs();
console.println("There are d = " + d.length
+ " files open in the viewer.")
for ( var i=0; i< d.length; i++)
console.println((i+1) + ". " + d[i].documentFileName )

The console reports the number and file name of all documents—disclosed or not—open in the viewer.

Example 3
A trusted function is capable of explicitly increasing the current privilege level only for its own stack frame.
This example shows some related issues.
The following code attempts to make a trusted function more modular:
function mySaveAs(doc, path)
{
doc.saveAs(doc, path);
}
myFunc = app.trustedFunction( function (doc, path)
{
// privileged and/or non-privileged code here
app.beginPriv();
mySaveAs(doc, path);
app.endPriv();
// privileged and/or non-privileged code here
}

A problem occurs because when the privileged code doc.saveAs(doc, path) is executed, it is not
within the stack frame (function body) of the calling trusted function myFunc but rather within the stack
frame of mySaveAs, which is not a trusted function. Therefore, when myFunc is executed in a
non-privileged context, it throws an exception.
A possible solution is to make mySaveAs into a trusted function so that myFunc succeeds. However, this
exposes the privileged doc.saveAs function to non-privileged execution by anyone that knows this
function is on your system.
You cannot simply enclose doc.saveAs(doc,path) in a beginPriv/endPriv pair. When myFunc is
run from a non-privileged context, an exception will be thrown by the app.beginPriv within the body
of the mySaveAs function. This is because mySaveAs is not trusted and therefore is not authorized to
request an increased privilege level.
To summarize the observations above, there is a need for a kind of function that has the following
characteristics:
●

It can be called by a trusted function.

●

It is not trusted itself and therefore cannot be directly called from a non-privileged context.

A trust propagator function satisfies these criteria (see trustPropagatorFunction below).

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trustPropagatorFunction
S

7.0

Marks a function as a trust propagator. Such a function is not itself trusted but can inherit trust if called
from a trusted function.
A trust propagator function propagates trust, not privilege. Therefore, as with the method
app.trustedFunction, an app.beginPriv/app.endPriv pair must enclose any code within the
function body that normally executes in a privileged context.
Trust propagator functions can play the role of utility functions. They can be called by a trusted function
and by another trust propagator function, but they cannot successfully be called by a function that is not
trusted in a non-privileged context.
Note: Functions defined in .js files in the App JavaScript folder are implicitly trust propagator functions.
Functions defined in .js files in the User JavaScript folder are not.
This method is available only during batch, console, and application initialization.

Syntax
This method can be called in two ways.
myPropagatorFunction = app.trustPropagatorFunction(
function()
{
<function body>
}
);

or
function myOtherPropagatorFunction()
{
<function body>
};
app.trustPropagatorFunction(myOtherPropagatorFunction);

Parameters
oFunc

A function object that specifies the function to mark as a trust propagator.

Returns
On success, returns the same function object that was passed in. After successful execution, the function
object will be a trust propagator. On error, throws NotAllowedError.

Example 1
For background, see “Example 3” on page 145.

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This example defines a trust propagator function, mySaveAs, to save a file to a folder, and a trusted
function, myTrustedSpecialTaskFunc, to perform various tasks involving privileged and
non-privileged code. The mySaveAs function cannot be called directly in a non-privileged context.
mySaveAs = app.trustPropagatorFunction(function(doc,path)
{
app.beginPriv();
doc.saveAs(path);
app.endPriv();
})
myTrustedSpecialTaskFunc = app.trustedFunction(function(doc,path)
{
// Privileged and/or non-privileged code above
app.beginPriv();
mySaveAs(doc,path);
app.endPriv();
// Privileged and/or non-privileged code below
});

Executing the code from a mouse-up button, for example, saves the current document to the specified
path.
myTrustedSpecialTaskFunc(this, "/c/temp/mySavedDoc.pdf");

Example 2
This example develops a simple dialog box using the app.execDialog method and executes privileged
code.
The dialog box asks for your name and asks you to browse for a document from your local hard drive (or a
network drive). When you click the OK button, the selected file is loaded into the viewer and your name is
placed in the author field of the document properties. (The insertion of the name only occurs if the author
field is empty.) The dialog box also displays the value of identity.email, which is privileged
information.
Any privileged code is enclosed by a beginPriv/endPriv pair.
Note the use of the ANTrustPropagateAll function, which is useful for creating dialog boxes that use
privileged code. It takes a single object as its argument, turns every function in the object into a trust
propagator function, then returns that object.
myDialog = app.trustedFunction(function()
{
app.beginPriv();
var dialog = ANTrustPropagateAll({
initialize:function(dialog) {
this.data = {}; // An object to hold dialog data
app.beginPriv();
dialog.load({ "emai": "Email: " + identity.email });
app.endPriv();
},
commit:function (dialog) { // Called when OK pressed
var results = dialog.store();
console.println("Your name is " + results["name"] );
this.data.name = results["name"];
},

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brws: function (dialog) {
app.beginPriv();
var oRetn = app.browseForDoc();
if ( typeof oRetn != "undefined")
this.data.oRetn = oRetn;
app.endPriv();
},
doDialog:function() {
app.beginPriv();
var retn = app.execDialog(this);
app.endPriv();
return retn;
},
description: {
name: "Open File & Populate Info Field",
align_children: "align_left",
elements:
[
{
type: "view",
align_children: "align_left",
elements:
[
{
type: "view",
align_children: "align_row",
elements:
[
{
type: "static_text",
name: "Name: "
},
{
item_id: "name",
type: "edit_text",
alignment: "align_fill",
width: 300,
height: 20
},
]
},
{
type: "static_text",
item_id: "emai",
name: "Email: ",
char_width: 25
},
{
type: "gap",
height: 10
},
{
type: "view",
align_children: "align_row",
elements:

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[
{
type: "button",
name: "Browse",
item_id: "brws"
},
{
type: "ok_cancel",
ok_name: "Ok",
cancel_name: "Cancel"
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
});
app.endPriv();
try { // Protect against user pressing the Esc key
// After everything is set up, run the dialog box using the doDialog
// function, defined in the object dialog.
var retn = dialog.doDialog();
app.beginPriv();
// If the user clicked the Ok button and there is oRetn data we load
// the requested file using app.openDoc(), a restricted method.
if ( (retn == "ok") && dialog.data.oRetn ) {
var oDoc = app.openDoc({
cPath: dialog.data.oRetn.cPath,
cFS: dialog.data.oRetn.cFS
});
if ( !oDoc.info.Author )
oDoc.info.Author = dialog.data.name;
}
app.endPriv();
} catch(e) {}
})

This dialog box can be activated from a button or, more appropriately, from a menu item or a toolbar
button. For example, place the following code in a User JavaScript file to add a menu item to the Tools
menu.
app.addMenuItem( { cName: "myDialog", cUser: "My Cool Dialog",
cParent: "Tools", cExec: "myDialog()", nPos: 0 } );

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app.media
This object defines properties and functions useful in multimedia JavaScript code.
Several app.media properties are enumeration objects that list the values allowed in various properties.
Future versions of Acrobat may add more such values, and JavaScript code should be prepared to
encounter values other than the ones listed here. Similarly, JavaScript code may be run on an older version
of Acrobat than it was designed for, in which case it must fall back to using the values available in that
version.

app.media properties
align
6.0
Enumerates the values that may be found in the MediaSettings.floating.align property. The
alignment is relative to the window specified by the MediaSettings.floating.over property. (See
the values for app.media.over.)
Valid values are listed in the table below.
Value

Position of floating window

app.media.align.topLeft

At the top left corner

app.media.align.topCenter

At the top center

app.media.align.topRight

At the top right corner

app.media.align.centerLeft

At the center left

app.media.align.center

At the center

app.media.align.centerRight

At the center right

app.media.align.bottomLeft

At the bottom left corner

app.media.align.bottomCenter

At the bottom center

app.media.align.bottomRight

At the bottom right corner

Type
Object (enumeration)

Access
R

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canResize

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canResize
6.0
Enumerates the values that may be found in the MediaSettings.floating.canResize property,
which specifies whether a floating window may be resized by the user.
These values are listed in the table below.
Value

Description

app.media.canResize.no

May not be resized

app.media.canResize.keepRatio

May be resized only if the aspect ratio is preserved

app.media.canResize.yes

May be resized without preserving the aspect ratio

Type
Object (enumeration)

Access
R

closeReason
6.0
Enumerates the values that may be found in the event.reason property for a Close event. These values
are:
app.media.closeReason.general
app.media.closeReason.error
app.media.closeReason.done
app.media.closeReason.stop
app.media.closeReason.play
app.media.closeReason.uiGeneral
app.media.closeReason.uiScreen
app.media.closeReason.uiEdit
app.media.closeReason.docClose
app.media.closeReason.docSave
app.media.closeReason.docChange

See the afterClose and onClose methods of the EventListener object.

Type
Object (enumeration)

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defaultVisible

Access
R

defaultVisible
6.0
This property is defined as true, which is the default value for MediaSettings.visible.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

ifOffScreen
6.0
Enumerates the values allowed in a MediaSettings.floating.ifOffScreen property, which
specifies what action should be taken if the floating window is positioned totally or partially offscreen.
These values and their descriptions are given in the table below.
Value

Description

app.media.ifOffScreen.allow

Take no action

app.media.ifOffScreen.forceOnScreen

Move and/or resize the window so that it is
on-screen

app.media.ifOffScreen.cancel

Cancel playing the media clip

Type
Object (enumeration)

Access
R

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layout

layout
6.0
Enumerates the values allowed in a MediaSettings.layout property.
The table below contains the values and their descriptions.
Value

Description

app.media.layout.meet

Scale to fit all content, preserve aspect, no clipping,
background fill

app.media.layout.slice

Scale to fill the window, preserve aspect, and clip X or Y as
needed

app.media.layout.fill

Scale X and Y separately to fill the window

app.media.layout.scroll

Natural size with scrolling

app.media.layout.hidden

Natural size with clipping

app.media.layout.standard

Use the player’s default settings

Type
Object (enumeration)

Access
R

monitorType
6.0
Enumerates the values allowed in a MediaSettings.monitorType property.
The table below contains the values and their descriptions:
Value

Description

app.media.monitorType.document

The monitor containing the largest section of the
document window

app.media.monitorType.nonDocument

The monitor containing the smallest section of the
document window

app.media.monitorType.primary

Primary monitor

app.media.monitorType.bestColor

Monitor with the greatest color depth

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openCode

Value

Description

app.media.monitorType.largest

Monitor with the greatest area (in pixels squared)

app.media.monitorType.tallest

Monitor with the greatest height (in pixels)

app.media.monitorType.widest

Monitor with the greatest width (in pixels)

Type
Object (enumeration)

Access
R

openCode
6.0
Enumerates the values that may be found in the code property of the return value from
MediaPlayer.open. The values are:
app.media.openCode.success
app.media.openCode.failGeneral
app.media.openCode.failSecurityWindow
app.media.openCode.failPlayerMixed
app.media.openCode.failPlayerSecurityPrompt
app.media.openCode.failPlayerNotFound
app.media.openCode.failPlayerMimeType
app.media.openCode.failPlayerSecurity
app.media.openCode.failPlayerData

Type
Object (enumeration)

Access
R

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over

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over
6.0
Enumerates the values allowed in a MediaSettings.floating.over property, the value of which is
used to align a floating window. See app.media.align.
Value

Description

app.media.over.pageWindow

Align the floating window relative to the document (page)
window

app.media.over.appWindow

Align the floating window relative to the application
window

app.media.over.desktop

Align the floating window relative to the full virtual desktop

app.media.over.monitor

Align the floating window relative to the (selected) monitor
display screen

Type
Object (enumeration)

Access
R

pageEventNames
6.0
Enumerates the values that may be found in the event.name property for a page-level action. Event
names that represent direct user actions are not included here. This enumeration is used to distinguish
page-level actions from user actions. The values are:
app.media.pageEventNames.Open
app.media.pageEventNames.Close
app.media.pageEventNames.InView
app.media.pageEventNames.OutView

Type
Object (enumeration)

Access
R

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raiseCode

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Example
app.media.pageEventNames can be used to distinguish between a page-level action and a direct user
action. The script below is folder-level or document-level JavaScript that can be called from anywhere in a
document.
function myMMfunction () {
if ( app.media.pageEventNames[event.name] ) {
console.println("Page Event: " + event.name);
...
} else {
console.println("User Generated Event: " + event.name);
...
}
}

raiseCode
6.0
Enumerates values that may be found in the error.raiseCode property when an exception is thrown.
This property exists only when error.name is “RaiseError”. Other values may be encountered in addition
to these.
app.media.raiseCode.fileNotFound
app.media.raiseCode.fileOpenFailed

Type
Object (enumeration)

Access
R

raiseSystem
6.0
Enumerates values that may be found in the error.raiseSystem property when an exception is
thrown. This property exists only when error.name is “RaiseError”.
app.media.raiseSystem.fileError

Other values may be added to the above property.

Type
Object (enumeration)

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renditionType

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Access
R

renditionType
6.0
Enumerates the values that may be found in Rendition.type. The values and their descriptions are
given below.
Value

Description

app.media.renditionType.unknown

A type not known by this version of Acrobat

app.media.renditionType.media

A media rendition

app.media.renditionType.selector

A rendition selector

Type
Object (enumeration)

Access
R

status
6.0
Enumerates the values that may be found in the event.media.code property for a Status event (see
onStatus/afterStatus). Most of these values have additional information that is found in the
event.text property. The values are:
Value

Description

app.media.status.clear

Empty string—this status event clears any message

app.media.status.message

General message

app.media.status.contacting

Hostname being contacted

app.media.status.buffering

Progress message or nothing

app.media.status.init

Name of the engine being initialized

app.media.status.seeking

Empty string

Along with the event.media.status code, there is also the event.media.text, a string that reflects
the current status, as described above.

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trace

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Type
Object (enumeration)

Access
R

trace
6.0
Set this property to true to print trace messages to the JavaScript console during player creation and
event dispatching.
Note: app.media.trace is for test purposes only. Do not use this property in a PDF file that you publish.
It will change in future versions of Acrobat.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

version
6.0
The version number of the multimedia API, currently 7.0.

Type
Number

Access
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windowType

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windowType
6.0
Enumerates the values allowed in a MediaSettings.windowType property. These values are given in
the table below.
Value

Description

app.media.windowType.docked

Docked to a PDF page

app.media.windowType.floating

Floating (pop-up) window

app.media.windowType.fullScreen

Full screen mode

Type
Object (enumeration)

Access
R

app.media methods
addStockEvents
6.0
Adds stock EventListeners to a MediaPlayer object and sets player.stockEvents as a reference to
these listeners for later removal.
If the optional annot parameter is provided, a reference to the annotation is saved in
MediaPlayer.annot. Later, when the player is opened with MediaPlayer.open, stock
EventListeners will also be added to this annotation and annot.player will be set as a reference to
the player.

Parameters
player

A required MediaPlayer object

annot

(optional) A ScreenAnnot object

The stock EventListeners provide standard Acrobat behavior such as focus handling.
If app.media.trace is true, debug trace listeners are also included with the stock EventListeners.
Use the removeStockEvents method to remove EventListeners that were added with
addStockEvents.
The app.media.createPlayer and app.media.openPlayer methods call addStockEvents
internally, so in most cases it is not necessary to call this method yourself.

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alertFileNotFound

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alertFileNotFound
6.0
Displays the standard file not found alert, with an optional Don’t Show Again check box.

Parameters
oDoc

oDoc is the Doc the alert is associated with

cFilename

cFilename is the name of the missing file

bCanSkipAlert

(optional) If bCanSkipAlert is true and the user checks the check box,
returns true, otherwise returns false. The default is false.

Returns
If bCanSkipAlert is true, returns true if the check box is checked, otherwise returns false.

Example
if ( !doNotNotify )
{
var bRetn = app.media.alertFileNotFound(this, cFileClip, true );
var doNotNotify = bRetn;
}

alertSelectFailed
6.0
Displays the standard alert for a rendition.select failure.

Parameters
oDoc

The Doc the alert is associated with

oRejects

(optional) If provided, an array of MediaReject objects as returned by
PlayerInfoList.select.

bCanSkipAlert

(optional) If true and the user checks the check box, the method returns true;
otherwise, the method returns false. The default is false.

bFromUser

(optional) A Boolean value that affects the wording of the alert message. It should
be true if a direct user action triggered this code, or false if some other action,
such as selecting a bookmark, triggered it. The default is false.

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Returns
If bCanSkipAlert is true, returns true if the check box is checked, otherwise returns false.
Note: When rendition.select fails to find a usable player, and the select parameter
bWantRejects is set to true, the returned MediaSelection object will contain an array of
MediaReject objects, which can be passed to this method as the oRejects parameter. The
alertSelectFailed method will, in turn, ask the user to go to the web to download an
appropriate player.

Example
Displays Cannot Play Media Clip, with check box.
var bRetn = app.media.alertSelectFailed({
oDoc: this,
bCanSkipAlert: true
});

argsDWIM
6.0
This method is a “do what I mean” function that is used by app.media.createPlayer,
app.media.openPlayer, and app.media.startPlayer. It fills in default values for properties that
are not provided in the PlayerArgs object, picking them out of the event object, so that these
functions may be used as rendition action event handlers with no arguments or in custom JavaScript with
explicit arguments.

Parameters
args

A PlayerArgs object (see app.media.createPlayer).

Returns
PlayerArgs object

Example
See “Example 1” on page 165 for an example of usage.

canPlayOrAlert
6.0
Determines whether any media playback is allowed and returns true if it is. If playback is not allowed, it
alerts the user and returns false.

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computeFloatWinRect

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Parameters
args

A PlayerArgs object (see app.media.createPlayer).

Returns
true if media playback is allowed, otherwise false.

Note: The createPlayer method calls this function before attempting to create a player. If you write
your own code to substitute for createPlayer, you can call canPlayOrAlert to alert the user in
situations where playback is not allowed, such as in multimedia authoring mode.
The only property in the args object that is used is doc, so you can use the following code.
// There is a Doc in myDoc
if( app.media.canPlayOrAlert({ doc: myDoc })
/* OK to create player here */ ;

The above code displays “Cannot play media while in authoring mode”, or other alerts, as appropriate.

computeFloatWinRect
6.0
Calculates and returns the rectangle in screen coordinates needed as specified by its parameters.

Parameters
doc

The Doc object for the document.

floating

The floating parameters from the object returned by
MediaSettings.floating.

monitorType

A number indicating which monitor to use. See the
app.media.monitorType property.

uiSize

(optional) The user interface size given as an array of four numbers [w, x, y, z]
representing the size, as returned by MediaPlayer.uiSize.

Returns
The rectangle in screen coordinates.

Example
Get the calculated rectangle for a floating window.
var floating =
{
over: app.media.over.monitor,
align: app.media.align.center,
canResize: app.media.canResize.no,

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constrainRectToScreen

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hasClose: false,
hasTitle: true,
width: 400,
height: 400
}
var rect = app.media.computeFloatWinRect
(this, floating, app.media.monitorType.primary);

constrainRectToScreen
6.0
Returns a rectangle of screen coordinates, moved and resized if needed to place it entirely on some display
monitor. If anchorPt is provided and rect must be shrunk to fit, it shrinks proportionally toward
anchorPt (which is an array of two numbers representing a point as [x, y]).

Parameters
rect

An array of four numbers representing the screen coordinates of the d rectangle.

anchorPt

(optional) An array of two points [x, y] that is to be an anchor point.

Returns
A rectangle in screen coordinates.

createPlayer
6.0
Creates a MediaPlayer object without opening the player.
Note: To open the player, call MediaPlayer.open. You can combine these two steps into one by calling
app.media.openPlayer instead of createPlayer.
If createPlayer is called inside a rendition action (for example, in custom JavaScript entered from the
Actions tab in the Multimedia Properties panel), default values are taken from the action’s event object.
The args parameter is not required in this case unless you want to override the rendition action’s values.
createPlayer calls argsDWIM to process the event object and args (see PlayerArgs object
object) parameter.
Unless noStockEvents of the PlayerArgs object is set to true, the MediaPlayer object is equipped
with stock EventListeners that provide the standard behavior required to interact properly with Acrobat.
Additional EventListeners can be provided in the PlayerArgs object or may be added afterward with
MediaPlayer.events.add.
If args.annot.player is an open MediaPlayer, createPlayer closes that player, which triggers
events.

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createPlayer

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Parameters
args

A PlayerArgs object, whose required and optional properties are described below.
If createPlayer is executed within a Rendition action with an associated rendition,
this parameter is optional and its properties are populated by the defaults and by
options selected in the UI. Otherwise, this parameter is required.

PlayerArgs object
Property

Type

Description

doc

Object

The Doc object of the document. Required if both annot and
rendition are omitted, for example, for URL playback.

annot

Object

A ScreenAnnot object. Required for docked playback unless it is
found in the event object or MediaSettings.page is provided.
The new player is associated with the annotation. If a player was
already associated with the annotation, it is stopped and closed.

rendition

Object

(optional) A Rendition object (either a MediaRendition or a
RenditionList). Required unless rendition is found in the event
object or URL is present.

URL

String

Either URL or rendition is required, with URL taking
precedence.

mimeType

String

(optional) Ignored unless URL is present. If URL is present, either
mimeType or settings.players, as returned by
app.media.getPlayers, is required.

settings

Object

(optional) A MediaSettings object. Overrides the rendition
settings.

events

Object

(optional) An EventListener object. Optional if stock events are
used, added after stock events.

noStockEvents

Boolean

(optional) If true, do not use stock events. The default is false.

fromUser

Boolean

(optional) It should be true if a direct user action will trigger this
code, or false, otherwise. The default depends on the event
object.

showAltText

Boolean

(optional) If true, show alternate text (see
Rendition.altText) if the media cannot be played. The default
is true.

showEmptyAltText

Boolean

(optional) If true and alternate text (see Rendition.altText)
is empty, show the alternate text as an empty box; if false,
respond with an alert.
The default value is true if fromUser is false, and false if
fromUser is true.

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getAltTextData

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Returns
MediaPlayer object

Example 1
The following code is the definition of openPlayer, which uses createPlayer in its definition.
app.media.openPlayer = function( args )
{
var player = null;
try
{
args = app.media.argsDWIM( args );
player = app.media.createPlayer( args );
if( player )
{
var result = player.open();
if( result.code != app.media.openCode.success )
{
player = null;
app.media.alert
( "Open", args, { code: result.code } );
}
else if( player.visible )
player.setFocus(); // triggers Focus event
}
}
catch( e )
{
player = null;
app.media.alert( 'Exception', args, { error: e } );
}
return player;
}

Example 2
See the examples at the end of the description of openPlayer for examples of PlayerArgs usage.

getAltTextData
6.0
Returns a MediaData object (see MediaSettings.data) that represents alternate text data for the given
text. This object can be used to create a player to display the alternate text.

Parameters
cAltText

A string that is to be used as alternate text data.

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getAltTextSettings

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Returns
MediaData object (see MediaSettings.data).

Example
See the embedded example following the getAltTextSettings method.

getAltTextSettings
6.0
Takes a PlayerArgs object containing at least settings, showAltText, and showEmptyAltText
properties, along with a selection object as returned by rendition.select, and finds the first available
alternate text rendition if there is one. It then creates and returns a new MediaSettings object suitable
for playback of the alternate text. Otherwise it returns null.

Parameters
args

A PlayerArgs object

selection

A MediaSelection object

Returns
MediaSettings object or null

Example
This example plays back the alternate text of the rendition. The code plays back the alternate text in a
screen annotation, but can be modified for playback in a floating window.
var rendition = this.media.getRendition("myClip");
var settings = rendition.getPlaySettings();
var args = {
settings: settings,
showAltText: true,
showEmptyAltText: true
};
var selection = rendition.select();
settings = app.media.getAltTextSettings( args, selection );
// You can also play custom alternate text by uncommenting the next line
// settings.data = app.media.getAltTextData("A. C. Robat");
// Uncomment the code below to obtain a floating window to play back
// the alternate text
/*
settings.windowType = app.media.windowType.floating
settings.floating = {
canResize: app.media.canResize.keepRatio,

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getAnnotStockEvents

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hasClose: true,
width: 400,
height: 100
} */
// Now define an args parameter for use with openPlayer, which will
// play the alternate text.
args = {
rendition: rendition,
annot: this.media.getAnnot({nPage: 0, cAnnotTitle:"myScreen"}),
settings: settings
};
app.media.openPlayer(args);

getAnnotStockEvents
6.0
Returns an event object containing the stock EventListeners required in a screen annotation for normal
playback in Acrobat. The stock EventListeners provide standard Acrobat behavior such as focus handling.
If app.media.trace is true, debug trace listeners are also included with the stock EventListeners.

Parameters
settings

A number corresponding to the window type (see app.media.windowType).

Returns
event object

getAnnotTraceEvents
6.0
Returns an Events object containing EventListeners that provide a debugging trace as events are
dispatched.

Returns
Events object

getPlayers
6.0
Returns a PlayerInfoList object, which is an array of PlayerInfo objects representing the available
media players.

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The PlayerInfoList may be filtered using its select method, and it may be used in the
settings.players property when creating a media player with createPlayer.
See PlayerInfoList object and PlayerInfo object for more details.

Parameters
cMimeType

(optional) An optional MIME type such as “audio/wav”. If cMimeType is omitted, the
list includes all available players. If cMimeType is specified, the list includes only
players that can handle that MIME type.

Returns
PlayerInfoList object

Example 1
List MP3 players to the debug console.
var mp = app.media.getPlayers("audio/mp3")
for ( var i = 0; i < mp.length; i++) {
console.println("\nmp[" + i + "] Properties");
for ( var p in mp[i] ) console.println(p + ": " + mp[i][p]);
}

Example 2
Choose any player that can play Flash media by matching the MIME type. The code assumes the code
below is executed as a Rendition action with associated rendition (so no arguments for createPlayer
are required).
var player = app.media.createPlayer();
player.settings.players
= app.media.getPlayers( "application/x-shockwave-flash" );
player.open();

getPlayerStockEvents
6.0
Returns an Events object containing the stock EventListeners required in a media player for normal
playback in Acrobat. The stock EventListeners provide standard Acrobat behavior such as focus handling.
Use MediaPlayer.events.add to add these stock events to a media player.
The app.media.createPlayer and app.media.openPlayer methods automatically call
getPlayerStockEvents internally, so it is not necessary to call this method yourself unless you are
writing code that sets up all EventListeners explicitly.
If app.media.trace is true, debug trace listeners are also included with the stock EventListeners.

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getPlayerTraceEvents

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Parameters
settings

A MediaSettings object.

Returns
Events object

getPlayerTraceEvents
6.0
Returns an Events object containing EventListeners that provide a debugging trace as events are
dispatched.

Returns
An Events object

getRenditionSettings
6.0
Calls Rendition.select to get a MediaSelection object, then
MediaSelection.rendition.getPlaySettings to get a MediaSettings object for playback. If
either of these fails, it calls the getAltTextSettings method to get a MediaSettings object for
alternate text playback. Finally, it returns the resulting MediaSettings object, or null if
getAltTextSettings returned null (that is, alternate text was not specified or not allowed).

Parameters
args

A PlayerArgs object.

Returns
MediaSettings object or null

Example
See “Example 3” on page 173.

getURLData
6.0
Returns a MediaData object (see MediaSettings.data) that represents data to be retrieved for a URL and
optional MIME type. This MediaData object can be used to create a player that accesses data from that URL.

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getURLSettings

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Parameters
cURL

The URL from which media data is to be retrieved.

cMimeType

(optional) The MIME type of the data.

Returns
MediaData object

Example
Retrieve a media clip from the Internet and plays it in a floating window.
var myURLClip = "http://www.example.com/myClip.mpg";
var args = {
URL: myURLClip,
mimeType: "video/x-mpg",
doc: this,
settings: {
players: app.media.getPlayers("video/x-mpg"),
windowType: app.media.windowType.floating,
data: app.media.getURLData(myURLClip,"video/x-mpg"),
floating: { height: 400, width: 600 }
}
}
app.media.openPlayer(args);

getURLSettings
6.0
Takes a PlayerArgs object that contains a settings property and returns a MediaSettings object
suitable for playback of a URL. The settings property must contain a URL property and may contain a
mimeType property. It may also contain additional settings that are copied into the resulting settings
object.

Parameters
args

A PlayerArgs object.

Returns
MediaSettings object

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getURLSettings

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Example 1
Same example as above. getURLSettings calls getURLData and inserts the return MediaData object
into the data property into the setting, which it then returns.
var myURLClip = "http://www.example.com/myClip.mpg";
args = {
URL: myURLClip,
mimeType: "video/x-mpg",
doc: this,
settings:
{
players: app.media.getPlayers("video/x-mpg"),
windowType: app.media.windowType.floating,
floating: { height: 400, width: 600 }
}
};
settings = app.media.getURLSettings(args)
args.settings = settings;
app.media.openPlayer(args);

Example 2
The example below is a custom keystroke action of a combo box. The combo box is a simple playlist of
streamed audio and video websites. The export value of each element in the list has the form
“URL,mimeType”, for example
http://www.example.com/streaming/radio.asx,video/x-ms-asx

The script below splits the export value into a 2-element array, where the first element is the URL and the
second is the mimeType. Any video is shown in the screen annotation “myScreen”. Otherwise, only audio is
heard.
if (!event.willCommit)
{
var aURLMime = event.changeEx.split(",")
console.println("aURLMime[0] = " + aURLMime[0]);
console.println("aURLMime[1] = " + aURLMime[1]);
var args = {
annot:this.media.getAnnot({ nPage:0,cAnnotTitle: "myScreen" }),
URL: aURLMime[0],
mimeType: aURLMime[1],
doc: this,
settings: {
players: app.media.getPlayers(aURLMime[1]),
windowType: app.media.windowType.docked
}
};
settings = app.media.getURLSettings(args);
args.settings = settings;
var player = app.media.openPlayer(args);
}

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getWindowBorderSize

172

getWindowBorderSize
6.0
Returns an array of four numbers representing the size in pixels of the left, top, right, and bottom borders
that would be used for a floating window with the properties specified in the parameters.
The hasTitle and hasClose parameters are Boolean values, and canResize may be any of the values
in app.media.canResize.
These parameters have the same names as properties of a MediaSettings.floating object, so you
can simply pass in a floating object as a single parameter:
var size = doc.media.getWindowBorderSize( settings.floating );

Parameters
hasTitle

(optional) The default is true.

hasClose

(optional) The default is true.

canResize

(optional) The default is app.media.canResize.no.

Returns
An array of 4 numbers.

openPlayer
6.0
Calls app.media.createPlayer to create a MediaPlayer object and then calls MediaPlayer.open
to open the player.
This method triggers several events, which may include Ready (see onReady and afterReady), Play
(see onPlay and afterPlay), and Focus (see onFocus and afterFocus). See the EventListener
object for a general description of these events.
The method alerts the user and returns null on failure. It does not throw exceptions.

Parameters
args

(optional) A PlayerArgs object.

Returns
A MediaPlayer object, or null on failure

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openPlayer

173

Example 1
This minimal example is a custom JavaScript from the Actions tab in the Multimedia Properties panel of a
screen annotation. To override the parameters specified by the UI of the screen annotation, the args
parameter is passed.
app.media.openPlayer();

Override settings.repeat: if repeat is set to 1, change it to 2. Otherwise, set it to 1.
var nRepeat =
( event.action.rendition.getPlaySettings().repeat == 1 ) ? 2 : 1;
var args = { settings: { repeat: nRepeat } };
app.media.openPlayer(args);

See the event object for an explanation of event.action.rendition. The above example also uses
Rendition.getPlaySettings to access the settings associated with the rendition to be played (the
one associated with the screen annotation).

Example 2
The following script is executed from a mouse-up action of a form button. It plays a docked media clip in a
screen annotation.
app.media.openPlayer({
rendition: this.media.getRendition( "myClip" ),
annot: this.media.getAnnot( {nPage:0,cAnnotTitle:"myScreen"} ),
settings: { windowType: app.media.windowType.docked }
});

Example 3
This example is a custom JavaScript from the Actions tab in the Multimedia Properties of a screen
annotation. The user clicks the annotation and a randomly chosen movie clip is played.
// These are placed at the top level of the document JavaScript
var myRenditions = new Array();
myRenditions[0] = "myClip1";
myRenditions[1] = "myClip2";
myRenditions[2] = "myClip3";
// This code is a custom JavaScript of a ScreenAnnot. All renditions
// are docked and are played in the ScreenAnnot.
var l = myRenditions.length;
randomIndex = Math.floor( Math.random() * l ) % l;
var rendition = this.media.getRendition(myRenditions[randomIndex]);
var settings = app.media.getRenditionSettings({ rendition: rendition });
var args = { rendition: rendition, settings: settings }
app.media.openPlayer(args);

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removeStockEvents

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removeStockEvents
6.0
Removes any stock EventListeners from a MediaPlayer object and from any associated ScreenAnnot
object and deletes the player.stockEvents, player.annot, annot.stockEvents, and
annot.player properties. This undoes the effect of a previous addStockEvents call.

Parameters
player

A MediaPlayer object

startPlayer
6.0
Checks whether an annotation is provided in the PlayerArgs object and the annotation already has a
player open. If so, it calls player.play on that player to start or resume playback. If not, it calls
app.media.openPlayer to create and open a new MediaPlayer object. See openPlayer for more
details.
Note: app.media.startPlayer is the default mouse-up action when you use the Acrobat user
interface to create a multimedia annotation and rendition and you do not specify any custom
JavaScript.

Parameters
args

(optional) A PlayerArgs object

Returns
A MediaPlayer object or null on failure

Example
Start a screen annotation from a form button.
var args = {
rendition: this.media.getRendition( "myClip" ),
annot: this.media.getAnnot({ nPage: 0, cAnnotTitle: "myScreen" }),
};
app.media.startPlayer(args);

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Bookmark

175

Bookmark
A Bookmark object represents a node in the bookmark tree that appears in the bookmarks navigational
panel. Bookmarks are typically used as a table of contents allowing the user to navigate quickly to topics of
interest.

Bookmark properties
children
5.0
An array of Bookmark objects that are the children of this bookmark in the bookmark tree. If there are no
children of this bookmark, this property has a value of null.
See also the parent and bookmarkRoot properties.

Type
Array | null

Access
R

Example
Dump all bookmarks in the document.
function DumpBookmark(bkm, nLevel)
{
var s = "";
for (var i = 0; i < nLevel; i++) s += " ";
console.println(s + "+-" + bkm.name);
if (bkm.children != null)
for (var i = 0; i < bkm.children.length; i++)
DumpBookmark(bkm.children[i], nLevel + 1);
}
console.clear(); console.show();
console.println("Dumping all bookmarks in the document.");
DumpBookmark(this.bookmarkRoot, 0);

color
5.0

D

X

Specifies the color for a bookmark. Values are defined by using gray, RGB or CMYK color. See “Color arrays”
on page 193 for information on defining color arrays and how values are used with this property. See also
the style property.

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doc

Type
Array

Access
R/W (Adobe Reader: R only)

Example
The following fun script colors the top-level bookmark red, green, and blue.
var bkm = this.bookmarkRoot.children[0];
bkm.color = color.black;
var C = new Array(1, 0, 0);
var run = app.setInterval(
'bkm.color = ["RGB",C[0],C[1],C[2]]; C.push(C.shift());', 1000);
var stoprun=app.setTimeOut(
"app.clearInterval(run); bkm.color=color.black",12000);

doc
5.0
The Doc that the bookmark resides in.

Type
Object

Access
R

name
5.0

D

X

The text string for the bookmark that the user sees in the navigational panel.

Type
String

Access
R/W (Adobe Reader: R only)

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open

177

Example
Put the top-level bookmark in bold.
var bkm = this.bookmarkRoot.children[0];
console.println( "Top-level bookmark name: " + bkm.name );

The example that follows the children property also uses the name property.

open
5.0

D

X

Determines whether the bookmark shows its children in the navigation panel (open) or whether the
children subtree is collapsed (closed).

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W (Adobe Reader: R only)

parent
5.0
The parent bookmark of the bookmark or null if the bookmark is the root bookmark. See also the
children and bookmarkRoot properties.

Type
Object | null

Access
R

style
5.0

D

X

Specifies the style for the bookmark’s font: 0 is normal, 1 is italic, 2 is bold, and 3 is bold-italic. See also the
color property.

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createChild

178

Type
Integer

Access
R/W (Adobe Reader: R only)

Example
The following code puts the top-level bookmark in bold.
var bkm = this.bookmarkRoot.children[0];
bkm.style = 2;

Bookmark methods
createChild
5.0

D

X

Creates a new child bookmark at the specified location.
See also the children property and the insertChild and remove methods.

Parameters
cName

The name of the bookmark that the user sees in the navigation panel.

cExpr

(optional) An expression to be evaluated whenever the user clicks the bookmark. It is
equivalent to creating a bookmark with a JavaScript action, as described in the PDF
Reference version 1.7. The default is no expression.

nIndex

(optional) The 0-based index into the children array of the bookmark at which to
create the new child. The default is 0.

Example
Create a bookmark at the top of the bookmark panel that takes you to the next page in the document.
this.bookmarkRoot.createChild("Next Page", "this.pageNum++");

execute
5.0
Executes the action associated with this bookmark. This can have a variety of behaviors. See the PDF
Reference version 1.7 for a list of common action types. See also the createChild method.

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insertChild

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Example
Implement a simple search of the bookmarks. If successful, the action associated with the bookmark is
executed.
// Document-level or folder-level JavaScript.
function searchBookmarks(bkm, nLevel, bkmName)
{
if ( bkm.name == bkmName ) return bkm;
if (bkm.children != null) {
for (var i = 0; i < bkm.children.length; i++)
{
var bkMark = searchBookmarks(
bkm.children[i], nLevel + 1, bkmName);
if ( bkMark != null ) break;
}
return bkMark;
}
return null;
}
// Redefine this function for a more sophisticated compare.
function bmkCompare( name1, name2 )
{
return ( name1 == name2 );
}

The following code initiates the search. This code could be executed as field-level JavaScript or be
executed as a menu action.
var bkmName = app.response({
cQuestion: "Enter the name of the bookmark to find",
cTitle: "Bookmark Search and Execute"
});
if ( bkmName != null ) {
var bkm = searchBookmarks(this.bookmarkRoot, 0, bkmName );
if ( bkm != null ) bkm.execute();
else app.alert("Bookmark not found");
}

insertChild
5.0

D

X

Inserts the specified bookmark as a child of this bookmark. If the bookmark already exists in the bookmark
tree, it is unlinked before inserting it back into the tree. In addition, the insertion is checked for circularities
and disallowed if one exists. This prevents users from inserting a bookmark as a child or grandchild of
itself. See also the children property and the createChild and remove methods.

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remove

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Parameters
oBookmark

A bookmark object to add as the child of this bookmark.

nIndex

(optional) The 0-based index into the children array of the bookmark at which to
insert the new child. The default is 0.

Example
Take the first child bookmark and move it to the end of the bookmarks.
var bm = bookmarkRoot.children[0];
bookmarkRoot.insertChild(bm, bookmarkRoot.children.length);

remove
5.0

D

X

Removes the bookmark and all its children from the bookmark tree. See also the children property and
the createChild and insertChild methods.

Example
Remove all bookmarks from the document.
bookmarkRoot.remove();

setAction
6.0

X

Sets a JavaScript action for a bookmark.
See also the Doc addRequirement and setPageAction methods and the Field object setAction
method.
Note: This method overwrites any action already defined for this bookmark.

Parameters
cScript

Defines the JavaScript expression that is to be executed whenever the user clicks the
bookmark.

Example
Attach an action to the topmost bookmark.
var bm = bookmarkRoot.children[0]
bm.setAction("app.beep(0);");

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catalog

181

catalog
A static object that accesses the functionality provided by the Acrobat Catalog plug-in. This plug-in must
be installed to interface with the catalog object.
Note: The Catalog plug-in (and the catalog object) is available only in Acrobat Professional.
See also the Index object, which is used to invoke various indexing operations provided by the Catalog
plug-in, and the CatalogJob object.

catalog properties
isIdle
6.0

P

Returns true when Catalog is not busy with an indexing job.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

jobs
6.0

P

Gets information about the Catalog jobs. Catalog maintains a list of its pending, in-progress, and
completed jobs for each Acrobat session. Returns an array of CatalogJob objects.

Type
Array

Access
R

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getIndex

catalog methods
getIndex
P

6.0

Uses a specified path of a Catalog index to get an Index object. The returned object can be used to
perform various indexing operations such as building or deleting an index.

Parameters
The device-independent path of a Catalog index.

cDIPath

Returns
The Index object.

remove
P

6.0

Removes the specified CatalogJob object from Catalog's job list. Catalog maintains a list of pending,
in-progress, and completed jobs for each Acrobat session.

Parameters
The CatalogJob object to remove, as returned by the jobs property and various
methods of the Index object.

oJob

Example
Delete all jobs that are pending and need complete rebuild.
if (typeof catalog != undefined) {
for (var i=0; i<catalog.jobs.length; i++){
var job = catalog.jobs[i];
console.println("Index: ", job.path);
if (job.status == "Pending" && job.type == "Rebuild")
catalog.remove(job);
}
}

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CatalogJob

183

CatalogJob
This generic JavaScript object provides information about a job submitted to Catalog. It is returned by the
build method of the Index object and the catalog.jobs property, and passed to
catalog.remove.

CatalogJob properties
path
Device-independent path of the index associated with the job

Type
String

Access
R

type
Type of indexing operation associated with the job. Possible values are:
Build
Rebuild
Delete

Type
String

Access
R

status
The status of the indexing operation. Possible values are:
Pending
Processing
Completed
CompletedWithErrors

Type
String

Access
R

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JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

JavaScript API
Certificate

Certificate
The Certificate object provides read-only access to the properties of an X.509 public key certificate.
Related objects and methods are:
security object: importFromFile and getSecurityPolicies
DirConnection object: search

Field object: signatureInfo
FDF object: signatureValidate
RDN object

Usage Object
Note: There are no security restrictions on this object.

Certificate properties
binary
5.0
The raw bytes of the certificate, as a hex encoded string.

Type
String

Access
R

issuerDN
5.0
The distinguished name of the issuer of the certificate, returned as an RDN object.

Type
RDN object

Access
R

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keyUsage

185

keyUsage
6.0
An array of strings indicating the value of the certificate key usage extension. Possible values are
kDigitalSignature
kNonRepudiation
kKeyEncipherment

kDataEncipherment
kKeyAgreement
kKeyCertSign

kCRLSign
kEncipherOnly
kDecipherOnly

Type
Array of Strings

Access
R

MD5Hash
5.0
The MD5 digest of the certificate, represented as a hex-encoded string. This provides a unique fingerprint
for this certificate.

Type
String

Access
R

privateKeyValidityEnd
8.0
The date before which it’s legal to use the private key associated with this certificate. If the PKUP extension
is not present or this property isn’t present in the extension, this represents the validity end date of the
certificate itself. Before a digital ID can be used for signing, Acrobat ensures that the signing time is prior to
the privateKeyValidityEnd date.

Type
Date object

Access
R

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privateKeyValidityStart

186

privateKeyValidityStart
8.0
The date after which it’s legal to use the private key associated with this certificate. If the Private Key Usage
Period (PKUP) certificate extension is not present, this represents the validity start date of the certificate
itself. Before a digital ID can be used for signing, Acrobat ensures that the signing time is more recent than
the privateKeyValidityStart date.

Type
Date object

Access
R

SHA1Hash
5.0
The SHA1 digest of the certificate, represented as a hex-encoded string. This provides a unique fingerprint
for this certificate.

Type
String

Access
R

serialNumber
5.0
A unique identifier for this certificate, used in conjunction with issuerDN.

Type
String

Access
R

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JavaScript API
subjectCN

subjectCN
5.0
The common name of the signer.

Type
String

Access
R

subjectDN
5.0
The distinguished name of the signer, returned as an RDN object.

Type
RDN object

Access
R

ubRights
7.0
The application rights that can be enabled by this certificate, returned as a generic Rights object.

Type
Rights object

Access
R

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usage

188

Rights Object
A Rights object has the following properties.
d

Property

Type

Access

Description

mode

String

R

Possible values are:
Evaluation — Rights enabled by this certificate for this
document are valid as long as this certificate is valid.
Production — Rights enabled by this certificate for this
document are valid for eternity.

Currently, this value is not used by Adobe’s PDF viewer.
rights

Array of
Strings

R

Array of strings indicating the application rights that can be
enabled by this certificate. Possible values are:
FormFillInAndSave — The right to fill in forms, excluding
signature fields, and to save the modified file.
FormImportExport — The right to import and export form
data.
FormAddDelete — The right to add or delete a form field.
SubmitStandalone — The right to submit a document
outside a browser.
SpawnTemplate — The right to spawn page templates.
Signing — The right to sign existing form fields in a
document.
AnnotModify — The right to create, delete, and modify
comments.
AnnotImportExport — The right to import and export
annotations.
BarcodePlaintext — The right to encode the appearance of
a form field as a plain text barcode.
AnnotOnline — Allow online commenting. Enables
uploading of any annotations in the document to a server and
downloading of annotations from a server. Does not enable the
addition of these annotations into the document.
FormOnline — Enable forms-specific online mechanisms such
as SOAP or Active Data Object.
EFModify — The right to create, delete, modify, and import
named embedded files. Does not apply to file attachment
annotations.

usage
6.0
The purposes for which this certificate may be used within the Acrobat environment returned as a Usage
object.

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usage

189

Type
Usage object

Access
R

Usage Object
This generic JavaScript object represents a certificate usage value in the certificate.usage property.
It has the following properties.
Property

Type

Access

Description

endUserSigning

Boolean

R

true if the certificate is usable for end-user signing.

endUserEncryption

Boolean

R

true if the certificate is usable for end-user

encryption.

Example
Encrypt the currently open document for everyone in the address book. Address book entries that contain
sign-only certificates, CA certificates, no certificates, or are otherwise unsuitable for encryption, are not
included in the final recipient list.
var eng = security.getHandler( "Adobe.AAB" );
var dc = eng.directories[0].connect();
var recipients = dc.search();
var filteredRecipients = new Array();
for( i = 0; i < recipients.length; ++i ) {
if( recipients[i].defaultEncryptCert &&
recipients[i].defaultEncryptCert.usage.endUserEncryption ) {
filteredRecipients[filteredRecipients.length] = recipients[i];
continue;
}
if(recipients[i].certificates) {
for( j = 0; j < recipients[i].certificates.length; ++j )
if( recipients[i].certificates[j].usage.endUserEncryption ) {
filteredRecipients[filteredRecipients.length]
= recipients[i];
continue;
}
}
}
this.encryptForRecipients({
oGroups:[{userEntities: filteredRecipients}]
});

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validityEnd

190

validityEnd
7.0.5
The validity end date of the certificate. Before a digital ID can be used for signing, Acrobat ensures that the
signing time is prior to the validityEnd date.

Type
Date object

Access
R

validityStart
7.0.5
The validity start date of the certificate. Before a digital ID can be used for signing Acrobat, ensures that the
signing time is more recent than the validityStart date.

Type
Date object

Access
R

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Collab

191

Collab
This static object represents the collaboration functionality.

Collab methods
addStateModel
6.0
Adds a new state model to Acrobat. A state model describes the valid states that an annotation using the
model can have (see the Annotation object for details about getting and setting the state of an
annotation). State models can be used to describe the workflow that a document review goes through
and can be used for review management.
See also removeStateModel, getStateInModel, and transitionToState.

Parameters
cName

A unique, language-independent identifier for the State Model.

cUIName

The display name of the state model used in the user interface. The value should be a
localized string.

oStates

The states in the state model, described by a States object.

cDefault

(optional) One of the states in the model to be used as a default state if no other state
is set. The default is for there to be no default state.

bHidden

(optional) Specifies whether the state model should be hidden in the state model
user interface. The default is false (the State Model is shown).

bHistory

(optional) Specifies whether an audit history is maintained for the state model.
Keeping an audit history requires more space in the file. The default is true.

States object
This generic object represents a set of states in a state model and is passed as the oStates parameter. The
elements in the object literal are the unique state identifiers and the values are objects having the
following properties:
Property

Description

cUIName

The UI (display name) for the state.

oIcon

(optional) An Icon Stream object that is displayed in the UI for the state.

Example
Add a new state model with a unique name of “ReviewStates”:
Collab.addStateModel({
cName: "ReviewStates",
cUIName: "My Review",

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documentToStream

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oStates:
{
"initial": {cUIName: "Haven't reviewed it"},
"approved": {cUIName: "I approve"},
"rejected": {cUIName: "Forget it"},
"resubmit": {cUIName: "Make some changes"}
},
cDefault: "initial"
});

A state model can be removed with Collab.removeStateModel.

documentToStream
7.0.5

S

Saves a copy of a Doc and returns the contents as a stream object.
The document dirty property is preserved after this method is called and the original document is not
modified.

Parameters
oDocument

The Doc.

Returns
A ReadStream object.

removeStateModel
6.0
Removes a state model that was previously added by calling addStateModel. Removing a state model
does not remove the state information associated with individual annotations. If the model is removed
and added again, all of the state information for the annotations is still available.
See also addStateModel, getStateInModel, and transitionToState.

Parameters
cName

A unique, language-independent identifier for the state model that was used in
addStateModel.

Example
Continuing the example in addStateModel, remove the state model “ReviewStates”:
// Remove the state model
Collab.removeStateModel("ReviewStates");

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color

193

color
The color object is a convenience static object that defines the basic colors. Use this object to set a
property or call a method that requires a color array.

Color arrays
A color is represented in JavaScript as an array containing 1, 2, 4, or 5 elements corresponding to a
Transparent, Gray, RGB, or CMYK color space, respectively. The first element in the array is a string denoting
the color space type. The subsequent elements are numbers that range between zero and one inclusive.
For example, the color red can be represented as ["RGB", 1, 0, 0].
Invalid strings or insufficient elements in a color array cause the color to be interpreted as the color black.
Number of
additional
elements

Color space

String

Description

Transparent

“T”

0

A transparent color space indicates a complete absence of
color and allows those portions of the document underlying
the current field to show through.

Gray

“G”

1

Colors are represented by a single value—the intensity of
achromatic light. In this color space, 0 is black, 1 is white, and
intermediate values represent shades of gray. For example, .5
represents medium gray.

RGB

“RGB”

3

Colors are represented by three values: the intensity of the
red, green, and blue components in the output. RGB is
commonly used for video displays, which are generally based
on red, green, and blue phosphors.

CMYK

“CMYK”

4

Colors are represented by four values, the amounts of the
cyan, magenta, yellow, and black components in the output.
This color space is commonly used for color printers, where
they are the colors of the inks used in four-color printing. Only
cyan, magenta, and yellow are necessary, but black is
generally used in printing because black ink produces a
better black than a mixture of cyan, magenta, and yellow inks
and because black ink is less expensive than the other inks.

color properties
The color object defines the following colors.
Color object

Keyword

Equivalent JavaScript

Transparent

color.transparent

[ "T" ]

Black

color.black

[ "G", 0 ]

Version

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convert

Color object

Keyword

Equivalent JavaScript

White

color.white

[ "G", 1 ]

Red

color.red

[ "RGB", 1,0,0 ]

Green

color.green

[ "RGB", 0,1,0 ]

Blue

color.blue

[ "RGB", 0, 0, 1 ]

Cyan

color.cyan

[ "CMYK", 1,0,0,0 ]

Magenta

color.magenta

[ "CMYK", 0,1 0,0 ]

Yellow

color.yellow

[ "CMYK", 0,0,1,0 ]

Dark Gray

color.dkGray

[ "G", 0.25 ]

4.0

Gray

color.gray

[ "G", 0.5 ]

4.0

Light Gray

color.ltGray

[ "G", 0.75 ]

4.0

194

Version

Example
This example sets the text color of the field to red if the value of the field is negative, or to black if the field
value is nonnegative.
var f = event.target; /* field that the event occurs at */
f.target.textColor = event.value < 0 ? color.red : color.black;

color methods
convert
5.0
Converts the color space and color values specified by the color object to the specified color space:
●

Conversion to the gray color space is lossy (in the same fashion that displaying a color TV signal on a
black-and-white TV is lossy).

●

The conversion of RGB to CMYK does not take into account any black generation or undercolor removal
parameters.

Parameters
colorArray

Array of color values. See “Color arrays” on page 193.

cColorspace

The color space to which to convert.

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equal

195

Returns
A color array.

Example
The return value of the code line below is the array ["CMYK", 0, 1, 1, 0].
color.convert(["RGB",1,0,0], "CMYK");

equal
5.0
Compares two Color Arrays to see if they are the same. The routine performs conversions, if necessary,
to determine if the two colors are indeed equal (for example, ["RGB",1,1,0] is equal to
["CMYK",0,0,1,0]).

Parameters
colorArray1

The first color array for comparison.

colorArray2

The second color array for comparison.

Returns
true if the arrays represent the same color, false otherwise.

Example
var f = this.getField("foo");
if (color.equal(f.textColor, f.fillColor))
app.alert("Foreground and background color are the same!");

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colorConvertAction

196

colorConvertAction
This object describes a single color conversion action.
You can obtain colorConvertAction object from the Doc object method getColorConvertAction, see
page 299. The returned object can then be modified. A color conversion action is divided into a “match”
section and an “action” section. The “match” section describes what sorts of objects can match this action.
The Doc object method colorConvertPage, page 278, accepts an array of these actions, against which
matches are attempted until a match is found.

colorConvertAction properties
action
8.0

P

Describes the action to perform if a match occurs.
The value of action is accessed through the constants.actions object of the colorConvertAction
object as the following constants:

constants.actions object
Name

Description

Preserve

Do nothing but handle ink aliases.

Convert

Convert to target space.

Decalibrate

Convert calibrated space to device.

DownConvert

Downconvert NChannel to DeviceN.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

alias
8.0

P

If this action is an ink action then this describes the ink's alias.

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colorantName

Type
String

Access
R/W

colorantName
8.0

P

If this action is an ink action then this describes the colorant name.
See the related property isProcessColor.

Type
String

Access
R/W

convertIntent
8.0

P

Defines the rendering intent used to color convert the object. For a detailed description of rendering
intents, please see Table 4.20 of the PDF Reference version 1.7.
The value of convertIntent is accessed through the constants.renderingIntents object of the
colorConvertAction object. For the properties of the constants.renderingIntents object, see
page 200.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

197

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convertProfile

198

convertProfile
8.0

P

Describes the color profile to which matching objects should be converted if the action is Convert. A list
of available color profiles can be obtained from the printColorProfiles property of the app object

Type
String

Access
R/W

embed
8.0

P

If the matched object is to be converted and embed is true, the resulting object will have a color profile
embedded in the file. Otherwise, the object will be stored as the corresponding device color space for the
profile to which the object was converted.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

isProcessColor
8.0

P

If this action is an ink action and if isProcessColor is true, the ink represents a process color, and the
colorantName should be one of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Red, Green or Blue.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

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matchAttributesAll

199

matchAttributesAll
8.0

P

The value of the matchAttributesAll property is a bitmap containing object attributes (flags) to be
matched. A match occurs if all flags match, i.e. if there is a complete match.
The flags are accessed through the constants.objectFlags object of the colorConvertAction object
and are defined as follows:

constants.objectFlags object
Flag name

Description

ObjImage

Object is an image.

ObjJPEG

Object is a JPEG image.

ObjJPEG2000

Object is a JPEG2000 Image.

ObjLossy

Image in a lossy space.

ObjNonLossy

Image in a non-lossy space.

ObjText

Object is text.

ObjLineArt

Object is line-art (fill or stroke).

ObjShade

Object is a smooth shade.

ObjTransparent

Object is not opaque.

ObjOverprinting

Object overprints.

ObjOverprintMode

OPM is set to 1.

Note: The value of matchAttributesAll can be set by using the bitwise operators with the bit flags of
constants.objectFlags.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Example:
Match images that overprint.
var action = this.getColorConvertAction();
action.matchAttributesAll = action.constants.objFlags.ObjImage |
action.constants.objFlags.ObjOverprinting;

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matchAttributesAny

200

matchAttributesAny
8.0

P

The value of the matchAttributesAny property is a bitmap containing object attributes to be matched.
A match occurs if any of the flags match.
The flags are accessed through the constants.objectFlags object of the colorConvertAction object.
For the properties of the constants.objectFlags object, see page 199.
Note: The value of matchAttributesAny can be set by using the bitwise operators with the bit flags of
constants.objectFlags.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

matchIntent
8.0

P

Matches the rendering intent used for the object. For a detailed description of rendering intents, please
see Table 4.20 of the PDF Reference version 1.7.
The value of matchIntent is accessed through the constants.renderingIntents object of the
colorConvertAction object and are defined as follows:

constants.renderingIntents object
Name

Description

AbsoluteColorimetric

Absolute colorimetric rendering intent.

RelativeColorimetric

Relative colorimetric rendering intent.

Saturation

Saturation rendering intent

Perceptual

Perceptual rendering intent

Any

Match any of the above rendering intents

Document

Use the rendering intent specified by the current graphics state in which
the matched object is rendered (used by convertIntent only).

Type
Integer

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matchSpaceTypeAll

201

Access
R/W

matchSpaceTypeAll
8.0

P

The value of the matchSpaceTypeAll property is a bitmap containing color space attributes (flags) to
be matched. A match occurs if all flags match, i.e. if there is a complete match.
These two fields are bitmaps containing color space attributes to be matched. The first field will only
match if all flags match, i.e. if there is a complete match. The second field will match if any of the flags
match.
The flags are accessed through the constants.spaceFlags object of the colorConvertAction object
and are defined as follows:

constants.spaceFlags object
Flag name

Description

DeviceSpace

Color space is one of DeviceRGB, DeviceCMYK, or DeviceGray.

CalibratedSpace

Color space is ICCBased, CalRGB, CalGray, or Lab.

AlternateSpace

This color space is the alternate space of a DeviceN, Separation, or
ICCBased.

BaseSpace

This color space is the base space of an Indexed space.

IndexedSpace

This color space is an indexed space.

SeparationSpace

This color space is a Separation color space.

DeviceNSpace

This color space is a DeviceN color space.

NChannelSpace

This color space is a DeviceN color space with NChannel attributes.

RGBSpace

This space is RGB. This flag should only be used in combination with
DeviceSpace or CalibratedSpace.

CMYKSpace

This space is CMYK. This flag should only be used in combination with
DeviceSpace or CalibratedSpace.

GraySpace

This space is Grayscale. This flag should only be used in combination
with DeviceSpace or CalibratedSpace.

LabSpace

This space is CIELAB. This flag should only be used in combination with
DeviceSpace or CalibratedSpace.

Note: The value of matchSpaceTypeAll can be set by using the bitwise operators with the bit flags of
constants.spaceFlags.

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matchSpaceTypeAny

202

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

matchSpaceTypeAny
8.0

P

The value of the matchSpaceTypeAny property is a bitmap containing color space attributes (flags) to
be matched. A match occurs if any of the flags match.
The flags are accessed through the constants.spaceFlags object of the colorConvertAction object.
For the properties of the constants.objectFlags object, see page 201.
Note: The value of matchSpaceTypeAny can be set by using the bitwise operators with the bit flags of
constants.spaceFlags.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

preserveBlack
8.0

P

If the matched object is to be converted and preserveBlack is true, the conversion will be done using
a “black-preserving” transform, in which text or line art objects are handled specially. If a CMYK color is (0.0,
0.0, 0.0, 1.0), an RGB color is (0.0, 0.0, 0.0) or a gray color is (0.0), and preserveBlack is true, that color is
considered special-case black, and is converted straight to black without using the conversion profile. The
resulting color will be as described for the matching black color for the corresponding profile target color
space, for example, if the convert profile is RGB, the resulting color will be (0.0, 0.0, 0.0) no matter what the
color profile says.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

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useBlackPointCompensation

203

useBlackPointCompensation
8.0

P

If useBlackPointCompensation is true, use black point compensation for all color conversions. The
effect of this flag depends on the color management method (CMM) being used, but if the Adobe CMM is
being used, colorimetric transforms are scaled such that black remains black no matter what the media
black point of the source profile.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

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JavaScript API
Column

204

Column
This generic JavaScript object contains the data from every row in a column. A column object is returned
by the getColumn and getColumnArray methods of the Statement object. See also the ColumnInfo
object.

Column properties
columnNum
The number identifying the column.

Type
number

Access
R

name
The name of the column.

Type
string

Access
R

type
One of the SQL Types for the data in the column.

Type
number

Access
R

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JavaScript API
typeName

typeName
The name of the type of data the column contains.

Type
string

Access
R

value
The value of the data in the column, in the format in which the data was originally retrieved.

Type
various

Access
R/W

205

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JavaScript API
ColumnInfo

ColumnInfo
This generic JavaScript object contains basic information about a column of data. It is returned by the
getColumnList method of the Connection object. See also the Column object.

ColumnInfo properties
name
A string that represents the identifying name of a column. This string can be used in a call to the
getColumn method of the Statement object identify the associated column.

Type
string

Access
R

description
A string that contains database-dependent information about the column.

Type
string

Access
R

type
A numeric value identifying one of the ADBC SQL Types that applies to the data contained in the
column associated with the ColumnInfo object.

Type
number

Access
R

206

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typeName

207

typeName
A string identifying the type of the data contained in the associated column. It is not one of the SQL
Types (see type above), but a database-dependent string representing the data type. This property may
give useful information about user-defined data types.

Type
string

Access
R

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Connection

Connection
5.0

X

This object encapsulates a session with a database. Connection objects are returned by
ADBC.newConnection. See also the ADBC object, Statement object, Column object, ColumnInfo
object, Row object, and TableInfo object.

Connection methods
close
6.0

X

Closes an active connection and invalidates all the objects created from the connection.

getColumnList
5.0

X

Gets information about the various columns in the table

Parameters
cName

The name of the table to get column information about.

Returns
An array of ColumnInfo objects. This method never fails but may return a zero-length array.

Example
Given the Connection object con, get a list of all column names.
var con = ADBC.newConnection("q32000data");
var columnInfo = con.getColumnList("sales");
console.println("Column Information");
for (var i = 0; i < columnInfo.length; i++) {
console.println(columnInfo[i].name);
console.println("Description: "+ columnInfo[i].description);
}

208

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getTableList

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getTableList
5.0

X

Gets information about the various tables in a database.

Returns
It returns an array of TableInfo objects. This method never fails but may return a zero-length array.

Example
Assuming a Connection object con has been obtained (see getColumnList and newConnection),
get the list of tables.
var tableInfo = con.getTableList();
console.println("A list of all tables in the database.");
for (var i = 0; i < tableInfo.length; i++) {
console.println("Table name: "+ tableInfo[i].name);
console.println("Description: "+ tableInfo[i].description);
}

newStatement
5.0

X

Creates a Statement object through which database operations may be performed.

Returns
A Statement object on success or null on failure.

Example
Get a connection, and acquire a Statement object.
// Get a connection object
var con = ADBC.newConnection("q32000data");
// Now get a statement object
var statement = con.newStatement();
var msg = (statement == null) ?
"Failed to obtain newStatement!" : "newStatement Object obtained!";
console.println(msg);

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console

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console
The console object is a static object that enables access to the JavaScript console for executing
JavaScript and displaying debug messages.
This object does not function in Adobe Reader versions earlier than 7.0. Beginning with version 7.0,
Adobe Reader has a console window. Its primary function is to report errors and messages. This capability
is controlled by the JavaScript preference Show Console on Errors and Messages. Though the console is
not interactive, the methods of the console object function as they do in Acrobat Professional and
Acrobat Standard.
The debugging capability of the JavaScript Debugging window can be made available for Adobe Reader
for the Windows and Mac OS platforms. To debug within Adobe Reader, the JavaScript file debugger.js
must be installed and the Windows registry must be edited appropriately. See Developing Acrobat
Applications Using JavaScript for technical details.
See also the dbg object.

console methods
clear
3.01
Clears the console windows buffer of any output.

hide
4.0
Closes the console window.

println
3.01
Prints a string value to the console window with an accompanying carriage return.

Parameters
cMessage

A string message to print.

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JavaScript API
show

211

Example 1
This example prints the value of a field to the console window. The script could be executed during a
mouse-up event.
var f = this.getField("myText");
console.clear(); console.show();
console.println("Field value = " + f.value);

Example 2
The console can be used as a debugging tool. For example, you can write values of variables to the
console. The following script is at the document level:
var debugIsOn = true;
function myFunction ( n, m )
{
if (debugIsOn)
{
console.println("Entering function: myFunction");
console.println(" Parameter 1: n = " + n);
console.println(" Parameter 2: m = " + m);
}
....
....
if (debugIsOn) console.println(" Return value: rtn = " + rtn);
return rtn;
}

Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, debugging can also be accomplished with the JavaScript Debugger. See the
dbg object.

show
3.01
Shows the console window.

Example
Clear and show the console window:
console.clear();
console.show();

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JavaScript API
Data

212

Data
5.0
The Data object is the representation of an embedded file or data stream that is stored in the document.
See the PDF Reference version 1.7 for details.
Using Data objects is a good way to associate and embed source files, metadata, and other associated data
with a document. Data objects can be inserted from the external file system, queried, and extracted.
See the following Doc properties and methods:
createDataObject, dataObjects, exportDataObject, getDataObject,
importDataObject, removeDataObject, openDataObject, getDataObjectContents, and
setDataObjectContents.

Note: The Data object methods were implemented in Acrobat 5.0. However, the ability to use them in
Adobe Reader with additional usage rights only became available in Adobe Reader 6.0.

Data properties
creationDate
The creation date of the file that was embedded.

Type
Date

Access
R

description
7.0.5
The description associated with this data object.

Type
String

Access
R/W

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MIMEType
The MIME type associated with this data object.

Type
String

Access
R

modDate
The modification date of the file that was embedded.

Type
Date

Access
R

name
The name associated with this data object.

Type
String

Access
R

Example
Display the names of file attachments to this document.
console.println("Dumping all data objects in the document.");
var d = this.dataObjects;
for (var i = 0; i < d.length; i++)
console.println("DataObject[" + i + "]=" + d[i].name);

JavaScript API
MIMEType

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path
The file name and extension of the file that was embedded.

Type
String

Access
R

size
The size, in bytes, of the uncompressed data object.

Type
Number

Access
R

JavaScript API
path

214

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JavaScript API
DataSourceInfo

215

DataSourceInfo
This generic JavaScript object contains basic information about a database. The
ADBC.getDataSourceList method returns an array of these objects.

DataSourceInfo properties
name
A string that represents the identifying name of a database. This string can be passed to newConnection
to establish a connection to the database that the DataSourceInfo object is associated with.

Type
String

Access
R

description
A string that contains database-dependent information about the database.

Type
String

Access
R

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dbg

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dbg
The dbg object is a static object that can be used to control the JavaScript Debugger from a command-line
console. Its methods provide the same functionality as the buttons in the JavaScript Debugger dialog box
toolbar. In addition, breakpoints can be created, deleted, and inspected using the dbg object.
The dbg object and the JavaScript Debugger are only available in Acrobat Professional.
Note: If the viewer locks up during a debugging session, pressing Esc may resolve the problem.
Debugging is not possible with a modal dialog box open; for example, when debugging a batch
sequence.
Debugging a script with a running event initiated by either app.setInterval or
app.setTimeOut may cause recurring alert boxes to appear. Use Esc after the modal dialog box is
dismissed to resolve the problem.
(Acrobat 7.0) While the Debugger is open and a debugging session is under way, the Acrobat
application is unavailable.

dbg properties
bps
6.0

P

An array of breakpoint generic objects corresponding to breakpoints set in the debugger. This object
contains the following properties and methods.
Property

Type

Access

Description

fileName

string

R

A string that identifies the script in the debugger.

condition

string

R

A JavaScript expression evaluated by the debugger to
decide to whether to stop at a breakpoint. Used to
create conditional breakpoints. The default value for
this property is the string “true”.

lineNum

number

R

The line number in the script for which the breakpoint
is set.

Method

Parameters

Returns

Description

toString

none

String

A string describing the breakpoint.

Type
Array

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c

217

Access
R

Example
List all currently active breakpoints.
var db = dbg.bps
for ( var i = 0; i < db.length; i++ )
{
for ( var o in db[i] ) console.println(o + ": " + db[i][o]);
console.println("------------------------------------");
}

See sb for another example of usage.

dbg methods
c
P

6.0

The c (continue) method resumes execution of a program stopped in the debugger. The JavaScript
program may either stop again, depending on where the breakpoints are set, or reach execution end.

cb
6.0

D

P

The cb (clear breakpoint) method clears a breakpoint in the debugger. The dbg.cb method dirties the
document only if breakpoints are stored in the document, as set through the user preferences, Edit >
Preferences > JavaScript.

Parameters
fileName

The name of the script from where the breakpoint is going to be deleted.

lineNum

The line number for the breakpoint that is going to be cleared in the script.

q
6.0

P

The q (quit) method quits debugging and executing the current JavaScript. It additionally dismisses the
debugger dialog box.

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sb

218

sb
6.0

D

P

The sb (set breakpoint) method sets a new breakpoint in the debugger. The dbg.sb method dirties the
document only if breakpoints are stored in the document, as set through the user preferences, Edit >
Preferences > JavaScript.

Parameters
fileName

The name of the script where the breakpoint is to be set.

lineNum

The line number in the script to create the breakpoint.

condition

(optional) a JavaScript expression to be evaluated when the debugger reaches the
breakpoint. If the expression evaluates to true, the debugger stops at the
breakpoint. If the expression evaluates to false, the debugger continues executing
the script and does not stop at the breakpoint. The default value is true.

Example 1
Some script is run and an exception is thrown due to some error. A breakpoint is programmatically set
using the information given in the error message.
SyntaxError: missing ; before statement 213:Document-Level: myDLJS
// now set a breakpoint using the console
dbg.sb({
fileName: "Document-Level: myDLJS",
lineNum: 213,
condition: "true"
});

Example 2
Simulate the functionality of the Store Breakpoints in PDF File check box in the JavaScript user preferences.
// Save breakpoints in PDF file
this.addScript("myBreakpoints", "var myBPS = " + dbg.bps.toSource());
// Now reset the breakpoints
for ( var i = 0; i < myBPS.length; i++ ) dbg.sb( myBPS[i] );

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si

219

Example 3
Set a conditional break. Consider the following code, which is a mouse-up action.
for (var i=0; i<100; i++)
myFunction(i);

// defined at document level

// In the console, set a conditional break. Here, we break when the
// index of the loop is greater than 30.
dbg.sb({
fileName:"AcroForm:Button1:Annot1:MouseUp:Action1",
lineNum:2,
condition:"i > 30"
})

si
6.0

P

The si (step in) method advances the program pointer to the next instruction in the JavaScript program,
entering each function call for which there is a script defined. (Native JavaScript calls cannot be stepped
into.)

sn
6.0

P

The sn (step instruction) method advances the program pointer to the next bytecode in the JavaScript
program. (Each JavaScript instruction is made up of several bytecodes as defined by the JavaScript
interpreter.)

so
6.0

P

The so (step out) method executes the program until it exits the current function. Execution stops at the
instruction immediately following the call to the current function. If the scope currently under debug is
the top-level scope, the program either continues executing until it ends or stops again when it reaches a
breakpoint.

sv
6.0

P

The sv (step over) method advances the program pointer to the next instruction in the JavaScript
program. If a function call is encountered, the debugger does not step into the instructions defined inside
that function.

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Dialog

220

Dialog
An instance of this object is passed as a parameter to dialog box handlers (see “Dialog box handlers” on
page 108). These handlers include the initialize, validate, commit, destroy and ItemID methods
of the dialog box descriptor object literal that is passed to app.execDialog. The Dialog object allows
the current state of the Dialog to be queried and set.

Dialog methods
enable
7.0
Enables or disables various dialog box elements using the object literal passed in.
Typically, enable is called in the initialize method (see “Dialog box handlers” on page 108) of the
object literal passed to app.execDialog to preset whether various dialog box elements are enabled or
not.

Parameters
object literal

For each dialog box item to modify, there should be an entry in the object literal with
the Dialog ItemID as the label and a Boolean value as the value indicating if it is
enabled or not.

Example
See the examples following app.execDialog.

end
7.0
Terminates a currently executing dialog box (as if the Cancel button had been pressed). This method takes
an optional parameter of the ItemID, a string, of the dialog box element that will be reported as dismissing
the dialog. This ItemID will be the return value of the app.execDialog call that created the dialog.

Parameters
String

(optional) The ItemID of the dialog box element that will be reported as dismissing
the dialog.

Example
See the examples following app.execDialog.

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load

221

load
7.0
Sets the values of dialog box elements using the object literal passed in. Dialog box items are identified by
an ItemID which is a unique 4-character string.
Typically, load is called in the initialize method (see “Dialog box handlers” on page 108) of the object
literal passed to app.execDialog to preset the value of various dialog box elements.

Parameters
object literal

For each dialog box item to be modified, there should be an entry in the object literal
with the ItemID as the label and the dialog box element setting as the contents. If the
dialog box element takes multiple values (for example, a list_box or a popup), the
value should be an object literal consisting of the displayed entry as the label and a
numeric value as the contents. Similarly, if the dialog box element is hierarchical in
nature (for example, a hier_list_box), the value should be a set of nested object
literals. If the numeric value is greater than 0, the item is selected, otherwise it is not
selected.

Example
See the examples following app.execDialog.

store
7.0
Gets the values of dialog box elements as an object literal returned. Dialog box items are identified by an
ItemID, which is a unique 4-character string. For each dialog box element, there will be an entry in the
object literal with the ItemID as the label and the dialog box element setting as the contents. If the dialog
box element takes multiple values (for example, a list_box or a popup), the value should be an object
literal consisting of the displayed entry as the label and a numeric value as the contents. If the numeric
value is greater than 0, the item was selected, otherwise it was not selected.
Typically, store is called in the commit method (see “Dialog box handlers” on page 108) of the object
literal passed to app.execDialog to extract the value of various dialog box elements.

Returns
object literal

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DirConnection

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DirConnection
6.0

S

This object represents an open connection to a directory: a repository of user information, including
public-key certificates. Directory connections are opened using the Directory object connect method.
A directory with a particular name can have more than one connection open at a time. All DirConnection
objects must support all properties and methods listed here, unless otherwise specified.
Note: This object can only be obtained from a Directory object and is thus governed by the security
restrictions of the Directory object. The DirConnection object is therefore available only for
batch, console and application initialization, including in Adobe Reader. See also “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32.

DirConnection properties
canList
6.0

S

Indicates whether the directory connection is capable of listing all of its entries. Some directories may
contain too many entries for this operation to be practical.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

Example
The AAB directory allows listing of the local trusted identity list.
var sh = security.getHandler( "Adobe.AAB" );
var dc = sh.directories[0].connect();
console.println( "CanList = " + dc.canList );

canDoCustomSearch
6.0

S

Specifies whether the directory connection supports searching using directory-specific search parameter
attributes. For example, directory-specific attributes for an LDAP directory include o (organization), c
(country), cn (common name), givenname, sn (surname), uid, st, postalcode, mail, and telephonenumber.

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Type
Boolean

Access
R

canDoCustomUISearch
6.0

S

Specifies whether the directory connection supports searching using its own custom user interface to
collect the search parameters.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

canDoStandardSearch
6.0

S

Specifies whether the directory connection supports search using standard search parameter attributes.
The standard attributes are
firstName
lastName
fullName
email
certificates

Some directory database implementations may not support these attributes, but directory handlers are
free to translate these attributes to names understood by the directory.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

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groups
6.0

S

An array of language-dependent names for groups that are available through this connection.

Type
Array

Access
R

name
6.0

S

The language-independent name of the directory that this object is connected to. An example of this
would be Adobe.PPKMS.ADSI.dir0. All DirConnection objects must support this property.

Type
String

Access
R

uiName
6.0

S

The language-dependent string of the directory this object is connected to. This string is suitable for user
interfaces. All DirConnection objects must support this property.

Type
String

Access
R

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DirConnection methods
search
6.0

S

Searches the directory and returns an array of UserEntity objects that match the search parameters. A
UserEntity object is a generic object that contains properties for all attributes that were requested by
the setOutputFields method. If the setOutputFields method is not called prior to a search, it
would return a UserEntity object containing no entries.

Parameters
oParams

(optional) A generic object containing an array of key-value pairs consisting of search
attribute names and their corresponding strings. If oParams is not provided and
canList is true for this directory, all entries in the directory will be returned. If
oParams is not provided and canList is false, an exception occurs.

cGroupName

(optional) The name of a group (not to be confused with Group objects). If specified,
the search will be restricted to this group.

bCustom

(optional) If false (the default), oParams contains standard search attributes. If
true, oParams contains directory-specific search parameters. If the
canDoCustomSearch property is not true, an exception occurs.

bUI

(optional) If true, the handler displays the user interface to allow collection of
search parameters. The results of the search are returned by this method.
canDoCustomUISearch must also be true if bUI is true, or an exception will
occur. If bUI is specified, bCustom must also be specified, though its value is
ignored.

Returns
An array of UserEntity objects.

Example 1
Directory search.
var sh = security.getHandler( "Adobe.PPKMS" );
var dc= sh.directories[0].connect();
dc.setOutputFields( {oFields:["certificates","email"]} )
var retVal = dc.search({oParams:{lastName:"Smith"}});
if( retVal.length )
console.println( retVal[0].email );

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Example 2
List all entries in a local Acrobat Address Book. The script searches the directory and returns an array of
users, along with their certificate information.
var sh = security.getHandler( "Adobe.AAB" );
var dc = sh.directories[0].connect();
if( dc.canList ) {
var x = dc.search();
for( j=0; j<x.length; ++j ) {
console.println("Entry[" + j + "] = " + x[j].fullName + ":");
for(i in x[j]) console.println(" " + i + " = " + x[j][i]);
}
}

UserEntity object
A generic JavaScript object that describes a user in a directory and the user’s associated certificates. It
contains standard properties that have a specific meaning for all directory handlers. Directory handlers
translate these entries to the ones that are specific to them when required. An array of these objects is
returned by the search method of the DirConnection object.
It has the following properties
Property

Type

Access

Description

firstName

String

R/W

The first name of the user.

lastName

String

R/W

The last name of the user.

fullName

String

R/W

The full name of the user.

certificates

Array of

R/W

An array of certificates that belong to this user.
To find a certificate that is to be used for a
particular use, the caller should inspect the
certificate’s keyUsage property.

R/W

The preferred certificate to use when
encrypting documents for this user entity.
Routines that process user entity objects will
look first to this property when choosing an
encryption certificate. If this property is not set,
the first valid match in the certificates property
will be used.

Certificate

objects
defaultEncryptCert

Array of
Certificate

objects

setOutputFields
6.0

S

X

Defines the list of attributes that should be returned when executing the search method.
Note: This method is not supported by the Adobe.AAB directory handler. Custom options are not
supported by the Adobe.PPKMS.ADSI directory handler.

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Parameters
oFields

An array of strings containing the names of attributes that should be returned from
the directory when calling the search method. The names in this array must either be
names of standard attributes that can be used for all directory handlers or custom
attributes that are defined for a particular directory. The standard attributes are the
property names defined for the UserEntity object. Directory handlers can, when
needed, translate standard attribute names to names that it understands.

bCustom

(optional) A Boolean value indicating that the names in oFields are standard output
attribute names. If true, the names represent directory-specific attributes that are
defined for a particular directory handler. The default is false.

Returns
An array of strings, containing the names of attributes from oFields that are not supported by this
directory. An empty array is returned if the oFields array is empty.

Example
In this example, dc.setOutputFields returns the array of strings ["x", "y"].
var sh = security.getHandler("Adobe.PPKMS");
var dc = sh.directories[0].connect();
var w = dc.setOutputFields( [ "certificates", "email", "x", "y"] );
console.println( w );

See also the examples that follow the DirConnection.search method.

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Directory
6.0

S

Directories are a repository of user information, including public-key certificates. Directory objects provide
directory access and are obtained using the directories property or the newDirectory method of
the SecurityHandler object.
Acrobat 6.0 and later provides several directories. The Adobe.AAB Security Handler has a single directory
named Adobe.AAB.AAB. This directory provides access to the local Acrobat Address Book, also called the
trusted identity store. On Windows, the Adobe.PPKMS Security Handler provides access through the
Microsoft Active Directory Script Interface (ADSI) to as many directories as have been created by the user.
These directories are created sequentially with names Adobe.PPKMS.ADSI.dir0,
Adobe.PPKMS.ADSI.dir1, and so on.
Note: This object can only be obtained from a SecurityHandler object and is thus governed by the
security restrictions of the SecurityHandler object. The Directory object is therefore available
only for batch, console and application initialization, including in Adobe Reader. See also
“Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32.

Directory properties
info
6.0

S

The value of this property is a DirectoryInformation object, a generic object used to set and get the
properties for this Directory object.

Type
Object

Access
R/W

Example
// Create and activate a new directory
var oDirInfo = { dirStdEntryID: "dir0",
dirStdEntryName: "Employee LDAP Directory",
dirStdEntryPrefDirHandlerID: "Adobe.PPKMS.ADSI",
dirStdEntryDirType: "LDAP",
server: "ldap0.example.com",
port: 389 };
var sh = security.getHandler( "Adobe.PPKMS" );
var newDir = sh.newDirectory();
newDir.info = oDirInfo;

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DirectoryInformation object
A directory information object is a generic object representing the properties for a directory and has the
following standard properties.
Property

Type

Access

Required Description

dirStdEntryID

String

R/W

Yes

A unique, language-independent
name for the directory. Must be
alphanumeric and can include
underscores, periods and
hyphens. For new directory
objects, it is suggested that the
ID not be provided, in which case
a new unique name will be
automatically generated.

dirStdEntryName

String

R/W

Yes

A user-friendly name for the
directory.

dirStdEntryPrefDirHandlerID

String

R/W

No

The name of the directory
handler to be used by this
directory. Security handlers can
support multiple directory
handlers for multiple directory
types (for example, local
directories and LDAP directories).

dirStdEntryDirType

String

R/W

No

The type of directory. Examples
of this are LDAP, ADSI, and
WINNT.

dirStdEntryVersion

String

R

No

The version of the data. The
default value is 0 if this is not set
by the directory. The value for
Acrobat 6.0 directories for the
Adobe.AAB and
Adobe.PPKMS.ADSI directory
handlers is 0x00010000.

Directory information objects can include additional properties that are specific to a particular directory
handler. The Adobe.PPKMS.ADSI directory handler includes the following additional properties:
Property

Type

Access

Description

server

String

R/W

The server that hosts the data. For example,
addresses.employees.example.com.

port

Number

R/W

The port number for the server. The standard LDAP port
number is 389.

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connect

Property

Type

Access

Description

searchBase

String

R/W

Narrows the search to a particular section of the
directory. An example of this is

230

o=XYZ Systems,c=US.
maxNumEntries

Number

R/W

The maximum number of entries to be retrieved in a
single search.

timeout

Number

R/W

The maximum time allowed for a search.

Example 1
Create and activate a new directory.
var oDirInfo = { dirStdEntryID: "dir0",
dirStdEntryName: "Employee LDAP Directory",
dirStdEntryPrefDirHandlerID: "Adobe.PPKMS.ADSI",
dirStdEntryDirType: "LDAP",
server: "ldap0.example.com",
port: 389
};
var sh = security.getHandler( "Adobe.PPKMS" );
var newDir = sh.newDirectory();
newDir.info = oDirInfo;

Example 2
Get information for an existing directory.
var sh = security.getHandler("Adobe.PPKMS");
var dir0 = sh.directories[0];
// Get directory info object just once for efficiency
var dir0Info = dir0.info;
console.println( "Directory " + dir0Info.dirStdEntryName );
console.println( "address " + dir0Info.server + ":" + dir0Info.port );

Directory methods
connect
6.0

S

Returns a DirConnection object that is a connection to the directory with the specified name. There can
be more than one active connection for a directory.
See also the DirConnection object and the SecurityHandler object’s directories property.

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Parameters
oParams

(optional) A generic object that can contain parameters that are necessary to create
the connection. Properties of this object are dependent on the particular directory
handler and can include userid and password.

bUI

(optional) A Boolean value whose default is false. It specifies whether the directory
handler can bring its UI, if required for establishing the connection.

Returns
A DirConnection object, or null if there is no directory with the specified name.

Example
Enumerate available directories and connect.
var sh = security.getHandler( "Adobe.PPKMS" );
var dirList = sh.directories;
for ( var i=0; i< dirList.length; i++)
for ( var o in dirList[i].info )
console.println( o + " = " + dirList[i].info[o]);
var dirConnection = dirList[0].connect();

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Doc

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Doc
This object provides the interface between a PDF document open in the viewer and the JavaScript
interpreter. It provides methods and properties for accessing the PDF document.
You can access the Doc object from JavaScript in a variety of ways:
●

The this object usually points to the Doc object of the underlying document.

●

Some properties and methods, such as extractPages, app.activeDocs, and app. openDoc,
return the Doc object.

●

The Doc object can often be accessed through event objects, which are created for each event by
which a JavaScript is executed:
●

For mouse, focus, blur, calculate, validate, and format events, event.target returns
the Field object that initiated the event. You can then access the Doc object through the Doc
method of the Field object.

●

For all other events, event.target points to the Doc.

Example 1: Access through this object
Use this to get the number of pages in this document:
var nPages = this.numPages;
// Get the crop box for "this" document:
var aCrop = this.getPageBox();

Example 2: Access through return values
Return values from one document to open, modify, save and close another.
// Path relative to "this" doc:
var myDoc = app.openDoc("myNovel.pdf", this);
myDoc.info.Title = "My Great Novel";
myDoc.saveAs(myDoc.path);
myDoc.closeDoc(true);

Example 3: Access through the event object.
For mouse, calculate, validate, format, focus, and blur events:
var myDoc = event.target.doc;

For all other events (for example, batch or console events):
var myDoc = event.target;

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alternatePresentations

233

Doc properties
alternatePresentations
6.0
References the document's AlternatePresentation object. If the functionality needed to display
alternate presentations is not available, this property is undefined.
The AlternatePresentation object provides access to the document's alternate presentations. The
PDF language extension specifies that each document can potentially have many named alternate
presentations. Each alternate presentation with a known type will have a corresponding
alternatePresentations property in the document. This property should have the same name as its
alternate presentation and should reference its alternate presentation's AlternatePresentation
object. If there are no recognized alternate presentations in the document, this object is empty (does not
have any properties).
The PDF Reference, version 1.7 provides details on alternate presentations.
Note: For compatibility with the current implementation, the alternate presentation name must be an
ASCII string. The only alternate presentation type currently implemented is “SlideShow”.
See the AlternatePresentation object for properties and methods that can be used to control an
alternate presentation.

Type
Object | undefined

Access
R

Example 1
Test whether the AlternatePresentation object is present:
if( typeof this.alternatePresentations != "undefined" )
{
// Assume AlternatePresentations are present
// List the names of all alternate presentations in the doc
for ( var ap in this.alternatePresentations ) console.println(ap);
}

Example 2
Get the slide show named MySlideShow and start the show.
// oMySlideShow is an AlternatePresentation object
oMySlideShow = this.alternatePresentations["MySlideShow"];
oMySlideShow.start();

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author

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author
X

D

Note: This property has been superseded by the info property.
The author of the document.

Type
String

Access
R/W (Adobe Reader: R only)

baseURL
5.0

D

The base URL for the document is used to resolve relative web links within the document. See also URL.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Example
Set the base URL and creates a link to go to a page relative to the base URL.
console.println("Base URL was " + this.baseURL);
this.baseURL = "http://www.adobe.com/products/";
console.println("Base URL is " + this.baseURL);
// Add a link to the first page
var link = this.addLink(0, [200,200, 400, 300])
// Set an action that goes to the Acrobat page on the Adobe website.
link.setAction("this.getURL('Acrobat',false)")

bookmarkRoot
5.0
The root bookmark for the bookmark tree. This bookmark is not displayed to the user but is a
programmatic construct used to access the tree and the child bookmarks.

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Type
Object

Access
R

Example
See the Bookmark object for an example.

calculate
4.0
If true (the default value), calculations can be performed for this document. If false, calculations cannot
be performed for this document. This property supersedes the app.calculate property, whose use
is now discouraged.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

creationDate
X
Note: This property has been superseded by the info property.
The document’s creation date.

Type
Date

Access
R

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JavaScript API
creator

creator
X
Note: This property has been superseded by the info property.
The creator of the document (for example, “Adobe FrameMaker” or “Adobe PageMaker”).

Type
String

Access
R

dataObjects
5.0
An array containing all the named Data objects in the document.
Related properties and methods are openDataObject, getDataObject, createDataObject,
importDataObject, removeDataObject, getDataObjectContents, and
setDataObjectContents.

Type
Array

Access
R

Example
List all embedded files in the document.
var d = this.dataObjects;
for (var i = 0; i < d.length; i++)
console.println("Data Object[" + i + "]=" + d[i].name);

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delay

237

delay
4.0
This property can delay the redrawing of any appearance changes to every field in the document. It is
generally used to buffer a series of changes to fields before requesting that the fields regenerate their
appearance. If true, all changes are queued until delay is reset to false, at which time all the fields on
the page are redrawn.
See also the Field object delay property.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

dirty
3.01

D

X

Specifies whether the document needs to be saved as the result of a changes to the document. It is useful
to reset the dirty flag when performing changes that do not warrant saving, such as updating a status
field.
Note: If the document is temporary or newly created, setting dirty to false has no effect. That is, the
user is still asked to save changes before closing the document. See requiresFullSave.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example 1
Reset a form and sets dirty to false. After the reset, the user can close the document without having to
dismiss a Save dialog box.
var f = this.getField("MsgField");
f.value = "You have made too many mistakes, I’m resetting the form. "
+ "Start over, this time follow the directions!";
this.resetForm();
this.dirty = false;

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disclosed

238

Example 2
Fill a text field to instruct the user to complete the form. The script is constructed so that populating the
field does not change the save state of the document.
var f = this.getField("MsgField");
var b = this.dirty;
f.value = "Please fill in the fields below.";
this.dirty = b;

disclosed
5.05

S

Specifies whether the document should be accessible to JavaScript scripts in other documents.
The app.openDoc and app.activeDocs methods check the disclosed property of the document
before returning its Doc.
Note: The disclosed property can only be set during batch, console, Page/Open and Doc/Open events.
See the event object for a discussion of JavaScript events. See also “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example 1
A document can be disclosed to others by placing the code at the document level (or as a page open
action) at the top level:
this.disclosed = true;

Example 2
The following code can be used in an Execute JavaScript Batch Sequence to disclose all selected
documents.
this.addScript("Disclosed", "this.disclosed = true;");

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docID

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docID
6.0
An array of two strings in hex-encoded binary format. The first string is a permanent identifier based on
the contents of the file at the time it was originally created; it does not change when the file is
incrementally updated. The second string is a changing identifier based on the file’s contents at the time it
was last updated. These identifiers are defined by the optional ID entry in a PDF file’s trailer dictionary.
(See the PDF Reference version 1.7.)

Type
Array

Access
R
See “Example 6 (Acrobat 7.0)” on page 349 for an example of usage.

documentFileName
6.0
The base file name, with extension, of the document referenced by the Doc. The device-independent path
is not returned. See also the path and URL properties. The file size of the document can be obtained from
the filesize property.

Type
String

Access
R

Example
Get the document file name.
console.println('"The file name of this document is '
+ this.documentFileName +'."');

Executing the script on this document, the JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference, yields the following
statement:
"The file name of this document is js_api_reference.pdf"

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JavaScript API
dynamicXFAForm

dynamicXFAForm
7.0
Returns true if the document is a dynamic XFA form and false otherwise.
A dynamic XFA form is one in which some of the fields can grow or shrink in size to accommodate the
values they contain.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

Example
See the XFA object for an example of usage.

external
4.0
Specifies whether the current document is being viewed in the Acrobat application or in an external
window (such as a web browser).

Type
Boolean

Access
R

Example
Detect whether this document is in a browser or not.
if ( this.external )
{
// Viewing from a browser
}
else
{
// Viewing in the Acrobat application.
}

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filesize

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filesize
3.01
The file size of the document in bytes.

Type
Integer

Access
R

Example (Acrobat 5.0)
Get a readout of the difference in file sizes before and after saving a document:
// Add the following code to the "Document Will Save" section
var filesizeBeforeSave = this.filesize
console.println("File size before saving is " + filesizeBeforeSave);
// Add the following code to the "Document Did Save" section
var filesizeAfterSave = this.filesize
console.println("File size after saving is " + filesizeAfterSave);
var difference = filesizeAfterSave - filesizeBeforeSave;
console.println("The difference is " + difference );
if ( difference < 0 )
console.println("Reduced filesize!");
else
console.println("Increased filesize!");

hidden
7.0
This property is true if the document’s window is hidden. A window may be hidden, for example, because
it is being operated on in batch mode or if it was explicitly opened hidden. The openDataObject and
app.openDoc methods can be used to open a document with a hidden window.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

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hostContainer

242

Example
Open a document and verify its hidden status.
oDoc = app.openDoc({
cPath:"/C/myDocs/myHidden.pdf",
bHidden: true
});
console.println("It is " + oDoc.hidden + " that this document hidden.");
oDoc.closeDoc();

hostContainer
7.0.5
An instance of the HostContainer object if the PDF document is embedded in another container such
as a web browser, otherwise undefined.
Note: This property is not implemented on the Mac OS platform.

Type
Object

Access
R/W

icons
5.0
An array of named Icon objects that are present in the document-level named icons tree. If there are no
named icons in the document, the property has a value of null.
See also addIcon, getIcon, importIcon, removeIcon, the Field object properties buttonGetIcon,
buttonImportIcon, buttonSetIcon, and the Icon object.

Type
Array | null

Access
R

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info

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Example 1
Report the number of named icons in the current document.
if (this.icons == null)
console.println("No named icons in this doc");
else
console.println("There are " + this.icons.length
+ " named icons in this doc");

Example 2
List all named icons the current document.
for (var i = 0; i < this.icons.length; i++) {
console.println("icon[" + i + "]=" + this.icons[i].name);
}

info
5.0

D

Specifies an object with properties from the document information dictionary in the PDF file. (See the PDF
Reference version 1.7.) Standard entries are:
Title
Author
Subject
Keywords
Creator
Producer
CreationDate
ModDate
Trapped

For Acrobat, properties of this object are writeable and setting a property dirties the document. Additional
document information fields can be added by setting non-standard properties.
In Adobe Reader, writing to any property in this object throws an exception.
Note: Standard entries are case insensitive, that is, info.Keywords is the same as info.keywords.

Type
Object

Access
R/W (Adobe Reader: R only)

Example 1
Get the title of the current document.
var docTitle = this.info.Title;

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innerAppWindowRect

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Example 2
Get information about the document.
this.info.Title = "JavaScript, The Definitive Guide";
this.info.ISBN = "1-56592-234-4";
this.info.PublishDate = new Date();
for (var i in this.info)
console.println(i + ": "+ this.info[i]);

The above script could produce the following output:
CreationDate: Mon Jun 12 14:54:09 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time) 2000
Producer: Acrobat Distiller 4.05 for Windows
Title: JavaScript, The Definitive Guide
Creator: FrameMaker 5.5.6p145
ModDate: Wed Jun 21 17:07:22 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time) 2000
SavedBy: Adobe Acrobat 4.0 Jun 19 2000
PublishDate: Tue Aug 8 10:49:44 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time) 2000
ISBN: 1-56592-234-4

innerAppWindowRect
6.0
This property returns an array of screen coordinates (a rectangle) for the Acrobat inner application
window. This rectangle does not include items such as the title bar and resizing border, which are part of
the outer rectangle of the application window.

Type
Array of Numbers

Access
R

Example
Read back to the console the Acrobat inner application window.
var coords = this.innerAppWindowRect;
console.println(coords.toSource())
// Possible output: [115, 154, 1307, 990]

See also innerDocWindowRect, outerAppWindowRect and outerDocWindowRect.

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innerDocWindowRect
6.0
This property returns an array of screen coordinates (a rectangle) for the Acrobat inner document window.
This rectangle does not include items such as the title bar and resizing border, which are part of the outer
rectangle of the document window.
The document and application rectangles may differ on different platforms. For example, on Windows, the
document window is always inside the application window; on Mac OS, they are the same.

Type
Array of Numbers

Access
R
See also innerAppWindowRect, outerAppWindowRect, outerDocWindowRect, and
pageWindowRect.

isModal
7.0.5
A Boolean value indicating whether the document is currently in a modal state (for example, displaying a
modal dialog box using app.execDialog).

Type
Object

Access
R

keywords
X

D

Note: This property has been superseded by the info property.
The keywords that describe the document (for example, “forms”, “taxes”, “government”).

Type
Object

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layout

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Access
R/W (Adobe Reader: R only)

layout
5.0
Changes the page layout of the current document. Valid values are:
SinglePage
OneColumn
TwoColumnLeft
TwoColumnRight

In Acrobat 6.0 and later, there are two additional properties:
TwoPageLeft
TwoPageRight

Type
String

Access
R/W

Example
Put the document into a continuous facing layout where the first page of the document appears in the left
column:
this.layout = "TwoColumnLeft";

media
6.0
An object that contains multimedia properties and methods for the document. The properties and
methods are described under the Doc.media object.

Type
Doc.media object

Access
R/W

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metadata
6.0

D

X

Allows you to access the XMP metadata embedded in a PDF document. Returns a string containing the
metadata as XML. For information on embedded XMP metadata, see the PDF Reference, version 1.7.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Exceptions
RaiseError is thrown if setting metadata to a string not in XMP format.

Example 1
Try to create metadata not in XMP format.
this.metadata = "this is my metadata";
RaiseError: The given metadata was not in the XMP format
Global.metadata:1:Console undefined:Exec
===> The given metadata was not in the XMP format

Example 2
Create a PDF report file with metadata from a document.
var r = new Report();
r.writeText(this.metadata);
r.open("myMetadataReportFile");

Example 3
(Acrobat 8.0) This example illustrates how to use E4X to change the metadata of the document. The script
sets the Copyright Status, the Copyright Notice and the Copyright Info URL fields. The script can be
executed from the console or as a batch sequence.
var CopyrightStatus = "True";
var CopyrightNotice = "Copyright(C) 2006, Adobe Systems, Inc."
var CopyrightInfoURL = "http://www.adobe.com"
var meta = this.metadata;
var myXMPData = new XML(meta);
myx = new Namespace("adobe:ns:meta/");
myrdf = new Namespace("http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#");
mypdf = new Namespace("http://ns.adobe.com/pdf/1.3/");
myxap = new Namespace("http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/");
mydc = new Namespace("http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/");

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myxapRights = new Namespace("http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/rights/");
var p = myXMPData.myrdf::RDF.myrdf::Description;
/*
We test whether this element has a value already, if no, we assign it a
value, otherwise we assign it another value.
*/
if (p.mydc::rights.myrdf::Alt.myrdf::li.toString() == "") {
p[0] += <rdf:Description rdf:about=""
xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#">
<dc:rights>
<rdf:Alt>
<rdf:li xml:lang="x-default">
{CopyrightNotice}
</rdf:li>
</rdf:Alt>
</dc:rights>
</rdf:Description>
} else
p.mydc::rights.myrdf::Alt.myrdf::li = CopyrightNotice;
/*
Some elements are converted into attributes, so we need to first test
whether the xapRights:Marked attribute is present, if not, we add it in as an
element; otherwise, if the attribute is present, we update the attribute.
Acrobat changes certain elements into attributes; the xapRights:Marked and
xapRights:WebStatement are two such examples, but dc:rights above is one
that is not changed into an attribute.
*/
if (p.@myxapRights::Marked.toString() == "" ) {
p[0] += <rdf:Description rdf:about=""
xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
xmlns:xapRights="http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/rights/">
<xapRights:Marked>{CopyrightStatus}</xapRights:Marked>
<xapRights:WebStatement>{CopyrightInfoURL}</xapRights:WebStatement>
</rdf:Description>
} else {
p.@myxapRights::Marked = CopyrightStatus;
p.@myxapRights::WebStatement = CopyrightInfoURL;
}
// Convert myXMPData into a string
myNewXMPStr=myXMPData.toXMLString();
// and assign it to the document metadata
this.metadata = myNewXMPStr;

modDate
X
Note: This property has been superseded by the info property.
The date the document was last modified.

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mouseX

Type
Date

Access
R

mouseX
7.0
Gets the x coordinate of the mouse coordinates in default user space in relation to the current page.

Type
Number

Access
R

Example
Get the coordinates of the mouse as the user moves it around the viewer.
function getMouseCoor() {
console.println( "("+this.mouseX+","+ this.mouseY+")" );
}
var ckMouse = app.setInterval("getMouseCoor()", 100);
var timeout = app.setTimeOut(
"app.clearInterval(ckMouse); app.clearTimeOut(timeout)",2000);

mouseY
7.0
Gets the y coordinate of the mouse coordinates in default user space in relation to the current page.

Type
Number

Access
R

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noautocomplete
7.0
This property can be used to turn off the auto-complete feature of Acrobat forms, for this document only:
●

If true, no suggestions are made as the user enters data into a field.

●

If false, auto-complete respects the user preference Forms > Auto-Complete.

Setting this property does not change the user’s auto-complete preferences.
Initially, this property has a value of undefined.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example
The following script could be executed from an open page action or as a top-level document JavaScript. It
turns off the auto-complete feature:
this.noautocomplete = true;

nocache
7.0
This property is used to turn off forms data caching for this document only:
●

If true, Acrobat is prevented from retaining forms data in an Internet browser

●

If false, Acrobat respects the Forms user preference Keep Forms Data Temporarily Available on Disk

Note: The value of the nocache property does not affect the check box item Keep Forms Data
Temporarily Available on Disk.
Before this property is set for the first time, it has a value of undefined.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

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numFields

251

Example
The following script turns off caching of form data, so that sensitive data are not left on the local hard
drive. It can be executed from an open page action or as a top-level document JavaScript.
this.nocache = true;

numFields
4.0
The total number of fields in the document. See also getNthFieldName.

Type
Integer

Access
R

Example 1
console.println("There are " + this.numFields + " in this document");

Example 2
This script uses the numFields property and getNthFieldName method to loop through all fields in
the document. All button fields are changed so that they have a beveled appearance (other modifications
to the buttons of the document can also be made).
for ( var i = 0; i < this.numFields; i++) {
var fname = this.getNthFieldName(i);
if ( fname.type = "button" ) f.borderStyle = border.b;
}

numPages
3.01
The number of pages in the document.

Type
Integer

Access
R

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numTemplates

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Example 1
console.println("There are " + this.numPages + " in this document");

Example 2
Delete the last page from the document. The (0-based) page number of the last page in the document is
this.numPages - 1.
this.deletePages({ nStart: this.numPages - 1 });

numTemplates
X
Note: This property has been superseded by templates.
The number of templates in the document.

Type
Integer

Access
R

path
3.01
The device-independent path of the document, for example:
/c/Program Files/Adobe/Acrobat 5.0/Help/AcroHelp.pdf

Type
String

Access
R
The file name of the document can be acquired by the documentFileName property. See also the URL
property.

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outerAppWindowRect
6.0
This property returns an array of screen coordinates (a rectangle) for the Acrobat outer application
window. This rectangle includes items such as the title bar and resizing border, which are not part of the
inner rectangle of the application window.

Type
Array of Numbers

Access
R
See also innerAppWindowRect, outerDocWindowRect, outerDocWindowRect, and
pageWindowRect.

outerDocWindowRect
6.0
This property returns an array of screen coordinates (a rectangle) for the Acrobat outer document window.
This rectangle includes items such as the title bar and resizing border, which are not part of the inner
rectangle of the document window.
The application and document rectangles may differ on different platforms. For example, on Windows, the
document window is always inside the application window. In Mac OS, the windows are the same.

Type
Array of Numbers

Access
R
See also innerAppWindowRect, outerDocWindowRect, outerAppWindowRect, and
pageWindowRect.

pageNum
3.01
Gets or sets the current page of the document. When setting pageNum to a specific page, remember that
the values are 0-based.

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pageWindowRect

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Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Example
Go to the first page of the document.
this.pageNum = 0;

Advance the document to the next page.
this.pageNum++;

pageWindowRect
6.0
An array of screen coordinates (a rectangle) for the Acrobat page view window. The page view window is
the area inside the inner document window in which the PDF content is displayed.

Type
Array of Numbers

Access
R
See also innerAppWindowRect, outerDocWindowRect, outerAppWindowRect, and
outerDocWindowRect.

permStatusReady
6.0
A Boolean value specifying whether the permissions for this document have been resolved.
When downloading over a network connection, false can indicate that the document is not available, in
the case where permissions must be determined based on an certification signature that covers the entire
document.

Type
Boolean

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producer

Access
R

producer
X
Note: This property has been superseded by the info property.
The producer of the document (for example, “Acrobat Distiller®” or “PDFWriter”).

Type
String

Access
R

requiresFullSave
7.0
This property is true if the document requires a full save because it is temporary or newly created.
Otherwise, it is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

Example
var oDoc = app.newDoc();
console.println("It is " + oDoc.requiresFullSave
+ " that this document requires a full save.");

securityHandler
5.0
The name of the security handler used to encrypt the document. Returns null if there is no security
handler (for example, the document is not encrypted).

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selectedAnnots

Type
String

Access
R

Example
console.println(this.securityHandler != null ?
"This document is encrypted with " + this.securityHandler
+ " security." : "This document is unencrypted.");

This script could print the following if the document was encrypted with the standard security handler.
This document is encrypted with Standard security.

selectedAnnots
5.0

C

An array of Annotation objects corresponding to all currently selected markup annotations.
See also getAnnot and getAnnots.

Type
Array

Access
R

Example
Show all the comments of selected annotations in the console.
var aAnnots = this.selectedAnnots;
for (var i=0; i < aAnnots.length; i++)
console.println(aAnnots[i].contents);

sounds
5.0
An array containing all of the named Sound objects in the document.
See also getSound, importSound, deleteSound, and the Sound object.

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Type
Array

Access
R

Example
var s = this.sounds;
for (i = 0; i < s.length; i++)
console.println("Sound[" + i + "]=" + s[i].name);

spellDictionaryOrder
5.0
An array specifying the dictionary search order for this document. For example, the form designer of a
medical form may want to specify a medical dictionary to be searched first before searching the user’s
preferred order.
The Spelling plug-in first searches for words in this array, then searches the dictionaries the user has
selected on the Spelling Preference panel. The user’s preferred order is available from
spell.dictionaryOrder. An array of the currently installed dictionaries can be obtained using
spell.dictionaryNames.
Note: When setting this property, an exception is thrown if any of the elements in the array is not a valid
dictionary name.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

spellLanguageOrder
6.0

X

An array specifying the language array search order for this document. The Spelling plug-in first searches
for words in this array, then it searches the languages the user has selected on the Spelling Preferences
panel. The user’s preferred order is available from spell.languageOrder. An array of currently installed
languages can be obtained using the spell.languages property.

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subject

Type
Array

Access
R/W

subject
X

D

Note: This property has been superseded by the info property.
The document’s subject. This property is read-only in Adobe Reader.

Type
String

Access
R/W

templates
5.0
An array of all of the Template objects in the document. See also createTemplate, getTemplate,
and removeTemplate.

Type
Array

Access
R

Example
List all templates in the document.
var t = this.templates
for ( var i=0; i < t.length; i++)
{
var state = (t[i].hidden) ? "visible" : "hidden"
console.println("Template: \"" + t[i].name
+ "\", current state: " + state);
}

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title

259

title
X

D

X

Note: This property has been superseded by the info property.
The title of the document.

Type
String

Access
R/W (Adobe Reader: R only)

URL
5.0
The document’s URL. If the document is local, it returns a URL with a file:/// scheme for Windows and
UNIX and file://localhost/ for Mac OS. This may be different from the baseURL.

Type
String

Access
R
See also the path and documentFileName properties.

viewState
7.0.5
An opaque object representing the current view state of the document. The state includes, at minimum,
information about the current page number, scroll position, zoom level, and field focus.
To set this value, you must use what was previously returned from a read of the value. It can be used to
restore the view state of a document.
Note: The object is only defined within an embedded PDF.

Type
Object

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Access
R/W

Example
This example gets the view state and sends it to the host application, which can store it and pass it back to
the viewer later to restore the view to the original state. This code may be executed by a button in the PDF
document. The first entry in the array signals the nature of the message to the host.
if(this.hostContainer)
{
cVState = this.viewState.toSource();
aMsg = new Array( "viewState", cVState );
this.hostContainer.postMessage(aMsg);
}

In the host application, the message handler might have this form:
var cViewState=""; // Variable to save the viewState
function onMessageFunc( stringArray )
{
var PDFObject = document.getElementById( PDFObjectID );
if ( this != PDFObject.messageHandler )
alert( "Incorrect this value in onMessage handler" );
// The first entry in the encoming array is the signal
var signal = stringArray[0];
switch ( signal ) {
case "Msg":
var msgStr = "";
for ( var i = 1; i < stringArray.length; i++ )
msgStr += (stringArray[ i ] + "<br>");
writeMsg( msgStr ); // A function to write to the document.
break;
case "viewState":
// View state, let's save this
cViewState = stringArray[1];
break;
}
}

You can post the value of cViewState back to the embedded PDF using a button. Within the document
level JavaScript of the PDF, you might have,
if ( this.hostContainer )
{
myHostContainer = this.hostContainer;
myHostContainer.messageHandler = {
onMessage: function(aMessage) {
var f = this.doc.getField("msg4pdf");
var strValue = "";
var signal = aMessage[0];
switch ( signal ) {
case "Msg":

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for(var i = 1; i < aMessage.length; i++)
strValue += aMessage[i] + "\r";
f.value = strValue;
break;
case "viewState":
var restoreViewState = eval( aMessage[1] );
// Reset the viewState, begin sure to acquire the correct
// Doc as the doc property of this.
this.doc.viewState = restoreViewState;
break;
}
},
onError: function(error, aMessage) {
console.println("error: "+ error.toString())
},
onDisclose: HostContainerDisclosurePolicy.SameOriginPolicy,
allowDeliverWhileDocIsModel: true
};
// The this object will be the messageHandler instance that the
// method is being called on, so we save the Doc as a doc
// property of the messageHandler instance.
myHostContainer.messageHandler.doc = this;
}

xfa
6.0.2
The property is defined only if the document is an XML form, that is, if the document was created in
LiveCycle Designer. When defined, xfa is a static XFAObject, which is the root node of the underlying xfa
model, and gives access to the xfa scripting object model (SOM).
Refer to the document Adobe XML Form Object Model Reference for details on the xfa SOM. The document
Converting Acrobat JavaScript for Use in LiveCycle Designer Forms has a comparison between the Acrobat
and LiveCycle Designer scripting object models.
Note: When executing this property from a folder level script, pass the Doc object from the document so
that xfa will be executed in the proper context. See Example 2.

Type
XFAObject

Access
R

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Example 1
Suppose this document is an XML form, and that there is a text field named EmployeeName. This example
uses the xfa object to access and change the value of this field.
var eN = this.xfa.form.form1.EmployeeName;
console.println("\nEmployeeName: " + eN.rawValue);

The output to the console is
EmployeeName: A. C. Robat

Now change the value of the EmployeeName.
eN.rawValue = "Robat, A. C."
console.println("\nEmployeeName: " + eN.rawValue);

The output to the console is
EmployeeName: Robat, A. C.

The value of the field is changed.

Example 2
Call a function, defined in a folder level script file, that uses the xfa property, by passing the Doc object.
function isXFA(doc) {
var wasWasNot = (typeof doc.xfa == "undefined") ? "not" : "";
console.println("This document was "+wasWasNot+"created by Designer.");
}

From within the document, or from the console, the function is called is by isXFA(this).

XFAForeground
8.0
Returns true if the document is an XFA Foreground type of form and false otherwise.
Beginning with version 8.0, a PDF file can be imported as artwork into LiveCycle Designer. The possibly rich
graphical content of the PDF is used as a background on which form fields can be placed using LiveCycle
Designer. The XFAForeground property reports back whether the PDF was created in this way, a value of
true means the PDF was imported into LiveCycle Designer as artwork, then saved by LiveCycle Designer.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

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Example
This script determines whether the current document is an XFA Foreground type of form, that is, whether
it was created by importing a PDF into LiveCycle Designer and saved.
if ( this.XFAForeground )
console.println("This is an XFA Foreground form.");

zoom
3.01
The current page zoom level. Allowed values are between 8.33% and 6400%, specified as a percentage
number. For example, a zoom value of 100 specifies 100%.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Example
Zoom to twice the current zoom level.
this.zoom *= 2;

Set the zoom to 200%.
this.zoom = 200;

zoomType
3.01
The current zoom type of the document. The table below lists the valid zoom types.
The convenience zoomtype object defines all the valid zoom types and is used to access all zoom types.
Zoom type

Keyword

NoVary

zoomtype.none

FitPage

zoomtype.fitP

FitWidth

zoomtype.fitW

FitHeight

zoomtype.fitH

FitVisibleWidth

zoomtype.fitV

Version

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Zoom type

Keyword

Preferred

zoomtype.pref

ReflowWidth

zoomtype.refW

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Version

6.0

Type
String

Access
R/W

Example
Set the zoom type of the document to fit the width.
this.zoomType = zoomtype.fitW;

Doc methods
addAnnot
5.0

D

C

Creates an Annotation object having the specified properties. Properties not specified are given their
default values for the specified type of annotation.
Note: (Acrobat 8.0) The behavior of addAnnot is changed in the case the author property is unspecified.
If addAnnot is executed in an unprivileged context, the default value of author is the string
undefined; if addAnnot is executed in an privileged context, the default value of the author
property is the login name of the current user.

Parameters
object literal

A generic object that specifies the properties of the Annotation object, such as
type, rect, and page, to be created.

Returns
The new Annotation object.

Example 1
This minimal example creates a square annotation.
var sqannot = this.addAnnot({type: "Square", page: 0});
sqannot will be created as a square annotation on the first page (using 0-based page numbering).

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JavaScript API
addAnnot

Example 2
Add a Text annotation with various properties.
var annot = this.addAnnot
({
page: 0,
type: "Text",
author: "A. C. Robat",
point: [300,400],
strokeColor: color.yellow,
contents: "Need a little help with this paragraph.",
noteIcon: "Help"
});

Example 3
Add a Square annotation with various properties.
var annot = this.addAnnot({
page: 0,
type: "Square",
rect: [0, 0, 100, 100],
name: "OnMarketShare",
author: "A. C. Robat",
contents: "This section needs revision."
});

Example 4
A fancy ink annotation in the shape of a three-leaf rose.
var inch = 72, x0 = 2*inch, y0 = 4*inch;
var scaledInch = .5*inch;
var nNodes = 60;
var theta = 2*Math.PI/nNodes;
var points = new Array();
for (var i = 0; i <= nNodes; i++) {
Theta = i*theta;
points[i] = [x0 + 2*Math.cos(3*Theta)*Math.cos(Theta)*scaledInch,
y0 + 2*Math.cos(3*Theta)*Math.sin(Theta)*scaledInch];
}
var annot = this.addAnnot({
type: "Ink",
page: 0,
name: "myRose",
author: "A. C. Robat",
contents: "Three leaf rose",
gestures: [points],
strokeColor: color.red,
width: 1
});

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addField
D

5.0

F

Creates a new form field and returns it as a Field object.
Note: (Acrobat 6.0): Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, this method can be used from within Adobe Reader for
documents with forms usage rights enabled. Prior to 6.0, it was not available from Adobe Reader.

Parameters
cName

The name of the new field to create. This name can use the dot separator syntax to
denote a hierarchy (for example, name.last creates a parent node, name, and a
child node, last).

cFieldType

The type of form field to create. Valid types are:
text
button
combobox
listbox
checkbox
radiobutton
signature

nPageNum

The 0-based index of the page to which to add the field.

oCoords

An array of four numbers in rotated user space that specifies the size and placement
of the form field. These four numbers are the coordinates of the bounding rectangle,
in the following order: upper-left x, upper-left y, lower-right x and lower-right y. See
also the Field object rect property.
Note: If you use the Info panel to obtain the coordinates of the bounding rectangle,
you must transform them from info space to rotated user space. To do this,
subtract the info space y coordinate from the on-screen page height.

Returns
The newly created Field object.

Example
The following code might be used in a batch sequence to create a navigational icon on every page of a
document, for each document in a selected set of documents.
var inch = 72;
for (var p = 0; p < this.numPages; p++) {
// Position a rectangle (.5 inch, .5 inch)
var aRect = this.getPageBox( {nPage: p} );
aRect[0] += .5*inch;
// from upper left hand corner of page.
aRect[2] = aRect[0]+.5*inch;
// Make it .5 inch wide
aRect[1] -= .5*inch;
aRect[3] = aRect[1] - 24;
// and 24 points high
// Now construct a button field with a right arrow from ZapfDingbats

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var f = this.addField("NextPage", "button", p, aRect )
f.setAction("MouseUp", "this.pageNum++");
f.delay = true;
f.borderStyle = border.s;
f.highlight = "push";
f.textSize = 0;
// Auto-sized
f.textColor = color.blue;
f.fillColor = color.ltGray;
f.textFont = font.ZapfD
f.buttonSetCaption("\341")
// A right arrow
f.delay = false;
}

See the Field object setAction method for another example.

addIcon
5.0

D

Adds a new named Icon object to the document-level icon tree, storing it under the specified name.
See also icons, getIcon, importIcon, removeIcon, and the Field object methods buttonGetIcon,
buttonImportIcon, and buttonSetIcon.

Parameters
cName

The name of the new object

icon

The Icon object to add.

Example
This example takes an icon already attached to a form button field in the document and assigns a name to
it. This name can be used to retrieve the icon object with getIcon for use in another button, for example.
var f = this.getField("myButton");
this.addIcon("myButtonIcon", f.buttonGetIcon());

addLink
6.0

D

X

Adds a new link to the specified page with the specified coordinates, if the user has permission to add links
to the document. See also getLinks, removeLinks and the Link object.

Parameters
nPage

The page on which to add the new link.

oCoords

An array of four numbers in rotated user space specifying the size and placement of
the link. The numbers are the coordinates of the bounding rectangle in the following
order: upper-left x, upper-left y, lower-right x and lower-right y.

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addLink

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Returns
The newly created Link object.

Example 1
Create simple navigational links in the lower left and right corners of each page of the current document.
The link in lower left corner goes to the previous page; the one in the lower right corner goes to the next
page.
var linkWidth = 36, linkHeight = 18;
for ( var i=0; i < this.numPages; i++)
{
var cropBox = this.getPageBox("Crop", i);
var linkRect1 = [0,linkHeight,linkWidth,0];
var offsetLink = cropBox[2] - cropBox[0] - linkWidth;
var linkRect2 = [offsetLink,linkHeight,linkWidth + offsetLink,0]
var lhLink = this.addLink(i, linkRect1);
var rhLink = this.addLink(i, linkRect2);
var nextPage = (i + 1) % this.numPages;
var prevPage = (i - 1) % this.numPages;
var prevPage = (prevPage>=0) ? prevPage : -prevPage;
lhLink.setAction( "this.pageNum = " + prevPage);
lhLink.borderColor = color.red;
lhLink.borderWidth = 1;
rhLink.setAction( "this.pageNum = " + nextPage);
rhLink.borderColor = color.red;
rhLink.borderWidth = 1;
}

See the Link object for information on setting the properties and the action of a link.

Example 2
Search through the document for the word “Acrobat” and create a link around that word.
for (var p = 0; p < this.numPages; p++)
{
var numWords = this.getPageNumWords(p);
for (var i=0; i<numWords; i++)
{
var ckWord = this.getPageNthWord(p, i, true);
if ( ckWord == "Acrobat")
{
var q = this.getPageNthWordQuads(p, i);
// Convert quads in default user space to rotated
// User space used by Links.
m = (new Matrix2D).fromRotated(this,p);
mInv = m.invert()
r = mInv.transform(q)
r=r.toString()
r = r.split(",");
l = addLink(p, [r[4], r[5], r[2], r[3]]);
l.borderColor = color.red

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l.borderWidth = 1
l.setAction("this.getURL('http://www.adobe.com/');");
}
}
}

addRecipientListCryptFilter
6.0

D

S

X

Adds a crypt filter to the document. The crypt filter is used for encrypting Data objects.
See also the cCryptFilter parameter of the importDataObject, createDataObject, and
setDataObjectContents methods.
Note: Can only be executed during a batch, application initialization or console event. See also “Privileged
versus non-privileged context” on page 32.

Parameters
cCryptFilter

The language-independent name of the crypt filter. This same name should be used
as the value of the cCryptFilter parameter of the Doc methods
importDataObject, createDataObject, and setDataObjectContents.
Note: For Acrobat 7.0, the value of cCryptFilter must be DefEmbeddedFile;
for other versions of Acrobat, the value of cCryptFilter can be any string.

oGroup

An array of Group objects that lists the recipients for whom the data is to be
encrypted.

Example
This script encrypts the current document and embeds it into a PDF document.
var Note = "Select the list of people that you want to send this"
+ " document to. Each person must have both an email address"
+ " and a certificate that you can use when creating the"
+ "envelope.";
var oOptions = { bAllowPermGroups: false, cNote: Note,
bRequireEmail: true };
var oGroups = security.chooseRecipientsDialog( oOptions );
var env = app.openDoc( "/c/temp/ePaperMailEnvelope.pdf" );
env.addRecipientListCryptFilter( "MyFilter", oGroups );
env.importDataObject( "secureMail0", this.path, "MyFilter" );
var envPath = "/c/temp/outMail.pdf";
env.saveAs( envPath );

Note: This script was executed in the console but is best executed as a folder JavaScript as part of a larger
script for sending PDF documents securely.

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addRequirement

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addRequirement
7.0.5

D

S

X

Allows a PDF document to be authored so that a certain requirement is needed for the document to
properly function in Acrobat.
When Acrobat opens a document containing a requirement, it will try to satisfy the requirement before
allowing the user to freely interact with the document. If the requirement is not fulfilled, the application
may limit the functionality of the document.
Note: This method can only be called from a console or batch event. See “Privileged versus non-privileged
context” on page 32 for details.

Parameters
cType

The type of document requirement. The types are described by the Requirements
Enumerator object.

oReq

(Optional) A Requirement object.

Requirements enumerator object
This object lists all the possible types of requirements that a document may contain to properly function in
Acrobat.
Property

Description

requirements.EnableJavaScripts

Some documents may contain data validation scripts that
may never run if the Enable JavaScript Execution user
preference is disabled. This property allows a PDF
document to enforce the execution of its scripts in
Acrobat. The user will be prompted to either enable
JavaScript execution for the particular document or to
open the document in read-only mode.

Requirement object
This generic object contains properties that describe the nature of the requirement
Property

Description

aRH

(Optional) An array of ReqHandler objects.

ReqHandler object
This generic object contains information about a requirement handler that can be used when Acrobat
finds an unrecognized requirement. The viewer should delegate requirement checking for the
unrecognized requirement to the first handler in the array that supports the type. If no requirement

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handler can be found to deal with the unrecognized requirement, a generic message should be provided
by the viewer.
Property

Description

cType

A string specifying the type of the requirement handler (see the ReqHandlers
Enumerator object for a lists of possible names).

cScriptName

(Optional) A string specifying the name of a document-level JavaScript present in the
document. It may be present if the value of cType is reqHandlers.JS.
The named script will not be executed in case the requirement is satisfied.

ReqHandlers Enumerator object
This object enumerates the types of requirement handlers a document may contain.
Property

Description

reqHandlers.JS

This handler manages document-level scripts that deal with unrecognized
requirements in the PDF document.

reqHandlers.NoOp

This handler allows older viewers to ignore unrecognized requirements.

Example
Add a requirement to enable JavaScript in a document.
addRequirement(this.requirements.EnableJavaScripts,
{[{cType: reqHandlers.JS, cScriptName: "requirement"}]});

addScript
6.0

D

X

Sets a document-level script for a document. See also setAction, setPageAction, the Bookmark
object setAction method, and the Field object setAction method.
Note: This method overwrites any script already defined for cName.

Parameters
cName

The name of the script. If a script with this name already exists, the new script replaces
the old one.

cScript

A JavaScript expression to be executed when the document is opened.

Example
Create a beeping sound every time the document is opened.
this.addScript("My Code", "app.beep(0);");

See Example 2 following the disclosed property for another example.

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addThumbnails
5.0

D

X

Creates thumbnails for the specified pages in the document. See also the removeThumbnails method.

Parameters
nStart

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the start of an inclusive range of pages. If
nStart and nEnd are not specified, the range of pages is for all pages in the document.
If only nStart is specified, the range of pages is the single page specified by nStart. If
only nEnd is specified, the range of a pages is 0 to nEnd.

nEnd

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the end of an inclusive range of pages. See
nStart for details.

addWatermarkFromFile
7.0

D

S

X

Adds a page as a watermark to the specified pages in the document and places the watermark in an
optional content group (OCG). See also the OCG object.
Note: Can only be executed during a batch or console event. See also “Privileged versus non-privileged
context” on page 32.

Parameters
cDIPath

The device-independent path of the source file to use for the watermark. If the file at
this location is not a PDF file, Acrobat attempts to convert the file to a PDF file.

nSourcePage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page in the source file to be used as the
watermark. The default is 0.

nStart

(optional) The 0-based index of the first page in the range of pages to which the
watermark should be added. If nStart and nEnd are not specified, the range of
pages is for all pages in the document. If only nStart is specified, the range of pages
is the single page specified by nStart. If only nEnd is specified, the range of pages is
0 to nEnd.

nEnd

(optional) The last page in the range of pages to which the watermark should be
added. See nStart for details.

bOnTop

(optional) A Boolean value specifying the z-ordering of the watermark. If true (the
default), the watermark is added above all other page content. If false, the
watermark is added below all other page content. This parameter is ignored if
bFixedPrint is true.

bOnScreen

(optional) A Boolean value to indicate whether the watermark should be displayed
when viewing the document on screen. The default is true.

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bOnPrint

(optional) A Boolean value to indicate whether the watermark should be displayed
when printing the document. The default is true.

nHorizAlign

(optional) A number indicating how the watermark should be aligned horizontally.
See app.constants.align for possible values. The default is
app.constants.align.center.

nVertAlign

(optional) A number indicating how the watermark should be aligned vertically. See
app.constants.align for possible values. The default is
app.constants.align.center.

nHorizValue

(optional) A number used to shift the horizontal position of the watermark on the
page. If bPercentage is true, this number represents a percentage of the
horizontal page size. If bPercentage is false, this number represents the number
of points to be offset. The default is 0.

nVertValue

(optional) A number used to shift the vertical position of the watermark on the page.
If bPercentage is true, this number represents a percentage of the vertical page
size. If bPercentage is false, this number represents the number of points to be
offset. The default is 0.

bPercentage

(optional) A Boolean value that indicates whether nHorizValue and nVertValue
represent a percentage of the page size or an explicit number of points. The default is
false.

nScale

(optional) The scale to be used for the watermark, where 1.0 is 100%. A value of -1
specifies that the watermark should fit to the page while maintaining its proportions.
The default is 1.0.

bFixedPrint

(optional) A Boolean value that indicates that this watermark should be added as a
FixedPrint Watermark annotation. This allows watermarks to be printed at a fixed
size/position regardless of the size of the page being printed to. If true, bOnTop is
ignored. The default is false.

nRotation

(optional) The number of degrees to rotate the watermark counterclockwise. The
default is 0.

nOpacity

(optional) The opacity to be used for the watermark, where 0 is transparent and 1.0
is opaque. The default is 1.0.

Example 1
Adds the first page of watermark.pdf as a watermark to the center of all pages of the current document.
this.addWatermarkFromFile("/C/temp/watermark.pdf");

Example 2
Adds the second page of watermark.pdf as a watermark to the first 10 pages of the current document.
The watermark is rotated counterclockwise 45 degrees and positioned 1 inch down and 2 inches over from
the upper-left corner of the page.
this.addWatermarkFromFile({
cDIPath: "/C/temp/watermark.pdf",
nSourcePage: 4, nEnd: 9,
nHorizAlign: app.constants.align.left,

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nVertAlign: app.constants.align.top,
nHorizValue: 144, nVertValue: -72,
nRotation: 45
});

addWatermarkFromText
7.0

D

X

Adds the given text as a watermark to the specified pages in the document and places the watermark in an
optional content group (OCG).
See the OCG object.

Parameters
cText

The text to use as the watermark. Multiline text is allowed. A newline can be specified
with the characters “\r”.

nTextAlign

(optional) The text alignment to use for cText within the watermark. See
app.constants.align for possible values. This parameter has no effect if cText
is only one line.

cFont

(optional) The font to be used for this watermark. Valid fonts are defined as
properties of the font object, as listed in the textFont property of the Field object.
An arbitrary font can be used by passing a string that represents the PostScript name
of the font. The default is font.Helv.

nFontSize

(optional) The point size of the font to use for the watermark. The default is 24.

aColor

(optional) The color to use for the watermark. See “Color arrays” on page 193. The
default is color.black.

nStart

(optional) The 0-based index of the first page in the range of pages to which the
watermark should be added. If nStart and nEnd are not specified, the range of
pages is for all pages in the document. If only nStart is specified, the range of pages
is the single page specified by nStart.

nEnd

(optional) The last page in the range of pages to which the watermark should be
added. If nStart and nEnd are not specified, the range of pages is for all pages in
the document. If only nEnd is specified, the range of pages is 0 to nEnd.

bOnTop

(optional) A Boolean value specifying the z-ordering of the watermark. A value of
true will result in the watermark being added above all other page content. A value
of false will result in the watermark being added below all other page content. This
parameter is ignored if bFixedPrint is true. The default is true.

bOnScreen

(optional) A Boolean value to indicate whether the watermark should be displayed
when viewing the document on screen.

bOnPrint

(optional) A Boolean value to indicate whether the watermark should be displayed
when printing the document.

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nHorizAlign

(optional) A number indicating how the watermark should be aligned horizontally.
See app.constants.align for possible values. The default is
app.constants.align.center.

nVertAlign

(optional) A number indicating how the watermark should be aligned vertically. See
app.constants.align for possible values. The default is
app.constants.align.center.

nHorizValue

(optional) A number used to shift the horizontal position of the watermark on the
page. If bPercentage is true, this number represents a percentage of the
horizontal page size. If bPercentage is false, this number represents the number
of points to be offset. The default is 0.

nVertValue

(optional) A number used to shift the vertical position of the watermark on the page.
If bPercentage is true, this number represents a percentage of the vertical page
size. If bPercentage is false, this number represents the number of points to be
offset. The default is 0.

bPercentage

(optional) A Boolean value used to indicate whether nHorizValue and
nVertValue represent a percentage of the page size or an explicit number of
points. The default is false.

nScale

(optional) The scale to be used for the watermark, where 1.0 is 100%. A value of -1
specifies that the watermark should fit to the page while maintaining its proportions.
The default is 1.0.

bFixedPrint

(optional) A Boolean value that indicates that the watermark should be added as a
FixedPrint Watermark annotation. This prints the watermark at a fixed size and
position regardless of the size of the page being printed to. If true, bOnTop is
ignored. The default is false.

nRotation

(optional) The number of degrees to rotate the watermark counterclockwise. The
default is 0.

nOpacity

(optional) The opacity to be used for the watermark, where 0 is transparent and 1.0
is opaque. The default is 1.0.

Example 1
Adds “Confidential” as a watermark to the center of all pages of the current document.
this.addWatermarkFromText("Confidential", 0, font.Helv, 24, color.red);

Example 2
Adds a multiline watermark to each page of the current document 1 inch down and 1 inch over from the
upper-right corner.
this.addWatermarkFromText({
cText: "Confidential Document\rA. C. Robat",
nTextAlign: app.constants.align.right,
nHorizAlign: app.constants.align.right,
nVertAlign: app.constants.align.top,
nHorizValue: -72, nVertValue: -72
});

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addWeblinks
5.0

D

X

Scans the specified pages looking for instances of text with an http: scheme and converts them into links
with URL actions.
See also the removeWeblinks method

Parameters
nStart

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the start of an inclusive range of pages. If nStart
and nEnd are not specified, the range of pages is for all pages in the document. If only
nStart is specified, the range of pages is the single page specified by nStart.

nEnd

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the end of an inclusive range of pages. If nStart
and nEnd are not specified, the range of pages is for all pages in the document. If only nEnd
is specified, the range of a pages is 0 to nEnd.

Returns
The number of web links added to the document.

Example
Search the entire document and convert all content that appears to be a web address into a web link.
Report back the number of links created.
var numWeblinks = this.addWeblinks();
console.println("There were " + numWeblinks +
" instances of text that looked like a web address,"
+" and converted as such.");

bringToFront
5.0
Brings an open document to the front.

Example
This example searches among the open documents for one with a title of “Annual Report” and brings it to
the front.
var d = app.activeDocs;
for (var i = 0; i < d.length; i++)
if (d[i].info.Title == "Annual Report") d[i].bringToFront();

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calculateNow

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calculateNow
3.01
Forces computation of all calculation fields in the current document.
When a form contains many calculations, there can be a significant delay after the user inputs data into a
field, even if it is not a calculation field. One strategy is to turn off calculations at some point and turn them
back on later (see example).

Example
Turn off calculations
this.calculate = false;
.....

Turn on calculations
this.calculate = true;

Unless the user committed data after this.calculate is set to true, automatic calculation does not occur.
Calculation can be forced to occur by using the following code.
this.calculateNow();

closeDoc
5.0

S

Closes the document.
For Adobe Reader 5.1 or later, the method is always allowed:
●

If the document was changed and no Document Save Rights are available, the document is closed
without any warnings and changes are lost.

●

If Document Save Rights are available, the user has the option of saving the changed file.

It is important to use this method carefully, because it is an abrupt change in the document state that can
affect any JavaScript executing after the close. Triggering this method from a Page event or Document
event could cause the application to behave strangely.
In versions of Acrobat earlier than 7.0, a document that closes itself by executing this.closeDoc
terminates any script that follows it. In Acrobat 7.0, the script is allowed to continue and to terminate
naturally. However, if the Doc of the closed document is referenced, an exception will be thrown.

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Parameters
bNoSave

(optional) A Boolean value indicating whether to close the document without saving:
●

If false (the default), the user is prompted to save the document if it has been
modified.

●

If true, the document is closed without prompting the user and without saving,
even if the document has been modified. Be careful in using this feature because it
can cause data loss without user approval.

Example 1
From the console, close all open documents.
var d = app.activeDocs;
for( var i in d ) d[i].closeDoc();

The following code can be executed as a mouse-up action from an open document. It closes all disclosed
open documents. The code is designed to close the active document last so that the execution of the code
will not be abruptly terminated.
var d = app.activeDocs;
for( var i in d )
if( d[i] != this ) d[i].closeDoc();
if ( this.disclosed ) this.closeDoc();

Example 2
Create a series of three test files and save them to a directory. This code must be executed in the console,
because saveAs has a security restriction.
var myDoc = app.newDoc();
for (var i=0; i < 3; i++) {
myDoc.info.Title = "Test File " + i;
myDoc.saveAs("/c/temp/test"+i+".pdf);
}
myDoc.closeDoc(true);

See saveAs for an another example of closeDoc.

colorConvertPage
8.0

D

P

Performs color conversion on a page of the document.

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createDataObject

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Parameters
pageNum

A 0-based index that defines the page number of the document that should be
converted.

actions

An array of colorConvertAction objects for this color conversion. The properties of
the colorConvertAction object are listed beginning on page 196.
For each object on the page, the actions are matched against the object's attributes
and color spaces in the order in which they occur in the actions array, until a match
is found and that action is executed. The list of actions is analogous to the list of
filters in most email clients: each object is compared against the selection criteria
for each of the actions, in order, until a matching action is found. The action is then
executed on the object. Note that actions do not chain, except in the case of aliased
ink definitions.

inkActions

An array of colorConvertAction objects which describes the ink actions for this
color conversion. The list of inks defines the actions for individual separations,
whether they occur in Separation or DeviceN. This allows one to define, among
other things, ink aliases.
If a DeviceN contains some inks to be aliased and some to be converted, the color is
converted using OPP technology, so that the converted part ends up as process
and the aliased part stays as spot.
For ink actions, the match fields are ignored.
There should be an underlying Separation or DeviceN defined in the action list
describing what to do, and the aliases in the ink action list apply if the action in the
action list for the underlying space is Preserve or Decalibrate.

Returns
A Boolean value, returns true if the page was changed, otherwise, returns false.

Example
See getColorConvertAction on page 299 for an example.

createDataObject
5.0

D

D

Creates a Data object.
Data objects can be constructed ad hoc. This is useful if the data is being created in JavaScript from sources
other than an external file (for example, ADBC database calls).
Related objects, properties, and methods are dataObjects, getDataObject, openDataObject,
importDataObject, removeDataObject, getDataObjectContents, and
setDataObjectContents, and the Data object.

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createTemplate

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Parameters
cName

The name to associate with the data object.

cValue

A string containing the data to be embedded.

cMIMEType

(optional) The MIME type of the data. The default is “text/plain”.

cCryptFilter

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) The language-independent name of a crypt filter to use
when encrypting this data object. This crypt filter must have previously been
added to the document’s list of crypt filters, using the Doc
addRecipientListCryptFilter method, otherwise an exception will be
thrown. The predefined Identity crypt filter can be used so that this data object is
not encrypted in a file that is otherwise encrypted by the Doc
encryptForRecipients method.

Example
this.createDataObject("MyData.txt", "This is some data.");

See also the example that follows addRecipientListCryptFilter.

createTemplate
5.0

D

S

X

Note: In Adobe Reader 5.1 and later, this method was allowed with Advanced Form Features rights.
Beginning with version 7.0 of Adobe Reader, this method is not allowed and will throw a
NotAllowedError exception.
Creates a visible template from the specified page. See also the templates property, the getTemplate
and removeTemplate methods, and the Template object.
Note: This method can only be executed during a batch or console event. (See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32.) The event object contains a discussion of JavaScript events.

Parameters
cName

The name to be associated with this page.

nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page to operate on. The default is 0, the first page in
the document.

Returns
The newly created Template object.

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Example
Convert all pages beginning with page 2 to hidden templates. As the templates are hidden,
this.numPages is updated to reflect that change in the number of (visible) pages. Notice that in the
loop below, only page 2 is made a template and then hidden. The next page will become the new page 2.
numNewTemplates = this.numPages - 2;
for ( var i = 0; i < numNewTemplates; i++)
{
var t = this.createTemplate({cName:"myTemplate"+i, nPage:2 });
t.hidden = true;
}

deletePages
D

5.0

F

Deletes pages from the document. If neither page of the range is specified, the first page (page 0) is
deleted. See also insertPages, extractPages, and replacePages.
Note: You cannot delete all pages in a document; there must be at least one page remaining.
(Acrobat 6.0): Beginning with version 6.0, this method deletes spawned pages from within
Adobe Reader for documents with forms usage rights enabled.

Parameters
nStart

(optional) The 0-based index of the first page in the range of pages to be deleted. The
default is 0, the first page in the document.

nEnd

(optional) The last page in the range of pages to be deleted. If nEnd is not specified, only
the page specified by nStart is deleted.

Example
Delete pages 1 through 3 (base 0), inclusive.
this.deletePages({nStart: 1, nEnd: 3});

deleteSound
5.0

D

X

Deletes the Sound object with the specified name from the document.
See also sounds, getSound, importSound, and the Sound object.

Parameters
cName

The name of the sound object to delete.

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Example
this.deleteSound("Moo");

embedDocAsDataObject
D

7.0

Embeds the specified document as a Data Object in the document.
Note: For Adobe Reader 7.0 and later, this method is allowed if the document has file attachment rights,
but the document to be embedded must have document Save rights in case it has changed.

Parameters
cName

The name to associate with the data object.

oDoc

The document to embed as a data object.

cCryptFilter

(optional) The language-independent name of a crypt filter to use when encrypting
this data object. This crypt filter must have previously been added to the document’s
list of crypt filters, using the addRecipientListCryptFilter method, otherwise
an exception will be thrown. The predefined Identity crypt filter can be used so that
this data object is not encrypted in a file that is otherwise encrypted by the
encryptForRecipients method.

bUI

(optional) If true, an alert may be shown if oDoc requires saving and the
permissions do not allow it to be saved. Default value is false.

Example
An envelope file that includes a “myFilter” crypt filter has been previously authored and has been included
in the current document.
var authorEmail = "johndoe@example.com";
var envelopeDoc = this.openDataObject( "envelope" );
envelopeDoc.embedDocAsDataObject( "attachment", this, "myFilter" );
envelopeDoc.title.Author = authorEmail;
envelopeDoc.mailDoc({
cTo: "support@example.com",
cSubject: "Application from " + authorEmail
});

embedOutputIntent
8.0

D

P

Embeds a color profile as a PDF/X Output Intent (see the PDF Reference, version 1.7).

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encryptForRecipients

283

Parameters
outputIntentColorSpace

A string containing the description of the profile to use for the
output intent. A list of available color profiles can be obtained from
the printColorProfiles property of the app object, page 93.

Example
Embed a color profile.
this.embedOutputIntent("U.S. Sheetfed Coated v2")

encryptForRecipients
6.0

D

S

X

Encrypts the document for the specified lists of recipients, using the public-key certificates of each
recipient. Encryption does not take place until the document is saved. Recipients can be placed into
groups and each group can have its own unique permission settings. This method throws an exception if it
is unsuccessful.
Note: This method is available from batch, console and app initialization events. See also “Privileged
versus non-privileged context” on page 32.
See also the createDataObject method, the security.chooseRecipientsDialog method, and
the Data object.

Parameters
oGroups

An array of generic Group objects that list the recipients for which the document is to be
encrypted.

bMetaData

(optional) If true (the default), document metadata should be encrypted. Setting this
value to false will produce a document that can only be viewed in Acrobat 6.0 or later.

bUI

(optional) If true, the handler displays the user interface, in which the user can select
the recipients for whom to encrypt the document. The default value is false.

Returns
true, if successful, otherwise an exception is thrown.

Group object
A generic JavaScript object that allows a set of permissions to be attached to a list of recipients for which a
document or data is to be encrypted. This object is passed to encryptForRecipients and returned by
security.chooseRecipientsDialog. It contains the following properties.
Property

Description

permissions

A Permissions object with the permissions for the group.

userEntities

An array of UserEntity objects, the users to whom the permissions apply.

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Permissions object
A generic JavaScript object that contains a set of permissions, used in a Group object. It contains the
following properties. The default value for all Boolean properties is false.
Property

Type

Access

Description

allowAll

Boolean

R/W

Specifies whether full, unrestricted access is
permitted. If true, overrides all other
properties.

allowAccessibility

Boolean

R/W

Specifies whether content access for the
visually impaired is permitted. If true, allows
content to be extracted for use by applications
that, for example, read text aloud.

allowContentExtraction

Boolean

R/W

Specifies whether content copying and
extraction is permitted.

allowChanges

String

R/W

What changes are allowed to be made to the
document. Values are:
none
documentAssembly
fillAndSign
editNotesFillAndSign
all

allowPrinting

String

R/W

What the allowed printing security level is for
the document. Values are:
none
lowQuality
highQuality

Example
Encrypt all strings and streams in the document. This will produce a file that can be opened with Acrobat
5.0 and later:
var sh = security.getHandler( "Adobe.PPKMS" );
var dir = sh.directories[0];
var dc = dir.connect();
dc.setOutputFields({oFields:["certificates"]});
var importantUsers = dc.search({oParams:{lastName:"Smith"}});
var otherUsers = dc.search({oParams: {lastName:"Jones" }});
this.encryptForRecipients({
oGroups :
[
{userEntities:importantUsers,permissions:{allowAll:true }},
{userEntities: otherUsers, permissions:{allowPrinting:"highQuality"}}
],
bMetaData : true
});

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encryptUsingPolicy

285

encryptUsingPolicy
7.0

S

X

Encrypts the document using a specified policy object and handler. This method may require user
interaction and may result in a new security policy being created.
Note: This method can be executed only during a batch, console or application initialization event. See
also “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32.

Parameters
oPolicy

The policy object to use when encrypting the document. It may be a SecurityPolicy
object returned from chooseSecurityPolicy or getSecurityPolicies.
This parameter may also be a generic object with the policyId property defined. If a
predefined policy ID is passed, the associated policy is retrieved and used. If the policy ID
passed is unknown, an error is returned.
There is a predefined policy ID that has a special behavior. If policyId is set to
“adobe_secure_for_recipients”, a new policy will be created by the Adobe® LiveCycle®
Policy Server. (A Policy Server must be configured for publishing.)
Note: If this special policy ID is used and oGroups is null, an error will be returned.

oGroups

(optional) An array of Group objects that the handler should use when applying the
policy. The exact behavior depends on the policy used and the handler involved. The
Group object may have embedded permission information. Whether that information is
used depends on the policy and associated security handler. The default value is null.

oHandler

(optional) The SecurityHandler object to be used for encryption. This will result in
failure if this handler does not match the handler name specified in the oPolicy object.
If not specified, the default object associated with this handler will be used.
If you are using the APS security handler, you can create a new SecurityHandler ahead of
time, authenticate to a server not configured in Acrobat through the login call, and
then pass that SecurityHandler in oHandler. This would allow you to use policies that
are not defined on the server Acrobat is configured to use.
If you are using the PPKLite security handler, you could create a new SecurityHandler
ahead of time, open a digital ID file not configured in Acrobat through the login call,
and then pass that SecurityHandler in oHandler. This would allow you to use
certificates contained in the digital ID file but not in Acrobat.

bUI

(optional) If true, the user interface may be displayed (for example, for authentication).
If false, the user interface will not be displayed. If user interaction is required but not
allowed, an error is returned. The default value is false.

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Returns
The value returned is a SecurityPolicyResults object, which has the following properties.
Property

Type

Description

errorCode

Integer

The error code returned from the handler implementing the
policy. There are three possible errors:
0 = Success.
errorText is not defined.
unknownRecipients may be defined.
policyApplied is defined.

1 = Failure.
errorText is defined.
unknownRecipients may be defined.
policyApplied is not defined.

2 = Abort, the user aborted the process.
errorText is not defined.
unknownRecipients is not defined.
policyApplied is not defined.
errorText

String

The localized error description, if defined. See errorCode for
when this is defined.

policyApplied

Object

The SecurityPolicy object applied, if defined. If the policy
passed in was “adobe_secure_for_recipients”, a new policy was
created by the call and the corresponding policy object will be
returned here. See errorCode for when this is defined.

unknownRecipients

Recipients
object

Recipients passed in that could not be used when applying the
policy, if defined. See errorCode for when this is defined.

Example 1
Encrypt a newly created document using a chosen policy.
var doc = app.newDoc();
var policy = security.chooseSecurityPolicy();
var results = doc.encryptUsingPolicy( { oPolicy: policy } );
if ( results.errorCode == 0)
console.println("The policy applied was: " + results.policyApplied.name);

Example 2
Encrypt a newly created document using a template policy. (A LiveCycle Policy Server must be configured
for publishing before running this example.)
var doc = app.newDoc();
var groups = [ { userEntities: [{email:"jdoe@example.com"},
{email:"bsmith@example.com"} ]}
];

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var policy = { policyId: "adobe_secure_for_recipients" };
var results = doc.encryptUsingPolicy({
oPolicy: policy,
oGroups: groups,
bUI: true
});
if ( results.errorCode == 0)
console.println("The policy applied was: "
+ results.policyApplied.name);

exportAsFDF
4.0

S

F

Exports form fields as an FDF file to the local hard drive.
Note: If the cPath parameter is specified, this method can only be executed during batch and console
events. See also “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32. The event object contains
a discussion of JavaScript events.

Parameters
bAllFields

(optional) If true, all fields are exported, including those that have no value. If
false (the default), excludes those fields that currently have no value.

bNoPassword

(optional) If true (the default), do not include text fields that have the password flag
set in the exported FDF file.

aFields

(optional) The array of field names to submit or a string containing a single field name:
●

If specified, only these fields are exported, except those excluded by
bNoPassword.

●

If aFields is an empty array, no fields are exported. The FDF file might still
contain data, depending on the bAnnotations parameter.

●

If this parameter is omitted or is null, all fields in the form are exported, except
those excluded by bNoPassword.

Specify non-terminal field names to export an entire subtree of fields (see the
example below).
bFlags

(optional) If true, field flags are included in the exported FDF file. The default is
false.

cPath

(optional) A string specifying the device-independent path for the file. The path may
be relative to the location of the current document. If the parameter is omitted, a
dialog box is shown to let the user select the file.
Note: The parameter cPath must have a safe path (see “Safe path” on page 31) and
have a .fdf extension. This method will throw a NotAllowedError (see
Error object) exception if these security conditions are not met, and the
method will fail.

bAnnotations

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) If true, annotations are included in the exported FDF file. The
default is false.

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exportAsFDFStr

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Example 1
Export the entire form (including empty fields) with flags.
this.exportAsFDF(true, true, null, true);

Example 2
Export the name subtree with no flags.
this.exportAsFDF(false, true, "name");

This example shows a shortcut to exporting a whole subtree. By passing “name” as part of the aFields
parameter, fields such as “name.title”, “name.first”, “name.middle”, and “name.last” are exported.

exportAsFDFStr
8.0
Computes the same results as calling the doc.exportAsFDF method, but returns the results as a string
instead of saving to a file.

Parameters
bAllFields

(optional) If true, all fields are exported, including those that have no value. If
false (the default), excludes those fields that currently have no value.

bNoPassword

(optional) If true (the default), do not include text fields that have the password flag
set in the exported FDF file.

aFields

(optional) The array of field names to submit or a string containing a single field
name:
●

If specified, only these fields are exported, except those excluded by
bNoPassword.

●

If aFields is an empty array, no fields are exported. The FDF file might still
contain data, depending on the bAnnotations parameter.

●

If this parameter is omitted or is null, all fields in the form are exported, except
those excluded by bNoPassword.

Specify non-terminal field names to export an entire subtree of fields (see the
example below).
bFlags

(optional) If true, field flags are included in the exported FDF file. The default is
false.

bAnnotations

Must be false, which is the default. Annotations are not supported.

cHRef

When supplied, its value is inserted as the source or target file of the returned FDF
expression (i.e., the value of the F key in the FDF dictionary).

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exportAsText

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Returns
The contents of the file as would be produced by the doc.exportAsFDF method, returned as a string. If
supplied, the cHRef parameter is inserted as the value of the F key in the FDF dictionary. If not supplied,
the F key contains the value as doc.exportAsFDF would produce.

Example
Get form data for the fields FirstName, LastName and Address in FDF format as a string.
var cFDF = this.exportAsFDFStr({
aFields: ["FirstName", "LastName", "Address"],
cHRef: "http://www.example.com/formcatalog/ThisFormName.pdf"
});

exportAsText
6.0

S

F

Exports form fields as a tab-delimited text file to a local hard disk. The text file that is created follows the
conventions specified by Microsoft Excel. In particular, exportAsText correctly handles quotes and
multiline text fields.
This method writes two lines to the text file, the first line is a tab-delimited list of the names of the fields
specified by aFields, the second line is a tab-delimited list of the values of the fields.
Note: If the cPath parameter is specified, this method can only be executed during a batch or console
event. See also “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32. The event object includes a
discussion of JavaScript events.

Parameters
bNoPassword

(optional) If true (the default), do not include text fields that have the password flag
set in the exported text file.

aFields

(optional) The array of field names to submit or a string containing a single field
name:

cPath

●

If specified, only these fields are exported, except those excluded by
bNoPassword.

●

If aFields is an empty array, no fields are exported.

●

If this parameter is omitted or is null, all fields in the form are exported, except
those excluded by bNoPassword.

(optional) A string specifying the device-independent path for the file. The path may
be relative to the location of the current document. If the parameter is omitted, a
dialog box is shown to let the user select the file.
Note: The parameter cPath is must have a safe path (see “Safe path” on page 31)
and have a .txt extension. This method will throw a NotAllowedError
(see Error object) exception if these security conditions are not met, and the
method will fail.

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exportAsXFDF

290

Example
To export all fields to a tab-delimited file, execute the following script in the console:
this.exportAsText();

To create a tab-delimited file with more than just one data line, see the “Example” on page 300.

exportAsXFDF
5.0

S

F

Exports form fields as an XFDF file to the local hard drive.
XFDF is an XML representation of Acrobat form data. See the document XML Form Data Format
Specification (see “Related documentation” on page 28).
There is an import version of this same method, importAnXFDF.
Note: If the cPath parameter is specified, this method can only be executed during batch and console
events. See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. The event object
contains a discussion of JavaScript events.

Parameters
bAllFields

(optional) If true, all fields are exported, including those that have no value. If
false (the default), excludes those fields that currently have no value.

bNoPassword

(optional) If true (the default), do not include text fields that have the password flag
set in the exported XFDF.

aFields

(optional) The array of field names to submit or a string containing a single field
name:
●

If specified, only these fields are exported, except those excluded by
bNoPassword.

●

If aFields is an empty array, no fields are exported. The XFDF file might still
contain data, depending on the bAnnotations parameter.

●

If this parameter is omitted or is null, all fields in the form are exported, except
those excluded by bNoPassword.

Specify non-terminal field names to export an entire subtree of fields.
cPath

(optional) A string specifying the device-independent path for the file. The path may
be relative to the location of the current document. If the parameter is omitted, a
dialog box is shown to let the user select the file.
Note: The parameter cPath must have a safe path (see “Safe path” on page 31) and
have a .xfdf extension. This method will throw a NotAllowedError (see
Error object) exception if these security conditions are not met, and the
method will fail.

bAnnotations

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) If true, annotations are included in the exported XFDF file.
The default is false.

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exportAsXFDFStr
8.0
Computes the same results as calling the doc.exportAsXFDF method, but returns the results as a string
instead of saving to a file.

Parameters
bAllFields

(optional) If true, all fields are exported, including those that have no value. If
false (the default), excludes those fields that currently have no value.

bNoPassword

(optional) If true (the default), do not include text fields that have the password flag
set in the exported XFDF file.

aFields

(optional) The array of field names to submit or a string containing a single field
name:
●

If specified, only these fields are exported, except those excluded by
bNoPassword.

●

If aFields is an empty array, no fields are exported. The XFDF file might still
contain data, depending on the bAnnotations parameter.

●

If this parameter is omitted or is null, all fields in the form are exported, except
those excluded by bNoPassword.

Specify non-terminal field names to export an entire subtree of fields.
bAnnotations

Must be false, which is the default. Annotations are not supported.

cHRef

When supplied, its value is inserted as the source or target file of the returned XFDF
expression (i.e., the value of the href attribute of the f element child of the xfdf
element).

Returns
The contents of the file as would be produced by the doc.exportAsXFDF method, returned as a string. If
supplied, the cHRef parameter is inserted as the value of the href attribute of the f element child of the
xfdf element. If not supplied, the href attribute of the f element key contains the value as
doc.exportAsXFDF would produce.

Example
Get the values of the form fields FirstName, LastName and Address in XFDF format as a string.
var cXFDF = this.exportAsXFDFStr({
aFields: ["FirstName", "LastName", "Address"],
cHRef: "http://www.example.com/formcatalog/ThisFormName.pdf"
});

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exportDataObject

292

exportDataObject
S

5.0

Extracts the specified data object to an external file.
Related objects, properties, and methods are dataObjects, openDataObject, createDataObject,
removeDataObject, importDataObject, getDataObjectContents, and
setDataObjectContents, and the Data object.
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, if the parameter cDIPath is non-null, a NotAllowedError (see
Error object) exception is thrown and the method fails.
If cDIPath is not passed to this method, a file selection dialog box opens to allow the user to select
a save path for the embedded data object.

Parameters
cName

The name of the data object to extract.

cDIPath

(optional) A device-independent path to which to extract the data object. This path
may be absolute or relative to the current document. If not specified, the user is
prompted to specify a save location.
Note: (Acrobat 6.0) The use of this parameter is no longer supported and should not
be used. See the security notes above.

bAllowAuth

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) If true, a dialog box is used to obtain user authorization.
Authorization may be required if the data object was encrypted using the
encryptForRecipients method. Authorization dialog boxes are allowed if
bAllowAuth is true. The default value is false.

nLaunch

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) nLaunch controls whether the file is launched, or opened,
after it is saved. Launching may involve opening an external application if the file is
not a PDF file. The values of nLaunch are:
●

If the value is 0, the file will not be launched after it is saved.

●

If the value is 1, the file will be saved and then launched. Launching will prompt
the user with a security alert warning if the file is not a PDF file. The user will be
prompted for a save path.

●

If the value is 2, the file will be saved and then launched. Launching will prompt
the user with a security alert warning if the file is not a PDF file. A temporary path
is used, and the user will not be prompted for a save path. The temporary file that
is created will be deleted by Acrobat upon application shutdown.

The default value is 0.

Example 1
Prompt the user for a file and location to extract to.
this.exportDataObject("MyData");

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exportXFAData

293

Example 2 (Acrobat 6.0)
Extract a PDF document and launch it in the viewer.
this.exportDataObject({ cName: "MyPDF.pdf", nLaunch: 2 });

Example 3
When a file attachment is imported using the importDataObject method, the value of its Data.name
property is assigned by that method’s cName parameter. However, when a file is attached using the UI, its
name is automatically assigned. The attachments are assigned the sequential names “Untitled Object”,
“Untitled Object 2”, “Untitled Object 3”, and so on.
To export a file attached through the UI, the name of the attachment must be found. For the code that
follows, the last file attached by the UI, if any, is exported.
var d = this.dataObjects;
if ( d == null ) console.println("No file attachments");
else {
for ( var i = d.length - 1; i>=0; i--)
if ( d[i].name.indexOf("Untitled Object") != -1 ) break;
if ( i != -1 ) this.exportDataObject(d[i].name);
else console.println("No attachment was embedded by UI");
}

exportXFAData
S

6.0

F

Exports the XFA data (if any) from the document and saves it as an XDP file.
Note: When exporting XFA data from Adobe Reader, the document must have export form rights.
If the cPath parameter is specified, this method can only be executed during batch, console or
menu events. See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. The event
object contains a discussion of JavaScript events.

Parameters
cPath

(optional) A device-independent path for the file. The path may be relative to the
document. If this parameter is omitted, a dialog box is shown to let the user select
the file.
The path must meet the following conditions:
●

It must be a safe path (see “Safe path” on page 31).

●

If bXDP is true, the file name must have an .xdp extension.

●

If bXDP is false, the file name must have an .xml extension.

This method throws a NotAllowedError (see Error object) exception if these
conditions are not met.

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bXDP

(optional) If true (the default), the data is exported in XDP format. Otherwise, it is
exported in plain XML data format.

aPackets

(optional) An array of strings specifying the packets to include in the XDP export. This
parameter is applicable only if bXDP is true.
Possible strings are:
template
datasets
stylesheet
xfdf
sourceSet
pdf
config
*

If pdf is specified, the PDF file is embedded. Otherwise, only a link to the PDF file is
included in the XDP file.
If xfdf is specified, annotations are included in the XDP file (since that packet uses
XFDF format).
If * is specified, all packets are included in the XDP file. However, the default for the
pdf packet is to include it as a reference. To embed the PDF file in the XDP file,
explicitly specify pdf as one of the packets.
Note: (Save rights required) When exporting in the XDP format from Adobe Reader,
the document must have document save rights only in the case where pdf is
listed explicitly.
The default for this parameter is: ["datasets", "xfdf"].

Example
Export XFA data. In the following example, all packets are included. However, the PDF document is
referenced, not embedded:
this.exportXFAData({
cPath: "/c/temp/myData.xdp",
bXDP: true,
aPackets: ["*"]
})

In this example, all packets are included, with the PDF document embedded in the XDP file.
this.exportXFAData({
cPath: "/c/temp/myData.xdp",
bXDP: true,
aPackets: ["*","pdf"]
})

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extractPages

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extractPages
5.0

D

S

X

Creates a new document consisting of pages extracted from the current document. If a page range is not
specified, the method extracts all pages in the document.
See also deletePages, insertPages, and replacePages.
Note: If the cPath parameter is specified, this method can only be executed during a batch and console
event, or through an external call (for example, OLE). See “Privileged versus non-privileged context”
on page 32 for details. The event object contains a discussion of JavaScript events.

Parameters
nStart

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the start of the range of pages to extract from
the source document. If only nStart is specified, the range of pages is the single page
specified by nStart.

nEnd

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the end of the range of pages to extract from the
source document. If only nEnd is specified, the range of pages is 0 to nEnd.

cPath

(optional) The device-independent path to save the new document. The path name may
be relative to the location of the current document.
Note: The parameter cPath must have a safe path (see “Safe path” on page 31) and
have a .pdf extension. This method will throw a NotAllowedError (see Error
object) exception if these security conditions are not met, and the method will
fail.

Returns
If cPath is not specified, returns the Doc for the new document; otherwise, returns the null object.

Example
The following batch sequence takes each of the selected files, extracts each page, and saves the page in a
folder with a unique name. It could be used, for example, when the client’s one-page bills are produced by
an application and placed in a single PDF file. The client wants to separate the pages for distribution or for
separate printing jobs.
/* Extract pages to folder */
// Regular expression used to acquire the base name of file
var re = /\.pdf$/i;
// filename is the base name of the file Acrobat is working on
var filename = this.documentFileName.replace(re,"");
try {for (var i = 0; i < this.numPages; i++)
this.extractPages({
nStart: i,
cPath: "/F/temp/"+filename+"_" + i +".pdf"
});
} catch (e) { console.println("Aborted: " + e) }

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flattenPages

296

flattenPages
5.0

D

X

Converts all annotations in a page range to page contents. If a page range is not specified, all annotations
in the document are converted.
Note: Great care must be used when using this method. All annotations—including form fields,
comments, and links—on the specified range of pages are flattened. They may have appearances,
but they will no longer be annotations.

Parameters
nStart

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the start of an inclusive range of pages in the
current document. If only nStart is specified, the page range is the single page
specified by nStart.

nEnd

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the end of an inclusive range of pages in the
current document.

nNonPrint

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) This parameter determines how to handle non-printing
annotations. Values are
0 — (default) Non-printing annotations are flattened.
1 — Non-printing annotations are left as is.
2 — Non-printing annotations are removed from the document.

Example
Flatten all pages in the document.
this.flattenPages();

getAnnot
5.0
Returns an Annotation object contained on a specific document page.

Parameters
nPage

The page that contains the Annotation object.

cName

The name of the Annotation object.

Returns
The Annotation object, or null if there is no such annotation.

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Example
Attempt to get a particular annotation.
var ann = this.getAnnot(0, "OnMarketShare");
if (ann == null)
console.println("Not Found!")
else
console.println("Found it! type: " + ann.type);

getAnnot3D
7.0
Gets an Annot3D object with a given name from a given page.

Parameters
nPage

The 0-based page number that contains the Annot3D object.

cName

The name of the Annot3D object.

Returns
The Annot3D object, or undefined if there is no such annotation.

getAnnots
5.0
Gets an array of Annotation objects satisfying specified criteria. See also getAnnot and
syncAnnotScan.

Parameters
nPage

(optional) A 0-based page number. If specified, gets only annotations on the given
page. If not specified, gets annotations that meet the search criteria from all pages.

nSortBy

(optional) A sort method applied to the array. Values are:
ANSB_None — (default) Do not sort; equivalent to not specifiying this parameter.
ANSB_Page — Use the page number as the primary sort criteria.
ANSB_Author — Use the author as the primary sort criteria.
ANSB_ModDate — Use the modification date as the primary sort criteria.
ANSB_Type — Use the annotation type as the primary sort criteria.

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bReverse

(optional) If true, causes the array to be reverse sorted with respect to nSortBy.

nFilterBy

(optional) Gets only annotations satisfying certain criteria. Values are:

298

ANFB_ShouldNone — (default) Get all annotations. Equivalent of not specifying

this parameter.
ANFB_ShouldPrint — Only include annotations that can be printed.
ANFB_ShouldView — Only include annotations that can be viewed.
ANFB_ShouldEdit — Only include annotations that can be edited.
ANFB_ShouldAppearInPanel — Only annotations that appear in the

annotations pane.
ANFB_ShouldSummarize — Only include annotations that can be included in a

summary.
ANFB_ShouldExport — Only include annotations that can be included in an

export.

Returns
An array of Annotation objects, or null if none are found.

Example
Acquire all annotations on the first page, and write information to the console.
this.syncAnnotScan();
var annots = this.getAnnots({
nPage:0,
nSortBy: ANSB_Author,
bReverse: true
});
console.show();
console.println("Number of Annotations: " + annots.length);
var msg = "%s in a %s annot said: \"%s\"";
for (var i = 0; i < annots.length; i++)
console.println(util.printf(msg, annots[i].author, annots[i].type,
annots[i].contents));

getAnnots3D
7.0
Returns an array of Annot3D objects for a page.

Parameters
nPage

The 0-based page number that contains the Annot3D objects.

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Returns
An array of Annot3D objects, or undefined if none is found.

getColorConvertAction
8.0

P

Gets a colorConvertAction object that reflects default color conversion settings.
See colorConvertPage, which takes two arrays of colorConvertAction objects as parameters.

Returns
A colorConvertAction object

Example
Get a colorConvertAction object, set it up to convert everything to RGB. (Note that we do not convert any
alternate spaces, hence the “space type” match is for anything but alternate spaces.)
// Get a color convert action
var toRGB = this.getColorConvertAction();
// Set up the action for a conversion to RGB
toRGB.matchAttributesAny = -1;
toRGB.matchSpaceTypeAny = ~toRGB.constants.spaceFlags.AlternateSpace;
toRGB.matchIntent = toRGB.constants.renderingIntents.Any;
toRGB.convertProfile = "Apple RGB";
toRGB.convertIntent = toRGB.constants.renderingIntents.Document;
toRGB.embed = true;
toRGB.preserveBlack = false;
toRGB.useBlackPointCompensation = true;
toRGB.action = toRGB.constants.actions.Convert;
// Convert the first page of the document
var result = this.colorConvertPage(0,[toRGB],[]);

getDataObject
5.0
Obtains a specific Data object. See also dataObjects, createDataObject, exportDataObject,
importDataObject, and removeDataObject.

Parameters
cName

The name of the data object to obtain.

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Returns
The Data object corresponding to the specified name.

Example
Get a specific file attachment, and write various information to the console.
var MyData = this.getDataObject("MyData");
console.show(); console.clear();
for (var i in MyData) console.println("MyData." + i + "=" + MyData[i]);

getDataObjectContents
7.0
Allows access to the contents of the file attachment associated with a DataObject.

Parameters
cName

The name associated with the Data object to get.

bAllowAuth

(optional) The default value is false. If true, a dialog box is used to obtain user
authorization. Authorization may be required if the data object was encrypted using
encryptForRecipients. Authorization dialog boxes are allowed if bAllowAuth
is true.

Returns
ReadStream object

Related objects, properties, and methods are dataObjects, getDataObject, openDataObject,
createDataObject, importDataObject, setDataObjectContents, and removeDataObject,
and the Data object.

Example
This code is part of a circulating memo. A PDF file is circulated among members on an email list. Each
recipient enters a budget figure, then forwards the document to the next person on the list. Before the
document is sent, the budget number is appended to an embedded tab-delimited document,
budget.xls, an attachment to this document. The last recipient can open the attachment, budget.xls,
in a spreadsheet application to view the various budget numbers.
// Get the name and department of the current recipient
var firstName = this.getField("Name.First").value;
var lastName = this.getField("Name.Last").value;
var deptName = this.getField("Dept.Name").value;
// Get the budget number
var deptBudget = this.getField("Dept.Budget").value;
if ( app.viewerVersion >= 7 ) {
// Get the file stream object of the embedded file
var oFile = this.getDataObjectContents("budget.xls");

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// Convert to a string
var myBudget = util.stringFromStream(oFile, "utf-8");
// Append current data to the end, using tabs to separate info
var myBudget = myBudget + "\r\n" + firstName
+ "\t" + lastName + "\t" + deptName + "\t" + deptBudget;
// Convert back to a file stream
var oFile = util.streamFromString(myBudget, "uft-8");
// Now "overwrite" budget.xls
this.setDataObjectContents("budget.xls", oFile);
} else {
app.alert("Acrobat 7.0 or later is required."
+ " Your budget data will not be included. "
+ "Will e-mail on to the next correspondent, sorry. "
+ "Send in your budget request using traditional methods.");
}

The rest of the code, not shown, saves the document and sends it to the next person on the mailing list.
This example uses getDataObjectContents, setDataObjectContents,
util.stringFromStream, and util.streamFromString.

getField
3.01
Maps a Field object in the PDF document to a JavaScript variable.
Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, this method can return the Field object of an individual widget. For more
information, see Field object.

Parameters
cName

The name of the field of interest.

Returns
A Field object representing a form field in the PDF document.

Example 1
Make a text field multiline and triple its height
var f = this.getField("myText");
var aRect = f.rect;
f.multiline = true;
var height = aRect[1]-aRect[3];
aRect[3] -= 2* height;
f.rect = aRect;

//
//
//
//
//

Get bounding rectangle
Make it multiline
Calculate height
Triple the height of the text field
and make it so

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Example 2 (Acrobat 6.0)
Attach a JavaScript action to an individual widget, in this case, a radio button:
var f = this.getField("myRadio.0");
f.setAction("MouseUp",
"app.alert('Thanks for selecting the first choice.');");

Example 3
List all properties of a field. This technique can be used to programmatically duplicate a field and its
properties.
f = this.getField("myField");
for ( var i in f ) {
try {
if ( typeof f[i] != "function" )
// Do not list field methods
console.println( i + ":" + f[i] )
} catch(e) {}
// An exception occurs when we get a property that
}
// does not apply to this field type.

getIcon
5.0
Obtains a specific icon object. See also the icons property, the addIcon, importIcon, and
removeIcon methods, and the Field object methods buttonGetIcon, buttonImportIcon, and
buttonSetIcon.

Parameters
cName

The name of the icon object to obtain.

Returns
An Icon object associated with the specified name in the document or null if no icon of that name
exists.

Example
The following is a custom keystroke script from a combo box. The face names of the items in the combo
box are the names of some of the icons that populate the document. As the user chooses different items
from the combo box, the corresponding icon appears as the button face of the field “myPictures”.
if (!event.willCommit) {
var b = this.getField("myPictures");
var i = this.getIcon(event.change);
b.buttonSetIcon(i);
}

See the Field object buttonSetIcon method or a more elaborate variation on this example.

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getLegalWarnings
6.0
Returns the legal warnings for this document in the form of an object with entries for each warning that
has been found in the document.
Note: In versions of Acrobat previous to 8.0, Document.getLegalWarnings would dirty the
document.
The process that analyzes a file to determine this list of warnings is not available in Adobe Reader.

Parameters
bExecute

if true, will cause the file to be examined and all detected warnings will be returned.
In Acrobat 8, this examination is done by running a PDF/SigQ conformance check. If
false, the default value, the warnings that have been embedded in the file, along
with the certifier’s attestation (if any) will be returned.
In Acrobat 6 and 7, legal warnings can be embedded in a file at the time of certifying
(using cLegalAttest of the Field object method signatureSign). In Acrobat 8,
the certifier may still embed an attestation, but not the warning themselves. To
obtain this attestation, call this method with bExecute=false.

Returns
A DocLegalWarning object containing property names and values of legal warnings. The value of each
entry is the number of occurrences of this warning in the document. If bExecute is false, refer to PDF
Reference version 1.7 for a list of possible property names. If bExecute is true, the property names
correspond to PDF/SigQ level A violations listed below. Note that the warnings listed in PDF Reference
version 1.7 intersects but significantly differ from the list below.

DocLegalWarning object
The following properties describe the PDF/SigQ1-A Violations.
Property

Description

AlternateImages

Image XObject must not contain an alternate version.

Annotations

The document contains comments. The visual appearances of the
comments may change based on external variables.

CatalogHasAA

The document contains hidden actions that may not be intended or
known by the end user. Actions include JavaScript actions (document
open, save, etc.), playing multimedia, executing a menu item, and so on.

CatalogHasOpenAction

The document contains hidden actions that will be launched on open.
These actions may not be intended or known by the end user. Actions
include JavaScript actions (document open, save, etc.), playing
multimedia, executing a menu item, and so on.

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Property

Description

DevDepGS_FL

The extended graphic state of the document uses the FL key. The key is
a number that indicates how much flatness tolerance should exist
when drawing objects. Content may display differently from Acrobat to
other applications.

DevDepGS_TR

The document uses a PDF transfer function that interprets and replaces
color. For example, it could replace black with white.

DocHasCryptFilter

Some or all of the content is encrypted and the encryption method is
not available in standard Acrobat installations. For example, the
document may be protected by LiveCycle Policy Server. The document
contains streams encrypted using the crypt filter.

DocHasNonSigField

The document contains non-signature form fields. The visual
appearance of such fields may change based on external variables.

DocHasPresentation

Presentations are not allowed since a presentation may contain
animations or other elements that may change document appearance
or behavior.

DocHasPSXObj

Visual elements may change based on external variables. For example,
a logo may change color based on time or zoom level. No PostScript
XObjects allowed.

DocHasXFA

XFA-based (dynamic forms) documents are not allowed since such
forms could alter the document’s appearance or behavior.

DynamicSigAP

The document contains signed signature fields that may change their
visual appearance based on external variables.

ExternalOPIdicts

The document links to images not in the PDF file that are used as
alternates. For example, an alternate, high resolution image might be
specified for printing. Images and form XObject must not contain an
OPI alternate version.

ExternalRefXObjects

Document links to images not in the PDF file. No external XObjects
allowed.

ExternalStreams

Document contains external streams. The author has flagged some PDF
bytes as a stream which may get data from an external source.

GoTo3DViewActions

The document contains Go To 3D View actions that may be used to
change the document’s visual appearance through manipulating 3D
views without the user’s knowledge.

GoToEHasF

The document links to external PDF documents on the Internet, file
system, or network and it has no control over the nature of that linked
content. Embedded Go To actions must not refer to external
hierarchies.

GoToRemoteAction

The document contains Go To actions that may link to external content.

InvalidEOF

The PDF file contains extra bytes after the PDF’s end of file marker.

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Property

Description

DevDepGS_FL

The extended graphic state of the document uses the FL key. The key is
a number that indicates how much flatness tolerance should exist
when drawing objects. Content may display differently from Acrobat to
other applications.

DevDepGS_TR

The document uses a PDF transfer function that interprets and replaces
color. For example, it could replace black with white.

DocHasCryptFilter

Some or all of the content is encrypted and the encryption method is
not available in standard Acrobat installations. For example, the
document may be protected by LiveCycle Policy Server. The document
contains streams encrypted using the crypt filter.

DocHasNonSigField

The document contains non-signature form fields. The visual
appearance of such fields may change based on external variables.

DocHasPresentation

Presentations are not allowed since a presentation may contain
animations or other elements that may change document appearance
or behavior.

DocHasPSXObj

Visual elements may change based on external variables. For example,
a logo may change color based on time or zoom level. No PostScript
XObjects allowed.

DocHasXFA

XFA-based (dynamic forms) documents are not allowed since such
forms could alter the document’s appearance or behavior.

DynamicSigAP

The document contains signed signature fields that may change their
visual appearance based on external variables.

ExternalOPIdicts

The document links to images not in the PDF file that are used as
alternates. For example, an alternate, high resolution image might be
specified for printing. Images and form XObject must not contain an
OPI alternate version.

ExternalRefXObjects

Document links to images not in the PDF file. No external XObjects
allowed.

ExternalStreams

Document contains external streams. The author has flagged some PDF
bytes as a stream which may get data from an external source.

GoTo3DViewActions

The document contains Go To 3D View actions that may be used to
change the document’s visual appearance through manipulating 3D
views without the user’s knowledge.

GoToEHasF

The document links to external PDF documents on the Internet, file
system, or network and it has no control over the nature of that linked
content. Embedded Go To actions must not refer to external
hierarchies.

GoToRemoteAction

The document contains Go To actions that may link to external content.

InvalidEOF

The PDF file contains extra bytes after the PDF’s end of file marker.

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Property

Description

InvalidFileHeader

The PDF file contains extra bytes before the PDF’s file header.

JavaScriptActions

The document contains JavaScript actions that may be launched
without the user’s knowledge.

LaunchActions

The document contains Launch File Attachment actions.

MalformedContentStm

Malformed drawing instructions: Syntax error. The page content
violates the grammar for page content definition. For example, the
instruction might specify drawing a square but the syntax for doing it is
incorrect.

MovieActions

The document contains Launch Movie actions that may be launched
without the user’s knowledge.

NonEmbeddedFonts

Document contains non-embedded fonts. When the document opens
on a system that does not have the requisite fonts, Acrobat will replace
them with some other font. Users should always turn on font-related
warnings.

OptionalContent

The content of the document is divided into layers that can be silently
displayed or hidden on the fly.

PageHasAA

A page contains hidden actions that may not be intended or known by
the end user. Actions include JavaScript actions (document open, save,
etc.), playing multimedia, executing a menu item, and so on.

RenditionActions

The document contains rendition actions that may be used to launch
movies without the user’s knowledge.

SetOCStateActions

The document contains SetOCState actions that may be used to
change the document’s visual appearance by modifying layers’ visibility
without the user’s knowledge.

SigFieldHasAA

A signature field contains actions that could be invoked by mouse over
or other user interaction. Actions include JavaScript actions (document
open, save, etc.), playing multimedia, executing a menu item, and so
on.

SigFieldHasAction

A signature field contains actions that could be invoked by clicking.
Actions include JavaScript actions (document open, save, etc.), playing
multimedia, executing a menu item, and so on.

SoundActions

The document contains launch sound actions.

TrueTypeFonts

This document uses TrueType fonts. TrueType and TrueType-based
OpenType fonts are not allowed because they are programs and may
change the document's appearance based on external variables. This
restriction is not required by PDF/SigQ and is not reported unless the
preference setting security\DigSig\bTrueTypeFontPDFSigQWarn is set
to 1.

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Property

Description

UnknownNamedAction

The document contains named actions that may launch menu items
without the user's knowledge.

UnknownPDFContent

Unrecognized PDF content: The document contains PDF content or
custom content not supported by the current version of Acrobat. The
document may have been created by a later version of Acrobat (PDF 1.8
or above).

UnknownPDFContentStmOp

Unrecognized drawing operator: The document contains PDF content
or custom content not supported by the current version of Acrobat. The
document may have been created by a later version of Acrobat.

URIActions

The document contains Launch URI actions that links to external
content.

XObjHasInterpolate

The document author has enabled image interpolation. No image
interpolation is allowed.

Example
Process a document and get legal PDF warnings.
var w = this.getLegalWarnings( true );
console.println( "Actual Legal PDF Warnings:" );
for(i in w) console.println( i + " = " + w[i] );
var w1 = this.getLegalWarnings( false );
console.println( "Declared Legal PDF Warnings:" );
for(i in w1) console.println( i + " = " + w1[i] );
// For a certification signature, note also if annotations are
// allowed by MDP settings
var f = this.getField( "AuthorSig" );
var s = f.signatureInfo();
if( s.mdp == "defaultAndComments" )
console.println( "Annotations are allowed" );
// What does the author have to say about all this?
console.println( "Legal PDF Attestation:" );
console.println( w1.Attestation );

getLinks
6.0
Gets an array of Link objects that are enclosed within specified coordinates on a page. See also addLink
and removeLinks.

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Parameters
nPage

The page that contains the Link objects. The first page is 0.

oCoords

An array of four numbers in rotated user space, the coordinates of a rectangle listed
in the following order: upper-left x, upper-left y, lower-right x and lower-right y.

Returns
An array of Link objects.

Example
Count the number of links in a document and report to the console.
var numLinks=0;
for ( var p = 0; p < this.numPages; p++)
{
var b = this.getPageBox("Crop", p);
var l = this.getLinks(p, b);
console.println("Number of Links on page " + p +" is " + l.length);
numLinks += l.length;
}
console.println("Number of Links in Document is " + numLinks);

getNthFieldName
4.0
Gets the name of the nth field in the document. See also numFields.

Parameters
nIndex

The index of the field whose name should be obtained.

Returns
The name of the field in the document.

Example
Enumerate through all of the fields in the document.
for (var i = 0; i < this.numFields; i++)
console.println("Field[" + i + "] = " + this.getNthFieldName(i));

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getNthTemplate
X
Note: This method is superseded by the templates property, the getTemplate method, and the
Template object.
Gets the name of the nth template within the document.

Parameters
nIndex

The index of the template to obtain.

Returns
The name of the specified template.

getOCGs
6.0
Gets an array of OCG objects found on a specified page.
Related methods are getOCGOrder and setOCGOrder, and the OCG object.

Parameters
nPage

(optional) The 0-based page number. If not specified, all the OCGs found in the
document are returned.
If no argument is passed, returns all OCGs listed in alphabetical order, by name. If
nPage is passed, this method returns the OCGs for that page, in the order they were
created.

Returns
An array of OCG objects or null if no OCGs are present.

Example
Turn on all the OCGs on the given document and page.
function TurnOnOCGsForPage(doc, nPage)
{
var ocgArray = doc.getOCGs(nPage);
for (var i=0; i < ocgArray.length; i++)
ocgArray[i].state = true;
}

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getOCGOrder

getOCGOrder
7.0
Returns this document’s OCGOrder array. This array represents how layers are displayed in the UI.
Related methods are getOCGs and setOCGOrder, and the OCG object.

Returns
An array containing OCG objects, strings, and similar subarrays, or null if no OCGs are present.
See setOCGOrder for a description of the order array.

getPageBox
5.0
Gets a rectangle in rotated user space that encompasses the named box for the page. See also
setPageBoxes.

Parameters
cBox

(optional) The type of box. Values are:
Art
Bleed
BBox
Crop (default)
Trim

For definitions of these boxes see the PDF Reference version 1.7.
nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page. The default is 0, the first page in the
document.

Returns
A rectangle in rotated user space that encompasses the named box for the page.

Example
Get the dimensions of the Media box.
var aRect = this.getPageBox("Media");
var width = aRect[2] - aRect[0];
var height = aRect[1] - aRect[3];
console.println("Page 1 has a width of " + width + " and a height of "
+ height);

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getPageLabel

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getPageLabel
5.0
Gets page label information for the specified page.

Parameters
nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page. The default is 0, the first page in the document.

Returns
Page label information for the specified page.

Example
See setPageLabels for an example.

getPageNthWord
5.0

S

Gets the nth word on the page.
See also getPageNumWords and selectPageNthWord.
Note: This method throws an exception if the document security is set to prevent content extraction.

Parameters
nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page. The default is 0, the first page in the document.

nWord

(optional) The 0-based index of the word. The default is 0, the first word on the page.

bStrip

(optional) Specifies whether punctuation and white space should be removed from the
word before returning. The default is true.

Returns
The nth word on the page.

Example
See Example 2 of spell.checkWord for an example.

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getPageNthWordQuads
5.0

S

Gets the quads list for the nth word on the page. The quads property of the Annotation object can be
used for constructing text markup, underline, strikeout, highlight and squiggly annotations. See also
getPageNthWord, getPageNumWords, and selectPageNthWord.
Note: This method throws an exception if the document security is set to prevent content extraction.

Parameters
nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page. The default is 0, the first page in the
document.

nWord

(optional) The 0-based index of the word. The default is 0, the first word on the page.

Returns
The quads list for the nth word on the page.

Example
Underline the fifth word on the second page of a document.
var annot = this.addAnnot({
page: 1,
type: "Underline",
quads: this.getPageNthWordQuads(1, 4),
author: "A. C. Robat",
contents: "Fifth word on second page"
});

See spell.checkWord for an additional example.

getPageNumWords
5.0
Gets the number of words on the page.
See also getPageNthWord, getPageNthWordQuads, and selectPageNthWord.

Parameters
nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page. The default is 0, the first page in the document.

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Returns
The number of words on the page.

Example
Count the number of words in a document
var cnt=0;
for (var p = 0; p < this.numPages; p++)
cnt += getPageNumWords(p);
console.println("There are " + cnt + " words in this doc.");

See Example 2 of spell.checkWord for an additional example.

getPageRotation
5.0
Gets the rotation of the specified page. See also setPageRotations.

Parameters
nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page. The default is 0, the first page in the document.

Returns
The rotation value of 0, 90, 180, or 270.

getPageTransition
5.0
Gets the transition of the specified page. See also setPageTransitions.

Parameters
nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page. The default is 0, the first page in the document.

Returns
An array of three values: [ nDuration, cTransition, nTransDuration ].
●

nDuration is the maximum amount of time the page is displayed before the viewer automatically

turns to the next page. A duration of -1 indicates that there is no automatic page turning.
●

cTransition is the name of the transition to apply to the page. See the property
app.fs.transitions for a list of valid transitions.

●

cTransDuration is the duration (in seconds) of the transition effect.

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getPrintParams
6.0
Gets a PrintParams object that reflects the default print settings. See the print method, which now
takes the PrintParams object as its parameter.

Returns
A PrintParams object.

Example
Get the PrintParams object of the default printer.
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.colorOverride = pp.colorOverrides.mono; // Set some properties
this.print(pp); // Print

getSound
5.0
Gets the sound object corresponding to the specified name. See also sounds, importSound,
deleteSound, and the Sound object.

Parameters
cName

The name of the object to obtain.

Returns
The Sound object corresponding to the specified name.

Example
Play a sound.
var s = this.getSound("Moo");
console.println("Playing the " + s.name + " sound.");
s.play();

getTemplate
5.0
Gets the named template from the document. See also templates, createTemplate,
removeTemplate, and the Template object.

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Parameters
The name of the template to retrieve.

cName

Returns
The Template object or null if the named template does not exist in the document.

Example
Try to get a particular template and determine if it is hidden or visible.
var t = this.getTemplate("myTemplate");
if ( t != null ) console.println( "myTemplate exists and is "
+ eval( '( t.hidden) ? "hidden" : "visible"' ) + ".");
else console.println( "myTemplate is not present!");

getURL
4.0

D

S

X

Gets the specified URL over the Internet using a GET. If the current document is being viewed inside the
browser or Acrobat Web Capture is not available, the method uses the Acrobat Weblink plug-in to retrieve
the requested URL. If running inside Acrobat, the method gets the URL of the current document either
from the baseURL, from the URL of the first page (page 0) if the document was obtained by Web Capture,
or from the file system.
Note: This method does not support URLs that begin with either scheme name javascript or file.
Note: This method is not available for Adobe Reader when the bAppend parameter is set to true.
This method roughly corresponds to the “open a web page” action.
A related method is app.launchURL.

Parameters
cURL

A fully qualified URL or a relative URL. There can be a query string at the end of the
URL.

bAppend

(optional) If true (the default), the resulting page or pages should be appended to
the current document. This flag is considered to be false if the document is
running inside the web browser, the Acrobat Web Capture plug-in is not available, or
if the URL is of type "file:///".
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, if bAppend is true, the getURL method can only
be executed during a console or batch event. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32 for details.

Example
this.getURL("http://www.adobe.com/", false);

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gotoNamedDest
3.01
Goes to a named destination within the PDF document. For details on named destinations and how to
create them, see the PDF Reference version 1.7.

Parameters
The name of the destination within a document.

cName

Example
Open a document, and go to a named destination within that document. The example assumes the
document being opened by openDoc is disclosed.
// Open a new document
var myNovelDoc = app.openDoc("/c/fiction/myNovel.pdf");
// Go to a destination in this new doc
myNovelDoc.gotoNamedDest("chapter5");
// Close the old document
this.closeDoc();

See Example 6 (Acrobat 8.0) following openDoc on page 133 for a more efficient way of performing this
same task.

importAnFDF
4.0

D

F

Imports the specified FDF file. See also importAnXFDF and importTextData.

Parameters
cPath

(optional) The device-independent path to the FDF file. It should look like the value of
the F entry in an FDF file exported with the submitForm method or with the Forms >
Manage Form Data > Export Data From Form menu item. The path may be relative to the
location of the current document. If this parameter is omitted, a dialog box is shown to
let the user select the file.

Example
The following code, which is an action of a Page Open event, checks whether a certain function,
ProcResponse, is already defined, if not, it installs a document-level JavaScript, which resides in an FDF
file.
if(typeof ProcResponse == "undefined") this.importAnFDF("myDLJS.fdf");

Here, the path is a relative one. This technique may be useful for automatically installing document-level
scripts for PDF files distilled from a PostScript file.

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importAnXFDF
5.0

D

F

Imports the specified XFDF file containing XML form data.
XFDF is an XML representation of Acrobat form data. See the document XML Form Data Format (XFDF)
Specification (see “Related documentation” on page 28).
See also exportAsXFDF, importAnFDF and importTextData.

Parameters
(optional) The device-independent path to the XFDF file. The path may be relative to
the location of the current document. If the parameter is omitted, a dialog box is
shown to let the user select the file.

cPath

importDataObject
5.0

D

S

Imports an external file into the document and associates the specified name with the data object. Data
objects can later be extracted or manipulated.
Related objects, properties, and methods are dataObjects, getDataObject, openDataObject,
createDataObject, exportDataObject, importDataObject, getDataObjectContents, and
setDataObjectContents, and the Data object.
Note: If the cDIPath parameter is specified, this method can only be executed during a batch or
console event, or through an external call (for example, OLE). See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. See the event object for a discussion of
JavaScript events.
When a file attachment is imported using importDataObject, the value of its Data.name is assigned
by the parameter cName. However, when a file is attached using the UI, its name is automatically assigned.
The attachments are assigned the sequential names “Untitled Object”, “Untitled Object 2”, “Untitled Object
3”, and so on.

Parameters
cName

The name to associate with the data object.

cDIPath

(optional) A device-independent path to a data file on the user’s hard drive. This path
may be absolute or relative to the current document. If not specified, the user is
prompted to locate a data file.

cCryptFilter

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) The language-independent name of a crypt filter to use when
encrypting this data object. This crypt filter must have previously been added to the
document’s list of crypt filters, using the Doc addRecipientListCryptFilter
method, otherwise an exception will be thrown. To leave this data object
unencrypted in a file that is encrypted by the Doc encryptForRecipients
method, the predefined Identity crypt filter can be used.

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Returns
true on success. An exception is thrown on failure.

Example
Attach two files into current document, and write all Data object information to the console.
function DumpDataObjectInfo(dataobj)
{
for (var i in dataobj)
console.println(dataobj.name + "[" + i + "]=" + dataobj[i]);
}
// Prompt the user for a data file to embed.
this.importDataObject("MyData");
DumpDataObjectInfo(this.getDataObject("MyData"));
// Embed Foo.xml (found in the parent directory for this doc).
this.importDataObject("MyData2", "../Foo.xml");
DumpDataObjectInfo(this.getDataObject("MyData2"));

importIcon
5.0

D

S

Imports an icon into the document and associates it with the specified name.
See also icons, addIcon, getIcon, removeIcon, the Field object methods buttonGetIcon,
buttonImportIcon, buttonSetIcon, and the Icon object.
Beginning with version 6.0, Acrobat will first attempt to open cDIPath as a PDF file. On failure, Acrobat
will try to convert cDIPath to PDF from one of the known graphics formats (BMP, GIF, JPEG, PCX, PNG,
TIFF) and then import the converted file as a button icon.
Note: If cDIPath is specified, this method can only be executed during a batch or console event. See
“Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. The event object contains a
discussion of Acrobat JavaScript events.

Parameters
cName

The name to associate with the icon.

cDIPath

(optional) A device-independent path to a PDF file on the user’s hard drive. This path
may be absolute or relative to the current document. cDIPath may only be
specified in a batch environment or from the console. If not specified, the nPage
parameter is ignored and the user is prompted to locate a PDF file and browse to a
particular page.

nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page in the PDF file to import as an icon. The
default is 0.

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importSound

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Returns
An integer code indicating whether it was successful or not:
0 — No error
1 — The user cancelled the dialog box
-1 — The selected file could not be opened
-2 — The selected page was invalid

Example
This function is useful to populate a document with a series of named icons for later retrieval. For example,
an author may want a picture of a list box state to appear next to the list box when the user selects the
state in a list box. Without this function, it could be done by using a number of fields that could be hidden
and shown. However, this is difficult to author. Instead, the appropriate script might be something like this:
var f = this.getField("StateListBox");
var b = this.getField("StateButton");
b.buttonSetIcon(this.getIcon(f.value));

This uses a single field to perform the same effect.
A simple user interface can be constructed to add named icons to a document. Assume the existence of
two fields: a field called IconName that will contain the icon name and a field called IconAdd that will
add the icon to the document. The mouse-up script for IconAdd would be:
var t = this.getField("IconName");
this.importIcon(t.value);

The same kind of script can be applied in a batch setting to populate a document with every selected icon
file in a folder.

importSound
5.0

D

S

Imports a sound into the document and associates the specified name with the sound.
Note: If cDIPath is specified, this method can only be executed during a batch or console event. See
“Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. The event object contains a
discussion of JavaScript events.

Parameters
cName

The name to associate with the sound object.

cDIPath

(optional) A device-independent path to a sound file on the user’s hard drive. This
path may be absolute or relative to the current document. If not specified, the user is
prompted to locate a sound file.

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Example
Import two sounds and play them.
this.importSound("Moo");
this.getSound("Moo").play();
this.importSound("Moof", "./moof.wav");
this.getSound("Moof").play();

See also sounds, getSound, deleteSound, and the Sound object.

importTextData
5.0

D

S

F

Imports a row of data from a text file. Each row must be tab delimited. The entries in the first row of the text
file are the column names of the tab delimited data. These names are also field names for text fields
present in the PDF file. The data row numbers are 0-based; that is, the first row of data is row zero (this does
not include the column name row). When a row of data is imported, each column datum becomes the field
value of the field that corresponds to the column to which the data belongs.
See also the export version of this method, exportAsText.
Note: (Acrobat 8.0) If cPath is specified, this method can only be executed during batch and console
events. See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. The event object
contains a discussion of JavaScript events.

Parameters
cPath

(optional) A relative device-independent path to the text file. If not specified, the user
is prompted to locate the text data file.

nRow

(optional) The 0-based index of the row of the data to import, not counting the
header row. If not specified, the user is prompted to select the row to import.

Returns
An integer return code.
Return code

Description

-3

Warning: Missing Data

-2

Warning: User Cancelled Row Select

-1

Warning: User Cancelled File Select

0

No Error

1

Error: Cannot Open File

2

Error: Cannot Load Data

3

Error: Invalid Row

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importXFAData

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Example 1
In this example, there are text fields named “First”, “Middle”, and “Last”, and a data file whose first row
consists of the three strings, “First”, “Middle”, and “Last”, separated by tabs, along with four additional rows
of tab-separated name data.
First
Middle
Last
A.
C.
Robat
T.
A.
Croba
A.
T.
Acrob
B.
A.
Tacro
// Import the first row of data from "myData.txt".
this.importTextData("/c/data/myData.txt", 0)

Example (continued)
The following code is a mouse-up action for a button. Clicking on the button cycles through the text file
and populates the three fields “First”, “Middle”, and “Last” with the name data.
if (typeof cnt == "undefined") cnt = 0;
this.importTextData("/c/data/textdata.txt", cnt++ % 4)

The same functionality can be obtained using the ADBC object and associated properties and methods.
The data file can be a spreadsheet or a database.

importXFAData
6.0

D

S

F

Imports the specified XFA file. See also importAnXFDF and importTextData.
Note: This method is only allowed in batch and console events. See “Privileged versus non-privileged
context” on page 32 for details.

Parameters
(optional) The device-independent path of the XFA file. The path may be relative to
the location of the current document. If this parameter is omitted, a dialog box is
shown to let the user select the file.

cPath

insertPages
5.0

D

S

X

Inserts pages from the source document into the current document. If a page range is not specified, the
method gets all pages in the source document.
See also deletePages and replacePages.
Note: This method can only be executed during batch and console events. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. The event object contains a discussion of
JavaScript events.

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mailDoc

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Parameters
nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page after which to insert the source document
pages. Use -1 to insert pages before the first page of the document.

cPath

The device-independent path to the PDF file that will provide the inserted pages. The
path may be relative to the location of the current document.

nStart

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the start of an inclusive range of pages in the
source document to insert. If only nStart is specified, the range of pages is the
single page specified by nStart.

nEnd

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the end of an inclusive range of pages in the
source document to insert. If only nEnd is specified, the range of pages is 0 to nEnd.

Example
Insert a cover page to the current document.
this.insertPages ({
nPage: -1,
cPath: "/c/temp/myCoverPage.pdf",
nStart: 0
});

mailDoc
4.0

S

Saves the current PDF document and mails it as an attachment to all recipients, with or without user
interaction.
See also mailForm, app.mailGetAddrs, app.mailMsg, the FDF object mail method and the Report
object mail method.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) When this method is executed in a non-privileged context, the bUI parameter is not
honored and defaults to true. See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for
details.
(Save Rights) For Adobe Reader 5.1 and later, this method is allowed, but document Save rights are
required in case the document is changed.
On Windows, the client computer must have its default mail program configured to be MAPI
enabled to use this method.

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Parameters
bUI

(optional) If true (the default), the rest of the parameters are used in a
compose-new-message window that is displayed to the user. If false, the cTo
parameter is required and all others are optional.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) When this method is executed in a non-privileged context, the
bUI parameter is not honored and defaults to true. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32.

cTo

(optional) The semicolon-delimited list of recipients for the message.

cCc

(optional) The semicolon-delimited list of CC recipients for the message.

cBcc

(optional) The semicolon-delimited list of BCC recipients for the message.

cSubject

(optional) The subject of the message. The length limit is 64 KB.

cMsg

(optional) The content of the message. The length limit is 64 KB.

Example
Open the compose message window.
this.mailDoc(true);

Send email with the attached PDF file to apstory@example.com and dpsmith@example.com.
Beginning with Acrobat 7.0, the code below would have to be executed in a privileged context if the bUI
parameter (set to false) is to be honored.
this.mailDoc({
bUI: false,
cTo: "apstory@example.com",
cCC: "dpsmith@example.com",
cSubject: "The Latest News",
cMsg: "A.P., attached is my latest news story in PDF."
});

mailForm
4.0

F

Exports the form data and mails the resulting FDF file as an attachment to all recipients, with or without
user interaction. The method does not support signed signature fields.
See also mailDoc, app.mailGetAddrs, app.mailMsg, the FDF object mail method and the Report
object mail method.
Note: On Windows, the client machine must have its default mail program configured to be MAPI enabled
to use this method.

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movePage

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Parameters
If true, the rest of the parameters are used in a compose-new-message window that
is displayed to the user. If false, the cTo parameter is required and all others are
optional.

bUI

Note: (Acrobat 7.0) When this method is executed in a non-privileged context, the
bUI parameter is not honored and defaults to true. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32.
cTo

(required if bUI is true) A semicolon-delimited list of recipients for the message.

cCc

(optional) A semicolon-delimited list of CC recipients for the message.

cBcc

(optional) A semicolon-delimited list of BCC recipients for the message.

cSubject

(optional) The subject of the message. The length limit is 64 KB.

cMsg

(optional) The content of the message. The length limit is 64 KB.

Example
Open the compose message window.
this.mailForm(true);

Send the mail with the attached FDF file to fun1@example.com and fun2@example.com.
this.mailForm(false, "fun1@example.com; fun2@example.com", "", "",
"This is the subject", "This is the body of the mail.");

movePage
5.0

D

X

Moves a page within the document.

Parameters
nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page to move. The default is 0.

nAfter

(optional) The 0-based index of the page after which to move the specified page. Use
-1 to move the page before the first page of the document. The default is the last
page in the document.

Example
Reverse the pages in the document.
for (i = this.numPages - 1; i >= 0; i--) this.movePage(i);

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newPage

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newPage
6.0

D

S

X

Adds a new page to the active document.
Note: This method can only be executed during batch and console events. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32 for details.

Parameters
nPage

(optional) The page after which to add the new page in a 1-based page numbering
system. The default is the last page of the document. Use 0 to add a page before the
first page. An invalid page range is truncated to the valid range of pages.

nWidth

(optional) The width of the page in points. The default value is 612.

nHeight

(optional) The height of the page in points. The default value is 792.

Example
Add a new page to match the page size of the doc.
var Rect = this.getPageBox("Crop");
this.newPage(0, Rect[2], Rect[1]);

openDataObject
7.0
Returns the Doc of a PDF document that is an embedded data object (an attachment) within the
document that this method is being called for.
The method can throw an exception instead of returning a Doc if any of the following conditions are true:
●

The document that this method is being called for does not contain the requested embedded data
object.

●

The data object is not a PDF document.

●

Permissions forbid opening attachments by means of JavaScript.

The document should be closed (using closeDoc) after it is no longer needed.

Parameters
cName

The name of the data object.

The name of a data object is a property of the Data object. A name is given to the object when it is
embedded, automatically by the Acrobat UI, or programmatically by the JavaScript methods
createDataObject or importDataObject.

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print

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Returns
Doc or an exception is thrown.
Related objects, properties, and methods are dataObjects, getDataObjectContents,
setDataObjectContents, createDataObject, and importDataObject, and the Data object.

Example
Open a PDF attachment and extract form data from it.
var oDoc = this.openDataObject("myAttachment");
try {
var myField = this.getField("myTextField");
// Get the value of "yourTextField" in PDF attachment
var yourField = oDoc.getField("yourTextField");
// View this value in "myTextField"
myField.value = yourField.value;
oDoc.closeDoc();
} catch(e) { app.alert("Operation failed");}

See also “Example 5 (Acrobat 7.0)” on page 349 following the submitForm method.

print
3.01

S

Prints all or a specific number of pages of the document.
Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, the method can print the document using the settings contained in a
PrintParams object, rather than through the other parameters. The permanent print settings are not
altered.
Note: (Acrobat 6.0) When printing to a file, the path must be a safe path (see “Safe path” on page 31). The
print method will not overwrite an existing file.
(Acrobat 7.0) Non-interactive printing can only be executed during batch, console, and menu
events. Printing is made non-interactive by setting bUI to false or by setting the interactive
property to silent, for example:
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.interactive = pp.constants.interactionLevel.silent;

Outside of batch, console, and menu events, the values of bUI and of interactive are ignored
and a print dialog box will always be presented.
See also “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32.
Note: On a Windows platform, the file name must include an extension of .ps or .prn (case insensitive).
Additionally, the print method will not create a file directly in the root directory, the windows
directory, or the windows system directory.
An InvalidArgsError (see Error object) exception will be thrown and print will fail if any of
the above security restrictions are not met.

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Parameters
bUI

(optional) If true (the default), will cause a UI to be presented to the user to obtain
printing information and confirm the action.

nStart

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the start of an inclusive range of pages. If
nStart and nEnd are not specified, all pages in the document are printed. If only
nStart is specified, the range of pages is the single page specified by nStart.
If nStart and nEnd parameters are used, bUI must be false.

nEnd

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the end of an inclusive page range. If nStart
and nEnd are not specified, all pages in the document are printed. If only nEnd is
specified, the range of a pages is 0 to nEnd.
If nStart and nEnd parameters are used, bUI must be false.

bSilent

(optional) If true, suppresses the cancel dialog box while the document is printing.
The default is false.

bShrinkToFit

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) If true, the page is shrunk (if necessary) to fit within the
imageable area of the printed page. If false, it is not. The default is false.

bPrintAsImage (optional, Acrobat 5.0) If true, print pages as an image. The default is false.
bReverse

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) If true, print from nEnd to nStart. The default is false.

bAnnotations

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) If true (the default), annotations are printed.

printParams

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) The PrintParams object containing the settings to use for
printing. If this parameter is passed, any other parameters are ignored.

Example 1
Print the current page.
this.print(false, this.pageNum, this.pageNum);
// Print a file silently
this.print({bUI: false, bSilent: true, bShrinkToFit: true});

Example 2 (Acrobat 6.0)
Print current document to a known printer.
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.interactive = pp.constants.interactionLevel.automatic;
pp.printerName = "hp officejet d series";
this.print(pp);

Note: If printerName is an empty string and fileName is nonempty, the current document is saved to
disk as a PostScript file.

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Example 3 (Acrobat 6.0)
Save the current document as a PostScript file.
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.fileName = "/c/temp/myDoc.ps";
pp.printerName = "";
this.print(pp);

removeDataObject
5.0

D

D

Deletes the data object corresponding to the specified name from the document.
Related objects, properties, and methods are dataObjects, getDataObject, openDataObject,
createDataObject, removeDataObject, importDataObject, getDataObjectContents, and
setDataObjectContents, and the Data object.

Parameters
The name of the data object to remove.

cName

The name of a data object is a property of the Data object. A name is given to the object when it is
embedded, either automatically by the Acrobat UI or programmatically by the JavaScript methods
createDataObject or importDataObject.

Example
this.removeDataObject("MyData");

removeField
5.0

D

F

Removes the specified field from the document. If the field appears on more than one page, all
representations are removed.
Note: (Acrobat 6.0): Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, removeField can be used from within Adobe Reader
for documents with forms usage rights.

Parameters
cName

The field name to remove.

Example
this.removeField("myBadField");

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removeIcon
5.0

D

X

Removes the specified named icon from the document.
See also icons, addIcon, getIcon, and importIcon, the Field object methods buttonGetIcon,
buttonImportIcon, and buttonSetIcon, and the Icon object.

Parameters
The name of the icon to remove.

cName

The name of the icon is a property of the Icon object. A name is given to the object either by
importIcon, when the icon file is imported into the document, or by addIcon, which names an icon
that is not in the document-level named icons tree.

Example
Remove all named icons from the document.
for ( var i = 0; i < this.icons.length; i++)
this.removeIcon(this.icons[i].name);

removeLinks
6.0

D

X

If the user has permission to remove links from the document, removes all the links on the specified page
within the specified coordinates
See also addLink, getLinks, and the Link object.

Parameters
nPage

The 0-based index of the page from which to remove links.

oCoords

An array of four numbers in rotated user space, the coordinates of a rectangle listed
in the following order: upper-left x, upper-left y, lower-right x, and lower-right y.

Example
Remove all links from the document.
// Remove all links from the document
for ( var p = 0; p < this.numPages; p++)
{
var b = this.getPageBox("Crop", p);
this.removeLinks(p, b);
}

Use getLinks to help count the number of links removed.

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removeRequirement

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removeRequirement
7.0.5

D

S

X

Removes an existing requirement present in a PDF document. Removing a requirement frees Acrobat from
having to fulfill it to open the document. The document may not function properly if a requirement is
removed.
Note: This method can only be called from a console or batch event.

Parameters
The type of requirement to be removed. The types are described by the
Requirements Enumerator object.

cType

removeScript
7.0

D

X

Removes a document-level JavaScript, if permissions for script removal is granted.

Parameters
A string that specifies the name of the script to be removed.

cName

Returns
The value undefined on success. The method throws an exception if the script is not found.

Example
Add a document-level script, then remove it.
this.addScript("myScript", "app.alert('A.C. Robat welcomes you!')");

Now remove this script:
this.removeScript("myScript");

removeTemplate
5.0

D

S

X

Removes the named template from the document.
See also templates, createTemplate, getTemplate, and the Template object.
Note: This method can only be executed during a batch or console event. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. See the event object for a discussion of JavaScript
events.

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Parameters
The name of the template to remove.

cName

The template name is a property of the Template object. A name is given to a template when it is created,
either by the Acrobat UI or by the JavaScript method getTemplate.

removeThumbnails
5.0

D

X

Deletes thumbnails for the specified pages in the document. See also addThumbnails.

Parameters
nStart

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the start of an inclusive range of pages. If
nStart and nEnd are not specified, operates on all pages in the document. If only
nStart is specified, the range of pages is the single page specified by nStart.

nEnd

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the end of an inclusive range of pages. If
nStart and nEnd are not specified, operates on all pages in the document. If only
nEnd is specified, the range of pages is 0 to nEnd.

removeWeblinks
5.0

D

X

Scans the specified pages looking for links with actions to go to a particular URL on the web and deletes
them. See also addWeblinks.
Note: This method only removes weblinks authored in the application using the UI. Web links that are
executed through JavaScript (for example, using getURL) are not removed.

Parameters
nStart

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the start of an inclusive range of pages. If
nStart and nEnd are not specified, operates on all pages in the document. If only
nStart is specified, the range of pages is the single page specified by nStart.

nEnd

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the end of an inclusive range of pages. If
nStart and nEnd are not specified, operates on all pages in the document. If only
nEnd is specified, the range of pages is 0 to nEnd.

Returns
The number of web links removed from the document.

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Example
Remove all web links from the document and report results to the console window.
var numWeblinks = this.removeWeblinks();
console.println("There were " + numWeblinks +
" web links removed from the document.");

replacePages
5.0

D

S

X

Replaces pages in the current document with pages from the source document.
See also deletePages, extractPages, and insertPages.
Note: This method can only be executed during a batch or console event. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. See the event object for a discussion of JavaScript
events.

Parameters
nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page at which to start replacement. The default is
0.

cPath

The device-independent path to the PDF file that will provide the replacement
pages. The path may be relative to the location of the current document.

nStart

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the start of an inclusive range of pages in the
source document to be used for replacement.
If nStart and nEnd are not specified, gets all pages in the source document. If only
nStart is specified, the range of pages is the single page specified by nStart.
(optional) A 0-based index that defines the end of an inclusive range of pages in the
source document to be used for replacement.

nEnd

If nStart and nEnd are not specified, gets all pages in the source document. If only
nEnd is specified, the range of pages is 0 to nEnd.

resetForm
3.01

D

F

Resets the field values within a document. Resetting a field causes it to take on its default value (which, in
the case of text fields, is usually blank).
Note: If the form contains signature fields, signature rights are required to use the method in
Adobe Reader.

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Parameters
(optional) An array specifying the fields to reset. If not present or null, all fields in
the form are reset. You can include non-terminal fields in the array.

aFields

Example 1
Select fields to be reset and reset them.
var fields = new Array();
fields[0] = "P1.OrderForm.Description";
fields[1] = "P1.OrderForm.Qty";
this.resetForm(fields);

The same fields can be reset using only one line of code:
this.resetForm(["P1.OrderForm.Description","P1.OrderForm.Qty"]);

Example 2
This example shows how to reset a whole subtree. For example, if you pass “name” as part of the fields
array, all name fields, such as name.first and name.last, are reset.
this.resetForm(["name"]);

saveAs
S

5.0

S

Saves the file to the device-independent path specified by the required parameter, cPath. The file is not
saved optimized for the web. Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, the document can be converted to another file
type (other than PDF) and saved as specified by the value of the cConvID parameter.
Note: This method can only be executed during a batch or console event. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. The event object contains a discussion of
JavaScript events.
(Adobe Reader S): This method is available in Adobe Reader for documents that have Save usage
rights.

Parameters
cPath

The device-independent path in which to save the file.
Note: The parameter cPath must have a safe path (see “Safe path” on
page 31) and an extension appropriate to the value of cConvID. See
the Values of cConvID and Valid Extensions table below. This method
will throw a NotAllowedError (see Error object) exception if
these security conditions are not met, and the method will fail.

cConvID

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) A conversion ID string that specifies the conversion
file type. Currently supported values for cConvID are listed by the
app.fromPDFConverters. If cConvID is not specified, PDF is assumed.

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cFS

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) A string that specifies the source file system name.
Two values are supported: “” (the empty string) representing the default
file system and “CHTTP”. The default is the default file system. This
parameter is only relevant if the web server supports WebDAV.

bCopy

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) A Boolean value which, if true, saves the PDF file as
a copy. The default is false.

bPromptToOverwrite

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) A Boolean value which, if true, prompts the user if
the destination file already exists. The default is false.

Returns
The value undefined is returned on success. An exception is thrown if an error occurs. For example, this
method will throw a NotAllowedError (see Error object) if the user disallows an overwrite.
Note: Prior to Acrobat 7.0, this method had no return value.

Values of cConvID and Valid Extensions
cConvID

Valid extensions

com.adobe.Acrobat.eps

eps

com.adobe.Acrobat.html-3-20

html, htm

com.adobe.Acrobat.html-4-01-css-1-00

html, htm

com.adobe.Acrobat.jpeg

jpeg ,jpg, jpe

com.adobe.Acrobat.jp2k

jpf,jpx,jp2,j2k,j2c,jpc

com.adobe.Acrobat.doc

doc

com.callas.preflight.pdfa

pdf

com.callas.preflight.pdfx

pdf

com.adobe.Acrobat.png

png

com.adobe.Acrobat.ps

ps

com.adobe.Acrobat.rtf

rft

com.adobe.Acrobat.accesstext

txt

com.adobe.Acrobat.plain-text

txt

com.adobe.Acrobat.tiff

tiff, tif

com.adobe.Acrobat.xml-1-00

xml

Note: When the conversion ID corresponds to jpeg, jp2k, png, or tiff, this method saves each page
individually under a file name obtained by appending "_Page_#" to the basename of the file
name provided. For example, if the value of the cPath is
"/C/temp/mySaveAsDocs/myJPGs.jpg", the names of the files generated will be
myJPGs_Page_1.jpg, myJPGs_Page_2.jpg, and so on.

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Example 1
The following code, which could appear as a batch sequence, is an outline of a script. It assumes a PDF file
containing form fields is open. The fields must be populated from a database and the document saved.
// code lines to read from a database and populate the form with data
// now save file to a folder; use customerID from database record
// as name
var row = statement.getRow();
.......
this.saveAs("/c/customer/invoices/" + row.customerID + ".pdf");

Example 2
You can use newDoc and addField to dynamically lay out a form, then populate it from a database and
save.
var myDoc = app.newDoc()
// layout some dynamic form fields
// connect to database, populate with data, perhaps from a database
..........
// save the doc and/or print it; print it silently this time
// to default printer
myDoc.saveAs("/c/customer/invoices/" + row.customerID + ".pdf");
myDoc.closeDoc(true);
// close the doc, no notification

Example 3 (Acrobat 6.0)
Save the current document in rich text format:
this.saveAs("/c/myDocs/myDoc.rtf", "com.adobe.Acrobat.rtf");

See fromPDFConverters for a listing of supported conversion ID strings.

Example 3 (Acrobat 7.0)
Save the document to a WebDAV folder.
this.saveAs({
cPath: "http://www.example.com/WebDAV/myDoc.pdf",
bPromptToOverwrite: true,
cFS: "CHTTP"
});

scroll
3.01
Scrolls the specified point on the current page into the middle of the current view. These coordinates must
be defined in rotated user space. See the PDF Reference version 1.7 for details.

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Parameters
nX

The x coordinate for the point to scroll.

nY

The y coordinate for the point to scroll.

selectPageNthWord
5.0
Changes the current page number and selects the specified word on the page.
See also getPageNthWord, getPageNthWordQuads, and getPageNumWords.

Parameters
nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page to operate on. The default is 0, the first page
in the document.

nWord

(optional) The 0-based index of the word to obtain. The default is 0, the first word on
the page.

bScroll

(optional) Specifies whether to scroll the selected word into the view if it is not
already viewable. The default is true.

Example
Get and select a particular word.
// Get the 20th word on page 2 (page 1, 0-based)
var cWord = this.getPageNthWord(1, 20);
// Select that word (highlight) for the user to see, and change the page if
// necessary.
this.selectPageNthWord(1, 20);

setAction
6.0

D

X

Sets the JavaScript action of the document for a given trigger.
See also addScript, setPageAction, the Bookmark object setAction method, and the Field object
setAction method.
Note: This method will overwrite any action already defined for the selected trigger.

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setDataObjectContents

Parameters
cTrigger

The name of the trigger point to which to attach the action. Values are:
WillClose
WillSave
DidSave
WillPrint
DidPrint

cScript

The JavaScript expression to be executed when the trigger is activated.

Example
Insert WillSave and DidSave actions. The code gets the file size before saving and after saving, and
compares the two.
// WillSave script
var myWillSave = 'var filesizeBeforeSave = this.filesize;\r'
+ 'console.println("File size before saving is " + '
+ ' filesizeBeforeSave );';
// DidSave script
var myDidSave = 'var filesizeAfterSave = this.filesize;\r'
+ 'console.println("File size after saving is "'
+ 'filesizeAfterSave);\r'
+ 'var difference = filesizeAfterSave - filesizeBeforeSave;\r'
+ 'console.println("The difference is " + difference );\r'
+ 'if ( difference < 0 )\r\t'
+ 'console.println("Reduced filesize!");\r'
+ 'else\r\t'
+ 'console.println("Increased filesize!");'
// Set document actions...
this.setAction("WillSave", myWillSave);
this.setAction("DidSave", myDidSave);

setDataObjectContents
7.0

D

Replaces the file attachment specified by the parameter cName with the contents of the oStream
parameter.

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Parameters
cName

The name associated with the Data object that is to be replaced with oStream.

oStream

A ReadStream object representing the contents of the file attachment.

cCryptFilter

(optional) The language-independent name of a crypt filter to use when encrypting
this data object. This crypt filter must have previously been added to the document’s
list of crypt filters, using the addRecipientListCryptFilter method,
otherwise, an exception will be thrown. The predefined Identity crypt filter can be
used so that this data object is not encrypted in a file that is otherwise encrypted by
the encryptForRecipients method.

Example 1
See the “Example” on page 300.

Example 2
This document has a file attachment named Acrobat.xml. The attachment is opened, the XML data is
updated, then the new XML document is saved back to the attachment. It is possible to submit this XML
file attachment. See “Example 5 (Acrobat 7.0)” on page 349, following the submitForm method. This
example uses the XML data defined in the Example following XMLData.applyXPath.
// Get the file stream object of the attachment
var Acrobat = this.getDataObjectContents("Acrobat.xml");
// Convert to a string
var cAcrobat = util.stringFromStream(Acrobat, "utf-8");
// Parse this and get XFAObject
var myXML = XMLData.parse(cAcrobat,false);
// Change the value of grandad's income
myXML.family.grandad.personal.income.value = "300000";
// Save the XML document as a string, cAcrobat
var cAcrobat = myXML.saveXML('pretty');
// Convert to a file stream
var Acrobat = util.streamFromString(cAcrobat, "utf-8");
// Now "update" the attachment Acrobat.xml with this file stream
this.setDataObjectContents("Acrobat.xml", Acrobat);

Related objects, properties, and methods are dataObjects, getDataObject, openDataObject,
createDataObject, importDataObject, getDataObjectContents, and removeDataObject,
and the Data object.

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setOCGOrder
7.0

D

X

Sets this document’s OCGOrder array. This array represents how layers are displayed in the UI.
The simplest order array is a flat array of OCG objects. In this case, the listed OCGs are displayed in the UI as
a flat list in the same order. If a subarray is present in the order array and the first element of the array is a
string, the string will be listed with the rest of the array nested underneath it. If the first element of the
array is not a string, the entire array will appear nested underneath the OCG preceding the subarray.
Related methods are getOCGs and getOCGOrder, and the OCG object.

Parameters
oOrderArray

The array to be used as this document’s OCG Order array.

Example
Reverse the order of OCGs as listed in the UI.
var ocgOrder = this.getOCGOrder();
var newOrder = new Array();
for (var j=0; j < ocgOrder.length; j++)
newOrder[j] = ocgOrder[ocgOrder.length-j-1];
this.setOCGOrder(newOrder);

setPageAction
6.0

D

X

Sets the action of a page in a document for a given trigger.
See also setAction, addScript, the Bookmark object setAction method, and the Field object
setAction method.
Note: This method will overwrite any action already defined for the chosen page and trigger.

Parameters
nPage

The 0-based index of the page in the document to which an action is added.

cTrigger

The trigger for the action. Values are:
Open
Close

cScript

The JavaScript expression to be executed when the trigger is activated.

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Example
This example causes the application to beep when the first page is opened.
this.setPageAction(0, "Open", "app.beep(0);");

setPageBoxes
5.0

D

X

Sets a rectangle that encompasses the named box for the specified pages.
See also getPageBox.

Parameters
(optional) The box type value, one of:

cBox

Art
Bleed
Crop
Media
Trim

Note that the BBox box type is read-only and only supported in getPageBox. For
definitions of these boxes, see the PDF Reference version 1.7.
nStart

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the start of an inclusive range of pages in the
document to be operated on. If nStart and nEnd are not specified, operates on all
pages in the document. If only nStart is specified, the range of pages is the single
page specified by nStart.

nEnd

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the end of an inclusive range of pages in the
document to be operated on. If nStart and nEnd are not specified, operates on all
pages in the document.

rBox

(optional) An array of four numbers in rotated user space to which to set the
specified box. If not provided, the specified box is removed.

setPageLabels
5.0

D

X

Establishes the numbering scheme for the specified page and all pages following it until the next page
with an attached label is encountered.
See also getPageLabel.

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setPageRotations

Parameters
nPage

(optional) The 0-based index for the page to be labeled.

aLabel

(optional) An array of three required items [cStyle, cPrefix, nStart ]:
●

cStyle is the style of page numbering. It can be:
D — decimal numbering
R or r — roman numbering, upper or lower case
A or a — alphabetic numbering, upper or lower case

See the PDF Reference version 1.7 for the exact definitions of these styles.
●

cPrefix is a string to prefix the numeric portion of the page label.

●

nStart is the ordinal with which to start numbering the pages.

If not supplied, any page numbering is removed for the specified page and any
others up to the next specified label.
The value of aLabel cannot be null.

Example 1
For the ten pages in the document, label the first three with small roman numerals, the next five with
numbers (starting at 1) and the last two with an “Appendix-” prefix and alphabetics.
this.setPageLabels(0, [ "r", "", 1]);
this.setPageLabels(3, [ "D", "", 1]);
this.setPageLabels(8, [ "A", "Appendix-", 1]);
var s = this.getPageLabel(0);
for (var i = 1; i < this.numPages; i++)
s += ", " + this.getPageLabel(i);
console.println(s);

The example will produce the following output on the console:
i, ii, iii, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Appendix-A, Appendix-B

Example 2
Remove all page labels from a document.
for (var i = 0; i < this.numPages; i++) {
if (i + 1 != this.getPageLabel(i)) {
// Page label does not match ordinal page number.
this.setPageLabels(i);
}
}

setPageRotations
5.0

D

X

Rotates the specified pages in the current document.
See also getPageRotation.

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Parameters
nStart

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the start of an inclusive range of pages in the
document to be operated on. If nStart and nEnd are not specified, operates on all
pages in the document. If only nStart is specified, the range of pages is the single
page specified by nStart.

nEnd

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the end of an inclusive range of pages in the
document to be operated on. If nStart and nEnd are not specified, operates on all
pages in the document. If only nEnd is specified, the range of pages is 0 to nEnd.

nRotate

(optional) The amount of rotation that should be applied to the target pages. Can be
0, 90, 180, or 270. The default is 0.

Example
Rotate pages 0 through 10 of the current document.
this.setPageRotations(0, 10, 90);

setPageTabOrder
6.0

D

X

Sets the tab order of the form fields on a page. The tab order can be set by row, by column, or by structure.
If a PDF 1.4 document is viewed in Acrobat 6.0, tabbing between fields is in the same order as it is in
Acrobat 5.0. Similarly, if a PDF 1.5 document is opened in Acrobat 5.0, the tabbing order for fields is the
same as it is in Acrobat 6.0.

Parameters
nPage

The 0-based index of the page number on which the tabbing order is to be set.

cOrder

The order to be used. Values are:
rows
columns
structure

Example
Set the page tab order for all pages to rows.
for (var i = 0; i < this.numPages; i++)
this.setPageTabOrder(i, "rows");

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setPageTransitions
5.0

D

X

Sets the page transition for a specific range of pages.
See also getPageTransition.

Parameters
nStart

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the start of an inclusive range of pages in the
document to be operated on. If nStart and nEnd are not specified, operates on all
pages in the document. If only nStart is specified, the range of pages is the single
page specified by nStart.

nEnd

(optional) A 0-based index that defines the end of an inclusive range of pages in the
document to be operated on. If nStart and nEnd are not specified, operates on all
pages in the document. If only nEnd is specified, the range of pages is 0 to nEnd.

aTrans

(optional) The page transition array consists of three values:
[nDuration, cTransition, nTransDuration].
●

nDuration is the maximum amount of time the page is displayed before the
viewer automatically turns to the next page. Set to -1 to turn off automatic page
turning.

●

cTransition is the name of the transition to apply to the page. See
fullScreen.transitions for a list of valid transitions.

●

nTransDuration is the duration (in seconds) of the transition effect.

If aTrans is not present, any page transitions for the pages are removed.

Example
Put the document into full screen mode and apply some transitions:
this.setPageTransitions({ aTrans: [-1, "Random", 1] } );
app.fs.isFullScreen=true;

spawnPageFromTemplate
X

D

F

Note: This method has been superseded by templates, createTemplate, and the Template object
spawn method.
Spawns a page in the document using the given template, as returned by getNthTemplate. The
template feature does not work in Adobe Reader.

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Parameters
cTemplate

The template name.

nPage

(optional) The 0-based page number before which or into which the template is
spawned, depending on the value of bOverlay. If nPage is omitted, a new page is
created at the end of the document.

bRename

(optional) Specifies whether fields should be renamed. The default is true.

bOverlay

(optional, Acrobat 4.0) If false, the template is inserted before the page specified by
nPage. If true (the default) it is overlaid on top of that page.

oXObject

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) The value of this parameter is the return value of an earlier call
to spawnPageFromTemplate.

Returns
Prior to Acrobat 6.0, this method returned nothing. Now, this method returns an object representing the
page contents of the page spawned. This return object can then be used as the value of the optional
parameter oXObject for subsequent calls to spawnPageFromTemplate.
Note: Repeatedly spawning the same page can cause a large increase in file size. To avoid this problem,
spawnPageFromTemplate now returns an object that represents the page contents of the
spawned page. This return value can be used as the value of the oXObject parameter in
subsequent calls to the spawnPageFromTemplate method to spawn the same page.

Example 1
Spawn each template page in the current document.
var n = this.numTemplates;
var cTempl;
for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
cTempl = this.getNthTemplate(i);
this.spawnPageFromTemplate(cTempl);
}

Example 2 (Acrobat 6.0)
The following example spawns the same template 31 times using the oXObject parameter and return
value. Using this technique avoids overly inflating the file size.
var t = this.getNthTemplate(0)
var XO = this.spawnPageFromTemplate(t, this.numPages, false, false);
for (var i=0; i < 30; i++)
this.spawnPageFromTemplate(t,this.numPages, false, false, XO);

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submitForm

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submitForm
3.01
Submits the form to a specified URL. To call this method, you must be running inside a web browser or
have the Acrobat Web Capture plug-in installed. (If the URL uses the “mailto” scheme, it will be honored
even if not running inside a web browser, as long as the SendMail plug-in is present.) Beginning with
Adobe Reader 6.0, you need not be inside a web browser to call this method.
Note: (Acrobat 6.0) Depending on the parameters passed, there are restrictions on the use of this method.
See the notes embedded in the description of the parameters.
The https protocol is supported for secure connections.

Parameters
cURL

The URL to submit to. This string must end in #FDF if the result from the
submission is FDF or XFDF (that is, the value of cSubmitAs is “FDF” or
“XFDF”) and the document is being viewed inside a browser window.

bFDF

(optional) If true (the default) form data is submitted as FDF. If false, it is
submitted as URL-encoded HTML.
Note: This option has been deprecated; use cSubmitAs instead.

bEmpty

(optional) If true, submit all fields, including those that have no value. If
false (the default), exclude fields that currently have no value.
Note: If data is submitted as XDP, XML, or XFD (see the cSubmitAs
parameter, below), this parameter is ignored. All fields are submitted,
even fields that are empty. See aFields.

aFields

(optional) An array of field names to submit or a string containing a single
field name:
●
If supplied, only the fields indicated are submitted, except those
excluded by bEmpty.
●
If omitted or null, all fields are submitted, except those excluded by
bEmpty.
●
If an empty array, no fields are submitted. A submitted FDF file might still
contain data if bAnnotations is true.
You can specify non-terminal field names to export an entire subtree of fields.
Note: If data is submitted as XDP, XML, or XFD (see the cSubmitAs
parameter), this parameter is ignored. All fields are submitted, even
fields that are empty. See bEmpty.

bGet

(optional, Acrobat 4.0) If true, submit using the HTTP GET method. If false
(the default), use a POST. GET is only allowed if using Acrobat Web Capture to
submit (the browser interface only supports POST) and only if the data is
sent as HTML (that is, cSubmitAs is HTML).

bAnnotations

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) If true, annotations are included in the submitted
FDF or XML file. The default is false. Only applicable if cSubmitAs is FDF
or XFDF.

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bXML

submitForm

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(optional, Acrobat 5.0) If true, submit as XML. The default is false.
Note: This option has been deprecated; use cSubmitAs instead.

bIncrChanges

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) If true, include the incremental changes to the PDF
document in the submitted FDF file. The default is false. Only applicable if
cSubmitAs is FDF. Not available in Adobe Reader.

bPDF

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) If true, submit the complete PDF document. The
default is false. If true, all other parameters except cURL are ignored. Not
available in Adobe Reader.
Note: This option has been deprecated; use cSubmitAs instead.

bCanonical

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) If true, convert any dates being submitted to
standard format (that is, D:YYYYMMDDHHmmSSOHH’mm’; see the PDF
Reference version 1.7). The default is false.

bExclNonUserAnnots

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) If true, exclude any annotations that are not owned
by the current user. The default is false.

bExclFKey

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) If true, exclude the F entry. The default is false.

cPassword

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) The password to use to generate the encryption key, if
the FDF file needs to be encrypted before being submitted.
Pass the value true (no quotes) to use the password that the user has
previously entered (within this Acrobat session) for submitting or receiving
an encrypted FDF file. If no password has been entered, the user is prompted
to enter a password.
Regardless of whether the password is passed in or requested from the user,
this new password is remembered within this Acrobat session for future
outgoing or incoming encrypted FDF files.
Only applicable if cSubmitAs is FDF.
Caution: As of Acrobat 8.0, you cannot create password-encrypted FDF files.
If this parameter is used, a form trying to submit a
password-encrypted FDF will throw an ESErrorInvalidArgs
exception and the form submission will not occur.

bEmbedForm

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) If true, the call embeds the entire form from which
the data is being submitted in the FDF file.
Only applicable if cSubmitAs is FDF.

oJavaScript

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) Can be used to include Before, After, and Doc
scripts in a submitted FDF file. If present, the value is converted directly to an
analogous CosObj and used as the JavaScript attribute in the FDF file. For
example:
oJavaScript:
{
Before: 'app.alert("before!")',
After: 'app.alert("after")',
Doc: [ "MyDocScript1", "myFunc1()",
"MyDocScript2", "myFunc2()" ]
}

Only applicable if cSubmitAs is FDF.

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(optional, Acrobat 6.0) This parameter indicates the format for submission.
Values are
FDF — (default): Submit as FDF
XFDF — Submit as XFDF
HTML — Submit as HTML
XDP — Submit as XDP
XML — submit as XML. In Acrobat 7.0, form data is submitted in XML
format unless the parameter oXML (new to Acrobat 7.0) contains a valid
XMLData object, in which case that is what gets submitted instead.
XFD — Submit as Adobe Form Client Data File
PDF — Submit the complete PDF document; all other parameters except
cURL are ignored.

Note: (Save rights required) The choice of PDF is not available in
Adobe Reader, unless the document has save rights.
This parameter supersedes the individual format parameters. However, they
are considered in the following priority order, from high to low: cSubmitAs,
bPDF, bXML, bFDF.
bInclNMKey

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) If true, include the NM entry of any annotations. The
default is false.

aPackets

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) An array of strings, specifying which packets to
include in an XDP submission. This parameter is only applicable if
cSubmitAs is XDP. Possible strings are:
config
datasets
sourceSet
stylesheet
template
pdf — The PDF should be embedded; if pdf is not included, only a

link to the PDF is included in the XDP.
xfdf — Include annotations in the XDP (since that packet uses XFDF
format)
* — All packets should be included in the XDP. The default for pdf is to
include it as a reference. To embed the PDF file in the XDP, explicitly
specify pdf as one of the packets.
Note: (Save rights required) When submitting a document as XDP from
Adobe Reader with pdf explicitly listed, the document must have
document save rights.
The default is: ["datasets", "xfdf"].
cCharset

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) The encoding for the values submitted. String values
are utf-8, utf-16, Shift-JIS, BigFive, GBK, and UHC.
If not passed, the current Acrobat behavior applies. For XML-based formats,
utf-8 is used. For other formats, Acrobat tries to find the best host
encoding for the values being submitted.
XFDF submission ignores this value and always uses utf-8.

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oXML

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) This parameter is only applicable if cSubmitAs
equals XML. It should be an XMLData object, which will get submitted.

cPermID

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) Specifies a permanent ID to assign to the PDF that is
submitted if either the value of cSubmitAs is PDF or bEmbedForm is true.
This permanent ID is the first entry in the docID array (docID[0]).
Does not affect the current document.

cInstID

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) Specifies an instance ID to assign to the PDF that is
submitted if either the value of cSubmitAs is PDF or bEmbedForm is true.
This instance ID is the second entry in the docID array (docID[1]).
Does not affect the current document.

cUsageRights

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) Specifies the additional usage rights to be applied to
the PDF that is submitted if either the value of cSubmitAs is PDF or
bEmbedForm is true. The only valid value is
submitFormUsageRights.RMA.
Does not affect the current document.

Example 1
Submit the form to the server.
this.submitForm("http://www.example.com/cgi-bin/myscript.cgi#FDF");

Example 2
Submit selected form fields to a server-side script as FDF.
var aSubmitFields = new Array( "name", "id", "score" );
this.submitForm({
cURL: "http://www.example.com/cgi-bin/myscript.cgi#FDF",
aFields: aSubmitFields,
cSubmitAs: "FDF" // the default, not needed here
});

Example 3
This example shows a shortcut to submitting a whole subtree. Passing “name” as part of the field
parameter, submits "name.title", "name.first", "name.middle" and "name.last".
this.submitForm("http://www.example.com/cgi-bin/myscript.cgi#FDF",
true, false, "name");

Example 4
Submit form as XFDF to a server-side script.
this.submitForm({
cURL: "http://www.example.com/cgi-bin/myscript.cgi#FDF",
cSubmitAs: "XFDF"
});

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Example 5 (Acrobat 7.0)
For a PDF file that contains several XFA forms as attachments, the following script gathers the XML data
from each attachment and concatenates them. The combined data is then submitted.
var oParent = event.target;
var oDataObjects = oParent.dataObjects;
if (oDataObjects == null)
app.alert("This form has no attachments!");
else {
var nChildren = oDataObjects.length;
var oFirstChild = oParent.openDataObject(oDataObjects[0].name);
var oSubmitData = oFirstChild.xfa.data.nodes.item(0).clone(true);
for (var iChild = 1; iChild < nChildren; iChild++) {
var oNextChild = oParent.openDataObject(
oDataObjects[iChild].name);
oSubmitData.nodes.append(oNextChild.xfa.data.nodes.item(0));
oNextChild.closeDoc();
}
oParent.submitForm({
cURL: "http://www.example.com/cgi-bin/myCGI.pl#FDF",
cSubmitAs: "XML",
oXML: oSubmitData
});
oFirstChild.closeDoc();
}

This example uses dataObjects, openDataObject and properties and methods of the XFA object.

Example 6 (Acrobat 7.0)
Submits current document as a PDF. This script uses cPermID, cInstID and cUsageRights.
this.submitForm({
cUrl: myURL,
cSubmitAs: "PDF",
cPermID: someDoc.docID[0],
cInstID: someDoc.docID[1],
cUsageRights: submitFormUsageRights.RMA });

syncAnnotScan
5.0
Guarantees that all annotations will be scanned by the time this method returns.
To show or process annotations for the entire document, all annotations must have been detected.
Normally, a background task runs that examines every page and looks for annotations during idle time, as
this scan is a time-consuming task. Much of the annotation behavior works gracefully even when the full
list of annotations is not yet acquired by background scanning.
In general, you should call this method if you want the entire list of annotations.
See also getAnnots.

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syncAnnotScan

Example
Wait for all annotations to be scanned, then get the array of annotations in the document and sort by
author.
The second line of code is not executed until syncAnnotScan returns, which does not occur until the
annotation scan of the document is completed.
this.syncAnnotScan();
annots = this.getAnnots({nSortBy:ANSB_Author});
// Now, do something with the annotations.

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Doc.media
The media property of each document specifies an object that contains multimedia properties and
methods that apply to the document.

Doc.media properties
canPlay
6.0
Indicates whether multimedia playback is allowed for a document. Playback depends on the user’s Trust
Manager preferences and other factors. For example, playback is not allowed in authoring mode.
doc.media.canPlay returns an object that contains both a yes/no indication and a reason why
playback is not allowed, if that is the case.

Type
Object

Access
R
If playback is allowed, canPlay.yes exists to indicate this. (It is an empty object, but it may contain other
information in the future.) You can make a simple test like this:
if( doc.media.canPlay.yes )
{
// We can play back multimedia for this document
}

If playback is not allowed, the canPlay.no object exists instead. As with canPlay.yes, you can simply
test for the existence of canPlay.no or you can look inside it for information about why playback is not
allowed. At least one of these properties or other properties that may be added in the future will exist
within canPlay.no:
Property

Description

authoring

Cannot play when in authoring mode.

closing

Cannot play because the document is closing.

saving

Cannot play because the document is saving.

security

Cannot play because of security settings.

other

Cannot play for some other reason.

In addition, canPlay.canShowUI indicates whether any alert boxes or other user interface are allowed
in response to this particular playback rejection.

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Example
Get canPlay object and analyze the case we can’t play the media in the document.
var canPlay = doc.media.canPlay;
if( canPlay.no )
{
// We can’t play, why not?
if( canPlay.no.security )
{
// The user’s security settings prohibit playback,
// are we allowed to put up alerts right now?
if( canPlay.canShowUI )
app.alert( "Security prohibits playback" );
else
console.println( "Security prohibits playback" );
}
else
{
// Can’t play for some other reason, handle it here
}
}

Doc.media methods
deleteRendition
6.0
Deletes the named Rendition from the document. The Rendition is no longer accessible with JavaScript. It
does nothing if the Rendition is not present.

Parameters
cName

A string that is the name of the Rendition.

Example
Delete a particular rendition, and report back if we are successful.
this.media.deleteRendition("myMedia");
if ( this.media.getRendition("myMedia") == null)
console.println( "Rendition successfully deleted" );

getAnnot
6.0
Looks for and returns a ScreenAnnot object in the document by page number and either name or title,
or returns null if there is no matching screen annotation. If both name and title are specified, both must
match.

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Parameters
args

An object containing the properties to be passed to this method. The properties are
described below.

This table describes the properties of args.
nPage

The page number (base 0) on which the annotation resides.

cAnnotName

(optional) The name of the screen annotation.
Note: cAnnotName is never used in PDF files generated by Acrobat.

cAnnotTitle

(optional) The title of the screen annotation.

Note: The parameters for this method must be passed as an object literal and not as an ordered listing of
parameters.

Returns
ScreenAnnot object

Example
The Acrobat user interface allows you to specify the title for a screen annotation but not its name, so a
typical use of getAnnot would be:
var annot= myDoc.media.getAnnot
({ nPage: 0,cAnnotTitle: "My Annot Title" });

See the example following getRendition for an additional example.

getAnnots
6.0
The doc.media.getAnnots method returns an array of all the ScreenAnnot objects on the specified
page of the document, or all the ScreenAnnot objects on all pages of the document if nPage is omitted.
The array is empty if there are no such ScreenAnnots.

Parameters
nPage

The page number (base 0) on which the ScreenAnnots reside.

Returns
Array of ScreenAnnot objects

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Example
Get a listing of the ScreenAnnots on page 0, then play a media clip in a screen annotation randomly
chosen from the list.
var annots = this.media.getAnnots({ nPage: 0 });
var rendition = this.media.getRendition("myClip");
var settings = { windowType: app.media.windowType.docked }
var l = annots.length
var i = Math.floor( Math.random() * l ) % l
var args = { rendition:rendition, annot:annots[i], settings:settings };
app.media.openPlayer( args );

getOpenPlayers
7.0
Returns an array of MediaPlayer objects, one for each currently open media player. The players in the
array are listed in the order in which they were opened. Using this array, some or all of the open players can
be manipulated. For example, you can stop or close all players that the document has opened, without
having to keep a list of them yourself.
Each time getOpenPlayers is called, it returns a new copy of the array, listing the players open at that
time. New players that are subsequently opened do not show up in an array already returned. If a player in
the array is closed, the player object remains in the array and player.isOpen becomes false. The
doc.media.getOpenPlayers method can be called again to get a new, up-to-date player array.
Do not write code that iterates directly over doc.media.getOpenPlayers:
for( var i in doc.media.getOpenPlayers() ) // Wrong!

Instead, get a copy of the player array and iterate over that:
var players = doc.media.getOpenPlayers();
for( var i in players ) {
....
}

This insures that the loop works correctly even if players are opened or closed during the loop.

Returns
Array of MediaPlayer objects.

Example
The following two functions take a Doc as a parameter and operate on the running players associated with
that Doc.
// Stop all running players.
function stopAllPlayers( doc ) {
var players = doc.media.getOpenPlayers();
for( var i in players ) players[i].stop();
}
// Close all running players. Closing a player does not remove it from

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// the array.
function closeAllPlayers( doc ) {
var players = doc.media.getOpenPlayers();
for( var i in players )
players[i].close( app.media.closeReason.general );
}

getRendition
6.0
Looks up a Rendition in the document by name and returns it, or returns null if there is no Rendition with
that name.

Parameters
cName

cName, a string, is the name of the Rendition.

Returns
Rendition object

Example
The following script is executed from a mouse-up action of a form button. It plays a docked media clip in a
screen annotation.
app.media.openPlayer({
rendition: this.media.getRendition( "myClip" ),
annot: this.media.getAnnot( {nPage:0,cAnnotTitle:"myScreen"} ),
settings: { windowType: app.media.windowType.docked }
});

newPlayer
6.0
This method creates and returns a MediaPlayer object. The args parameter must contain a settings
property and optionally can contain an events property. It can also contain additional user-defined
properties. The properties of args are copied into the new MediaPlayer object. This is a shallow copy,
which means that if any of the copied properties are objects themselves, those objects are shared
between args and the new player.
The newPlayer method creates a bare-bones player that does not have any of the standard
EventListeners required for standard Acrobat media player behavior. Use app.media.addStockEvents
to add the necessary EventListeners.
In most cases, it is better to use app.media.createPlayer instead of doc.media.newPlayer to
create a media player. The createPlayer method sets up the standard EventListeners and other player
properties automatically.

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newPlayer

Parameters
args

A PlayerArgs object.

Returns
MediaPlayer object.

Example
See Events.dispatch for an example.

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Embedded PDF
This object describes an API exposed to the object model of a container application that allows sending
and receiving messages from an embedded PDF document. For example, when a PDF document is
embedded in an HTML document using the <OBJECT> tag, the PDF object is scripted in the browser
scripting context.
The HostContainer object provides the corresponding interface in the PDF scripting model. Both the
container and PDF document must explicitly allow this communication to occur for security reasons.

Embedded PDF properties
messageHandler
7.0.5
This property allows a script running in the web browser scripting context to register a notification object
that will be called if a script in the PDF document calls the Doc hostContainer.postMessage method.
The value of this property is an object that may expose the following methods.
Method

Description

onMessage

If present, this method will be called in response to the Doc
hostContainer.postMessage method. The message is delivered asynchronously.
The method is passed a single array parameter containing the array passed to the
postMessage method.

onError

If present, this method will be called in response to an error. It is passed an Error object
and an array of strings corresponding to the message that caused the error. If an error
occurs and this property is undefined, the error will not be delivered (unlike messages,
errors are not queued).
The name property of the Error object will be set to one of the following strings:
●

“MessageGeneralError”: A general error occurred.

●

“MessageNotAllowedError”: The operation failed for security reasons.

●

“MessageDocNotDisclosedError”: The document has not been configured for
disclosure to the host container. The
hostContainer.messageHandler.onDisclose property of the Doc must be
initialized correctly.

●

“MessageDocRefusedDisclosureError”: The document has refused to disclose itself to
the host container based on the URL because the
hostContainer.messageHandler.onDisclose method returned false.

When the methods are invoked, the this object will be the messageHandler instance that the method
is being called on. Properties on the messageHandler property that begin with on are reserved for
future use as notification methods.

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If the PDF document has had the postMessage method called on it prior to this method being
registered, all of the queued messages will subsequently be passed to the messageHandler object once
it is set.
Messages are guaranteed to be delivered in the order in which they are posted and errors are guaranteed
to be delivered in the order in which they occurred. However, there is no correspondence between the
delivery order of messages and errors.
Exceptions thrown from within the handler methods will be discarded. Messages and errors will not be
delivered while inside an onMessage / onError handler.
Note: This property is not implemented on the Mac OS platform.

Type
Object

Access
R/W

Embedded PDF methods
postMessage
7.0.5
Sends a message asynchronously to the PDF document message handler if the PDF document has
disclosed itself by returning true from the onDisclosed method of the HostContainer object
messageHandler property.
The message is passed to the onMessage method of the messageHandler.
If the PDF document does not disclose itself to the host container, an error will be passed to the onError
method of the messageHandler property at some later point after postMessage has returned. If the
PDF document has not registered to receive events by setting the Doc
hostContainer.messageHandler property, the events will be queued until the PDF document sets
the property.
The messages will be submitted to a queue of messages until they are delivered. If the queue size exceeds
a maximum, an error will be thrown until some of the messages in the queue have been delivered.

Parameters
aMessage

An array of one or more strings that will be passed to onMessage.

Note: This method is not implemented on the Mac OS platform.

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Error
Error objects are dynamically created whenever an exception is thrown from methods or properties
implemented in JavaScript. Several subclasses of the Error object can be thrown by core JavaScript
(EvalError, RangeError, SyntaxError, TypeError, ReferenceError, URLError). They all have
the Error object as prototype. JavaScript can throw some of these exceptions, or implement subclasses of
the Error object at its convenience. If your scripts are using the mechanism of try/catch error handling,
the object thrown should be one of the types listed in the following table.
Error object

Brief description

RangeError

Argument value is out of valid range.

TypeError

Wrong type of argument value.

ReferenceError

Reading a variable that does not exist.

MissingArgError

Missing required argument.

NumberOfArgsError

Invalid number of arguments to a method.

InvalidSetError

A property set is not valid or possible.

InvalidGetError

A property get is not valid or possible.

OutOfMemoryError

Out of memory condition occurred.

NotSupportedError

Functionality not supported in this configuration (for example,
Adobe Reader).

NotSupportedHFTError

HFT is not available (a plug-in may be missing).

NotAllowedError

Method or property is not allowed for security reasons.

GeneralError

Unspecified error cause.

RaiseError

Acrobat internal error.

DeadObjectError

Object is dead.

HelpError

User requested for help with a method.

Error object types implemented by JavaScript inherit properties and methods from the core Error object.
Some JavaScript objects may implement their own specific types of exception. A description of the Error
subclass (with added methods and properties, if any) should be provided in the documentation for the
particular object.

Example
Print all properties of the Error object to the console.
try {
app.alert(); // one argument is required for alert
} catch(e) {
for (var i in e)
console.println( i + ": " + e[i])
}

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fileName

Error properties
fileName
6.0
The name of the script that caused the exception to be thrown.

Type
String

Access
R

lineNumber
6.0
The offending line number from where an exception was thrown in the JavaScript code.

Type
Integer

Access
R

extMessage
7.0
A message providing additional details about the exception.

Type
String

Access
R

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message

message
6.0
The error message providing details about the exception.

Type
String

Access
R

name
6.0
The name of the Error object subclass, indicating the type of the Error object instance.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Error methods
toString
6.0
Gets the error message that provides details about the exception.

Returns
The error message string. (See the message property.)

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event

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event
All JavaScript scripts are executed as the result of a particular event. For each of these events, JavaScript
creates an event object. During the occurrence of each event, you can access this object to get and
possibly manipulate information about the current state of the event.
Each event has a type and a name property that uniquely identify the event. This section describes all the
events, listed as type/name pairs, and indicates which additional properties, if any, they define.
The rc property of an event is its return code. The description for each event describes whether it listens
to (is affected by) the return code.
It is important for JavaScript writers to know when these events occur and in what order they are
processed. Some methods or properties can only be accessed during certain events.

Event type/name combinations
App/Init
This event (the application initialization event) occurs when the viewer is started. Script files, called
folder-level JavaScripts, are read in from the application and user JavaScript folders. They load in the
following order: config.js, glob.js, all other files, then any user files.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Batch/Exec
5.0
This event occurs during the processing of each document of a batch sequence. Scripts authored as part of
a batch sequence can access the event object upon execution.
The target for this event is the Doc.
This event listens to the rc return code. If rc is set to false, the batch sequence is stopped.

Bookmark/Mouse Up
5.0
This event occurs whenever a user clicks a bookmark that executes a JavaScript.
The target for this event is the bookmark object that was clicked.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

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Console/Exec
5.0
This event occurs whenever a user evaluates a JavaScript in the console.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Doc/DidPrint
5.0
This event is triggered after a document has printed.
The target for this event is the Doc.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Doc/DidSave
5.0
This event is triggered after a document has been saved.
The target for this event is the Doc.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Doc/Open
4.0
This event is triggered whenever a document is opened. When a document is opened, the document-level
script functions are scanned and any exposed scripts are executed.
The target for this event is the Doc. This event also defines the targetName property.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Doc/WillClose
5.0
This event is triggered before a document is closed.
The target for this event is the Doc.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

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Doc/WillPrint
5.0
This event is triggered before a document is printed.
The target for this event is the Doc.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Doc/WillSave
5.0
This event is triggered before a document is saved.
The target for this event is the Doc.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

External/Exec
5.0
This event is the result of an external access, for example, through OLE, AppleScript, or loading an FDF.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Field/Blur
4.05
This event occurs after all other events just as a field loses focus. This event is generated regardless of
whether a mouse click is used to deactivate the field (for example, a tab key could be used instead).
Additional properties defined:
●

target: The field whose validation script is being executed.

●

modifier, shift, targetName, and value .

This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Field/Calculate
3.01
This event is defined when a change in a form requires that all fields that have a calculation script attached
to them be executed. All fields that depend on the value of the changed field will now be recalculated.

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These fields may in turn generate additional Field/Validate, Field/Blur, and Field/Focus
events.
Calculated fields may have dependencies on other calculated fields whose values must be determined
beforehand. The calculation order array contains an ordered list of all the fields in a document that have a
calculation script attached. When a full calculation is needed, each of the fields in the array is calculated in
turn starting with the zeroth index of the array and continuing in sequence to the end of the array.
To change the calculation order of fields, use the Forms > Edit Fields > Set Field Calculation Order menu
item while in Edit Form mode.
The target for this event is the field whose calculation script is being executed. This event also defines
the source and targetName properties.
This event listens to the rc return code. If the return code is set to false, the field’s value is not changed.
If true, the field takes on the value found in the value property.

Field/Focus
4.05
This event occurs after the mouse-down event but before the mouse-up event after the field gains the
focus. It occurs regardless of whether a mouse click is used to activate the field (or, for example, the tab
key) and is the best place to perform processing that must be done before the user can interact with the
field.
The target for this event is the field whose validation script is being executed. This event also defines the
modifier, shift, and targetName properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Field/Format
3.01
This event is triggered once all dependent calculations have been performed. It allows the attached
JavaScript to change the way that the data value appears to a user (also known as its presentation or
appearance). For example, if a data value is a number and the context in which it should be displayed is
currency, the formatting script can add a dollar sign ($) to the front of the value and limit it to two decimal
places past the decimal point.
The target for this event is the field whose format script is being executed. This event also defines the
commitKey, targetName, and willCommit properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code. However, the resulting value is used as the field’s
formatted appearance.

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Field/Keystroke
3.01
This event occurs whenever a user types a keystroke into a text box or combo box (including cut and paste
operations) or selects an item in a combo box list or list box field. A keystroke script may limit the type of
keys allowed. For example, a numeric field might only allow numeric characters.
The Acrobat user interface allows the author to specify a Selection Change script for list boxes. The
script is triggered every time an item is selected. This is implemented as the keystroke event where the
keystroke value is equivalent to the user selection. This behavior is also implemented for the combo box—
the “keystroke” could be thought to be a paste into the text field of the value selected from the drop-down
list.
There is a final call to the keystroke script before the validate event is triggered. This call sets the
willCommit to true for the event. With keystroke processing, it is sometimes useful to make a final
check on the field value (pre-commit) before it is committed. This allows the script writer to gracefully
handle particularly complex formats that can only be partially checked on a keystroke-by-keystroke basis.
The keystroke event of text fields is called in situations other than when the user is entering text with
the keyboard or committing the field value. It is also called to validate the default value of a field when set
through the UI or by JavaScript and to validate entries provided by autofill. In these situations not all
properties of the event are defined. Specifically event.target will be undefined when validating
default values and event.richChange and event.richValue will be undefined when validating
autofill entries.
The target for this event is the field whose keystroke script is being executed. This event also defines the
commitKey, change, changeEx, keyDown, modifier, selEnd, selStart, shift, targetName,
value, and willCommit properties.
This event listens to the rc return code. If set to false, the keystroke is ignored. The resulting change is
used as the keystroke if the script wants to replace the keystroke code. The resultant selEnd and
selStart properties can change the current text selection in the field.

Field/Mouse Down
3.01
This event is triggered when a user starts to click a form field and the mouse button is still down. A
mouse-down event does not occur unless a mouse enter event has already occurred. It is advised that
you perform very little processing during this event (for example, play a short sound).
The target for this event is the field whose validation script is being executed. This event also defines the
modifier, shift, and targetName properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

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Field/Mouse Enter
3.01
This event is triggered when a user moves the pointer inside the rectangle of a field. This is the typical
place to open a text field to display help text, for example.
The target for this event is the field whose validation script is being executed. This event also defines the
modifier, shift, and targetName properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Field/Mouse Exit
3.01
This event occurs when a user moves the mouse pointer outside of the rectangle of a field. A mouse exit
event will not occur unless a mouse enter event has already occurred.
The target for this event is the field whose validation script is being executed. This event also defines the
modifier, shift, and targetName properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Field/Mouse Up
3.01
This event is triggered when the user clicks a form field and releases the mouse button. This is the typical
place to attach routines such as the submit action of a form. A mouse-up event will not occur unless a
mouse-down event has already occurred.
The target for this event is the field whose validation script is being executed. This event also defines the
modifier, shift, and targetName properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Field/Validate
3.01
Regardless of the field type, user interaction with a field may produce a new value for that field. After the
user has either clicked outside a field, tabbed to another field, or pressed the enter key, the user is said to
have committed the new data value.
This event is the first event generated for a field after the value has been committed so that a JavaScript
can verify that the value entered was correct. If the validate event is successful, the next event triggered is
the calculate event.

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The target for this event is the field whose validation script is being executed. This event also defines the
change, changeEx, keyDown, modifier, shift, targetName, and value properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code. If the return code is set to false, the field value is
considered to be invalid and the value of the field is unchanged.

Link/Mouse Up
5.0
This event is triggered when a link containing a JavaScript action is activated by the user.
The target for this event is the Doc.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Menu/Exec
5.0
This event occurs whenever JavaScript that has been attached to a menu item is executed. The user can
add a menu item and associate JavaScript actions with it. For example,
app.addMenuItem({ cName: "Hello", cParent: "File",
cExec: "app.alert('Hello',3);", nPos: 0});

The script app.alert('Hello',3) will execute during a menu event. There are two ways for this to
occur:
●

The user can select the menu item in the user interface.

●

Programmatically, when app.execMenuItem("Hello") is executed (perhaps, during a mouse-up
event of a button field).

The target for this event is the currently active document, if one is open. This event also defines the
targetName property.
This event listens to the rc return code in the case of the enable and marked proc for menu items. (See the
cEnabled and cMarked parameters of app.addMenuItem.) A return code of false will disable or
unmark a menu item. A return code of true will enable or mark a menu item.

Page/Open
4.05
This event occurs whenever a new page is viewed by the user and after page drawing for the page has
occurred.
The target for this event is the Doc.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

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Page/Close
4.05
This event occurs whenever the page being viewed is no longer the current page; that is, the user switched
to a new page or closed the document.
The target for this event is the Doc.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Screen/Blur
6.0
This event occurs after all other events, just as the screen annotation loses focus. This event is generated
regardless of whether a mouse click is used to deactivate the screen annotation (for example, the tab key
might be used).
The target for this event is the ScreenAnnot object that initiated this event. targetName is the title of
the screen annotation. This event also defines the modifier and shift properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Screen/Close
6.0
This event occurs whenever the page being viewed is no longer the current page; that is, the user switched
to a new page or closed the document.
The target for this event is the ScreenAnnot object that initiated this event. targetName is the title of
the screen annotation. This event also defines the modifier, shift, and target properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Screen/Focus
6.0
This event occurs after the mouse-down event but before the mouse-up after the field gains the focus.
This routine is called regardless of whether a mouse click is used to activate the screen annotation (for
example, the tab key might be used). It is the best place to perform processing that must be done before
the user can interact with the field.
The target for this event is the ScreenAnnot object that initiated this event. targetName is the title of
the screen annotation. This event also defines the modifier and shift properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

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Screen/InView
6.0
This event occurs whenever a new page first comes into view by the user. When the page layout is set to
Continuous or Continuous - Facing, this event occurs before the Screen/Open event.
The target for this event is the ScreenAnnot object that initiated this event. targetName is the title of
the screen annotation. This event also defines the modifier and shift properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Screen/Mouse Down
6.0
This event is triggered when a user starts to click a screen annotation and the mouse button is still down. It
is advised that you perform very little processing (that is, play a short sound) during this event. A
mouse-down event will not occur unless a mouse enter event has already occurred.
The target for this event is the ScreenAnnot object that initiated this event. targetName is the title of
the screen annotation. This event also defines the modifier and shift properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Screen/Mouse Enter
6.0
This event is triggered when a user moves the mouse pointer inside the rectangle of an screen annotation.
The target for this event is the ScreenAnnot object that initiated this event. targetName is the title of
the screen annotation. This event also defines the modifier and shift properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Screen/Mouse Exit
6.0
This event is the opposite of the Mouse Enter event and occurs when a user moves the mouse pointer
outside of the rectangle of a screen annotation. A Mouse Exit event will not occur unless a Mouse
Enter event has already occurred.
The target for this event is the ScreenAnnot object that initiated this event. targetName is the title of
the screen annotation. This event also defines the modifier and shift properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

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Screen/Mouse Up
6.0
This event is triggered when the user clicks a screen annotation and releases the mouse button. This is the
typical place to attach routines such as starting a multimedia clip. A mouse-up event will not occur unless
a mouse-down event has already occurred.
The target for this event is the ScreenAnnot object that initiated this event. targetName is the title of
the screen annotation. This event also defines the modifier and shift properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Screen/Open
6.0
This event occurs whenever a new page is viewed by the user and after page drawing for the page has
occurred.
The target for this event is the ScreenAnnot object that initiated this event. targetName is the title of
the screen annotation. This event also defines the modifier and shift properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Screen/OutView
6.0
This event occurs whenever a page first goes out of view from the user. When the page layout is set to
Continuous or Continuous - Facing, this event occurs after the Screen/Close event.
The target for this event is the ScreenAnnot object that initiated this event. targetName is the title of
the screen annotation. This event also defines the modifier and shift properties.
This event does not listen to the rc return code.

Document Event Processing
When a document is opened, the Doc/Open event occurs. Functions are scanned and any exposed
(top-level) scripts are executed. Next, if the NeedAppearances entry in the PDF file is set to true in the
AcroForm dictionary, the formatting scripts of all form fields in the document are executed. (See the PDF
Reference version 1.7.) Finally, the Page/Close event occurs.
Note: For users who create PDF files containing form fields with the NeedAppearances entry set to true,
be sure to do a Save As before posting such files on the web. Performing a Save As on a file
generates the form appearances, which are saved with the file. This increases the performance of
Adobe Reader when it loads the file within a web browser.

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Form event processing
The order in which the form events occur is shown in the state diagram below. Certain dependencies are
worth noting. For example, the mouse-up event cannot occur if the Focus event did not occur.

Mouse Exit

Mouse Enter

Mouse Down

Focus

Mouse Up

Keystroke
or
Selection
Change*

Blur

Validate

Calculate

Format
*Selection change for list box only.

Multimedia event processing
Whenever an event is triggered and dispatched to an EventListener, a multimedia event object is passed
as a parameter to the EventListener. This object is similar to the event object used elsewhere in Acrobat
and it has the properties listed below.
Multimedia event objects triggered by rendition actions (for example, in custom JavaScript entered from
the Actions tab in the Multimedia Properties panel) also include these properties:
action.annot

The ScreenAnnot object for this event.

action.rendition

The Rendition object for this event.

Multimedia event objects that have been dispatched by the standard multimedia event dispatcher also
include these properties. These are not present if you provide your own events.dispatch method.
media.doc

The document, same as target.doc.

media.events

The events object, same as target.events.

media.id

A copy of event.name with spaces removed.

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Individual events may have additional properties. See the description of each EventListener object
method for details.
An event method called by the standard event dispatcher may set either of these properties to stop
further event dispatching:
stopDispatch
stopAllDispatch

To stop the current event from being dispatched to any remaining EventListeners, an event method can
set event.stopDispatch to true. If this is done in an on event method, no more on methods will be
called for the event, but after methods will still be called. If you set event.stopAllDispatch, no
more event methods of either type will be called. See the EventListener object for a description of the
on and after EventListeners.

event properties
change
3.01
A string specifying the change in value that the user has just typed. A JavaScript may replace part or all of
this string with different characters. The change may take the form of an individual keystroke or a string of
characters (for example, if a paste into the field is performed).

Type
String

Access
R/W

Example
Change all keystrokes to upper case.
// Custom Keystroke for text field
event.change = event.change.toUpperCase();

changeEx
5.0
Contains the export value of the change and is available only during a Field/Keystroke event for list
boxes and combo boxes.
For the list box, the keystroke script, if any, is entered under the Selection Change tab in the properties
dialog box.

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For the combo box, changeEx is only available if the pop-up list is used—that is, a selection (with the
mouse or the keyboard) is being made from the list. If the combo is editable and the user types in an entry,
the Field/Keystroke event behaves as for a text field (that is, there are no changeEx or keyDown
event properties).
Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, event.changeEx is defined for text fields. When event.fieldFull is
true, changeEx is set to the entire text string the user attempted to enter and event.change is the text
string cropped to what fits within the field. Use event.richChangeEx (and event.richChange) to
handle rich text fields.

Type
Various

Access
R

Example 1
This example implements a simple HTML online help file system.
Here is a combo box, which is described programmatically.
var c = this.addField({
cName: "myHelp",
cFieldType: "combobox",
nPageNum: 0,
oCoords: [72,12+3*72, 3*72, 0+3*72]
})

Now set the items in the combo box.
c.setItems([
["Online Help", "http://www.example.com/myhelp.html"],
["How to Print", "http://www.example.com/myhelp.html#print"],
["How to eMail", "http://www.example.com/myhelp.html#email"]
]);

Set the action.
c.setAction("Keystroke", "getHelp()");

This function is defined at the document level.
function getHelp() {
if ( !event.willCommit && (event.changeEx != "") )
app.launchURL(event.changeEx);
}

Example 2
For an example of the use of changeEx with text fields, see the example following fieldFull.

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commitKey
4.0
Determines how a form field will lose focus. Values are:
0 — Value was not committed (for example, escape key was pressed).
1 — Value was committed because of a click outside the field using the mouse.
2 — Value was committed because of pressing the Enter key.
3 — Value was committed by tabbing to a new field.

Type
Number

Access
R

Example
To automatically display an alert dialog box after a field has been committed, add the following to the
field’s format script:
if (event.commitKey != 0)
app.alert("Thank you for your new field value.");

fieldFull
6.0
Set to true when the user attempts to enter text that does not fit in the field due to either a space
limitation (the Field object property doNotScroll is set to true) or the maximum character limit (the
Field object property charLimit is set to a positive value). When fieldFull is true,
event.changeEx is set to the entire text string the user attempted to enter and event.change is the
text string cropped to what fits within the field.
Only available in keystroke events for text fields.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

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keyDown

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Events
Keystroke

Example 1
This is a custom keystroke script for a text field that has a character limit. When the field gets filled, or if the
user commits the data entered, the focus moves to another field.
if ( event.fieldFull || event.willCommit )
this.getField("NextTabField").setFocus();

Example 2
Test whether the user has overfilled the text field. A custom keystroke script for a text field. Initially, the
field is set so that text does not scroll.
if ( event.fieldFull )
{
app.alert("You've filled the given space with text,"
+ " and as a result, you've lost some text. I'll set the field to"
+ " scroll horizontally, and paste in the rest of your"
+ " missing text.");
this.resetForm([event.target.name]);
// Reset field to lose focus
event.target.doNotScroll = false;
// Make changes
event.change = event.changeEx;
}

Field properties generally cannot be changed during a keystroke event, so it is necessary for the field to
lose focus as a way to commit the data. The user then has to reset the focus and continue entering data.

keyDown
5.0
Available only during a keystroke event for list box and combo box. For a list box or the pop-up part of a
combo box, the value is true if the arrow keys were used to make a selection, false otherwise.
For the combo box, keyDown is only available if the pop-up part of it is used, that is, a selection (with the
mouse or the keyboard) is being made from the pop-up. If the combo is editable and the user types in an
entry, the Field/Keystroke event behaves as for a text field (that is, there are no changeEx or
keyDown event properties).

Type
Boolean

Access
R

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modifier
3.01
Specifies whether the modifier key is down during a particular event. The modifier key on the Microsoft
Windows platform is Control and on the Mac OS platform is Option or Command. This property is not
supported on UNIX.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

name
4.05
The name of the current event as a text string. The type and name together uniquely identify the event.
Valid names are:
Keystroke
Validate
Focus
Blur
Format
Calculate
Mouse Up
Mouse Down
Mouse Enter

Type
String

Access
R

Events
All

Mouse Exit
WillPrint
DidPrint
WillSave
DidSave
Init
Exec
Open
Close

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rc
3.01
Used for validation. Indicates whether a particular event in the event chain should succeed. Set to false
to prevent a change from occurring or a value from committing. The default is true.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Events
Keystroke, Validate, Menu

richChange
6.0
Specifies the change in value that the user has just typed. The richChange property is only defined for
rich text fields and mirrors the behavior of the event.change property. The value of richChange is an
array of Span objects that specify both the text entered into the field and the formatting. Keystrokes are
represented as single member arrays, while rich text pasted into a field is represented as an array of
arbitrary length.
When event.fieldFull is true, richChangeEx is set to the entire rich formatted text string the user
attempted to enter and event.richChange is the rich formatted text string cropped to what fits within
the field. Use event.changeEx (and event.change) to handle (plain) text fields.
Related objects and properties are event.richValue, the Span object, the Field object
defaultStyle, richText, and richValue properties, and the Annotation object richContents
property.

Type
Array of Span objects

Access
R/W

Events
Keystroke

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Example
This example changes the keystroke to upper case, alternately colors the text blue and red, and switches
underlining off and on.
// Custom Keystroke event for a rich text field.
var span = event.richChange;
for ( var i=0; i<span.length; i++)
{
span[i].text = span[i].text.toUpperCase();
span[i].underline = !span[i].underline;
span[i].textColor = (span[i].underline) ? color.blue : color.red;
}
event.richChange = span;

richChangeEx
6.0
This property is only defined for rich text fields. It mirrors the behavior of the event.changeEx property
for text fields. Its value is an array of Span objects that specify both the text entered into the field and the
formatting. Keystrokes are represented as single member arrays, while rich text pasted into a field is
represented as an array of arbitrary length.
If event.fieldFull is true, richChangeEx is set to the entire rich formatted text string the user
attempted to enter and event.richChange is the rich formatted text string cropped to what fits within
the field. Use event.changeEx (and event.change) to handle (plain) text fields.
Related objects and properties include event.richChange, event.richValue, the Span object, the
Field object defaultStyle, richText, and richValue properties, and the Annotation object
richContents property.

Type
Array of Span objects

Access
R/W

Events
Keystroke

Example
If the text field is filled up by the user, allow additional text by setting the field to scroll.
if ( event.fieldFull )
{
app.alert("You've filled the given space with text,"
+ " and as a result, you've lost some text. I'll set the field to"

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richValue

+ " scroll horizontally, and paste in the rest of your"
+ " missing text.");
this.resetForm([event.target.name]);
// Reset field to lose focus
event.target.doNotScroll = false;
// Make changes
if ( event.target.richText )
event.richChange = event.richChangeEx
else
event.change = event.changeEx;
}

See also event.fieldFull.

richValue
6.0
This property mirrors the richValue property of the Field object and the event.value property for
each event.
Related objects and properties include the Span object, the Field object properties defaultStyle,
richText, richValue, event.richChange, event.richChangeEx, and the Annotation object
richContents property.

Type
Array of Span objects

Access
R/W

Events
Keystroke

Example
Turn all bold text into red underlined text.
// Custom format event for a rich text field.
var spans = event.richValue;
for ( var i = 0; i < spans.length; i++ )
{
if( spans[i].fontWeight >= 700 )
{
spans[i].textColor = color.red;
spans[i].fontWeight = 400;
// change to default weight
spans[i].underline = true;
}
}
event.richValue = spans;

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selEnd
3.01
The ending position of the current text selection during a keystroke event.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Example
Merge the last change (of a text field) with the uncommitted change. The function uses both selEnd and
selStart.
function AFMergeChange(event)
{
var prefix, postfix;
var value = event.value;
if(event.willCommit) return event.value;
if(event.selStart >= 0)
prefix = value.substring(0, event.selStart);
else prefix = "";
if(event.selEnd >= 0 && event.selEnd <= value.length)
postfix = value.substring(event.selEnd, value.length);
else postfix = "";
return prefix + event.change + postfix;
}

selStart
3.01
The starting position of the current text selection during a keystroke event.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

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Example
See the example following selEnd.

shift
3.01
true if the shift key is down during a particular event, false otherwise.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

Example
The following is a mouse-up button action:
if (event.shift)
this.gotoNamedDest("dest2");
else
this.gotoNamedDest("dest1");

source
5.0
The Field object that triggered the calculation event. This object is usually different from the target of
the event, which is the field that is being calculated.

Type
Object

Access
R

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target
3.01
The target object that triggered the event. In all mouse, focus, blur, calculate, validate, and format events, it
is the Field object that triggered the event. In other events, such as page open and close, it is the Doc or
this object.

Type
Object

Access
R

targetName
5.0
Tries to return the name of the JavaScript being executed. Can be used for debugging purposes to help
identify the code causing exceptions to be thrown. Common values of targetName include:
●

The folder-level script file name for App/Init events

●

The document-level script name forDoc/Open events

●

The PDF file name being processed for Batch/Exec events

●

The field name for Field events

●

The menu item name for Menu/Exec events

●

The screen annotation name for Screen events (multimedia events)

When an exception is thrown, targetName is reported if there is an identifiable name.

Type
String

Access
R

Example
The first line of the folder-level JavaScript file conserve.js has an error in it. When the viewer starts, an
exception is thrown and the message reveals the source of the problem.
MissingArgError: Missing required argument.
App.alert:1:Folder-Level:App:conserve.js
===> Parameter cMsg.

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type
5.0
The type of the current event. The type and name together uniquely identify the event. Valid types are:
Batch
Console
App
Doc
Page

External
Bookmark
Link
Field
Menu

Type
String

Access
R

value
3.01
This property has different meanings for different field events:
●

For the Field/Validate event, it is the value that the field contains when it is committed. For a
combo box, it is the face value, not the export value (see changeEx).
For example, the following JavaScript verifies that the field value is between zero and 100:
if (event.value < 0 || event.value > 100) {
app.beep(0);
app.alert("Invalid value for field " + event.target.name);
event.rc = false;
}

●

For a Field/Calculate event, JavaScript should set this property. It is the value that the field should
take upon completion of the event.
For example, the following JavaScript sets the calculated value of the field to the value of the SubTotal
field plus tax.
var f = this.getField("SubTotal");
event.value = f.value * 1.0725;

●

For a Field/Format event, JavaScript should set this property. It is the value used when generating
the appearance for the field. By default, it contains the value that the user has committed. For a combo
box, this is the face value, not the export value (see changeEx for the export value).
For example, the following JavaScript formats the field as a currency type of field.
event.value = util.printf("$%.2f", event.value);

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willCommit

385

●

For a Field/Keystroke event, it is the current value of the field. If modifying a text field, for example,
this is the text in the text field before the keystroke is applied.

●

For Field/Blur and Field/Focus events, it is the current value of the field. During these two
events, event.value is read only. That is, the field value cannot be changed by setting
event.value.
Beginning with Acrobat 5.0, for a list box that allows multiple selections (see
field.multipleSelection), the following behavior occurs. If the field value is an array (that is,
multiple items are selected), event.value returns an empty string when getting, and does not
accept setting.

Type
Various

Access
R/W

willCommit
3.01
Verifies the current keystroke event before the data is committed. It can be used to check target form field
values to verify, for example, whether character data was entered instead of numeric data. JavaScript sets
this property to true after the last keystroke event and before the field is validated.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

Example
This example shows the structure of a keystroke event.
var value = event.value
if (event.willCommit)
// Final value checking.
else
// Keystroke-level checking.

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EventListener

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EventListener
This object is a collection of multimedia event methods with optional local data. Event method names
begin with on or after, followed by the event name, for example, onPause or afterPause. When an
event is dispatched, matching on event methods are called immediately and matching after event
methods are called a short while later, at the next idle time.
on event methods have certain restrictions:
●

An on event method for a MediaPlayer object cannot call any of that MediaPlayer’s methods, nor can
it call any other Acrobat methods that may indirectly cause a method of the MediaPlayer to be called.
For example, an on method must not close the document, save it, change the active page, change the
focus, or anything else that may eventually call a method of the MediaPlayer.

●

on event methods cannot be reentered.

after event methods do not have these restrictions and therefore are more versatile for most purposes.
Use an on event method only when the event must be processed synchronously, such as an onGetRect

method.
Inside an event method, this is the EventListener object. The document is available in
event.media.doc and the event target (MediaPlayer or ScreenAnnot) is in event.target.
Events.add installs EventListener objects for dispatching, Events.dispatch dispatches an event to
the matching event methods, and Events.remove removes EventListener objects from the dispatch

table.

Example
Install onPlay and afterPlay event listeners using two techniques. These listeners report back to the
console when there are executed.
// Create a simple MediaEvents object
var events = new app.media.Events
({
// Called immediately during a Play event:
onPlay: function() { console.println( "onPlay" ); },
// Called during idle time after the Play event:
afterPlay: function() { console.println( "afterPlay" ); },
});
var player = app.media.createPlayer({events: events});
player.events.add({
afterPlay: function( e ) {
app.alert("Playback started, doc.URL = " + e.media.doc.URL );
}
});
player.open();

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EventListener methods
The events listed here are specific to multimedia.
In addition to these events, a screen annotation may receive the standard events used elsewhere in
Acrobat (Destroy, Mouse Up, Mouse Down, Mouse Enter, Mouse Exit, Page Open, Page Close, Page Visible,
Page Invisible, Focus, and Blur). See the event object for details on those events.

afterBlur
6.0
The Blur event is triggered when a MediaPlayer or screen annotation loses the keyboard focus after having
it. See also onBlur (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

Example
The following script is executed as a Rendition action. The user clicks the screen annotation to open but
not play the movie clip. Clicking outside the screen annotation (a Blur event) plays the movie. Clicking the
screen annotation (a Focus event) while the movie is playing pauses the movie. To continue, the user clicks
outside the screen annotation again.
var playerEvents = new app.media.Events
({
afterBlur: function () { player.play(); },
afterFocus: function () { player.pause(); }
});
var settings = { autoPlay: false };
var args = { settings: settings, events: playerEvents};
var player = app.media.openPlayer(args);

See also afterFocus.

afterClose
6.0
The Close event is triggered when a media player is closed for any reason. See also onClose (the
difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).
To start another media player from the Close event, be sure to test doc.media.canPlay first to make
sure playback is allowed. For example, playback may not be allowed because the document is closing.

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The event object for a Close event includes these properties in addition to the standard event properties:
media.closeReason

Why the player was closed, from app.media.closeReason.

media.hadFocus

Did the player have the focus when it was closed?

When a player closes while it has the focus, it first receives a Blur event and then the Close event. In the
Close event, media.hadFocus indicates whether the player had the focus before closing.
When the afterClose event method is called, the MediaPlayer has already been deleted and its
JavaScript object is dead.

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

Example
See onClose for a representative example.

afterDestroy
6.0
The Destroy event is triggered when a screen annotation is destroyed.
When the afterDestroy event method is called, the screen annotation has already been deleted from
the document and its JavaScript object is dead.
See also onDestroy (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

afterDone
6.0
The Done event is triggered when media playback reaches the end of media.
See also onDone (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

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afterError
6.0
The Error event is triggered when an error occurs in a MediaPlayer. See also onError (the difference
between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).
The event object for an Error event includes these properties in addition to the standard event
properties:
media.code

Status code value.

media.serious True for serious errors, false for warnings.
media.text

Error message text.

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

afterEscape
6.0
The Escape event is triggered when the user presses the Escape key while a MediaPlayer is open and has
the keyboard focus. A MediaPlayer may receive an Escape event before it receives the Ready event.
See also onEscape (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

afterEveryEvent
6.0
If an Events object contains an onEveryEvent or afterEveryEvent property, its EventListener
methods are called for every event, not just a specific one. (The difference between on and after event
methods are explained on page 386).
The EventListener functions in an onEveryEvent or afterEveryEvent property are called before any
listener functions that name the specific event.

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

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Example
Have onEveryEvent, afterEveryEvent, onPlay and afterPlay report back to the console.
var events = new app.media.Events(
{
// This is called immediately at the start of every event:
onEveryEvent: function( e )
{ console.println( 'onEveryEvent, event = ' + e.name ); },
// This is called during a Play event, after onEveryEvent is
// called:
onPlay: function() { console.println( "onPlay" ); },
// This is called for every event, but later during idle time:
afterEveryEvent: function( e )
{ console.println( "afterEveryEvent, event = " + e.name ); },
// This is called during idle time after a Play event,
// and after afterEveryEvent is called:
afterPlay: function() { console.println( "afterPlay" ); },
});

afterFocus
6.0
The Focus event is triggered when a MediaPlayer or screen annotation gets the keyboard focus. See also
onFocus (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

Example
See afterBlur for an example of usage.

afterPause
6.0
The Pause event is triggered when media playback pauses, either because of user interaction or when the
pause method is called. See also onPause (the difference between on and after event methods are
explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

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afterPlay
6.0
The Play event is triggered when media playback starts or resumes, either because of user interaction or
when the play method is called. See also onPlay (the difference between on and after event methods
are explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

afterReady
6.0
The Ready event is triggered when a newly-created MediaPlayer is ready for use. See also onReady (the
difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).
Most methods of a MediaPlayer object cannot be called until the Ready event is triggered.

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

See afterScript, below, Markers.get and the MediaOffset object.

Example
This (document-level) script plays multiple media clips. For each screen annotation, a media (OpenPlayer)
player is opened. When it is ready, the afterReady script signals this fact to Multiplayer.
// Parameters: doc, page, rendition/annot name, mulitPlayer instance
function OnePlayer( doc, page, name, multiPlayer )
{
var player = app.media.openPlayer({
annot: doc.media.getAnnot(
{ nPage: page, cAnnotTitle: name }),
rendition: doc.media.getRendition( name ),
settings: { autoPlay: false },
events: {
afterReady: function( e ) {
multiPlayer.afterReady( player );
},
}
});
return player;
}

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// Parameters: doc, page, list of rendition/annot names
function MultiPlayer( doc, page )
{
var nPlayersCueing = 0; // number of players cueing up
var players = [];
// the SinglePlayers
this.afterReady = function( player ) {
if( ! player.didAfterReady ) {
player.didAfterReady = true;
nPlayersCueing--;
if( nPlayersCueing == 0 ) this.play();
}
}
this.play = function() {
for( var i = 0; i < players.length; i++ ) players[i].play();
}
for( var i = 2; i < arguments.length; i++ ) {
players[i-2] = new OnePlayer(doc,page,arguments[i],this );
nPlayersCueing++;
}
}

Playing multiple media clips is accomplished by executing the following code from, for example, a
mouse-up action of a form button.
var myMultiPlayer = new MultiPlayer( this, 0, "Clip1", "Clip2" );

See afterScript for another example of afterReady.

afterScript
6.0
The Script event is triggered when a script trigger is encountered in the media during playback. See also
onScript (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).
The event object for a Script event includes these properties in addition to the standard event
properties:
media.command

Command name

media.param

Command parameter string

These two strings can contain any values that the media clip provides. They do not necessarily contain
executable JavaScript code and it is up to the onScript or afterScript EventListener to interpret
them.

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

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Example
The following is part of a complete example presented after MediaPlayer.seek. The media is an audio
clip (.wma) of famous quotations, which supports markers and scripts. The afterReady listener counts
the number of markers, one at the beginning of each quotation. At the end of each quotation, there is also
an embedded command script. The afterScript listener watches for these commands and if it is a
pause command, it pauses the player.
var nMarkers=0;
var events = new app.media.Events;
events.add({
// Count the number of quotes in this audio clip, save as nMarkers
afterReady: function() {
var g = player.markers;
while ( (index = g.get( { index: nMarkers } ) ) != null )
nMarkers++;
},
// Each quote should be followed by a script, if the command is to
// pause, then pause the player.
afterScript: function( e ) {
if ( e.media.command == "pause" ) player.pause();
}
});
var player = app.media.openPlayer({
rendition: this.media.getRendition( "myQuotes" ),
settings: { autoPlay: false },
events: events
});

afterSeek
6.0
The Seek event is triggered when a MediaPlayer is finished seeking to a playback offset as a result of a
seek call. See also onSeek (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on
page 386).
Not all media players trigger Seek events.

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

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afterStatus
6.0
The Status event is triggered on various changes of status that a MediaPlayer reports. See also onStatus
(the difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).
The event object for a Status event includes these properties in addition to the standard event
properties:
media.code

Status code value, defined in app.media.status.

media.text

Status message text.

The following values are used only by some media players and only when
media.code == app.media.status.buffering. They are zero otherwise.
media.progress

Progress value from 0 to media.total.

media.total

Maximum progress value.

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

Example
Monitor the status of the player, as executed from a Rendition event associated with a screen annotation.
var events = new app.media.Events
events.add({
afterStatus: function ( e ) {
console.println( "Status code " + e.media.code +
", description: " + e.media.text);
}
});
app.media.openPlayer({ events: events });

afterStop
6.0
The Stop event is triggered when media playback stops, either because of user interaction or when the
stop method is called. See also onStop (the difference between on and after event methods are
explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

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onBlur
6.0
The Blur event is triggered when a MediaPlayer or screen annotation loses the keyboard focus after having
it. See also afterBlur (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on
page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

onClose
6.0
The Close event is triggered when a MediaPlayer is closed for any reason. See also afterClose (the
difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).
To start another media player from the Close event, be sure to test doc.media.canPlay first to make
sure playback is allowed. For example, playback may not be allowed because the document is closing.
The event object for a Close event includes these properties in addition to the standard event
properties:
media.closeReason

Why the player was closed, from app.media.closeReason

media.hadFocus

Did the player have the focus when it was closed?

When a player closes while it has the focus, it first receives a Blur event and then the Close event. In the
Close event, media.hadFocus indicates whether the player had the focus before closing.
When the afterClose event method is called, the MediaPlayer has already been deleted and its JavaScript
object is dead.

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

Example
This script gets information about why the media clip closed, executed from a Rendition action. See
app.media.closeReason.
var playerEvents = new app.media.Events({
onClose: function (e) {
var eReason, r = app.media.closeReason;
switch ( e.media.closeReason )
{
case r.general: eReason = "general"; break;

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case
case
case
case
case
case
case
case
case

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r.error: eReason = "error"; break;
r.done: eReason = "done"; break;
r.stop: eReason = "stop"; break;
r.play: eReason = "play"; break;
r.uiGeneral: eReason = "uiGeneral"; break;
r.uiScreen: eReason = "uiScreen"; break;
r.uiEdit: eReason = "uiEdit"; break;
r.docClose: eReason = "Close"; break;
r.docSave: eReason = "docSave"; break;
r.docChange: eReason = "docChange"; break;

}
console.println("Closing...The reason is

" + eReason );
}
});
app.media.openPlayer({ events: playerEvents });

onDestroy
6.0
The Destroy event is triggered when a screen annotation is destroyed. See also afterDestroy (the
difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

onDone
6.0
The Done event is triggered when media playback reaches the end of media. See also afterDone (the
difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

onError
6.0
The Error event is triggered when an error occurs in a MediaPlayer. See also afterError (the difference
between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).

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The event object for an Error event includes these properties in addition to the standard event
properties:
media.code

Status code value

media.serious

true for serious errors, false for warnings

media.text

Error message text

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

onEscape
6.0
The Escape event is triggered when the user presses the Escape key while a MediaPlayer is open and has
the keyboard focus. A MediaPlayer may receive an Escape event before it receives the Ready event.
See also afterEscape (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on
page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

onEveryEvent
6.0
If an Events object contains an onEveryEvent or afterEveryEvent property, its EventListener
methods are called for every event, not just a specific one.
The EventListener methods in an onEveryEvent or afterEveryEvent property are called before any
listener functions that name the specific event. (The difference between on and after event methods are
explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

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onFocus
6.0
The Focus event is triggered when a MediaPlayer or screen annotation gets the keyboard focus. See also
afterFocus (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

onGetRect
6.0
The GetRect event is triggered whenever the multimedia plug-in needs to get the display rectangle for a
docked MediaPlayer.
The event object for a GetRect event includes this property in addition to the standard event properties:
media.rect

Player rectangle, an array of four numbers in device space

The onGetRect method must set this property in the oMediaEvent before returning.
Note: Although you can write an afterGetRect listener, there is no useful purpose for it. If it returns a
rect property, it will be ignored. The onGetRect listener is where the rect property must be set.

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

Example
Page 0 has a series of (thumbnail-size) ScreenAnnots and page 1 is a blank page. Put the viewer into
continuous facing mode so that both pages are seen side-by-side. Below is a typical Rendition action or
mouse-up button JavaScript action.
var rendition = this.media.getRendition("Clip1");
var settings = rendition.getPlaySettings();
var annot = this.media.getAnnot({ nPage:0,cAnnotTitle:"ScreenClip1" });
var player = app.media.openPlayer({
rendition: rendition,
annot: annot,
settings: { windowType: app.media.windowType.docked },
events:
{
onGetRect: function (e) {
var width = e.media.rect[2] - e.media.rect[0];
var height = e.media.rect[3] - e.media.rect[1];
width *= 3; // Triple width and height

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height *= 3;
e.media.rect[0] = 36; // Move left,upper to
e.media.rect[1] = 36; // upper left-hand corner
e.media.rect[2] = e.media.rect[0]+width;
e.media.rect[3] = e.media.rect[1]+height;
return e.media.rect; // Return this
}
}
});
player.page = 1; // show on page 1, this triggers an onGetRect event.

See MediaPlayer.page and MediaPlayer.triggerGetRect for a variation on this same example.

onPause
6.0
The Pause event is triggered when media playback pauses, either because of user interaction or when the
play method is called. See also afterPause (the difference between on and after event methods are
explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

onPlay
6.0
The Play event is triggered when media playback starts or resumes, either because of user interaction or
when the pause method is called. See also afterPlay (the difference between on and after event
methods are explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

onReady
6.0
The Ready event is triggered when a newly-created MediaPlayer is ready for use. Most methods of a
MediaPlayer object cannot be called until the Ready event is triggered. See also afterReady (the
difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).

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Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

onScript
6.0
The Script event is triggered when a script trigger is encountered in the media during playback. See also
afterScript (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).
The event object for a Script event includes these properties in addition to the standard event
properties:
media.command

Command name

media.param

Command parameter string

These two strings can contain any values that the media clip provides. They do not necessarily contain
executable JavaScript code and it is up to the onScript or afterScript EventListener to interpret
them.

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

onSeek
6.0
The Seek event is triggered when a MediaPlayer is finished seeking to a playback offset as a result of a
seek call. Not all media players trigger Seek events.
See also afterSeek (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

onStatus
6.0
The Status event is triggered on various changes of status that a MediaPlayer reports. See also
afterStatus (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).

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The event object for a Status event includes these properties in addition to the standard event
properties:
media.code

Status code value, defined in app.media.status

media.text

Status message text

The following values are used only by some media players, and only when
media.code == app.media.status.buffering. They are zero otherwise.
media.progress

Progress value from 0 to media.total

media.total

Maximum progress value

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

onStop
6.0
The Stop event is triggered when media playback stops, either because of user interaction or when the
stop method is called.
See also afterStop (the difference between on and after event methods are explained on page 386).

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object that is automatically passed to this EventListener.

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Events
A multimedia Events object is a collection of EventListener objects. The events property of a
MediaPlayer object or a ScreenAnnot object is an Events object.
The constructor for an Events object is app.media.Events.

Example
This following is executed as a rendition action.
console.println("Ready to play \"" + event.action.rendition.uiName
+"\" from screen annot \"" + event.targetName + "\".");
// Create a simple app.media.Events object
var events = new app.media.Events({
// The Event object is passed as a parameter to all event
// listeners, this is a the parameter "e" below/
// Called immediately during a Play event:
onPlay: function( e ) { console.println( "onPlay: media.id = "
+ e.media.id ); },
// Called during idle time after the Play event:
afterPlay: function() { console.println( "afterPlay" ); },
});
var player = app.media.openPlayer({ events: events });

Events methods
add
6.0
Adds any number of EventListener objects to the dispatch table for this Events object. Any previous
listeners are preserved and when an event is triggered, all matching listener methods are called.
The standard event dispatcher first calls any onEveryEvent methods in the order they were added, then
calls any on events for the specific event being dispatched, also in the order they were added. Finally, it
sets a very short timer (one millisecond) to call any after events. When that timer is triggered, the after
events are called in the same order described for on events.
See the description of on and after events in the introductory paragraphs to EventListener object.
Note: If you try to add the same EventListener twice, the second attempt is ignored.
If you add an EventListener from inside an event method, the new listener’s methods will be called
as part of the dispatching for the current event.

Parameters
Any number of parameters, each one an EventListener object.

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Example
Add an EventListener for the onPlay event. The player is a MediaPlayer object.
player.events.add
({
onPlay: function() { console.println( "onPlay" ); }
});

See also remove.

dispatch
6.0
When a MediaPlayer triggers an event, the Multimedia plug-in creates an event object and calls
MediaPlayer.events.dispatch(event). Similarly, a ScreenAnnot calls
ScreenAnnot.events.dispatch(event).
The dispatch method is the only part of the event dispatching system that the Acrobat Multimedia plug-in
calls directly. You can substitute your own, entirely different event dispatching system by providing your
own MediaPlayer.events object with its own dispatch method.
The dispatch method is responsible for calling each of the EventListeners associated with the event, as
identified by oMediaEvent.name. In most cases, a PDF file will not provide its own dispatch method
but will use the standard event dispatching system.

Parameters
oMediaEvent

An event object.

If you write your own dispatch method, note that oMediaEvent.name may contain spaces. The
standard dispatch method makes a copy of oMediaEvent.name in oMediaEvent.media.id with
the spaces removed, to allow the name to be used directly as part of a JavaScript event method name.
Also, if you write your own dispatch method, it will be called synchronously when each event occurs,
and any processing you do will be subject to the same limitations as described for on event methods (see
EventListener object). In particular, the method cannot make any calls to a MediaPlayer object nor
do anything that can indirectly cause a MediaPlayer method to be called.
The dispatch method is not usually called directly from JavaScript code, although it can be.

Example
Create a new media player with a custom event dispatcher. This is an advanced technique that would
rarely be used in a typical PDF JavaScript.
var player = doc.media.newPlayer(
{
events:
{
dispatch: function( e )
{

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console.println( 'events.dispatch' + e.toSource() );
}
}
});
// Synthesize and dispatch a Script event, as if one had been
// encountered while the media was playing. With the standard event
// dispatcher, this will call any and all event listeners that have been
// added for this event. With the custom dispatcher above, it will log a
// message to the console.
var event = new Event;
event.name = "Script";
event.media = { command: "test", param: "value" };
player.events.dispatch( event );

remove
6.0
The method removes one or more EventListeners that were previously added with Events.add. If you
use an object literal directly in Events.add, you will not be able to remove that listener using
Media.remove because there is no way to pass a reference to the same object. To be able to remove an
EventListener, you must pass it to the add method in a variable instead of as an object literal, so that you
can pass the same variable to remove, as in the example below.
The remove method can be called from inside an event method to remove any EventListener, even the
listener that the current event method is part of. The current event method continues executing, but no
other event methods in the same EventListener object will be called.

Parameters
Any number of EventListener objects.

Example
Assume player is a MediaPlayer object.
var listener = { afterStop: function() { app.alert("Stopped!"); } }
player.events.add( listener );
// Add listener
.....
player.events.remove( listener );
// Later, remove it

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FDF
6.0

S

This object corresponds to a PDF-encoded data exchange file. Typically, FDF files contain forms data that is
exported from a PDF file. However, FDF files can also be used as general purpose data files and it is for this
latter purpose that the FDF object exists.
All methods and properties marked with S in their quick bar are available only during batch, console,
and application initialization events. See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details.

FDF properties
deleteOption
6.0

S

X

Indicates whether the FDF file should be automatically deleted after it is processed. This value may or may
not be used, depending on the content of the FDF file and how it is processed. It is used for embedded
files beginning in Acrobat 6.0. Allowed values are
0 — (default) Acrobat will automatically delete the FDF file after processing
1 — Acrobat will not delete the FDF file after processing (however, a web or email browser may still
delete the file).
2 — Acrobat will prompt the user to determine whether to delete the FDF file after processing

(however, a web or email browser may still delete the file).

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

isSigned
6.0

X

Returns true if the FDF data file is signed.

Type
Boolean

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numEmbeddedFiles

406

Access
R

Example
See if the fdf is signed.
var fdf = app.openFDF("/C/temp/myDoc.fdf");
console.println( "It is "+ fdf.isSigned + " that this FDF is signed");
fdf.close();

See a more complete example following signatureSign.

numEmbeddedFiles
X

6.0

The number of files embedded in the FDF file. If the FDF object is a valid FDF file, no exceptions will be
thrown.
A file may be embedded in an FDF file with the addEmbeddedFile method.

Type
Integer

Access
R

Example
Create a new FDF object, embed a PDF doc, save the FDF, open the FDF again, and count the number of
embedded files.
var fdf = app.newFDF();
fdf.addEmbeddedFile("/C/myPDFs/myDoc.pdf");
fdf.save("/c/temp/myDocWrapper.fdf");
fdf = app.openFDF("/c/temp/myDocWrapper.fdf");
console.println("The number of embedded files = "
+ fdf.numEmbeddedFiles);
fdf.close();

FDF methods
addContact
6.0

S

X

Adds a contact to the FDF file.

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addEmbeddedFile

407

Parameters
oUserEntity

An UserEntity object that list the contact to be added to the FDF file.

Returns
Throws an exception on failure.

Example
var oEntity={firstName:"Fred", lastName:"Smith", fullName:"Fred Smith"};
var f = app.newFDF();
f.addContact( oEntity );
f.save( "/c/temp/FredCert.fdf" );

addEmbeddedFile
6.0

S

X

Add the specified file to the end of the array of embedded files in the FDF file. Anyone opening the FDF file
will be instructed to save the embedded file or files according to nSaveOption. If the embedded file is a
PDF file, it is opened and displayed. If the embedded file is an FDF file, the file is opened for processing.
FDF files containing embedded files have been supported beginning with Acrobat 4.05. An example use
for embedding PDF files is when these files are hosted on an HTTP server and the user should click to
download and save the PDF file, rather than viewing the file in the browser. There is no relationship
between these embedded files and files that are associated with forms data that is stored in an FDF file.

Parameters
cDIPath

(optional) A device-independent absolute path to a file on the user’s hard drive. If not
specified, the user is prompted to locate a file.

nSaveOption

(optional) Specifies how the embedded file will be presented to the user opening
this FDF file, where the file will be saved, and whether the file will be deleted after it is
saved. Values are:
0 — The file will be saved to the Acrobat document folder. In Acrobat 8, the user
will see a confirmation dialog which must be agreed to before the file will be
saved to the disk
1 — (the default) The user will be prompted for a file name to which to save the
embedded file.
2 — Should not be used.
3 — The file will be automatically saved as a temporary file and deleted during
cleanup (when Acrobat is closed).
In Acrobat 4.05 through 5.05, for values of 0 and 3, the user is prompted for the
location of the save folder if they have not already set this value.
For all values of nSaveOption, if the file is a PDF or FDF file, it is automatically
opened by Acrobat after it is saved.

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addRequest

408

Returns
Throws an exception if this operation could not be completed, otherwise returns the number of
embedded files that are now in the FDF file.

Example
Create a new FDF, embed a PDF doc, then save.
var fdf = app.newFDF();
fdf.addEmbeddedFile("/C/myPDFs/myDoc.pdf");
fdf.save("/c/temp/myDocs.fdf");

addRequest
6.0

S

X

Adds a request to the FDF file. There can be only one request in an FDF file. If the FDF file already contains
a request, it is replaced with this new request.

Parameters
cType

What is being requested. Currently the only valid value is the string “CMS”, which
is a request for contact information.

cReturnAddress

The return address string for the request. This must begin with
mailto:, http: or https: and be of the form
"http://www.example.com/cgi.pl" or
"mailto:jdoe@example.com".

cName

(optional) The name of the person or organization that has generated the
request.

Returns
Throws an exception if there is an error.

Example
var f = app.newFDF();
f.addRequest( "CMS", "http://www.example.com/cgi.pl", "Acme Corp" );
f.save( "/c/tmp/request.fdf" );

close
6.0

S

X

Immediately closes the FDF file.

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mail

409

Returns
Throws an exception if there is an error.
See the FDF object save method, which also closes an FDF file.

Example
See example following the addEmbeddedFile method.

mail
6.0

S

X

Saves the FDF object as a temporary FDF file and mails this file as an attachment to all recipients, with or
without user interaction. The temporary file is deleted after it is no longer needed.
See also app.mailGetAddrs, app.mailMsg, the Doc methods mailDoc and mailForm, and the
Report object method mail.
Note: On Windows, the client computer must have its default mail program configured to be MAPI
enabled to use this method.

Parameters
bUI

(optional) Specifies whether to display a user interface. If true (the default), the rest of
the parameters are used to seed a compose-new-message window that is displayed to
the user. If false, the cTo parameter is required and all others are optional.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) When this method is executed in a non-privileged context, the bUI
parameter is not honored and defaults to true. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32.

cTo

(optional) A semicolon-separated list of recipients for the message.

cCc

(optional) A semicolon-separated list of CC recipients for the message.

cBcc

(optional) A semicolon-separated list of BCC recipients for the message.

cSubject

(optional) The subject of the message. The length limit is 64 KB.

cMsg

(optional) The content of the message. The length limit is 64 KB.

Returns
Throws an exception if there is an error.

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save

410

Example
var fdf = app.openFDF( "/c/temp/myDoc.fdf" );
/* This opens the compose new message window */
fdf.mail();
/* This will send out the mail with the attached FDF file to fun1@example.com
and fun2@example.com */
fdf.mail( false, "fun1@example.com", "fun2@example.com", "",
"This is the subject", "This is the body.");

save
6.0

S

X

Save the FDF object as a file. A save will always occur. The file is closed when it is saved and the FDF object
no longer contains a valid object reference.
See the close method, which also closes a FDF file.

Parameters
The device-independent path of the file to be saved.

cDIPath

Note: cDIPath must be a safe path (see “Safe path” on page 31) and must have an
extension of .fdf.

Returns
Throws an exception if there is an error.

Example
Create a new FDF, embed a PDF doc, then save.
var fdf = app.newFDF()
fdf.addEmbeddedFile("/C/myPDFs/myDoc.pdf");
fdf.save("/c/temp/myDocs.fdf");

signatureClear
6.0

S

X

If the FDF object is signed, clears the signature and returns true if successful. Does nothing if the FDF
object is not signed. Does not save the file.

Returns
true on success.

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signatureSign

411

signatureSign
6.0

S

X

Sign the FDF object with the specified security object. FDF objects can be signed only once. The FDF
object is signed in memory and is not automatically saved as a file to disk. Call save to save the FDF object
after it is signed. Call signatureClear to clear FDF signatures.

Parameters
oSig

The SecurityHandler object that is to be used to sign. Security objects normally
require initialization before they can be used for signing. Check the documentation
for your security handler to see if it is able to sign FDF files. The signFDF property of
the SecurityHandler object will indicate whether a particular security object is
capable of signing FDF files.

oInfo

(optional) A SignatureInfo object containing the writable properties of the
signature.

nUI

(optional) The type of dialog box to show when signing. Values are:
0 — Show no dialog box.
1 — Show a simplified dialog box with no editable fields (fields can be provided
in oInfo).
2 — Show a more elaborate dialog box that includes editable fields for reason,
location, and contact information.
The default is 0.

cUISignTitle

(optional) The title to use for the sign dialog box. It is used only if nUI is non-zero.

cUISelectMsg

(optional) A message to display when a user must select a resource for signing, such
as selecting a credential. It is used only when nUI is non-zero.

Returns
true if the signature was applied successfully, false otherwise.

Example
Open an existing FDF data file and sign.
var eng = security.getHandler( "Adobe.PPKLite" );
eng.login("myPassword" ,"/c/test/Acme.pfx");
var myFDF = app.openFDF( "/c/temp/myData.fdf" );
if( !myFDF.isSigned ) {
myFDF.signatureSign({
oSig: eng,
nUI: 1,
cUISignTitle: "Sign Embedded File FDF",
cUISelectMsg: "Please select a Digital ID to use to "
+ "sign your embedded file FDF."
});
myFDF.save( "/c/temp/myData.fdf" );
};

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signatureValidate

412

signatureValidate
6.0

X

Validate the signature of an FDF object and return a SignatureInfo object specifying the properties of
the signature.

Parameters
oSig

(optional) The security handler to be used to validate the signature. Can be either a
SecurityHandler object or a generic object with the following properties:
oSecHdlr — The SecurityHandler object to use to validate this signature.
bAltSecHdlr — A Boolean value . If true, an alternate security handler, selected based
on user preference settings, may be used to validate the signature. The default is false,
meaning that the security handler returned by the signature’s handlerName property is
used to validate the signature. This parameter is not used if oSecHdlr is provided.

If oSig is not supplied, the security handler returned by the signature’s handlerName
property is used to validate the signature.
bUI

(optional) If true, allow the UI to be shown, if necessary, when validating the data file. The
UI may be used to select a validation handler, if none is specified.

Returns
A SignatureInfo object. The signature status is described in status property.

Example
Open an FDF file, if signed, validate it the signature and return information to the console.
fdf = app.openFDF("/c/temp/myDoc.fdf");
eng = security.getHandler( "Adobe.PPKLite" );
if (fdf.isSigned)
{
var oSigInfo = fdf.signatureValidate({
oSig: eng,
bUI: true
});
console.println("Signature Status: " + oSigInfo.status);
console.println("Description: " + oSigInfo.statusText);
} else {
console.println("FDF not signed");
}

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Field

413

Field
This object represents an Acrobat form field (that is, a field created using the Acrobat form tool or the Doc
addField method). In the same manner that a form author can modify an existing field’s properties, such
as the border color or font, the JavaScript user can use the Field object to perform the same modifications.
Before a field can be accessed, it must be bound to a JavaScript variable through a method provided by
the Doc. More than one variable may be bound to a field by modifying the field’s object properties or
accessing its methods. This affects all variables bound to that field.
var f = this.getField("Total");

This example allows the script to manipulate the form field “Total” by means of the variable f.
Fields can be arranged hierarchically within a document. For example, form fields with names like
“FirstName” and “LastName” are called flat names and there is no association between them. By changing
the field names, a hierarchy of fields within the document can be created.
For example, “Name.First” and “Name.Last” forms a tree of fields. The period (‘.’) separator in Acrobat forms
denotes a hierarchy shift. “Name” in these fields is the parent; “First” and “Last” are the children. Also, the
field “Name” is an internal field because it has no visible appearance. “First” and “Last” are terminal fields
that appear on the page.
Acrobat form fields that share the same name also share the same value. Terminal fields can have different
presentations of that data. For example, they can appear on different pages, be rotated differently, or have
a different font or background color, but they have the same value. Therefore, if the value of one
presentation of a terminal field is modified, all others with the same name are updated automatically.
Each presentation of a terminal field is referred to as a widget. An individual widget does not have a name
but is identified by index (0-based) within its terminal field. The index is determined by the order in which
the individual widgets of this field were created (and is unaffected by tab-order).
You can determine the index for a specific widget by using the Fields navigation tab in Acrobat. The index
is the number that follows the ‘#’ sign in the field name shown. (In Acrobat 6.0 or later, the widget index is
displayed only if the field has more than one widget.) You can double-click an entry in the Fields panel to
go to the corresponding widget in the document. Alternatively, if you select a field in the document, the
corresponding entry in the Fields panel is highlighted.
Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, getField can be used to retrieve the Field object of one individual widget of
a field. This notation consists of appending a “.” (period) followed by the widget index to the field name
passed. When this approach is used, the Field object returned by getField encapsulates only one
individual widget. You can use the Field objects returned this way anywhere you would use a Field object
returned by passing the unaltered field name. However, the set of nodes that are affected may vary, as
shown in the following table.
Beginning with Acrobat 8.0, the LiveCycle Reader Extensions Field right is checked for Field objects only
if the JavaScript code is executed outside the PDF file (from the JavaScript console, through batch
execution, or through JSObject).

Action

Field object that represents all
widgets

Field object that represents
one specific widget

Get a widget property

Gets the property of widget # 0.

Gets the property of the widget.

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Field

414

Field object that represents all
widgets

Field object that represents
one specific widget

Set a widget property

Sets the property of all widgets that are
children of that field.
(The rect property and the setFocus
method are exceptions that apply to
widget # 0. See example below.)

Sets the property of the widget.

Get a field property

Gets the property of the field.

Gets the property of the parent
field.

Set a field property

Sets the property of the field.

Sets the property of the parent
field.

Action

The following example changes the rect property of the second radio button (the first would have index
0) of the field “my radio”.
var f = this.getField("my radio.1");
f.rect = [360, 677, 392, 646];

Field versus widget attributes
Some properties of the Field object, such as value, apply to all widgets that are children of that field.
Other properties, such as rect, are specific to individual widgets.
The following field properties and methods affect field-level attributes:
calcOrderIndex, charLimit, comb, currentValueIndices,defaultValue,
doNotScroll, doNotSpellCheck, delay, doc, editable, exportValues,
fileSelect, multiline, multipleSelection, name, numItems,page, password,
readonly, required,submitName, type, userName, value, valueAsString,
clearItems, browseForFileToSubmit, deleteItemAt, getItemAt, insertItemAt,
setAction, setItems,signatureInfo, signatureSign, and signatureValidate.

The following field properties and methods affect widget-level attributes:
alignment, borderStyle, buttonAlignX, buttonAlignY, buttonPosition,
buttonScaleHow, buttonScaleWhen, display, fillColor, hidden, highlight,
lineWidth, print, rect, strokeColor, style, textColor, textFont, textSize,
buttonGetCaption, buttonGetIcon, buttonImportIcon, buttonSetCaption,
buttonSetIcon, checkThisBox, defaultIsChecked, isBoxChecked,
isDefaultChecked, setAction, and setFocus.

Note: The setAction method can apply at the field or widget level, depending on the event. The
Keystroke, Validate, Calculate, and Format events apply to fields. The MouseUp,
MouseDown, MouseEnter, MouseExit, OnFocus, and OnBlur events apply to widgets.
The checkThisBox, defaultIsChecked, isBoxChecked, and isDefaultChecked methods
take a widget index, nWidget, as a parameter. If you invoke these methods on a Field object f that
represents one specific widget, the nWidget parameter is optional (and is ignored if passed) and
the method acts on the specific widget encapsulated by f.

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alignment

415

Field properties
In general, field properties correspond to those stored in field and annotation dictionaries in the PDF
document (see the PDF Reference version 1.7).
Some property values are stored in the PDF document as names, while others are stored as strings (see the
PDF Reference version 1.7). For a property that is stored as a name, there is a 127-character limit on the
length of the string.
Examples of properties that have a 127-character limit include value and defaultValue for check
boxes and radio buttons. The PDF Reference version 1.7 documents all Annotation properties as well as
how they are stored.

alignment
3.01

D

F

Controls how the text is laid out within the text field. Values are
left
center
right

Type
String

Access
R/W

Fields
text

Example
var f = this.getField("MyText");
f.alignment = "center";

borderStyle
3.01

D

F

The border style for a field. Valid border styles are
solid
dashed
beveled
inset
underline

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buttonAlignX

416

The border style determines how the border for the rectangle is drawn. The border object is a static
convenience constant that defines all the border styles of a field, as shown in the following table:
Type

Keyword

Description

solid

border.s

Strokes the entire perimeter of the rectangle with a solid line.

beveled

border.b

Equivalent to the solid style with an additional beveled
(pushed-out appearance) border applied inside the solid border.

dashed

border.d

Strokes the perimeter with a dashed line.

inset

border.i

Equivalent to the solid style with an additional inset (pushed-in
appearance) border applied inside the solid border.

underline

border.u

Strokes the bottom portion of the rectangle’s perimeter.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Fields
All

Example
The following example shows how to set the border style of a field to solid:
var f = this.getField("MyField");
f.borderStyle = border.s; /* border.s evaluates to "solid" */

buttonAlignX
5.0

D

F

Controls how space is distributed from the left of the button face with respect to the icon. It is expressed as
a percentage between 0 and 100, inclusive. The default value is 50.
If the icon is scaled anamorphically (which results in no space differences), this property is not used.

Type
Integer

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buttonAlignY

417

Access
R/W

Fields
button

buttonAlignY
5.0

D

F

Controls how unused space is distributed from the bottom of the button face with respect to the icon. It is
expressed as a percentage between 0 and 100, inclusive. The default value is 50.
If the icon is scaled anamorphically (which results in no space differences), this property is not used.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Fields
button

Example
This example is an elevator animation. The field “myElevator” is a button form field that has small width
and large height. An icon is imported as the appearance face.
function MoveIt()
{
if ( f.buttonAlignY == 0 ) {
f.buttonAlignY++;
run.dir = true;
return;
}
if ( f.buttonAlignY == 100 ) {
f.buttonAlignY--;
run.dir = false;
return;
}
if (run.dir) f.buttonAlignY++;
else f.buttonAlignY--;
}
var f = this.getField("myElevator");
f.buttonAlignY=0;
run = app.setInterval("MoveIt()", 100);

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buttonFitBounds

418

run.dir=true;
toprun = app.setTimeOut(
"app.clearInterval(run); app.clearTimeOut(toprun)", 2*20000+100);

buttonFitBounds
6.0

D

F

If true, the extent to which the icon may be scaled is set to the bounds of the button field. The additional
icon placement properties are still used to scale and position the icon within the button face.
In previous versions of Acrobat, the width of the field border was always taken into consideration when
scaling an icon to fit a button face, even when no border color was specified. Setting this property to true
when a border color has been specified for the button will cause an exception to be raised.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
button

buttonPosition
5.0

D

F

Controls how the text and the icon of the button are positioned with respect to each other within the
button face. The convenience position object defines all of the valid alternatives.
Icon/text placement

Keyword

Text Only

position.textOnly

Icon Only

position.iconOnly

Icon top, Text bottom

position.iconTextV

Text top, Icon bottom

position.textIconV

Icon left, Text right

position.iconTextH

Text left, Icon right

position.textIconH

Text in Icon (overlaid)

position.overlay

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buttonScaleHow

419

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Fields
button

buttonScaleHow
5.0

D

F

Controls how the icon is scaled (if necessary) to fit inside the button face. The convenience scaleHow
object defines all of the valid alternatives:
How is icon scaled

Keyword

Proportionally

scaleHow.proportional

Non-proportionally

scaleHow.anamorphic

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Fields
button

buttonScaleWhen
5.0

D

F

Controls when an icon is scaled to fit inside the button face. The convenience scaleWhen object defines
all of the valid alternatives:
When is icon scaled

Keyword

Always

scaleWhen.always

Never

scaleWhen.never

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calcOrderIndex

When is icon scaled

Keyword

If icon is too big

scaleWhen.tooBig

If icon is too small

scaleWhen.tooSmall

420

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Fields
button

calcOrderIndex
3.01

D

F

Changes the calculation order of fields in the document. When a computable text or combo box field is
added to a document, the field’s name is appended to the calculation order array. The calculation order
array determines in what order the fields are calculated. The calcOrderIndex property works similarly
to the Calculate tab used by the Acrobat Form tool.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Fields
combobox, text

Example
var a = this.getField("newItem");
var b = this.getField("oldItem");
a.calcOrderIndex = b.calcOrderIndex + 1;

In this example, the “newItem” field was added after the “oldItem” field. The script changes the
calcOrderIndex property of the “newItem” field so that it is calculated before the “oldItem” field.

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charLimit

421

charLimit
3.01

D

F

Limits the number of characters that a user can type into a text field.
See event.fieldFull to detect when the maximum number of characters is reached.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Fields
text

Example
Set a limit on the number of characters that can be typed into a field.
var f = this.getField("myText");
f.charLimit = 20;

comb
6.0

D

F

If set to true, the field background is drawn as series of boxes (one for each character in the value of the
field) and each character of the content is drawn within those boxes. The number of boxes drawn is
determined from the charLimit property.
It applies only to text fields. The setter will also raise if any of the following field properties are also set
multiline, password, and fileSelect. A side-effect of setting this property is that the
doNotScroll property is also set.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
text

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commitOnSelChange

Example
Create a comb field in the upper left corner of a newly created document.
var myDoc = app.newDoc();
var Bbox = myDoc.getPageBox("Crop");
var inch = 72;

// Create a blank doc
// Get crop box

// Add a text field at the top of the document
var f = myDoc.addField("Name.Last", "text", 0,
[ inch, Bbox[1]-inch, 3*inch, Bbox[1]- inch - 14 ] );
// Add some attributes to this text field
f.strokeColor = color.black;
f.textColor = color.blue;
f.fillColor = ["RGB",1,0.66,0.75];
f.comb = true;
f.charLimit = 10;

// Declare this is a comb field
// Max number of characters

commitOnSelChange
6.0

D

F

Controls whether a field value is committed after a selection change:
●

If true, the field value is committed immediately when the selection is made.

●

If false, the user can change the selection multiple times without committing the field value. The
value is committed only when the field loses focus, that is, when the user clicks outside the field.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
combobox, listbox

currentValueIndices
5.0

D

F

Reads and writes single or multiple values of a list box or combo box.

422

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JavaScript API
currentValueIndices

423

Read
Returns the options-array indices of the strings that are the value of a list box or combo box field. These
indices are 0-based. If the value of the field is a single string, it returns an integer. Otherwise, it returns an
array of integers sorted in ascending order. If the current value of the field is not a member of the set of
offered choices (as could happen in the case of an editable combo box) it returns -1.

Write
Sets the value of a list box or combo box. It accepts a single integer or array of integers as an argument. To
set a single string as the value, pass an integer that is the 0-based index of that string in the options array.
Note that in the case of an editable combo box, if the desired value is not a member of the set of offered
choices, you must set the value instead. Except for this case, currentValueIndices is the preferred
way to set the value of a list box or combo box.
To set a multiple selection for a list box that allows it, pass an array as argument to this property,
containing the indices (sorted in ascending order) of those strings in the options array. This is the only way
to invoke multiple selections for a list box from JavaScript. The ability for a list box to support multiple
selections can be set through multipleSelection.
Related methods and properties include numItems, getItemAt, insertItemAt, deleteItemAt and
setItems.

Type
Integer | Array

Access
R/W

Fields
combobox, listbox

Example (Read)
A mouse-up action of a button. The script gets the current value of a list box.
var f = this.getField("myList");
var a = f.currentValueIndices;
if (typeof a == "number") // A single selection
console.println("Selection: " + f.getItemAt(a, false));
else {
// Multiple selections
console.println("Selection:");
for (var i = 0; i < a.length; i ++)
console.println("
" + f.getItemAt(a[i], false));
}

Example (Write)
The following code, selects the second and fourth (0-based index values, 1 and 3, respectively) in a list box.
var f = this.getField("myList");
f.currentValueIndices = [1,3];

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defaultStyle

424

defaultStyle
6.0

D

F

This property defines the default style attributes for the form field. If the user clicks an empty field and
begins entering text without changing properties using the property toolbar, these are the properties that
will be used. This property is a single Span object without a text property. Some of the properties in the
default style span mirror the properties of the Field object. Changing these properties also modifies the
defaultStyle property for the field and vice versa.
The following table details the properties of the Field object that are also in the default style and any
differences between their values.

Field properties

defaultStyle
(Span properties)

alignment

alignment

The alignment property has the same values for both
the default style and the Field object.

textFont

fontFamily
fontStyle
fontWeight

The value of this field property is a complete font name
that represents the font family, weight, and style. In the
default style property, each property is represented
separately. If an exact match for the font properties
specified in the default style cannot be found, a similar
font will be used or synthesized.

textColor

textColor

The textColor property has the same values for both
the default style and the Field object.

textSize

textSize

The textSize property has the same values for both the
default style and the Field object.

Description

Note: When a field is empty, defaultStyle is the style used for newly entered text. If a field already
contains text when defaultStyle is changed, the text will not pick up any changes to
defaultStyle. Newly entered text uses the attributes of the text it is inserted into (or specified
with the toolbar).
When pasting rich text into a field, unspecified attributes in the pasted rich text are filled with those
from defaultStyle.
Superscript and Subscript are ignored in defaultStyle.

Type
Span object

Access
R/W

Fields
rich text

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defaultValue

425

Example
Change the default style for a text field.
var style = this.getField("Text1").defaultStyle;
style.textColor = color.red;
style.textSize = 18;
// if Courier Std is not found, use a monospace font
style.fontFamily = ["Courier Std", "monospace" ];
this.getField("Text1").defaultStyle = style;

defaultValue
3.01

D

F

The default value of a field—that is, the value that the field is set to when the form is reset. For combo
boxes and list boxes, either an export or a user value can be used to set the default. A conflict can occur, for
example, when the field has an export value and a user value with the same value but these apply to
different items in the list. In such cases, the export value is matched against first.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Fields
all except button, signature

Example
var f = this.getField("Name");
f.defaultValue = "Enter your name here.";

doNotScroll
5.0

D

F

If true, the text field does not scroll and the user, therefore, is limited by the rectangular region designed
for the field. Setting this property to true or false corresponds to checking or unchecking the Scroll
Long Text field in the Options tab of the field.

Type
Boolean

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doNotSpellCheck

426

Access
R/W

Fields
text

doNotSpellCheck
5.0

D

F

If true, spell checking is not performed on this editable text field. Setting this property to true or false
corresponds to unchecking or checking the Check Spelling attribute in the Options tab of the Field
Properties dialog box.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
combobox (editable), text

delay
3.01

F

Delays the redrawing of a field’s appearance. It is generally used to buffer a series of changes to the
properties of the field before requesting that the field regenerate its appearance. Setting the property to
true forces the field to wait until delay is set to false. The update of its appearance then takes place,
redrawing the field with its latest settings.
There is a corresponding Doc delay flag if changes are being made to many fields at once.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

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display

Fields
all

Example
Change the appearance of a check box. Set delay to true, makes changes, and sets delay to false.
// Get the myCheckBox field
var f = this.getField("myCheckBox");
// Set the delay and change the fields properties
// to beveled edge and medium thickness line.
f.delay = true;
f.borderStyle = border.b;
...
// A number of other changes
f.strokeWidth = 2;
f.delay = false; // Force the changes now

display
4.0

D

F

Controls whether the field is hidden or visible on screen and in print. Values are:
Effect

Keyword

Field is visible on screen and in print

display.visible

Field is hidden on screen and in print

display.hidden

Field is visible on screen but does not print

display.noPrint

Field is hidden on screen but prints

display.noView

This property supersedes the older hidden and print properties.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Fields
all

427

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doc

428

Example
// Set the display property
var f = getField("myField");
f.display = display.noPrint;
// Test whether field is hidden on screen and in print
if (f.display == display.hidden) console.println("hidden");

doc
3.01
Returns the Doc of the document to which the field belongs.

Type
object

Access
R

Fields
all

editable
3.01

D

F

Controls whether a combo box is editable. If true, the user can type in a selection. If false, the user must
choose one of the provided selections.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
combobox

Example
var f = this.getField("myComboBox");
f.editable = true;

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exportValues

429

exportValues
5.0

D

F

An array of strings representing the export values for the field. The array has as many elements as there are
annotations in the field. The elements are mapped to the annotations in the order of creation (unaffected
by tab-order).
For radio button fields, this property is required to make the field work properly as a group. The button
that is checked at any time gives its value to the field as a whole.
For check box fields, unless an export value is specified, “Yes” (or the corresponding localized string) is the
default when the field is checked. “Off” is the default when the field is unchecked (the same as for a radio
button field when none of its buttons are checked).

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Fields
checkbox, radiobutton

Example
Create a radio button field and sets its export values.
var d = 40;
var f = this.addField("myRadio","radiobutton",0, [200, 510, 210, 500]);
this.addField("myRadio","radiobutton",0, [200+d, 510-d, 210+d, 500-d]);
this.addField("myRadio","radiobutton",0,[200, 510-2*d, 210, 500-2*d]);
this.addField("myRadio","radiobutton",0,[200-d, 510-d, 210-d, 500-d]);
f.strokeColor = color.black;
// Now give each radio field an export value
f.exportValues = ["North", "East", "South", "West"];

fileSelect
5.0

D

S

F

If true, sets the file-select flag in the Options tab of the text field (Field is Used for File Selection). This
indicates that the value of the field represents a path of a file whose contents may be submitted with the
form.

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fillColor

430

The path may be entered directly into the field by the user, or the user can browse for the file. (See the
browseForFileToSubmit method.)
Note: The file select flag is mutually exclusive with the multiline, charLimit, password, and
defaultValue properties. Also, on the Mac OS platform, when setting the file select flag, the field
gets treated as read-only. Therefore, the user must browse for the file to enter into the field. (See
browseForFileToSubmit.)
This property can only be set during a batch or console event. See “Privileged versus non-privileged
context” on page 32 for details. The event object contains a discussion of JavaScript events.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
text

fillColor
4.0

D

F

Specifies the background color for a field. The background color is used to fill the rectangle of the field.
Values are defined by using transparent, gray, RGB or CMYK color. See “Color arrays” on page 193 for
information on defining color arrays and how values are used with this property.
In older versions of this specification, this property was named bgColor. The use of bgColor is now
discouraged, although it is still valid for backward compatibility.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Fields
all

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hidden

431

Example
Change the background color of a text field. If the current color is red, it changes to blue, otherwise it
changes to yellow.
var f = this.getField("myField");
if (color.equal(f.fillColor, color.red))
f.fillColor = color.blue;
else
f.fillColor = color.yellow;

hidden
X

D

F

Note: This property has been superseded by the display property and its use is discouraged.
If the value is false, the field is visible to the user; if true, the field is invisible. The default value is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
all

highlight
3.01

D

F

Defines how a button reacts when a user clicks it. The four highlight modes supported are:
none — No visual indication that the button has been clicked.
invert — The region encompassing the button’s rectangle inverts momentarily.
push — The down face for the button (if any) is displayed momentarily.
outline — The border of the rectangleinverts momentarily.

The convenience highlight object defines each state, as follows:
Type

Keyword

none

highlight.n

invert

highlight.i

push

highlight.p

outline

highlight.o

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lineWidth

432

Type
String

Access
R/W

Fields
button

Example
Set the highlight property of a button to “invert”.
var f = this.getField("myButton");
f.highlight = highlight.i;

lineWidth
4.0

D

F

Specifies the thickness of the border when stroking the perimeter of a field’s rectangle. If the stroke color is
transparent, this parameter has no effect except in the case of a beveled border. Values are:
0 — none
1 — thin
2 — medium
3 — thick

In older versions of this specification, this property was borderWidth. The use of borderWidth is now
discouraged, although it is still valid for backward compatibility.
The default value for lineWidth is 1 (thin). Any integer value can be used; however, values beyond 5 may
distort the field’s appearance.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Fields
all

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multiline

433

Example
Change the border width of the Text Box to medium thickness
f.lineWidth = 2

multiline
3.01

D

F

Controls how text is wrapped within the field. If false (the default), the text field can be a single line only.
If true, multiple lines are allowed and they wrap to field boundaries.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
text

Example
See Example 1 following the Doc getField method.

multipleSelection
5.0

D

F

If true, indicates that a list box allows a multiple selection of items.
See also type, value, and currentValueIndices.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
listbox

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JavaScript API
name

name
3.01
This property returns the fully qualified field name of the field as a string object.
Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, if the Field object represents one individual widget, the returned name
includes an appended '.' followed by the widget index.

Type
String

Access
R

Fields
all

Example
Get a Field object and write the name of the field to the console.
var f = this.getField("myField");
// Displays "myField" in the console window
console.println(f.name);

numItems
3.01
The number of items in a combo box or list box.

Type
Integer

Access
R

Fields
combobox, listbox

434

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page

435

Example
Get the number of items in a list box.
var f = this.getField("myList");
console.println("There are " + f.numItems + " in this list box");

Face names and values of a combo box or list box can be accessed through the getItemAt method. See
that method for an additional example of numItems.

page
5.0
The page number or an array of page numbers of a field. If the field has only one appearance in the
document, the page property returns an integer representing the 0-based page number of the page on
which the field appears. If the field has multiple appearances, it returns an array of integers, each member
of which is a 0-based page number of an appearance of the field. The order in which the page numbers
appear in the array is determined by the order in which the individual widgets of this field were created
(and is unaffected by tab-order). If an appearance of the field is on a hidden template page, page returns a
value of -1 for that appearance.

Type
Integer | Array

Access
R

Fields
all

Example 1
Determine whether a particular field appears on one page, or more than one page.
var f = this.getField("myField");
if (typeof f.page == "number")
console.println("This field only occurs once on page " + f.page);
else
console.println("This field occurs " + f.page.length + " times);

Example 2 (Acrobat 6.0)
The page property can be used to get the number of widgets associated with a field name. This example
gets the number of radio buttons in a radio button field.
var f = this.getField("myRadio");
if ( typeof f.page == "object" )
console.println("There are " + f.page.length
+ " radios in this field.");

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password

436

password
3.01

D

F

Specifies whether the field should display asterisks when data is entered in the field. (Upon submission,
the actual data entered is sent.) If this property is true, data in the field is not saved when the document is
saved to disk.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
text

print
X

D

F

Note: This property has been superseded by the display property and its use is discouraged.
If true, the field appears when the user prints the document. If false, the field does not appear when
printing. This property can be used to hide control buttons and other fields that are not useful on the
printed page.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
all

radiosInUnison
6.0

D

F

If false, even if a group of radio buttons have the same name and export value, they behave in a
mutually exclusive fashion, like HTML radio buttons. The default for new radio buttons is false.
If true, if a group of radio buttons have the same name and export value, they turn on and off in unison,
as in Acrobat 4.0.

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readonly

437

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
radiobutton

readonly
3.01

D

F

The read-only characteristic of a field. If a field is read-only, the user can see the field but cannot change it.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
all

Example
Get a field and make it read-only.
var f = this.getField("myTextField");
f.value = "You can’t change this message!";
f.readonly = true;

rect
5.0

D

F

An array of four numbers in rotated user space that specify the size and placement of the form field. These
four numbers are the coordinates of the bounding rectangle and are listed in the following order:
upper-left x, upper-left y, lower-right x and lower-right y.
Note: The Annotation object also has a rect property. However, the coordinates are not in rotated user
space and they are in a different order than in the Field object rect property.

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required

438

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Fields
all

Example 1
Lay out a 2-inch-wide text field just to the right of the field “myText”.
var f = this.getField("myText"); // Get the Field object
var myRect = f.rect; // and get its rectangle
myRect[0] = f.rect[2]; // The ulx for new = lrx for old
myRect[2] += 2 * 72;
// Move two inches for lry
f = this.addField("myNextText", "text", this.pageNum, myRect);
f.strokeColor = color.black;

Example 2
Move an existing button field 10 points to the right.
var b = this.getField("myButton");
var aRect = b.rect; // Make a copy of b.rect
aRect[0] += 10; // Increment first x coordinate by 10
aRect[2] += 10; // Increment second x coordinate by 10
b.rect = aRect; // Update the value of b.rect

required
3.01

D

F

Specifies whether a field requires a value. If true, the field’s value must be non-null when the user clicks
a submit button that causes the value of the field to be posted. If the field value is null, the user receives
a warning message and the submit does not occur.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

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richText

439

Fields
all except button

Example
Make “myField” into a required field.
var f = this.getField("myField");
f.required = true;

richText
6.0

D

F

If true, the field allows rich text formatting. The default is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Fields
text

Related objects and properties are richValue, defaultStyle, event.richValue,
event.richChange, event.richChangeEx, the Annotation object richContents property, and
the Span object.

Example 1
Get a Field object and set it for rich text formatting.
var f = this.getField("Text1");
f.richText = true;

See Example 2 following richValue for a more complete example.

Example 2
Count the number of rich text fields in the document.
var count = 0;
for ( var i = 0; i < this.numFields; i++)
{
var fname = this.getNthFieldName(i);
var f = this.getField(fname);
if ( f.type == "text" && f.richText ) count++
}
console.println("There are a total of "+ count + " rich text fields.");

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richValue

440

richValue
6.0

D

F

This property specifies the text contents and formatting of a rich text field. For field types other than rich
text, this property is undefined. The rich text contents are represented as an array of Span objects
containing the text contents and formatting of the field.

Type
Array of Span objects

Access
R/W

Fields
rich text
Related objects and properties are richText, defaultStyle, event.richValue,
event.richChange, event.richChangeEx, the Annotation object richContents property, and
the Span object.

Example 1
Turn all bold text into red underlined text.
var f = this.getField("Text1");
var spans = f.richValue;
for ( var i = 0; i < spans.length; i++ )
{
if( spans[i].fontWeight >= 700 )
{
spans[i].textColor = color.red;
spans[i].underline = true;
}
}
f.richValue = spans;

Example 2
Create a text field, marks it for rich text formatting, and inserts rich text.
var myDoc = app.newDoc();
var Bbox = myDoc.getPageBox("Crop");
var inch = 72;

// Create a blank doc
// Get crop box

// Add a text field at the top of the document
var f = myDoc.addField("Text1", "text", 0,
[72, Bbox[1]-inch, Bbox[2]-inch, Bbox[1]-2*inch ] );
// Add some attributes to this text field
f.strokeColor = color.black;

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rotation

f.richText = true;
f.multiline = true;

// Rich text
// Multiline

// Now build up an array of Span objects
var spans = new Array();
spans[0] = new Object();
spans[0].text = "Attention:\r";
spans[0].textColor = color.blue;
spans[0].textSize = 18;
spans[1] = new Object();
spans[1].text = "Adobe Acrobat 6.0\r";
spans[1].textColor = color.red;
spans[1].textSize = 20;
spans[1].alignment = "center";
spans[2] = new Object();
spans[2].text = "will soon be here!";
spans[2].textColor = color.green;
spans[2].fontStyle = "italic";
spans[2].underline = true;
spans[2].alignment = "right";
// Now give the rich field a rich value
f.richValue = spans;

rotation
6.0

D

X

The rotation of a widget in counterclockwise increments. Valid values are 0, 90, 180, and 270.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Fields
all

Example
Create a rotated text field on each page and fill it with text.
for ( var i=0; i < this.numPages; i++) {
var f = this.addField("myRotatedText"+i,"text",i,[6, 6+72, 18, 6]);
f.rotation = 90; f.value = "Confidential";
f.textColor = color.red; f.readonly = true;
}

441

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strokeColor

442

strokeColor
4.0

D

F

Specifies the stroke color for a field that is used to stroke the rectangle of the field with a line as large as the
line width. Values are defined by using transparent, gray, RGB or CMYK color. See “Color arrays” on
page 193 for information on defining color arrays and how values are used with this property.
In older versions of this specification, this property was borderColor. The use of borderColor is now
discouraged, although it is still valid for backward compatibility.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Fields
all

Example
Change the stroke color of each text field in the document to red.
for ( var i=0; i < this.numFields; i++) {
var fname = this.getNthFieldName(i);
var f = this.getField(fname);
if ( f.type == "text" ) f.strokeColor = color.red;
}

style
3.01

D

F

Allows the user to set the glyph style of a check box or radio button. The glyph style is the graphic used to
indicate that the item has been selected.
The style values are associated with keywords as follows.
Style

Keyword

check

style.ch

cross

style.cr

diamond

style.di

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submitName

Style

Keyword

circle

style.ci

star

style.st

square

style.sq

443

Type
String

Access
R/W

Fields
checkbox, radiobutton

Example
This example sets the glyph style to circle.
var f = this.getField("myCheckbox");
f.style = style.ci;

submitName
5.0

D

F

If nonempty, used during form submission instead of name. Only applicable if submitting in HTML format
(that is, URL-encoded).

Type
String

Access
R/W

Fields
all

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textColor

444

textColor
4.0

D

F

The foreground color of a field. It represents the text color for text, button, or list box fields and the check
color for check box or radio button fields. Values are defined the same as the fillColor. See “Color
arrays” on page 193 for information on defining color arrays and how values are set and used with this
property.
In older versions of this specification, this property was fgColor. The use of fgColor is now
discouraged, although it is still valid for backward compatibility.
Note: An exception is thrown if a transparent color space is used to set textColor.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Fields
all

Example
This example sets the foreground color to red.
var f = this.getField("myField");
f.textColor = color.red;

textFont
3.01

D

F

The font that is used when laying out text in a text field, combo box, list box or button. Valid fonts are
defined as properties of the font object. Beginning with Acrobat 5.0, arbitrary fonts can also be used. See
““Use of arbitrary fonts” on page 445”.

Type
String

Access
R/W

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textFont

445

Fields
button, combobox, listbox, text

font Object
Text font

Keyword

Times-Roman

font.Times

Times-Bold

font.TimesB

Times-Italic

font.TimesI

Times-BoldItalic

font.TimesBI

Helvetica

font.Helv

Helvetica-Bold

font.HelvB

Helvetica-Oblique

font.HelvI

Helvetica-BoldOblique

font.HelvBI

Courier

font.Cour

Courier-Bold

font.CourB

Courier-Oblique

font.CourI

Courier-BoldOblique

font.CourBI

Symbol

font.Symbol

ZapfDingbats

font.ZapfD

Use of arbitrary fonts
Beginning with Acrobat 5.0, an arbitrary font can be used when laying out a text field, combo box, list box
or button by setting the value of textFont to the PDSysFont font name, as returned by
PDSysFontGetName. (See the Acrobat and PDF Library API Reference.)
➤ To find the PDSysFont font name of a font:

1. Create a text field in a PDF document. Using the UI, set the text font for this field to the desired font.
2. Open the JavaScript Debugger Console and execute the script
this.getField("Text1").textFont

The above code assumes the name of the field is Text1.
3. The string returned to the console is the font name needed to programmatically set the text font.

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textSize

446

Example
Set the font to Helvetica.
var f = this.getField("myField");
f.textFont = font.Helv;

Example (Acrobat 5.0)
Set the font of myField to Viva-Regular.
var f = this.getField("myField");
f.textFont = "Viva-Regular";

textSize
3.01

D

F

Specifies the text size (in points) to be used in all controls. In check box and radio button fields, the text
size determines the size of the check. Valid text sizes range from 0 to 32767, inclusive. A value of zero
means the largest point size that allows all text data to fit in the field’s rectangle.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Fields
all

Example
Set the text size of “myField” to 28 points.
this.getField("myField").textSize = 28;

type
3.01
Returns the type of the field as a string. Valid types are:
button
checkbox
combobox
listbox
radiobutton
signature
text

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userName

447

Type
String

Access
R

Fields
all

Example
Count the number of text fields in the document.
var count = 0;
for ( var i=0; i<this.numFields; i++) {
var fname = this.getNthFieldName(i);
if ( this.getField(fname).type == "text" ) count++; }
console.println("There are " + count + " text fields.");

userName
3.01

D

F

The user name (short description string) of the field. It is intended to be used as tooltip text whenever the
cursor enters a field. It can also be used as a user-friendly name, instead of the field name, when
generating error messages.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Fields
all

Example
Add a tooltip to a button field.
var f = this.getField("mySubmit");
f.userName = "Press this button to submit your data.";

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value

448

value
D

3.01

F

The value of the field data that the user has entered. Depending on the type of the field, may be a String,
Date, or Number. Typically, the value is used to create calculated fields.
Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, if a field contains rich text formatting, modifying this property will discard the
formatting and regenerate the field value and appearance using the defaultStyle and plain text value.
To modify the field value and maintain formatting use the richValue property.
Note: For signature fields, if the field has been signed, a non-null string is returned as the value.
For Acrobat 5.0 or later, if the field is a list box that accepts multiple selections (see
multipleSelection), you can pass an array to set the value of the field, and value returns an
array for a list box with multiple values currently selected.
The currentValueIndices of a list box that has multiple selections is the preferred and most
efficient way to get and set the value of this type of field.
See also valueAsString and event.type.

Type
various

Access
R/W

Fields
all except button

Example
In this example, the value of the field being calculated is set to the sum of the “Oil” and “Filter” fields and
multiplied by the state sales tax.
var oil = this.getField("Oil");
var filter = this.getField("Filter");
event.value = (oil.value + filter.value) * 1.0825;

valueAsString
5.0

D

Returns the value of a field as a JavaScript string.
It differs from value, which attempts to convert the contents of a field contents to an accepted format.
For example, for a field with a value of “020”, value returns the integer 20, while valueAsString returns
the string “020”.

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browseForFileToSubmit

449

Type
String

Access
R

Fields
all except button

Field methods
browseForFileToSubmit
5.0

D

If invoked on a text field for which the fileSelect flag is set (checked), opens a standard file-selection
dialog box. The path entered through the dialog box is automatically assigned as the value of the text
field.
If invoked on a text field in which the fileSelect flag is clear (unchecked), an exception is thrown.

Example
The following code references a text field with the file select flag checked. It is a mouse-up action of a
button field.
var f = this.getField("resumeField");
f.browseForFileToSubmit();

buttonGetCaption
5.0
Gets the caption associated with a button.
Use buttonSetCaption to set the caption.

Parameters
nFace

(optional) If specified, gets a caption of the given type:
0 — (default) normal caption
1 — down caption
2 — rollover caption

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buttonGetIcon

450

Returns
The caption string associated with the button.

Example
This example places pointing arrows to the left and right of the caption on a button field with icon and
text.
// A mouse enter event
event.target.buttonSetCaption("=> "+ event.target.buttonGetCaption()
+" <=");
// A mouse exit event
var str = event.target.buttonGetCaption();
str = str.replace(/=> | <=/g, "");
event.target.buttonSetCaption(str);

The same effect can be created by having the same icon for rollover and the same text, with the arrows
inserted, for the rollover caption. This approach would be slower and cause the icon to flicker. The above
code gives a very fast and smooth rollover effect because only the caption is changed, not the icon.

buttonGetIcon
5.0
Gets the Icon object of a specified type associated with a button.
See also the buttonSetIcon method for assigning an icon to a button.

Parameters
nFace

(optional) If specified, gets an icon of the given type:
0 — (default) normal icon
1 — down icon
2 — rollover icon

Returns
The Icon object.

Example
// Swap two button icons.
var f = this.getField("Button1");
var g = this.getField("Button2");
var temp = f.buttonGetIcon();
f.buttonSetIcon(g.buttonGetIcon());
g.buttonSetIcon(temp);

See also buttonSetIcon and buttonImportIcon.

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buttonImportIcon

451

buttonImportIcon
3.01

S

X

Imports the appearance of a button from another PDF file. If neither optional parameter is passed, the user
is prompted to select a file.
See also buttonGetIcon, buttonSetIcon, addIcon, getIcon, importIcon, and removeIcon.
Note: (Acrobat 8.0) If cPath is specified, this method can only be executed during batch and console
events. See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. The event object
contains a discussion of JavaScript events.

Parameters
cPath

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) The device-independent path for the file.
Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, Acrobat first attempts to open cPath as a PDF file. On
failure, Acrobat tries to convert the file to PDF from one of the known graphics
formats (BMP, GIF, JPEG, PCX, PNG, TIFF) and then import the converted file as a
button icon.

nPage

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) The 0-based page number from the file to turn into an icon.
The default is 0.

Returns
An integer, as follows:
1 — The user cancelled the dialog
0 — No error
-1 — The selected file could not be opened
-2 — The selected page was invalid

Example (Acrobat 5.0)
It is assumed that we are connected to an employee information database. We communicate with the
database using the ADBC object and related objects. An employee’s record is requested and three columns
are utilized, FirstName, SecondName, and Picture. The Picture column, from the database, contains a
device-independent path to the employee’s picture, stored in PDF format. The script might look like this:
var f = this.getField("myPicture");
f.buttonSetCaption(row.FirstName.value + " " + row.LastName.value);
if (f.buttonImportIcon(row.Picture.value) != 0)
f.buttonImportIcon("/F/employee/pdfs/NoPicture.pdf");

The button field “myPicture” has been set to display both icon and caption. The employee’s first and last
names are concatenated to form the caption for the picture. Note that if there is an error in retrieving the
icon, a substitute icon can be imported.

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buttonSetCaption

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buttonSetCaption
5.0

D

Sets the caption associated with a button.
Use buttonGetCaption to get the current caption.
See buttonAlignX, buttonAlignY, buttonFitBounds, buttonPosition, buttonScaleHow, and
buttonScaleWhen for details on how the icon and caption are placed on the button face.

Parameters
cCaption

The caption associated with the button.

nFace

(optional) If specified, sets a caption of the given type:
0 — (default) normal caption
1 — down caption
2 — rollover caption

Example
var f = this.getField("myButton");
f.buttonSetCaption("Hello");

buttonSetIcon
5.0

D

Sets the icon associated with a button.
See buttonAlignX, buttonAlignY, buttonFitBounds, buttonPosition, buttonScaleHow, and
buttonScaleWhen for details on how the icon and caption are placed on the button face.
Use either buttonGetIcon or doc.getIcon to get an Icon object that can be used for the oIcon
parameter of this method.
Note: This method must be executed from script embedded within the document. Executing script
containing buttonSetIcon in the console of the Adobe Reader, for example, will throw a
NotAllowedError exception.

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checkThisBox

453

Parameters
oIcon

The Icon object associated with the button.

nFace

(optional) If specified, sets an icon of the given type:
0 — (default) normal icon
1 — down icon
2 — rollover icon

Example
This example takes every named icon in the document and creates a list box using the names. Selecting an
item in the list box sets the icon with that name as the button face of the field “myPictures”. What follows is
the mouse-up action of the button field “myButton”.
var f = this.getField("myButton")
var aRect = f.rect;
aRect[0] = f.rect[2];
// Place list box relative to the
aRect[2] = f.rect[2] + 144;
// position of "myButton"
var myIcons = new Array();
var l = addField("myIconList", "combobox", 0, aRect);
l.textSize = 14;
l.strokeColor = color.black;
for (var i = 0; i < this.icons.length; i++)
myIcons[i] = this.icons[i].name;
l.setItems(myIcons);
l.setAction("Keystroke",
'if (!event.willCommit) {\r\t'
+ 'var f = this.getField("myPictures");\r\t'
+ 'var i = this.getIcon(event.change);\r\t'
+ 'f.buttonSetIcon(i);\r'
+ '}');

The named icons themselves can be imported into the document through an interactive scheme, such as
the example given in addIcon or through a batch sequence.
See also buttonGetCaption for a more extensive example.

checkThisBox
5.0

D

F

Checks or unchecks the specified widget.
Only check boxes can be unchecked. A radio button cannot be unchecked using this method, but if its
default state is unchecked (see defaultIsChecked) it can be reset to the unchecked state using the
resetForm. method of the Doc.
Note: For a set of radio buttons that do not have duplicate export values, you can set the value to the
export value of the individual widget that should be checked (or pass an empty string if none
should be).

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clearItems

454

Parameters
nWidget

The 0-based index of an individual check box or radio button widget for this field.
The index is determined by the order in which the individual widgets of this field
were created (and is unaffected by tab-order).
Every entry in the Fields panel has a suffix giving this index; for example, MyField #0.

bCheckIt

(optional) Specifies whether the widget should be checked. The default is true.

Example
Check a check box.
var f = this.getField("ChkBox");
f.checkThisBox(0,true);

clearItems
4.0

D

F

Clears all the values in a list box or combo box.
Related methods and properties include numItems, getItemAt, deleteItemAt,
currentValueIndices, insertItemAt and setItems.

Example
Clear the field “myList” of all items.
this.getField("myList").clearItems();

defaultIsChecked
5.0

D

Sets the specified widget to be checked or unchecked by default.
Note: For a set of radio buttons that do not have duplicate export values, you can set the defaultValue
to the export value of the individual widget that should be checked by default (or pass an empty
string if none should be checked).

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deleteItemAt

455

Parameters
The 0-based index of an individual radio button or check box widget for
this field. The index is determined by the order in which the individual
widgets of this field were created (and is unaffected by tab-order).

nWidget

Every entry in the Fields panel has a suffix giving this index (for
example, MyField #0).
bIsDefaultChecked

(optional) If true (the default), the widget should be checked by
default (for example, when the field gets reset). If false, it should be
unchecked by default.

Returns
true on success.

Example
Change the default of “ChkBox” to checked, then reset the field to reflect the default value.
var f = this.getField("ChkBox");
f.defaultIsChecked(0,true);
this.resetForm(["ChkBox"]);

deleteItemAt
4.0

D

F

Deletes an item in a combo box or a list box.
For a list box, if the current selection is deleted, the field no longer has a current selection. If this method is
invoked again on the same field and no parameter is specified, unexpected behavior can result because
there is no current selection to delete. Therefore, it is important to make a new selection (such as by using
the currentValueIndices method) for the method to behave as documented.

Parameters
nIdx

(optional) The 0-based index of the item in the list to delete. If not specified, the
currently selected item is deleted.

Example
Delete the current item in the list, then select the top item in the list.
var a = this.getField("MyListBox");
a.deleteItemAt();
// Delete current item, and...
a.currentValueIndices = 0;
// select top item in list

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getArray

456

getArray
3.01
Gets the array of terminal child fields (that is, fields that can have a value) for this Field object, the parent
field.

Returns
An array of Field objects

Example
Make a calculation of the values of the child fields of the parent field.
// f has 3 children: f.v1, f.v2, f.v3
var f = this.getField("f");
var a = f.getArray();
var v = 0.0;
for (j =0; j < a.length; j++) v += a[j].value;
// v contains the sum of all the children of field "f"

getItemAt
3.01
Gets the internal value of an item in a combo box or a list box.
The number of items in a list can be obtained from numItems. See also insertItemAt, deleteItemAt,
clearItems, currentValueIndices and setItems.

Parameters
nIdx

The 0-based index of the item in the list or -1 for the last item in the list.

bExportValue

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) Specifies whether to return an export value:
●

If true (the default), if the item has an export value, it is returned. If
there is no export value, the item name is returned.

●

If false, the method returns the item name.

Returns
The export value or name of the specified item.

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getLock

457

Example
In the two examples that follow, assume there are three items on “myList”: “First”, with an export value of 1;
“Second”, with an export value of 2; and “Third”, with no export value.
// Returns value of first item in list, which is 1
var f = this.getField("myList");
var v = f.getItemAt(0);

The following example shows the use of the second optional parameter. By setting it to false, the item
name (face value) can be obtained, even if there is an export value.
for (var i=0; i < f.numItems; i++)
console.println(f.getItemAt(i,true) + ":

" + f.getItemAt(i,false));

The output to the console reads:
1:
2:
Third:

First
Second
Third

getLock
6.0
Gets a Lock object, a generic object that contains the lock properties of a signature field.
See also setLock.

Returns
The Lock object for the field.

insertItemAt
3.01

D

F

Inserts a new item into a combo box or a list box.
Related methods and properties include numItems, getItemAt, deleteItemAt, clearItems,
currentValueIndices and setItems.

Parameters
cName

The item name that will appear in the form.

cExport

(optional) The export value of the field when this item is selected. If not provided, the
cName is used as the export value.

nIdx

(optional) The index in the list at which to insert the item. If 0 (the default), the new
item is inserted at the top of the list. If –1, the new item is inserted at the end of the list.

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isBoxChecked

458

Example
var l = this.getField("myList");
l.insertItemAt("sam", "s", 0); /* inserts sam to top of list l */

isBoxChecked
5.0
Determines whether the specified widget is checked.
Note: For a set of radio buttons that do not have duplicate export values, you can get the value, which is
equal to the export value of the individual widget that is currently checked (or returns an empty
string, if none is).

Parameters
nWidget

The 0-based index of an individual radio button or check box widget for this field.
The index is determined by the order in which the individual widgets of this field
were created (and is unaffected by tab-order).
Every entry in the Fields panel has a suffix giving this index, for example, MyField #0.

Returns
true if the specified widget is currently checked, false otherwise.

Example
Determine the state of the check box and report back with an alert box.
var f = this.getField("ChkBox");
var cbStatus = (f.isBoxChecked(0)) ? " " : " not ";
app.alert("The box is" + cbStatus + "checked");

isDefaultChecked
5.0
Determines whether the specified widget is checked by default (for example, when the field gets reset).
Note: For a set of radio buttons that do not have duplicate export values, you can get the
defaultValue, which is equal to the export value of the individual widget that is checked by
default (or returns an empty string, if none is).

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setAction

459

Parameters
nWidget

The 0-based index of an individual radio button or check box widget for this field.
The index is determined by the order in which the individual widgets of this field
were created (and is unaffected by tab-order).
Every entry in the Fields panel has a suffix giving this index, for example, MyField #0.

Returns
true if the specified widget is checked by default, false otherwise.

Example
Determine if the specified check box is checked by default.
var f = this.getField("ChkBox");
var cbStatus = (f.isDefaultChecked(0)) ? "Checked" : "Unchecked";
app.alert("The Default: " + cbStatus);

setAction
5.0

D

X

Sets the JavaScript action of the field for a given trigger.
Related methods are the Bookmark object setAction method and the Doc methods setAction,
addScript, and setPageAction.
Note: This method will overwrite any action already defined for the chosen trigger.

Parameters
cTrigger

A string that sets the trigger for the action. Values are:
MouseUp
MouseDown
MouseEnter
MouseExit
OnFocus
OnBlur
Keystroke
Validate
Calculate
Format

For a list box, use the Keystroke trigger for the Selection Change event.
cScript

The JavaScript code to be executed when the trigger is activated.

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setFocus

460

Example
Set up a button field with addField, add some properties, and a mouse-up action using setAction.
var f = this.addField("actionField", "button", 0 , [20, 100, 100, 20]);
f.setAction("MouseUp", "app.beep(0);");
f.delay = true;
f.fillColor = color.ltGray;
f.buttonSetCaption("Beep");
f.borderStyle = border.b;
f.lineWidth = 3;
f.strokeColor = color.red;
f.highlight = highlight.p;
f.delay = false;

setFocus
4.05
Sets the keyboard focus to this field. This can involve changing the page that the user is currently on or
causing the view to scroll to a new position in the document. This method brings the document in which
the field resides to the front, if it is not already there.
See also bringToFront.

Example
Search for a certain open document, then focus on the field of interest. This script uses app.activeDocs,
which requires the disclosed property of the documents to be true, or the script to be run during
console, batch or menu events.
var d = app.activeDocs;
for (var i = 0; i < d.length; i++) {
if (d[i].info.Title == "Response Document") {
d[i].getField("name").value="Enter your name here: "
// also brings the doc to front.
d[i].getField("name").setFocus();
break;
}
}

setItems
4.0

D

F

Sets the list of items for a combo box or a list box.
Related methods and properties include numItems, getItemAt, deleteItemAt,
currentValueIndices and clearItems.

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setLock

461

Parameters
An array in which each element is either an object convertible to a string or another
array:

oArray

●

For an element that can be converted to a string, the user and export values for
the list item are equal to the string.

●

For an element that is an array, the array must have two subelements convertible
to strings, where the first is the user value and the second is the export value.

Examples
Get various fields (combo or list) and set items in the list using various techniques.
var l = this.getField("ListBox");
l.setItems(["One", "Two", "Three"]);
var c = this.getField("StateBox");
c.setItems([["California", "CA"],["Massachusetts", "MA"],
["Arizona", "AZ"]]);
var c = this.getField("NumberBox");
c.setItems(["1", 2, 3, ["PI", Math.PI]]);

setLock
D

6.0

S

X

Controls which fields are to be locked when a signature is applied to this signature field. No modifications
can be made to locked fields. If the signature is cleared, all fields that were locked become unlocked. The
property settings can be obtained using getLock.
Note: The method can be executed during a batch, application initialization, or console event. See
“Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details.
This method cannot be applied to a field that is in a document that is already signed.

Parameters
oLock

A Lock object containing the lock properties.

Returns
true if successful, otherwise false or throws an exception.

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signatureGetModifications

462

Lock Object
A generic JavaScript object containing lock properties. This object is passed to setLock and returned by
getLock for a signature field. It contains the following properties.
Property

Type

Access

Description

action

String

R/W

The language-independent name of the action. Values are:
All — All fields in the document are to be locked.
Include — Only the fields specified in fields are to be

locked.
Exclude — All fields except those specified in fields are

to be locked.
fields

Array of
Strings

R/W

An array of strings containing the field names. Required if
the value of action is Include or Exclude.

signatureGetModifications
7.0
Returns an object containing information on modifications that have been made to the document after
the signature field was signed. The information includes only the difference between the current and
signed state of the document. Transient objects, such as objects added after the signature but then
subsequently deleted, are not reported.

Returns
An object containing modification information. The object has the following properties:
Property

Type

Description

formFieldsCreated

Array of Field objects

Array of form fields created after signing.

formFieldsDeleted

Array of Generic objects

Array of form fields deleted after signing.
Each generic object in the array is a string
of the form name : type.

formFieldsFilledIn

Array of Field objects

Array of form fields filled in after signing.

formFieldsModified

Array of Field objects

Array of form fields modified after
signing. In this context, form field fill-in
does not constitute modification.

annotsCreated

Array of Annotation
objects

Array of annotations created after
signing. If the annotation is transient (for
example, a dynamically created pop-up),
the corresponding element of the array is
a string of the form author : name :
type.

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signatureGetModifications

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Property

Type

Description

annotsDeleted

Array of Generic objects

Array of annotations deleted after
signing. Each generic object in the array is
of the form author : name : type.

annotsModified

Array of Annotation
objects

Array of annotations modified after
signing. If the annotation is transient (for
example, a dynamically created pop-up),
the corresponding element of the array is
a string of the form author : name :
type.

numPagesCreated

Integer

Number of pages added after signing.

numPagesDeleted

Integer

Number of pages deleted after signing.

numPagesModified

Integer

Number of pages whose content has
been modified after signing
(add/delete/modify of annotations/form
fields are not considered as page
modification for this purpose).

spawnedPagesCreated

Array of Strings

List of pages spawned after signing. For
each spawned page, the name of the
source template is provided.

spawnedPagesDeleted

Array of Strings

List of spawned pages deleted after
signing. For each spawned page, the
name of the source template is provided.

spawnedPagesModified

Array of Strings

List of spawned pages modified after
signing. For each spawned page, the
name of the source template is provided.

Example
Write modification information back to the console.
var sigField = this.getField( "mySignature" );
var sigMods = sigField.signatureGetModifications();
var formFieldsCreated = sigMods.formFieldsCreated;
for( var i = 0; i < formFieldsCreated.length; i++ )
console.println( formFieldsCreated[i].name );
var formFieldsDeleted = sigMods.formFieldsDeleted;
for( var i = 0; i < formFieldsDeleted.length; i++ )
console.println( formFieldsDeleted[i].name );
var formFieldsFilledIn = sigMods.formFieldsFilledIn;
for( var i = 0; i < formFieldsFilledIn.length; i++ )
console.println( formFieldsFilledIn[i].name );

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signatureGetSeedValue

464

var formFieldsModified = sigMods.formFieldsModified;
for( var i = 0; i < formFieldsModified.length; i++ )
console.println( formFieldsModified[i].name );
var spawnedPages = sigMods.spawnedPagesCreated;
for( var i = 0; i < spawnedPages.length; i++ )
console.println( spawnedPages[i] );
console.println( sigMods.numPagesDeleted );

signatureGetSeedValue
6.0
Returns a SeedValue object that contains the seed value properties of a signature field. Seed values are
used to control properties of the signature, including the signature appearance, reasons for signing, and
the person.
See signatureSetSeedValue.

Returns
A SeedValue object.

Example
Access the seed value for a signature field.
var f = this.getField( "sig0" );
var seedValue = f.signatureGetSeedValue();
// displays the seed value filter and flags
console.println( "Filter name:" + seedValue.filter);
console.println( "Flags:" + seedValue.flags);
// displays the certificate seed value constraints
var certSpec = seedValue.certspec;
console.println( "Issuer:" + certspec.issuer);

signatureInfo
5.0
Returns a SignatureInfo object that contains the properties of the signature. The object is a snapshot
of the signature at the time that this method is called. A security handler may specify additional properties
that are specific to the security handler.
Note: There are no restrictions on when this method can be called. However, the specified security
handler, oSig, may not always be available. See the security.getHandler method for details.
Some properties of a signature handler, for example, certificates (a property of the
SignatureInfo object), may return a null value until the signature is validated. Therefore,
signatureInfo should be called again after signatureValidate.

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signatureSetSeedValue

465

Parameters
(optional) The SecurityHandler object to use to retrieve the signature properties.
If not specified, the security handler is determined by the user preferences. (It is
usually the handler that was used to create the signature.)

oSig

Returns
A SignatureInfo object that contains the properties of the signature. This type of object is also used
when signing signature fields, signing FDF objects, or with the FDF object signatureValidate
method.

Example
Access SignatureInfo object properties.
// Get all info
var f = getField( "Signature1" );
f.signatureValidate();
var s = f.signatureInfo();
console.println( "Signature Attributes:" );
for(i in s) console.println( i + " = " + s[i] );
// Get particular info
var f = this.getField("Signature1"); // uses the ppklite sig handler
var Info = f.signatureInfo();
// Some standard signatureInfo properties
console.println("name = " + Info.name);
console.println("reason = " + Info.reason);
console.println("date = " + Info.date);
// Additional signatureInfo properties from PPKLite
console.println("contact info = " + Info.contactInfo);
// Get the certificate; first (and only) one
var certificate = Info.certificates[0];
// Common name of the signer
console.println("subjectCN = " + certificate.subjectCN);
console.println("serialNumber = " + certificate.serialNumber);
// Display some information about the distinguished name of signer
console.println("subjectDN.cn = " + certificate.subjectDN.cn);
console.println("subjectDN.o = " + certificate.subjectDN.o);

signatureSetSeedValue
6.0

D

S

X

Sets properties that are used when signing signature fields. The properties are stored in the signature field
and are not altered when the field is signed, the signature is cleared, or when resetForm is called. Use
signatureGetSeedValue to obtain the property settings.

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When setting seed values, keep in mind the following:
●

Seed values should not be set on signed documents and cannot be set on certified documents. They
are primarily used to configure fields on documents that are not yet signed.

●

Setting a seed value often causes Acrobat not to display or not to use its default settings. For example,
preset reasons are stored in the registry and specifying a signing reason causes the application to
ignore the registry list so that only the custom reasons are displayed.

Note: The method can be executed during a batch, application initialization or console event. See
“Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details.
Certifying signatures are signatures with a SignatureInfo object mdp property value of
allowNone, default, or defaultAndComments.
Not allowed in Adobe Reader.
Refer to the Acrobat 8.0 Security Feature User Reference to obtain a deeper understanding of the use of
signature seed values.

Parameters
oSigSeedValue

A SeedValue object containing the signature seed value properties.

SeedValue Object
A generic JavaScript object, passed to signatureSetSeedValue and returned by
signatureGetSeedValue, which represents a signature seed value. It has the following properties:
Property

Type

Access Description

certspec

object

R/W

A seed value CertificateSpecifier object, see
page 469 for a listing of the properties of this object.

digestMethod

Array of
strings

R/W

(Acrobat 8) An array of acceptable digest methods to use
while signing. The valid string values are SHA1, SHA256,
SHA384, SHA512, MD5, and RIPEMD160.
Note: This is only applicable if the DigitalID contains RSA
public/private keys. If they contain DSA
public/private keys, then the value is always SHA1.
The flags property indicates whether this is a required
constraint.

filter

String

R/W

The language-independent name of the security handler
to be used when signing.
If filter is specified and the flags property indicates
this entry is a required constraint, then the signature
handler specified by this entry must be used when
signing; otherwise, signing must not take place. If flags
indicates that this is an optional constraint, then this
handler should be used if it is available. If it is not
available, a different handler can be used instead.

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Property

Type

flags

Number R/W

467

Access Description
A set of bit flags controlling which of the following
properties of this object are required. The value is the
logical OR of the following values, which are set if the
corresponding property is required:
1: filter
2: subFilter
4: version
8: reasons
16: legalAttestations
32: shouldAddRevInfo
64: digestMethod

Usage: 1 specifies filter, 3 specifies filter and sub-filter,
and 11 specifies filter, sub-filter, and reasons. If this field
is not present, all properties are optional.
legalAttestations

Array of
Strings

R/W

(Acrobat 7.0) A list of legal attestations that the user can
use when creating an Modification Detection and
Prevention (MDP) (certified) signature.
The value of the corresponding flag in the flags
property indicates whether this is a required or optional
constraint.

mdp

String

R/W

(Acrobat 7.0) The MDP setting to use when signing the
field. Values are
allowNone
default
defaultAndComments

While allowAll is a legal value, it cancels out the effect
of MDP and no certification signature can be used for
this field, resulting in the signature being an approval
signature, not an certification signature.
Values are unique identifiers and are described in the
table titled “Modification Detection and Prevention
(MDP) Values” on page 656.
reasons

Array of
Strings

R/W

A list of reasons that the user is allowed to use when
signing.
(Acrobat 8.0) If this array has a single element and that
element is a single period '.' and if the reasons are
marked as required by the flags property, then Acrobat
8 will suppress the UI for specifying a reason during
signing. This overrides the users preference.
If this array is empty and reasons are marked as
required, an exception will be thrown.

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Property

Type

shouldAddRevInfo

Boolean R/W

468

Access Description
(Acrobat 8) If set to true, instructs the application to
carry out revocation checking of the certificate (and the
corresponding chains) used to sign, and include all the
revocation information within the signature.
Only relevant if subFilter is adbe.pkcs7.detached
or adbe.pkcs7.sha1, and it is not applicable for
adbe.x509.rsa_sha1. Hence, if the subFilter is
adbe.x509.rsa_sha1 and it’s required that
revocation information be added, then the signing
operation fails.
If shouldAddRevInfo is true and the flags property
indicates this is a required constraint, then the tasks
described above must be performed. If they cannot be
performed, then signing must fail.
The default value is false.

subFilter

Array of
Strings

R/W

An array of acceptable formats to use for the signature.
Refer to the Signature Info object’s subFilter property
for a list of known formats.
The first name in the array that matches an encoding
supported by the signature handler should be the
encoding that is actually used for signing. If subFilter
is specified and the flags property indicates that this
entry is a required constraint, then the first matching
encodings must be used when signing; otherwise,
signing must not take place. If the flags property
indicates that this is an optional constraint, then the first
matching encoding should be used if it is available. If it is
not available, a different encoding can be used.

timeStampspec

Object

R/W

(Acrobat 7.0) A Seed Value timeStamp Specifier object. It
uses the url and flags properties to specify a
timestamp server, see page 472.

version

Number R/W

The minimum required version number of the signature
handler to be used to sign the signature field. Valid
values are 1 and 2. A value of 1 specifies that the parser
must be able to recognize all seed value dictionary
entries specified in PDF 1.5. A value of 2 specifies that it
must be able to recognize all seed value dictionary
entries specified in PDF 1.7 and earlier.
The flags property indicates whether this is a required
constraint.
Note: The PDF Reference version 1.6 and earlier,
erroneously indicates that the V entry (the key
that corresponds to the version parameter) is of
type integer. This entry is of type real.

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CertificateSpecifier Object
This generic JavaScript object contains the certificate specifier properties of a signature seed value. Used
in the certSpec property of the SeedValue object. This object contains the following properties:
Property

Type

Access

Description

flags

Number

R/W

A set of bit flags controlling which of the following
properties of this object are required. The value is the
logical OR of the following values, which are set if the
corresponding property is required:
1:
2:
4:
8:
16:
32:
64:

subject
issuer
oid
subjectDN

Reserved
keyUsage
url

If this field is not present, all properties are optional.
issuer

Array of
Certificate

objects

R/W

An array of Certificate objects that are acceptable
for signing.
Note: If specified, the signing certificate must be
issued by a certificate that is an exact match
with one of the certificates in this array.
The value of the corresponding flag in the flags
property indicates whether this is a required or
optional constraint.

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Property

Type

Access

Description

keyUsage

Object

R/W

(Acrobat 8.0) Array of integers, where each integer
specifies the acceptable key-usage extension that
must be present in the signing certificate.

470

Each integer is constructed as follows:
There are two bits used for each key-usage type
(defined in RFC 3280) starting from the least
significant bit:
digitalSignature(bits 2,1),
nonRepudiation(4,3)
keyEncipherment(6,5)
dataEncipherment(8,7)
keyAgreement(10,9)
keyCertSign(12,11)
cRLSign(14,13)
encipherOnly(16,15)
decipherOnly(18,17)
The value of the two bits have the following semantics:
00: the corresponding keyUsage must not be set
01: the corresponding keyUsage must be set
10 and 11: the state of the corresponding
keyUsage doesn’t matter.
For example, if it is required that the key-usage type
digitalSignature be set and the state of all other
key-usage types do not matter, then the
corresponding integer would be 0x7FFFFFFD. That is,
to represent digitalSignature, set 01 for bits 2 and 1
respectively, and set 11 for all other key-usage types.
The value of the corresponding flag in the flags
property indicates whether this is a required
constraint.
oid

Array of
Strings

R/W

An array of strings that contain Policy OIDs that must
be present in the signing certificate. This property is
only applicable if the issuer property is present.
The value of the corresponding flag in the flags
property indicates whether this is a required or
optional constraint.

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Property

Type

Access

Description

subject

Array of

R/W

An array of Certificate objects that are acceptable
for signing.

Certificate

objects

Note: If specified, the signing certificate must be an
exact match with one of the certificates in this
array.
The value of the corresponding flag in the flags
property indicates whether this is a required or
optional constraint.

subjectDN

Array of objects

R/W

(Acrobat 8.0) Array of objects, where each object
specifies a Subject Distinguished Name (DN) that is
acceptable for signing. A signing certificate satisfies a
DN requirement if it at least contains all the attributes
specified in the DN (it can therefore contain additional
DN attributes). If this entry is specified, the signing
certificate must satisfy at least one of the DNs in the
array.
DN attribute restrictions are specified in this object by
adding them as properties. The properties’ key names
can either be the corresponding attributes’ friendly
names or OIDs (as defined in RFC 3280). The properties’
value must be of type string.
The value of the corresponding flag in the flags
property indicates whether this is a required or
optional constraint.
Example 1: {cn:"Alice", ou:"Engineering",
o:"Acme Inc"}. The friendly names for the DN
attributes (cn, o, ou, and so on) are the ones defined in
RDN (see the RDN object, page 590).
Example 2: {cn:"Joe Smith", ou:
"Engineering", 2.5.4.43:"JS"}, where OID
2.5.4.43 is used to carry out matching for the

“Initials” attribute. The following is sample code to
define the above DN:
var subjectDN = {cn:"Joe Smith",
ou:"Engineering"};
subjectDN["2.4.5.43"] = "JS";

Attributes whose value is of type DirectoryString or
IA5String can be specified as shown in the example
above, whereas for all other value types, for example,
dateOfBirth whose value is of type
GeneralizedTime, the values need to be specified as a
hex-encoded binary string.
For more information about the various attributes and
their types, refer to RFC 3280.

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Property

Type

Access

Description

url

String

R/W

A URL that can be used to enroll for a new credential if
a matching credential is not found.
A degenerate use of this property is when the URL
points to a web service that is a DigitalID store (such as
a signature web service that can be used for
server-based signing). In that case, the URL indicates
that as long as the signer has a DigitalID from that web
service, it is acceptable for signing.
The value of the corresponding flag in the flags
property indicates whether this is a required or
optional constraint.

urlType

String

R/W

(Acrobat 8.0) String indicating the type of URL
specified by the url property. These are the valid
values for Acrobat 8.0:
"HTML": The URL points to an HTML website and
Acrobat will use the web browser to display its
contents. The the value of the url bit of the flags
property is ignored.
"ASSP": The URL references a signature web
service that can be used for server-based signing. If
the url bit of the flags property indicates that
this is a required constraint, this implies that the
credential used when signing must come from this
server.

If this attribute isn’t present, it’s assumed that the URL
points to a HTML site.

Seed value timeStamp specifier object
The properties of the seed value timeStamp specifier object are as follows:
Property

Type

Access

Description

url

String

R/W

URL of the timeStamp server providing an RFC 3161
compliant timeStamp.

flags

Number

R/W

A bit flag controlling whether the time stamp is
required (1) or not required (0). The default is 0.

Example 1
Seed the signature field, which has yet to be signed, with MDP, legal attestations, and permitted reasons
for signing.
// Obtain the signature Field object:
var f = this.getField("mySigField");
f.signatureSetSeedValue({

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473

mdp: "defaultAndComments",
legalAttestations: ["Trust me and be at ease.",
"You can surely trust the author."],
reasons: ["This is a reason", "This is a better reason"],
flags: 8
})

Example 2
Sets the signing handler as PPKMS and the format as “adbe.pkcs7.sha1”.
var f = this.getField( "mySigField" );
f.signatureSetSeedValue({
filter: "Adobe.PPKMS",
subFilter: ["adbe.pkcs7.sha1"],
flags: 3
});

Example 3
Sets the signing handler as PPKLite and the issuer of the signer’s certificate as caCert. Both are mandatory
seed values and signing will fail if either constraint is not met.
var caCert = security.importFromFile("Certificate", "/C/temp/CA.cer");
f.signatureSetSeedValue({
filter: "Adobe.PPKLite",
certspec: {
issuer: [caCert],
url: "http://www.example.com/enroll.html",
flags : 2
},
flags: 1
});

signatureSign
5.0

D

S

G

Signs the field with the specified security handler. See also security.getHandler and
securityHandler.login.
Note: This method can only be executed during a batch, console, or application initialization event. See
“Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. The event object contains a
discussion of JavaScript events.
Signature fields cannot be signed if they are already signed. Use resetForm to clear signature
fields.

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Parameters
oSig

Specifies the SecurityHandler object to be used for signing. Throws an exception
if the specified handler does not support signing operations. Some security handlers
require that the user be logged in before signing can occur. If oSig is not specified,
this method selects a handler based on user preferences or by prompting the user if
bUI is true.

oInfo

(optional) A SignatureInfo object specifying the writable properties of the
signature. See also signatureInfo.

cDIPath

(optional) The device-independent path to the file to save to following the
application of the signature. If not specified, the file is saved back to its original
location.

bUI

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) A Boolean value specifying whether the security handler
should show the user interface when signing. If true, oInfo and cDIPath are used
as default values in the signing dialog boxes. If false (the default), the signing
occurs without a user interface.

cLegalAttest

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) A string that can be provided when creating an certification
signature.
Certification signatures are signatures where the mdp property of the
SignatureInfo object has a value other than allowAll. When creating an
certification signature, the document is scanned for legal warnings and these
warnings are embedded in the document. A caller can determine what legal
warnings are found by first calling the Doc getLegalWarnings method. If
warnings are to be embedded, an author may provide an attestation as to why these
warnings are being applied to a document.

Returns
true if the signature was applied successfully, false otherwise.

Example 1
Sign the “Signature” field with the PPKLite signature handler:
var myEngine = security.getHandler( "Adobe.PPKLite" );
myEngine.login( "dps017", "/c/profile/dps.pfx" );
var f = this.getField("Signature");
// Sign the field
f.signatureSign( myEngine,
{ password: "dps017",
// provide password
location: "San Jose, CA",
// ... see note below
reason: "I am approving this document",
contactInfo: "dpsmith@example.com",
appearance: "Fancy"});

Note: In the above example, a password was provided. This may or may not have been necessary
depending whether the Password Timeout had expired. The Password Timeout can be set
programmatically by securityHandler.setPasswordTimeout.

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Example 2
Sign an certification signature field.
var myEngine = security.getHandler( "Adobe.PPKLite" );
myEngine.login( "dps017", "/c/profile/dps.pfx" );
var f = this.getField( "AuthorSigFieldName" );
var s = { reason: "I am the author of this document",
mdp: "allowNone" };
f.signatureSign({
oSig: myEngine,
oInfo: s,
bUI: false,
cLegalAttest: "To reduce file size, fonts are not embedded."
});

signatureValidate
5.0
Validates and returns the validity status of the signature in a signature field. This routine can be
computationally expensive and take a significant amount of time depending on the signature handler
used to sign the signature.
Note: There are no restrictions on when this method can be called. However, the parameter oSig is not
always available. See security.getHandler for details.

Parameters
oSig

(optional) The security handler to be used to validate the signature. Its value is either
a SecurityHandler object or a SignatureParameters object. If this handler is
not specified, the method uses the security handler returned by the signature’s
handlerName property.

bUI

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) If true, allows the UI to be shown when validating, if
necessary. The UI may be used to select a validation handler if none is specified. The
default is false.

Returns
The validity status of the signature. Validity values are:
-1 — Not a signature field
0 — Signature is blank
1 — Unknown status
2 — Signature is invalid
3 — Signature of document is valid, identity of signer could not be verified
4 — Signature of document is valid and identity of signer is valid.

See the signVisible and statusText properties of the SignatureInfo object.

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signatureValidate

SignatureParameters object
A generic object with the following properties that specify which security handlers are to be used for
validation by signatureValidate:
oSecHdlr

The security handler object to use to validate this signature.

bAltSecHdlr

If true, an alternate security handler, selected based on user preference settings,
may be used to validate the signature. The default is false, which means that the
security handler returned by the signature’s handlerName property is used to
validate the signature. This parameter is not used if oSecHdlr is provided.

Example
Validate a signature, then report to the console.
var f = this.getField("Signature1") // Get signature field
var status = f.signatureValidate();
var sigInfo = f.signatureInfo();
if ( status < 3 )
var msg = "Signature not valid! " + sigInfo.statusText;
else
var msg = "Signature valid! " + sigInfo.statusText;
app.alert(msg);

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FullScreen

FullScreen
The interface to fullscreen (presentation mode) preferences and properties. To acquire a fullScreen
object, use app.fs.

FullScreen properties
backgroundColor
5.0

P

The background color of the screen in full screen mode. See “Color arrays” on page 193 for details.

Type
Color Array

Access
R/W

Example
app.fs.backgroundColor = color.ltGray;

clickAdvances
5.0

P

Specifies whether a mouse click anywhere on the page causes the page to advance.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

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cursor

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cursor
5.0

P

Determines the behavior of the pointer in full screen mode. The convenience cursor object defines all
the valid cursor behaviors:
Cursor Behavior

Keyword

Always hidden

cursor.hidden

Hidden after delay

cursor.delay

Visible

cursor.visible

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Example
app.fs.cursor = cursor.visible;

defaultTransition
5.0

P

The default transition to use when advancing pages in full screen mode. Use transitions to obtain list
of valid transition names supported by the viewer.
“No Transition” is equivalent to app.fs.defaultTransition = "";

Type
String

Access
R/W

Example
Put the document into presentation mode.
app.fs.defaultTransition = "WipeDown";
app.fs.isFullScreen = true;

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escapeExits
5.0

P

S

A Boolean value specifying the escape key can be used to exit full screen mode.
Note: (Version 8.0) This property can only set to false during batch and console events. See “Privileged
versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. The event object contains a discussion of
JavaScript events.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

isFullScreen
5.0
If true, the viewer is in full screen mode rather than regular viewing mode, which is possible only if one or
more documents are open for viewing.
Note: A PDF document being viewed from within a web browser cannot be put into full screen mode.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example
app.fs.isFullScreen = true;

In the above example, the viewer is set to full screen mode. If isFullScreen was previously false, the
default viewing mode would be set. (The default viewing mode is defined as the original mode the
Acrobat application was in before full screen mode was initiated.)

loop
5.0

P

Specifies whether the document will loop around to the beginning of the document in response to a page
advance (whether generated by mouse click, keyboard, or timer) in full screen mode.

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timeDelay

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

timeDelay
5.0

P

The default number of seconds before the page automatically advances in full screen mode. See
useTimer to activate or deactivate automatic page turning.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Example
Set full screen properties, then go into full screen mode.
app.fs.timeDelay = 5;
app.fs.useTimer = true;
app.fs.usePageTiming = true;
app.fs.isFullScreen = true;

//
//
//
//

Delay 5 seconds
Activate automatic page turning
Allow page override
Go into full screen

transitions
5.0
An array of strings representing valid transition names implemented in the viewer. No Transition is
equivalent to setting defaultTransition to the empty string:
app.fs.defaultTransition = "";

Type
Array

Access
R

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usePageTiming

Example
Produce a listing of the currently supported transition names.
console.println("[" + app.fs.transitions + "]");

usePageTiming
5.0

P

Specifies whether automatic page turning will respect the values specified for individual pages in full
screen mode. Set transition properties of individual pages using setPageTransitions.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

useTimer
5.0

P

Specifies whether automatic page turning is enabled in full screen mode. Use timeDelay to set the
default time interval before proceeding to the next page.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

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global
This is a static JavaScript object that allows you to share data between documents and to have data be
persistent across sessions. Such data is called persistent global data. Global data-sharing and notification
across documents is done through a subscription mechanism, which allows you to monitor global data
variables and report their value changes across documents.
Note: Beginning with version 8.0, the access to global variables has changed somewhat, the details are
described below:
The JavaScript category in the Preferences dialog box (Ctrl + K) has a new security check box: Enable
Global Object Security Policy.
●

When checked, the default, each time a global variable is written to, the origin which set it is
remembered. Only origins that match can then access the variable.
●

For files, this means only the file that set it, having the same path it had when the variable
was set, can access the variable.

●

For documents from URLs it means only the host which set it can access the variable.

There is an important exception to the restrictions described above, global variables can be
defined and accessed in a privileged context, in the console, in a batch sequence and in folder
JavaScript. For more information on privileged contexts, see “Privileged versus non-privileged
context” on page 32.
●

When not checked, documents from different origins are permitted to access the variable; this is
the behavior previous to version 8.0.

For examples, see section “Global object security policy” on page 483.

Creating global properties
You can specify global data by adding properties to the global object. The property type can be a String, a
Boolean value, or a Number.
For example, to add a variable called radius and to allow all document scripts to have access to
this variable (provided “Enable global object security policy” is not checked), the script defines the
property:
global.radius = 8;

The global variable radius is now known across documents throughout the current viewer session.
Suppose two files, A.pdf and B.pdf, are open and the global declaration is made in A.pdf. From within
either file (A.pdf or B.pdf ), you can calculate the volume of a sphere using global.radius.
var V = (4/3) * Math.PI * Math.pow(global.radius, 3);

In either file, you obtain the same result, 2144.66058. If the value of global.radius changes and the
script is executed again, the value of V changes accordingly.

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global

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Deleting global properties
To delete a variable or a property from the global object, use the delete operator to remove the
defined property. Information on the reserved JavaScript keyword delete can be found in the JavaScript
1.5 documentation (see “Related documentation” on page 28).
For example, to remove the global.radius property, call the following script:
delete global.radius

Global object security policy
The new global security policy places restrictions on document access to global variables. For more
information and exceptions, see the Note in “global” on page 482.
In a document, named docA.pdf, execute the following script in a non-privileged context (mouse-up
button):
global.x = 1
global.setPersistent("x", true);

The path for docA.pdf is the origin saved with the global.x variable; consequently, docA.pdf can
access this variable:
console.println("global.x = " + global.x);

To set this global from docA.pdf, we execute global.x = 3, for example, in any context.
To have a document with a different path get and set this global variable, the getting and setting must
occur in a trusted context, with a raised level of privilege. The following scripts are folder JavaScript.
myTrustedGetGlobal = app.trustedFunction ( function()
{
app.beginPriv();
var y = global.x;
return y
app.endPriv();
});
myTrustedSetGlobal = app.trustedFunction ( function(value)
{
app.beginPriv();
global.x=value;
app.endPriv();
});

Another document, docB.pdf can access the global.x variable through the above trusted functions:
// Mouse up button action from doc B
console.println("The value of global.x is " + myTrustedGetGlobal());

The global can also be set from docB.pdf:
// Set global.x from docB.pdf
myTrustedSetGlobal(2);

Once global.x has been set from docB.pdf, the origin is changed; docA.pdf cannot access
global.x directly unless it is through a trusted function:
// Execute a mouse up button action from docA.pdf
console.println("The value of global.x is " + myTrustedGetGlobal());

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global methods
setPersistent
3.01
Controls whether a specified variable is persistent across invocations of Acrobat.
Persistent global data only applies to variables of type Boolean, Number, or String.
Upon application exit, persistent global variables are stored in the glob.js file located in the user’s folder
for folder-level scripts and re-loaded at application start. For Acrobat 6.0 or later, there is a 2-4 KB limit on
the size of this file. Any data added to the string after this limit is dropped.
When specifying persistent global variables, you should use a naming convention. For example, you can
give your variables the form myCompany_variableName. This prevents collisions with other persistent
global variable names throughout the documents.

Parameters
cVariable

The variable (global property) for which to set persistence.

bPersist

If true, the property will exist across Acrobat viewer sessions. If false (the default)
the property will be accessible across documents but not across the Acrobat viewer
sessions.

Example
Make the radius property persistent and accessible for other documents.
global.radius = 8;
global.setPersistent("radius", true);

// Declare radius to be global
// Now say it’s persistent

The volume calculation, defined above, will now yield the same result across viewer sessions, or until the
value of global.radius is changed.

subscribe
5.0
Allows you to automatically update fields when the value of a global variable changes. If the specified
property cVariable is changed, even in another document, the specified function fCallback is called.
Multiple subscribers are allowed for a published property.

Parameters
cVariable

The global property.

fCallback

The function to call when the property is changed.

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The syntax of the callback function is as follows:
function fCallback(newval) {
// newval is the new value of the global variable you
// have subscribed to.
< code to process the new value of the global variable >
}

The callback will be terminated when the document from which the script was originally registered is
closed, or the (global) property deleted.

Example
In this example, it is assumed that Enable Global Object Security Policy is not checked. There are two files,
setRadius.pdf and calcVolume.pdf, open in Acrobat or Adobe Reader:
setRadius.pdf has a single button with the code
global.radius = 2;

The calcVolume.pdf has a document-level JavaScript named subscribe:
global.subscribe("radius", RadiusChanged);
function RadiusChanged(x)// callback function
{
var V = (4/3) * Math.PI * Math.pow(x,3);
this.getField("MyVolume").value = V;// Put value in text field
}

With both files open, clicking on the button in setRadius.pdf immediately gives an update in the text
field “MyVolume” in calcVolume.pdf of 33.51032 (as determined by global.radius = 2).

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HostContainer

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HostContainer
This object manages communication between a PDF document and a corresponding host container that
the document is contained within, such as an HTML page. The host container for a document is specified
by the Doc hostContainer property.
The Embedded PDF object provides the corresponding API for the object model of the container
application.

HostContainer properties
messageHandler
7.0.5
A notification object that is called if a script in the host container calls the postMessage method. This
object may expose the following methods and properties:
Method/Property

Description

onMessage

(Optional) A method that is called in response to postMessage. The message
is delivered asynchronously. The method is passed a single array parameter
containing the array that was passed to postMessage.

onError

(Optional) A method that is called in response to an error. The method is
passed an Error object and an array of strings corresponding to the message
that caused the error.
The name property of the Error object is set to one of these:
"MessageGeneralError": A general error occurred.
"MessageNotAllowedError": The operation failed for security reasons.

If an error occurs and this property is undefined, the error will not be delivered
(unlike messages, errors are not queued).
onDisclose

A required method that is called to determine whether the host application is
permitted to send messages to the document. This allows the PDF document
author to control the conditions under which messaging can occur for security
reasons. The method should be set during the Doc/Open event. The method
is passed two parameters:
cURL — The URL indicating the location of the host container (for

example, the URL of an HTML page using an <OBJECT> tag).
cDocumentURL — The URL of the PDF document that disclosure is being

checked for.
If the method returns true, the host container is permitted to post messages
to the message handler.

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messageHandler

Method/Property

Description

allowDeliver
WhileDocIsModal

A Boolean value indicating whether messages and errors will be delivered
while the document is in a modal state. By default (false), messages and
errors are queued and not delivered to the onMessage and onError
handlers if the application is currently displaying a modal dialog. The
app.isModal property can be used to detect this case.

487

Note: Instead of specifying a method, onDisclose may specify the value
HostContainerDisclosurePolicy.SameOriginPolicy, which means that the document
will be disclosed to the host container if they both originate from the same location. In this case, the
origination is determined by the scheme, server, and port. The scheme must be http, https, or
ftp for the document to be disclosed.
When these methods are invoked, the this object will be the messageHandler instance that the
method is being called on.
Other methods and properties can be added to messageHandler provided that they do not begin with
on.
If messageHandler is set to null or an object without an onMessage method, messages sent by
postMessage are queued until the property is set to a valid messageHandler instance.
Messages are guaranteed to be delivered in the order in which they are posted and errors are guaranteed
to be delivered in the order in which they occurred. However, there is no correspondence between the
delivery order of messages and errors.
Exceptions thrown from within the handler methods will be discarded. If an exception is thrown from
within onDisclose, the function will be treated as a failure. Messages and errors will not be delivered
while inside an onMessage / onError / onDisclose handler.

Type
Object

Access
R/W

Example
A generic host container message handler.
this.hostContainer.messageHandler =
{
onMessage: function(aMessage)
{
for(var i = 0; i < aMessage.length; i++)
console.println("Recv’d Msg[ " + i + "]: " + aMessage[i]);
},
onError: function(error, aMessage){ },
onDisclose: HostContainerDisclosurePolicy.SameOriginPolicy
};

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HostContainer methods
postMessage
7.0.5
Sends a message asynchronously to the message handler for the host container of the PDF document. For
this message to be delivered, the host container (for example, an <OBJECT> element in an HTML page)
must have registered for notification by setting its messageHandler property. The message is passed to
the onMessage method of the messageHandler.
The messages are submitted to a queue until they are delivered. If the queue exceeds a maximum number
of messages, a parameter error is thrown until some of the messages in the queue have been delivered.

Parameters
aMessage

An array of one or more strings that are passed to the onMessage method of the
messageHandler property.

Example
var aMessage = [“MyMessageName”, “Message Body”];
this.hostContainer.postMessage(aMessage);

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Icon

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Icon
This generic JavaScript object is an opaque representation of a Form XObject appearance stored in the
Doc icons property. It is used with Field objects of type button. The icon object contains the following
property:
Property

Type

Access

Description

name

string

R

The name of the icon. An icon has a name if it exists in
the document-level named icons tree.

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Icon Stream

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Icon Stream
This generic JavaScript object represents an icon stream. It is used by app.addToolButton and
collab.addStateModel. It has the following properties:
Property

Description

read(nBytes)

A function that takes the number of bytes to read and returns a hex-encoded
string. The data should be the icon representation as 32 bits per pixel with 4
channels (ARGB) or 8 bits per channel with the channels interleaved. If the icon
has multiple layers, the function may return the pixels for the topmost layer,
followed by the next layer behind it, and so on.

width

The icon width in pixels.

height

The icon height in pixels.

The util.iconStreamFromIcon method can be used to convert an Icon object to an Icon Stream
object.

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identity

identity
5.0

S

This is a static object that identifies the current user of the application.
Note: The identity object properties are only accessible during batch, console and application
initialization events to protect the privacy of the user. See “Privileged versus non-privileged
context” on page 32 for details.

identity properties
corporation
The corporation name that the user has entered in the Identity preferences panel.

Type
String

Access
R/W

email
The email address that the user has entered in the Identity preferences panel.

Type
String

Access
R/W

loginName
The login name as registered by the operating system.

Type
String

Access
R

491

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name
The user name that the user entered in the Identity preferences panel.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Example
The following can be executed in the console, or, perhaps, a folder-level JavaScript.
console.println("Your name is " + identity.name);
console.println("Your e-mail is " + identity.email);

JavaScript API
name

492

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Index

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Index
5.0
An object that represents a Catalog-generated index. It is non-creatable and returned by various methods
of the search object and catalog object. You use this object to perform various indexing operations
using Catalog. You can find the status of the index with a search.

Index properties
available
Specifies whether the index is available for selection and searching. An index may be unavailable if a
network connection is down or a CD-ROM is not inserted, or if the index administrator has brought the
index down for maintenance purposes.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

name
The name of the index as specified by the index administrator at indexing time.
See search.indexes, which returns an array of the Index objects currently accessed by the search
engine.

Type
String

Access
R

Example
This example enumerates all of the indexes and writes their names to the console.
for (var i = 0; i < search.indexes.length; i++) {
console.println("Index[" + i + "] = " + search.indexes[i].name);
}

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path

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path
The device-dependent path where the index resides. See the PDF Reference version 1.7 for exact syntax of
the path.

Type
String

Access
R

selected
Specifies whether the index participates in the search. If true, the index is searched as part of the query. If
false it is not searched. Setting or unsetting this property is equivalent to checking the selection status
in the index list dialog box.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Index methods
build
6.0

S

P

Builds the index associated with the Index object using the Catalog plug-in. This method does not build a
new index.
The index is built at the same location as the index file. If the index already exists, the included directories
are scanned again for changes and the index is updated. If the index does not exist, a new index can be
defined and built through the user interface.
If Catalog is idle, the index build is started immediately; otherwise, it gets queued with Catalog.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) This method can only be executed during a batch or console event. See “Privileged
versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. The event object contains a discussion of
JavaScript events.

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build

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Parameters
cExpr

(optional) An expression to be evaluated after the build operation on the index is
complete. The default is no expression. See the PDF Reference version 1.7 for more
details.

bRebuildAll

(optional) If true, a clean build is performed. The index is first deleted and then built.
The default is false.

Returns
A CatalogJob object that can be used to check the job parameters and status.

Example
/* Building an index */
if (typeof catalog != "undefined") {
var idx = catalog.getIndex("/c/mydocuments/index.pdx");
var job = idx.build("Done()", true);
console.println("Status : ", job.status);
}

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Link

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Link
This object is used to set and get the properties and to set the JavaScript action of a link.
Link objects can be obtained from the Doc methods addLink or getLinks. (See also removeLinks.)

Link properties
borderColor
6.0

D

X

The border color of a Link object. See “Color arrays” on page 193 for information on defining color arrays
and how colors are used with this property.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

borderWidth
6.0

D

X

The border width of the Link object.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

highlightMode
6.0

D

X

The visual effect to be used when the mouse button is pressed or held down inside an active area of a link.
The valid values are:
None
Invert (the default)
Outline
Push

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rect

497

Type
String

Access
R/W

rect
6.0

D

X

The rectangle in which the link is located on the page. Contains an array of four numbers, the coordinates
in rotated user space of the bounding rectangle, listed in the following order: upper-left x, upper-left y,
lower-right x and lower-right y.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

Link methods
setAction
6.0

D

X

Sets the specified JavaScript action for the MouseUp trigger for the Link object.
Note: This method will overwrite any action already defined for this link.

Parameters
cScript

The JavaScript action to use.

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Marker

498

Marker
A Marker object represents a named location in a media clip that identifies a particular time or frame
number, similar to a track on an audio CD or a chapter on a DVD. Markers are defined by the media clip
itself.
A Marker object can be obtained from the Markers.get method.

Marker properties
frame
6.0
A frame number, where 0 represents the beginning of media. For most players, markers have either a
frame or a time value, but not both.

Type
Number

Access
R

index
6.0
An index number assigned to this marker. Markers have sequential index numbers beginning with 0, but
the numbers may not be in the same order that the markers appear in the media.

Type
Number

Access
R

name
6.0
The name of this marker. Each marker in a media clip has a unique name.

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JavaScript API
time

Type
String

Access
R

Example
Get a marker by its index, then print the name of the marker to the console.
// Assume player is a MediaPlayer object
var markers = player.markers;
// Get marker with index of 2
var markers = g.get( { index: 2 } );
console.println( "The marker with index of " + markers.index
+", has a name of " + index.name );

time
6.0
A time in seconds, where 0 represents the beginning of media. For most players, markers have either a
frame or a time value, but not both.

Type
Number

Access
R

Example
Get a named marker, then print the time in seconds from the beginning of the media, of that marker.
// Assume player is a MediaPlayer object
var markers = player.markers;
// Get marker with name of "Chapter 1"
var markers = g.get( { name: "Chapter 1" } );
console.println( "The named marker \"Chapter 1\”, occurs at time "
+ markers.time);

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Markers

500

Markers
The markers property of a MediaPlayer is a Markers object that represents all of the markers found in the
media clip currently loaded into the player. A marker is a named location in a media clip that identifies a
particular time or frame number, similar to a track on an audio CD or a chapter on a DVD. Markers are
defined by the media clip.
The constructor is app.media.Markers.

Markers properties
player
6.0
The MediaPlayer object that this Markers object belongs to.

Type
MediaPlayer object

Access
R

Markers methods
get
6.0
Looks up a marker by name, index number, time in seconds, or frame number and returns the Marker
object representing the requested marker. The object parameter should contain either a name, index,
time, or frame property. A marker name can also be passed in directly as a string.
If a time or frame is passed in, the nearest marker at or before that time or frame is returned. If the time or
frame is before any markers in the media, null is returned.

Parameters
An object or string representing the name, index number, time in seconds, or the frame number of the
marker. The object parameter should contain either a name, index, time, or frame property. A marker name
can also be passed in directly as a string.

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get

501

Returns
Marker object or null

Marker index numbers are assigned sequentially starting with 0. They are not necessarily in order by time
or frame. In particular, note that these are not the same values that Windows Media Player uses for marker
numbers. To find all of the available markers in a media clip, call MediaPlayer.markers.get in a loop
starting with {index: 0} and incrementing the number until get returns null.

Example 1
Count the number of markers on the media clip.
var index, i = 0;
// assume player is a MediaPlayer object.
var m = player.markers;
while ( (index = m.get( { index: i } ) ) != null ) i++;
console.println("There are " + i + " markers.");

Example 2
Get markers by name, index, time and frame.
// Get a marker by name, two different ways
var marker = player.markers.get( "My Marker" );
var marker = player.markers.get({ name: "My Marker" });
// Get a marker by index
var marker = player.markers.get({ index: 1 });
// Get a marker by time
var marker = player.markers.get({ time: 17.5 });
// Get a marker by frame
var marker = player.markers.get({ frame: 43 });

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MediaOffset

502

MediaOffset
A MediaOffset represents a position in a MediaClip, specified by time or frame count. The position can be
absolute (that is, relative to the beginning of the media) or relative to a named marker.
The MediaOffset object can have the properties specified below, or it can simply be a number, which is
interpreted as {time: number}.
Some media formats (such as QuickTime) are time-based and others (such as Flash) are frame-based. A
MediaOffset that specifies a time or frame must match the media format in use. If both time and frame are
specified, the results are undefined. The incorrect one may be ignored, or a JavaScript exception may be
thrown.
The MediaOffset object is used by MediaPlayer.seek, MediaPlayer.where,
MediaSettings.endAt, and MediaSettings.startAt.

MediaOffset properties
frame
6.0
A frame number. If the marker property is also present, this frame number is relative to the specified
marker and may be positive, negative, or zero. Otherwise, it is relative to the beginning of media and may
not be negative. Note that {frame: 0} represents the beginning of media.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

marker
6.0
The name of a specific marker in the media.

Type
String

Access
R/W

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time

503

time
6.0
A time in seconds, or Infinity. If the marker property is also present, this time is relative to the
specified marker and is a nonnegative value, but not Infinity. Otherwise, the time is relative to the
beginning of media and must not be negative. Note that the offset { time: 0 } represents the beginning of
media.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Example
These are examples of absolute and relative offsets.
{ time: 5.4 } // offset 5.4 seconds from the beginning of media
{ marker: "Chapter 1", time: 17 } // 17 seconds after "Chapter 1"

These offsets can be used by the MediaPlayer.seek method.
// assume player is a MediaPlayer object
player.seek({ time: 5.4 });
player.seek({ marker: "Chapter 1", time: 17 });

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MediaPlayer

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MediaPlayer
A MediaPlayer object represents an instance of a multimedia player such as QuickTime, Windows Media
Player, or others. Its settings and events properties let you manipulate the player from JavaScript code
and handle events that the player triggers. MediaPlayer is not part of a PDF file; it is a transient object
created in memory when needed.

MediaPlayer properties
annot
6.0
A reference to the screen annotation associated with a MediaPlayer. This property exists only for a
MediaPlayer object that is connected to a screen annotation. The property is set by
app.media.addStockEvents or by methods that call addStockEvents indirectly, such as
app.media.openPlayer.

Type
ScreenAnnot object

Access
R/W

defaultSize
6.0
A read-only object containing the width and height of the MediaPlayer’s MediaClip:
{ width: number, height: number }

If the media player is unable to provide this value, it is undefined.

Type
Object

Access
R

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doc

505

doc
6.0
A reference to the Doc that owns the MediaPlayer.

Type
Object

Access
R

events
6.0
An Events object containing the EventListeners that are attached to a MediaPlayer. See Events object
for details.

Type
Events object

Access
R/W

Example
Create a media player, then modify the events of that player. The script is executed as a Rendition action
with an associated rendition.
var events = new app.media.Events;
var player = app.media.createPlayer();
player.events.add({
onReady: function() { console.println("The player is ready"); }
});
player.open();

hasFocus
6.0
A Boolean value that is true if the media player is open and has the keyboard focus.

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id

506

Type
Boolean

Access
R

id
6.0
The player ID for the player software that this player is using. It is undefined if the player has not been
opened. This player ID is the same value that is found in PlayerInfo.id for the media player software
that implements this player.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

Example
Print the player ID to the console.
// Assume args has been defined
var player = app.media.openPlayer( args )
console.println("player.id = " + player.id);
// In the console, this script could possibly print...
player.id = vnd.adobe.swname:ADBE_MCI

innerRect
6.0
A rectangle array representing the player’s inner rectangle. As with other such arrays in JavaScript, the
coordinates are in the order [left, top, right, bottom]. The rectangle does not include a window title or
other such gadgets around the edges of the player, but it does include the player controller, if present. It is
undefined if the player is not open.
For a docked media player, this rectangle is in device space and is read-only (it throws an exception if you
try to set it). Instead, use triggerGetRect to cause a docked player to be resized. For a floating media
player, the rectangle is in screen coordinates and is writable, but the user’s security settings may override a
value you set here. For example, if you try to move a floating media player offscreen, it may be forced back
on-screen. This will not throw an exception. You can read this property after writing it to see if your value
was overridden.
See also outerRect.

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isOpen

507

Type
Array

Access
R/W

isOpen
6.0
A Boolean value that is true if the media player is currently open. Use MediaPlayer.open and
MediaPlayer.close to open or close a player.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

isPlaying
6.0
A Boolean value that is true if the media is currently playing. It is false if the player is not open, or if the
media is paused, stopped, fast forwarding or rewinding, or in any other state.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

markers
6.0
A collection of all the markers available for the current media.
See Markers object for details of this property.

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outerRect

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Type
Markers Object

Access
R

Example
See “Example 2” on page 513 on for an illustration of usage.

outerRect
6.0
A rectangle array representing the player’s outer rectangle. As with other such arrays in JavaScript for
Acrobat, the coordinates are in the order [ left, top, right, bottom ]. This rectangle includes any player
controller, window title, and other such gadgets around the edges of the player. It is undefined if the
player is not open.
For a docked media player, this rectangle is in device space and is read-only. It will throw an exception if
you try to set it. Instead, use MediaPlayer.triggerGetRect to cause a docked player to be resized.
For a floating media player, the rectangle is in screen coordinates and is writable, but the user’s security
settings may override a value you set here. For example, if you try to move a floating media player
offscreen, it may be forced back on-screen. This will not throw an exception. You can read this property
after writing it to see if your value was overridden.
See also innerRect.

Type
Array

Access
R/W

page
6.0
The page number in which a docked media player appears. It is undefined for players that are not
docked. A docked media player can be moved to another page by changing its page property, which
triggers a GetRect (see onGetRect) event.

Type
Number

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JavaScript API
settings

509

Access
R/W

Example
Play a media clip on page 1 (base zero). The placement of the media player on page 1 is the same as the
screen annotation on page 0.
var player = app.media.openPlayer({
rendition: this.media.getRendition( "myClip" ),
annot: this.media.getAnnot({ nPage:0, cAnnotTitle:"myScreen" }),
settings: { windowType: app.media.windowType.docked }
});
player.page = 1;

See onGetRect and triggerGetRect for variations on this example.

settings
6.0
Includes all of the settings that are used to create a MediaPlayer. See MediaSettings object for a
complete list.
Note: In Acrobat 6.0, changing a property in MediaPlayer.settings after the player has been created
has no effect. This may be changed in a future release to make these settings live. For compatibility
with current and future releases, avoid changing any settings properties while a player is open.

Type
MediaSettings object

Access
R/W

uiSize
6.0
An array containing the size of the controller of the player for each edge of the player, in the same order as
a window rectangle: [ left, top, right, bottom ]. Each of these values is normally a positive value or zero.
These values do not include window gadgets such as title bars.
This property is not available until the Ready event is triggered (see onReady and afterReady). Unlike
most MediaPlayer properties, it is permissible to read it during an on event method such as onReady.

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visible

510

Type
Array

Access
R

Example
Get the uiSize of the player. This code is executed as a Rendition action event.
var args = {
events: {
onReady: function () {
console.println("uiSize = " + player.uiSize );
}
}
};
var player = app.media.openPlayer(args);

visible
6.0
A Boolean value controlling whether the player is visible. Unlike MediaPlayer.settings.visible,
this property takes effect immediately. If the player is not open, reading this property returns undefined
and setting it throws an exception.
Setting this property may trigger events. For example, if the player is visible and has the focus, making it
invisible triggers a Blur event.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example
Play the audio only of a video clip
// Assume a definition of args
var player = app.media.openPlayer(args);
player.visible = false;

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close

511

MediaPlayer methods
close
6.0
Closes the media player if it is open. Does nothing (and is not an error) if the player is closed.
The eReason parameter should be a value from the app.media.closeReason enumeration. This value
is passed through to the event.media.closeReason property for the Close event (see onClose and
afterClose) that the close method is triggered.
If the player has the keyboard focus, a Blur event (onBlur/afterBlur) is triggered before the Close
event. Other events, such as Status (onStatus/afterStatus) and Stop (onStop/afterStop), may also
be triggered depending on the particular media player.

Parameters
eReason

eReason is a value from the app.media.closeReason enumeration.

open
6.0
Attempts to open the media player as specified by MediaPlayer.settings. If the player is already
open, an exception is thrown. If the player was previously opened and then closed, open may be called to
open the player again. This uses the same JavaScript object as before but opens a new instance of the
actual media player. In this case, for example, the new player does not remember the playback position
from the old player.
For a docked player, a GetRect event (onGetRect) is triggered when the player is opened.
If MediaPlayer.settings.autoPlay is true (the default), playback begins and a Play event
(onPlay/afterPlay) is triggered.
The open method may result in a security prompt dialog box, depending on the user’s settings. It may also
result in events being triggered in objects such as other media players and screen annotations. For
example, if another media player has the keyboard focus, it will receive a Blur event
(onBlur/afterBlur).
If bAllowSecurityUI is false, the open method never displays a security prompt, but returns a
failure code instead.
For a media player in a floating window, additional security checks are made against the user’s settings. For
example, the user may specify that title bars are required on all floating player windows. If
MediaPlayer.settings.floating contains options that the user does not allow,
bAllowFloatOptionsFallback controls what happens. If it is false, playback is disallowed and an
error code is returned. If it is true, the options in MediaPlayer.settings.floating are changed as
needed to conform to the user’s security settings and open proceeds with those changed settings.

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pause

512

The return value is an object that currently contains one property, code, which is a result code from the
app.media.openCode enumeration. If your PDF is opened in a future version of Acrobat, there may be
additional properties in this object, or a code value added in that future version. Be sure to handle any
such values gracefully.

Parameters
bAllowSecurityUI

(optional) The default is true. See the description of this
parameter given above.

bAllowFloatOptionsFallback

(optional) The default is true. See the description of this
parameter given above.

Returns
An object with a code property

Example
See “Example 1” on page 165 for an example of usage.

pause
6.0
Pauses playback of the current media and triggers a Pause event (onPause/afterPause). The Pause
event may occur during the pause call or afterward, depending on the player.
The pause method has no effect if the media is already paused or stopped, or if playback has not yet
started or has completed. Not every media player and media format supports pause. In particular, most
streaming formats do not support pause. Players may either throw an exception or silently ignore pause
in these cases.

Example
See “Example 2” on page 513 for an example of usage.

play
6.0
Starts playback of the current media and triggers a Play event (onPlay/afterPlay). The Play event may
occur during the play call or afterward, depending on the player.
If the media is already playing, it continues playing and no event is triggered. If it is paused, rewinding, or
fast forwarding, it resumes playback at the current position. If it is stopped, either at the beginning or end
of media, playback starts from the beginning.

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seek

513

Example
See “Example 2” on page 513 for an example of usage.

seek
6.0
Sets the current media’s playback location to the position described by the MediaOffset object
contained in oMediaOffset.
If the media is playing, it continues playing at the new location. If the media is paused, it moves to the new
location and remains paused there. If the media is stopped, the result will vary depending on the player.
Media players handle seek errors in different ways. Some ignore the error and others throw a JavaScript
exception.
Most, but not all, media players trigger a Seek event (onSeek/afterSeek) when a seek is completed.
The seek operation may take place during the execution of the seek method or later, depending on the
player. If seek returns before the seek operation is completed and you call another player method before
the seek is completed, the results will vary depending on the player.

Parameters
oMediaOffset

A MediaOffset object, the properties of which indicate the playback location
to be set.

Example 1
// Rewind the media clip
player.seek({ time: 0 });
// Play starting from marker "First"
player.seek({ marker: "First" });
// Play starting five seconds after marker "One"
player.seek({ marker: "One", time: 5 });

Example 2
The following script randomly plays (famous) quotations. The media is an audio clip (.wma) of famous
quotations, which supports markers and scripts. The afterReady listener counts the number of markers,
one at the beginning of each quotation. At the end of each quotation, there is also an embedded
command script. The afterScript listener watches for these commands and if it is a “pause” command,
it pauses the player.
var nMarkers=0;
var events = new app.media.Events;
events.add({

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setFocus

514

// Count the number of quotes in this audio clip, save as nMarkers
afterReady: function()
{
var g = player.markers;
while ( (index = g.get( { index: nMarkers } ) ) != null )
nMarkers++;
},
// Each quote should be followed by a script, if the command is to
// pause, then pause the player.
afterScript: function( e ) {
if ( e.media.command == "pause" ) player.pause();
}
});
var player = app.media.openPlayer({
rendition: this.media.getRendition( "myQuotes" ),
settings: { autoPlay: false },
events: events
});
// Randomly choose a quotation
function randomQuote() {
var randomMarker, randomMarkerName;
console.println("nMarkers = " + nMarkers);
// Randomly choose an integer between 1 and nMarkers, inclusive
randomMarker = Math.floor(Math.random() * 100) % ( nMarkers ) + 1;
// Indicate what quotation we are playing
this.getField("Quote").value = "Playing quote " + randomMarker;
// The marker names are "quote 1", "quote 2", "quote 3", etc.
randomMarkerName = "quote " + randomMarker;
// See the marker with the name randomMarkerName
player.seek( { marker: randomMarkerName } );
player.play();
}

Action is initiated by the mouse-up button action such as
try { randomQuote() } catch(e) {}

setFocus
6.0
Sets the keyboard focus to the media player and triggers a Focus event (onFocus/afterFocus). If
another player or PDF object has the focus, that object receives a Blur event (onBlur/afterBlur). If the
media player already has the focus, nothing happens. If the player is not open or not visible, an exception
is thrown.

Example
See “Example 1” on page 165 for an example of usage.

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stop

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stop
6.0
Stops playback of the current media, if it is playing or paused, and triggers a Stop event
(onStop/afterStop). The Stop event may occur during execution of the stop method or afterward,
depending on the player. Does nothing if the media is not playing or paused.
Throws an exception if the player is not open.
After playback stops, the player sets the media position to either the beginning or end of media,
depending on the player. If MediaPlayer.play is called after this, playback starts at the beginning of
media.

triggerGetRect
6.0
Triggers a GetRect event (see onGetRect) to cause a docked media player to be resized.

Example
This example is similar to the one that follows onGetRect. Page 0 has a series of (thumbnail-size)
ScreenAnnots. Below is a typical Rendition action or mouse-up button JavaScript action, when the action
is executed, the media clip is resized and played.
var rendition = this.media.getRendition("Clip1");
var annot = this.media.getAnnot({ nPage:0,cAnnotTitle:"ScreenClip1" });
var player = app.media.openPlayer({
rendition: rendition,
annot: annot,
settings: { windowType: app.media.windowType.docked },
events: {
onGetRect: function (e) {
var width = e.media.rect[2] - e.media.rect[0];
var height = e.media.rect[3] - e.media.rect[1];
width *= 3; // Triple width and height
height *= 3;
e.media.rect[0] = 36; // Move left,upper to
e.media.rect[1] = 36; // upper left-hand corner
e.media.rect[2] = e.media.rect[0]+width;
e.media.rect[3] = e.media.rect[1]+height;
return e.media.rect; // Return this
}
}
});
player.triggerGetRect(); // trigger the onGetRec event

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where

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where
6.0
Reports the current media’s playback location in a MediaOffset object. This object contains either a time
or frame property, depending on the media player and media type.
Throws an exception if the player is not open or if the player does not support where.

Returns
MediaOffset object

Example
Obtain the playback location in seconds.
// This code assumes that the player supports where() using time.
var where = player.where();
var seconds = where.time;

Obtain the chapter (marker).
var marker = player.markers.get({ time: seconds });
var name = marker ? marker.name : "no marker";

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MediaReject

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MediaReject
A MediaReject provides information about a Rendition that was rejected by a Rendition.select call. It
includes a reference to the original Rendition along with the reason why it was rejected. In a
MediaSelection object returned by select, MediaSelection.rejects is an array of MediaReject
objects.

MediaReject properties
rendition
6.0
A reference to the Rendition that was rejected in a select call.

Type
Rendition object

Access
R

Example
Get a list of rejected renditions. The script is executed as a Rendition action.
selection = event.action.rendition.select(true);
for ( var i=0; i<selection.rejects.length; i++)
console.println("Rejected Renditions: "
+ selection.rejects[i].rendition.uiName);
// Now play the first available rendition.
console.println( "Preparing to play " + selection.rendition.uiName);
var settings = selection.rendition.getPlaySettings();
var args = {
rendition: selection.rendition,
annot: this.media.getAnnot({ nPage: 0, cAnnotTitle: "myScreen" }),
settings: settings
};
app.media.openPlayer(args);

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JavaScript API
MediaSelection

MediaSelection
The Rendition.select method returns a MediaSelection object that can be used to create a
MediaSettings object for playback.

MediaSelection properties
selectContext
6.0
A value that can be used to write a loop that calls Rendition.select repeatedly to do a customized
selection based on any criteria that you can test in JavaScript code.

Type
Object

Access
R

Example
Generic script for using selectContext.
function MyTestSelection( selection )
{
// This function should test the selection as you wish and return
// true to use it or false to reject it and try another one.
}
function MyGetSelection( rendition )
{
var selection;
for( selection = rendition.select(); selection;
selection = rendition.select
({ oContext: selection.selectContext }))
{
if( MyTestSelection( selection ) )
break;
}
return selection;
}

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JavaScript API
players

players
6.0
An array of strings identifying the media players that may be used to play
MediaSelection.rendition. Both the players and rendition properties are null if no playable
rendition is found.

Type
Array of String

Access
R

Example
Get a list of the players that will play the selected rendition. The code below assumes execution as a
Rendition action.
var selection = event.action.rendition.select();
for ( var o in selection.players )
console.println( selection.players[o].id );

rejects
6.0
An array of MediaReject objects. These are the Renditions that were rejected by the
Rendition.select call that returned this MediaSelection. See MediaReject object for details.

Type
Array of MediaReject objects

Access
R

Example
See the “Example” on page 517.

519

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rendition

rendition
6.0
The selected rendition, or null if none was playable.

Type
Rendition object

Access
R

Example
Get the name of the selected rendition. This script is executed from a Rendition action event.
var selection = event.action.rendition.select();
console.println( "Preparing to play " + selection.rendition.uiName);

520

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MediaSettings

521

MediaSettings
A MediaSettings object contains settings required to create and open a MediaPlayer. It is the value of the
settings property of the MediaPlayer object. Many of these settings have default values, but some
are required depending on the type of player being opened and depending on other settings. See the
notes for each MediaSettings property for details.
Acrobat and the various media players will attempt to use these settings, but there is no guarantee that
they will all be honored. (For example, very few players honor the palindrome setting.)

MediaSettings properties
autoPlay
6.0
Specifies whether the media clip should begin playing automatically after the player is opened. If you set
autoPlay to false, use MediaPlayer.play to begin playback. The default value is true.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example
See the examples following afterReady and players.

baseURL
6.0
The base URL to be used to resolve any relative URLs used in the media clip, for example, if the media
opens a web page. There is no default value; if baseURL is not specified, the interpretation of a relative URL
will vary depending the media player, but in most cases will not work.

Type
String

Access
R/W

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bgColor

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bgColor
6.0
The background color for the media player window. The array may be in any of the color array formats
supported by JavaScript for Acrobat.
If bgColor is not specified, the default value depends on the window type:
Docked — White
Floating — The window background color specified in the operating system control panel
Full Screen — The full screen background color specified in the user’s Acrobat preferences

Type
Color Array

Access
R/W

Example
// Red background
settings.bgColor = [ "RGB", 1, 0, 0 ];

bgOpacity
6.0
The background opacity for the media player window. The value may range from 0.0 (fully transparent) to
1.0 (fully opaque). The default value is 1.0.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

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JavaScript API
data

523

data
6.0
An object, often referred to as a MediaData object, that a media player can use to read its media clip data,
whether from an external file or embedded in the PDF. The contents of this object are not directly usable
from JavaScript.
This object can be obtained from app.media.getAltTextData, app.media.getURLData, or
indirectly by Rendition.getPlaySettings. The data object may be bound to the rendition’s
document, so it may become unavailable if the document is closed.

Type
Object

Access
R/W

Example
See the examples that follow app.media.getURLData

duration
6.0
The amount of time in seconds that playback will take. If not specified, the default is to play the entire
media, or the amount of time between the startAt and endAt points if either of those is specified.
Note that the duration may be longer than the entire media length or the difference between the
startAt and endAt points. In that case, playback continues to the end of media or to the endAt point
and then playback pauses at that location until the duration elapses.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

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JavaScript API
endAt

524

Example
Play a floating window with infinite duration. The playback location (from the UI) of the rendition is a
floating window. The code below is executed from a form button. The floating window remains open after
the player has reached the end of the media. To avoid stacked floating windows, the player is closed before
reopening it.
If this script is executed from a Rendition action, the rendition can be specified through the UI and closing
the player would not be necessary.
var rendition = this.media.getRendition("Clip");
if ( player && player.isOpen )
try { player.close(app.media.closeReason.done); } catch(e) {};
var player = app.media.openPlayer({
rendition: rendition,
settings: { duration: Infinity }
});

endAt
6.0
The ending time or frame for playback. This may be an absolute time or frame value, or a marker name, or
a marker plus a time or frame, as described under MediaOffset object. Playback ends at the specified
time or frame, or as close to that point as the media player is able to stop. If endAt is not specified, the
default value is the end of media.
See also startAt.

Type
MediaOffset object

Access
R/W

Example
The following script plays an audio clip beginning 3 seconds into the media to 8 seconds into the media.
var player = app.media.openPlayer({
rendition: this.media.getRendition( "myAudio" ),
doc: this,
settings: {
startAt: 3,
endAt: 8
}
});

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floating

525

floating
6.0
An object containing properties (listed below) that define the location and style of a floating window.
This object is ignored unless MediaSettings.windowType has a value of
app.media.windowType.floating.
Defaults are used for all the floating settings if they are not specified.
Property

Type

Description

align

Number

Specifies how the floating window is to be positioned relative to
the window specified by the over property. The value of align is
one of the values of app.media.align.

over

Number

Specifies the window to which the floating window is to be aligned.
The value of over is one of the values of app.media.over.

canResize

Number

Specifies whether the floating window may be resized by the user.
The value of canResize is one of the values of
app.media.canResize.

hasClose

Boolean

If true, the floating window should have a close window control
button.

hasTitle

Boolean

If true, a title should be displayed in the title bar.

title

String

This title to be displayed if hasTitle is true.

ifOffScreen

Number

Specifies what action should be taken if the floating window is
positioned totally or partially offscreen. The value of ifOffScreen is
one of the values of app.media.ifOffScreen.

rect

Array of four
Numbers

An array of screen coordinates specifying the location and size of
the floating window. Required if width and height are not given.

width

Number

The width of the floating window. Required if rect is not given.

height

Number

The height of the floating window. Required if rect is not given.

Type
Object

Access
R/W

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JavaScript API
layout

526

Example
Play a media clip in a floating window.
var rendition = this.media.getRendition( "myClip" );
var floating = {
align: app.media.align.topCenter,
over: app.media.over.appWindow,
canResize: app.media.canResize.no,
hasClose: true,
hasTitle: true,
title: rendition.altText,
ifOffScreen: app.media.ifOffScreen.forceOnScreen,
width: 400,
height: 300
};
var player = app.media.openPlayer({
rendition: rendition,
settings: {
windowType: app.media.windowType.floating,
floating: floating
}
});

layout
6.0
A value chosen from the app.media.layout enumeration, which defines whether and how the content
should be resized to fit the window. The default value varies with different media players.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

monitor
6.0
For a full screen media player, this property determines which display monitor will be used for playback.
This may be either a Monitor object or a Monitors object. If it is an array, the first element (which is a
Monitor object) is used.

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JavaScript API
monitorType

527

Type
Monitor or Monitors object
Note: Only the rect property MediaSettings.monitor.rect (in the case of a Monitor object) or
MediaSettings.monitor[0].rect (for a Monitors object) is used for playback.
See monitorType (below) for a discussion of the relationship between the monitor and monitorType
properties.

Access
R/W

Example
Play a media clip in full screen from a form button.
var player = app.media.openPlayer({
rendition: this.media.getRendition("Clip"),
settings: {
monitor: app.monitors.primary(),
windowType: app.media.windowType.fullScreen,
}
});

Note: The user trust manager settings must allow full screen play back.

monitorType
6.0
An app.media.monitorType value that represents the type of monitor to be selected for playback for a
floating or full screen window.
Note the difference between the monitor and monitorType properties:
●

monitor specifies a specific monitor on the current system by defining its rectangle.

●

monitorType specifies a general category of monitor based on attributes such as primary, secondary,

and best color depth.
A PDF file that does not use JavaScript cannot specify a particular monitor, but it can specify a monitor
type. When monitorType is specified in a call to app.media.createPlayer or
app.media.openPlayer, JavaScript code gets the list of monitors available on the system and uses
monitorType to select one of the monitors for playback. The monitor rectangle is then used when
MediaPlayer.open is called to select the monitor.

Type
Number

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JavaScript API
page

528

Access
R/W

Example
Play a media clip in full screen on a monitor with the best color depth.
var player = app.media.openPlayer({
rendition: this.media.getRendition("Clip"),
settings: {
monitorType: app.media.monitorType.bestColor,
windowType: app.media.windowType.fullScreen,
}
});

page
6.0
For a docked media player, this property is the number of the page on which the player should be docked.
For other types of media players, this property is ignored.
See also MediaPlayer.page.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

palindrome
6.0
If this property is true, the media plays once normally and then plays in reverse back to the beginning. If
repeat is specified, this forward-and-reverse playback repeats that many times. Each complete forward
and reverse playback counts as one repeat.
The default value is false.

Type
Boolean

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JavaScript API
players

529

Access
R/W
Note: Most media players do not support palindrome and ignore this setting.

Example
Use QuickTime, which supports palindrome, to view the media clip.
var playerList = app.media.getPlayers().select({ id: /quicktime/i });
var settings = { players: playerList, palindrome: true };
var player = app.media.openPlayer({ settings: settings });

The above code should be run within a Rendition action event with an associated rendition.

players
6.0
An array of objects that represent the media players that can be used to play this rendition. JavaScript
code does not usually access this array directly but passes it through from Rendition.select to the
settings object for app.media.createPlayer.

Type
Players or Array of String

Access
R/W

Example
List the available players that can play this rendition. This script is run as a Rendition action with associated
rendition.
var player = app.media.openPlayer({ settings: {autoPlay: false} });
console.println("players: " + player.settings.players.toSource() );
// Sample output to the console:
players: [{id:"vnd.adobe.swname:ADBE_MCI", rank:0},
{id:"vnd.adobe.swname:AAPL_QuickTime", rank:0},
{id:"vnd.adobe.swname:RNWK_RealPlayer", rank:0},
{id:"vnd.adobe.swname:MSFT_WindowsMediaPlayer", rank:0}]

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rate

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rate
6.0
A number that specifies the playback rate. The default value is 1, which means normal playback. Other
values are relative to normal speed. For example, .5 is half speed, 2 is double speed, and -1 is normal speed
in reverse.
Many players and media types are limited in the values they support for rate and will choose the closest
playback rate that they support.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Example
Play a media clip at double speed. This script is executed as a Rendition action.
var player = app.media.createPlayer();
player.settings.rate = 2;
player.open();

repeat
6.0
The number of times the media playback should automatically repeat. The default value of 1 causes the
media to be played once.
Many players support only integer values for repeat, but some allow non-integer values such as 1.5. A
value of Infinity plays the media clip continuously.
The default value is 1.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

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JavaScript API
showUI

531

Example
Play a media clip from a Rendition action continuously.
var player = app.media.openPlayer({settings: { repeat: Infinity } });

showUI
6.0
A Boolean value that specifies whether the controls of the media player should be visible or not.
The default value is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example
Show the controls of the media player. This script is executed as a Rendition action.
var player = app.media.createPlayer();
player.settings.showUI = true;
player.open();

or
app.media.openPlayer( {settings: {showUI: true} });

startAt
6.0
Defines the starting time or frame for playback. This may be an absolute time or frame value, or a marker
name, or a marker plus a time or frame, as described under MediaOffset. Playback starts at the specified
time or frame, or as close to that point as the media player is able to stop. If startAt is not specified, the
default value is the beginning of media.
See also endAt.

Type
MediaOffset object

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Access
R/W

Example
See the example that follows endAt.

visible
6.0
A Boolean value that specifies whether the player should be visible.
The default value is true.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example
Set a docked media clip to play audio only. The script is executed as a Rendition action.
var args = {
settings: {
visible: false,
windowType: app.media.windowType.docked
}
};
app.media.openPlayer( args );

See also MediaPlayer.visible.

JavaScript API
visible

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volume

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volume
6.0
Specifies the playback volume. A value of 0 is muted, a value of 100 is normal (full) volume; values in
between are intermediate volumes. Future media players may allow values greater than 100 to indicate
louder than normal volume, but none currently do.
The default value is 100.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

windowType
6.0
A value, chosen from the app.media.windowType enumeration, that defines what type of window the
MediaPlayer should be created in.
If you use the low-level function doc.media.newPlayer, the default value for windowType is
app.media.windowType.docked.
If you use the higher-level createPlayer or openPlayer functions of the app.media object, the
default value is determined as follows:
●

If an annot is provided (see the description of the PlayerArgs object), the default is
app.media.windowType.docked.

●

If a settings.floating object is provided (see the description of the PlayerArgs object), the default
is app.media.windowType.floating.

●

Otherwise, the default is undefined.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

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JavaScript API
windowType

534

Example
Create media players with different window types. Script is executed as a Rendition action, so the selection
of the specification of the rendition is not needed.
// Docked player that will be played in the associated ScreenAnnot
app.media.openPlayer({
settings: { windowType: app.media.windowType.docked }
});
// Play in full screen mode, see also monitor and monitorType
app.media.openPlayer({
settings: { windowType: app.media.windowType.fullScreen }
});
// Show the media clip in a floating window, also, see the floating property
var args = {
settings: {
windowType: app.media.windowType.floating,
floating: {
title: "A. C. Robat",
width: 352,
height: 240,
}
}
};
app.media.openPlayer( args );

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JavaScript API
Monitor

535

Monitor
A Monitor object represents an individual display monitor. A Monitor object can be obtained from
app.monitors, which returns an array of all monitors connected to the system. app.monitors is a
Monitors object so the methods of the Monitors object can be used to select or filter out monitors from
a multiple monitor system based on different criteria. See the Monitors object for details.
The Monitor object and the Monitors object are used in the MediaSettings monitor property.

Monitor properties
colorDepth
6.0
The color depth of the monitor; that is, the number of bits per pixel.

Type
Number

Access
R

Example
Get the primary monitor and check its color depth. The Monitors.primary method is use to select the
primary monitor.
var monitors = app.monitors.primary();
console.println( "Color depth of primary monitor is "
+ monitors[0].colorDepth );

isPrimary
6.0
A Boolean value that is true for the primary monitor, false for all other monitors.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

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Example

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Example
Get the widest monitor and determine if it is the primary monitor.
var monitors = app.monitors.widest();
var isIsNot = (monitors[0].isPrimary) ? "is" : "is not";
console.println("The widest monitor "+isIsNot+" the primary monitor.");

rect
6.0
A rectangle specifying the boundaries of the monitor in virtual desktop coordinates:
●

The origin of the virtual desktop is the top left corner of the primary monitor. Therefore, the primary
monitor’s bounds are always in the form [ 0, 0, right, bottom ].

●

Secondary monitors may have positive or negative values in their bounds arrays, depending on where
they are positioned relative to the primary monitor.

Type
Rectangle

Access
R

workRect
6.0
A rectangle representing a monitor’s workspace boundaries in virtual desktop coordinates. See rect for
information about these coordinates.
The workspace is the area of a monitor that is normally used for applications, omitting any items such as
docked toolbars or taskbars. For example, running Windows on a single 800x600 display, rect is [ 0, 0,
800, 600 ]. With a standard Windows taskbar 30 pixels high and always visible at the bottom of the screen,
workRect is [ 0, 0, 800, 570 ].

Type
Rectangle

Access
R

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Monitors

537

Monitors
A Monitors object is equivalent to a read-only array of Monitor objects, each one representing a single
monitor. Elements can be accessed using the usual array notation and the length property.
The app.monitors property returns a Monitors object that includes every monitor connected to the
user’s system. JavaScript code can loop through this array to get information about the available monitors
and select one for a full screen or pop-up media player.
Note: The Monitors object returned by app.monitors is unsorted (the monitors are not listed in any
particular order).
The Monitors object has a number of filter methods that select one or more monitors based on various
criteria. All of the monitor selection options provided in the PDF file format are implemented as calls to
these filter methods.
None of the filter methods modify the original Monitors object. They each return a new Monitors object,
which normally contains one or more Monitor objects. If a single monitor matches the filtering criterion
better than any other, the result Monitors object contains that monitor. If more than one monitor satisfies
the filtering criterion equally (for example, for the bestColor method, if more than one monitor has the
same greatest color depth), the result contains all of those monitors.
Several of the filter methods have an optional minimum or required parameter. If this parameter is
specified and no monitor meets that minimum requirement, the result Monitors object is empty.
Otherwise, if the original Monitors object was not empty, the result always contains at least one monitor.
Wherever a filter method refers to height, width, or area, the dimensions are in pixels.

Example
var monitors = app.monitors;
for ( var i = 0; i< monitors.length; i++)
console.println("monitors["+i+"].colorDepth = "+monitors[i].colorDepth);
Monitors.length contains the number of elements in the Monitors object. For the Monitors object
returned by app.monitors, this is the number of monitors in the user’s system. For a Monitors object

returned by one of the filter methods, this number may be smaller.

Monitors methods
bestColor
6.0
Returns a copy of the Monitors object, filtered to include the monitor or monitors with the greatest color
depth.
If nMinColor is specified, returns an empty Monitors array if the best color depth is less than nMinColor.

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bestFit

538

Parameters
nMinColor

(optional) The minimal color depth required for the monitor.

Returns
A Monitors object

Example
var monitors = app.monitors.bestColor(32);
if (monitors.length == 0 )
console.println("Cannot find the required monitor.”);
else
console.println("Found at least one monitor.");

bestFit
6.0
Returns a copy of the Monitors object, filtered to include only the smallest monitor or monitors with at
least the specified nWidth and nHeight in pixels.

Parameters
nWidth

Minimum width of the best fit monitor.

nHeight

Minimum height of the best fit monitor.

bRequire

(optional) Specifies what to return if no monitors have at least the specified width
and height. If true, the method returns an empty Monitors array. If false or
omitted, a Monitors array containing the largest monitor or monitors is returned.

Returns
A Monitors object

desktop
6.0
Creates a new Monitors object containing one Monitor object that represents the entire virtual
desktop. The rect property is the union of every rect in the original Monitors object, the workRect
property is the union of every workRect in the original Monitors object, and colorDepth is the
minimum colorDepth value found in the original Monitors object.

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document

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Returns
A Monitors object
Note: The desktop method is normally called directly on a Monitors object returned by app.monitors.
If that Monitors object is first filtered by any of its other methods, the desktop method does the
same calculations listed above with that subset of the monitors.

document
6.0
Returns a copy of the Monitors object, filtered to include the monitor or monitors that display the
greatest amount of the document, as specified by the Doc parameter doc.
If the document does not appear on any of the monitors in the original Monitors object, the method
returns an empty Monitors array if bRequire is true or a Monitors array containing at least one arbitrarily
chosen monitor from the original array if bRequire is false or omitted.

Parameters
doc

The Doc of the document

bRequire

(optional) A Boolean value. See the description above.

Returns
A Monitors object

filter
6.0
Returns a copy of the Monitors object, filtered by calling a ranker function for each monitor in the list.
The ranker function takes a Monitor parameter and returns a numeric rank. The return value from filter
is a Monitors array containing the monitors that had the highest rank (either a single monitor, or more than
one if there was a tie).

Parameters
fnRanker

A (ranker) function that takes a Monitor parameter and returns a numeric rank

nMinRank

(optional) If nMinRank is undefined, filter always includes at least one monitor
from the original list (unless the original list was empty). If nMinRank is specified,
filter returns an empty Monitors array if no monitors had at least that rank
according to the ranker function.

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largest

540

Returns
A Monitors object
Note: Most of the other Monitors filtering functions are implemented as filter calls.

Example
This script implements Monitors.bestColor( minColor). It returns a Monitors object containing
the monitor or monitors that have the greatest color depth. If minColor is specified, returns an empty
Monitors array if the best color depth is less than minColor.
bestColor: function( minColor )
{
return this.filter(
function( m ) { return m.colorDepth; }, minColor );
}

largest
6.0
Returns a copy of the Monitors object, filtered to include the monitor or monitors with the greatest area
in pixels.

Parameters
nMinArea

(optional) If the optional parameter nMinArea, a number, is specified, largest()
returns an empty Monitors array if that greatest area is less than that value.

Returns
A Monitors object

leastOverlap
6.0
Returns a copy of the Monitors object, filtered to include the monitor or monitors that contain the
smallest amount of the rectangle, as specified by the rect parameter.

Parameters
rect

A rectangle, an array of four numbers in screen coordinates.

maxOverlapArea

(optional) If maxOverlapArea is specified, the result Monitors array contains
only those monitors that contain at least that much area of the rectangle, or an
empty Monitors array if no monitors contain that much area of the rectangle.

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mostOverlap

541

Returns
A Monitors object

mostOverlap
6.0
Returns a copy of the Monitors object, filtered to include the monitor or monitors that contain the
largest amount of the rectangle, as specified by the rect parameter.
If there is no monitor with at least that much overlapping area, the method returns an empty Monitors
array if minOverlapArea is specified, or a Monitors array containing at least one arbitrarily chosen
monitor from the original array if minOverlapArea is omitted.

Parameters
rect

A rectangle, an array of four numbers in screen coordinates.

minOverlapArea

(optional) A Boolean value; see description above.

Returns
A Monitors object

nonDocument
6.0
Returns a copy of the Monitors object, filtered to include the monitor or monitors that display none of, or
the least amount of, the document.

Parameters
doc

The Doc of the target document

bRequire

(optional) bRequire is a Boolean value that determines the return value when there
is no monitor that is completely clear of the document. If true, nonDocument
returns an empty, or if false or omitted, nonDocument returns a Monitors array
containing at least one arbitrarily chosen monitor from the original Monitors array.

Returns
A Monitors object

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JavaScript API
primary

542

primary
6.0
Returns a copy of the Monitors object, filtered by removing all secondary monitors, leaving only the
primary monitor if it was present in the original list.
If the primary monitor was not present in the original list, returns a Monitors array containing at least one
arbitrarily chosen monitor from the original list.

Returns
A Monitors object

Example
Get the primary monitor and check its color depth.
var monitors = app.monitors.primary();
// Recall that each element in a monitors object is a monitor object
// This code uses monitor.colorDepth
console.println( "Color depth of primary monitor is "
+ monitors[0].colorDepth );

secondary
6.0
Returns a copy of the Monitors object, filtered by removing the primary monitor, returning only
secondary monitors.
If the original Monitors object contained only the primary monitor and no secondary monitors, returns
the original list.

Returns
A Monitors object

select
6.0
Returns a copy of the Monitors object, filtered according nMonitor, a monitor selection value as used in
PDF and enumerated in app.media.monitorType.
The doc is required when nMonitor is app.media.monitorType.document or
app.media.monitorType.nonDocument and ignored for all other nMonitor values.

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tallest

543

These selection values correspond directly to the various Monitors filter methods. select calls the
corresponding filter method and then, in most cases, also filters with primary as a tie-breaker in case
more than one monitor matches the main filter.

Parameters
nMonitor

The monitor type, a number from app.media.monitorType.

doc

A Doc. The parameter is required if nMonitor is either
app.media.monitorType.document or
app.media.monitorType.nonDocument, ignored otherwise.

Returns
A Monitors object.

Example
These two equivalent methods are for filtering monitors.
settings.monitor =
app.monitors().select( app.media.monitorType.document, doc );
settings.monitor = app.monitors().document(doc).primary();

tallest
6.0
Returns a copy of the Monitors object, filtered to include only the monitor or monitors with the greatest
height in pixels.

Parameters
nMinHeight

(optional) If nMinHeight is specified and no monitor has at least that height, the
return value is an empty Monitors array.

Returns
A Monitors object

widest
6.0
Returns a copy of the Monitors object, filtered to include only the monitor or monitors with the greatest
width in pixels.

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widest

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Parameters
nMinWidth

(optional) If nMinWidth is specified and no monitor has at least that width, the return
value is an empty Monitors array.

Returns
A Monitors object

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Net

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Net
The Net object allows for the discovery and access to networking services through a variety of protocols.
The Net object forms a namespace for the networking services that currently exist in the global
namespace (SOAP). The existing objects will be maintained for backwards-compatibility however any new
services should use the new namespace.

Net properties
SOAP
8.0
The Net.SOAP object allows for communication with network services that use the SOAP Messaging
Protocol. The Net.SOAP object has one property and three methods, full documentation is found on the
referenced pages.
Name

Short Description

Page

If true, synchronous SOAP requests will cause the XML
Request and Response to be dumped to the JavaScript
Console. This is useful for debugging SOAP problems.

page 657

connect

Converts the URL of a WSDL document to a JavaScript
object with callable methods corresponding to the web
service.

page 657

request

Initiates a remote procedure call (RPC) or sends an XML
message to a SOAP HTTP endpoint. The method either
waits for the endpoint to reply (synchronous
processing) or calls a method on the notification object
(asynchronous processing).

page 664

response

Initiates a remote procedure call (RPC) or sends an XML
message to a SOAP HTTP endpoint without waiting for
a reply.

page 672

Net.SOAP properties
wireDump

Net.SOAP methods

Type
Object

Access
R

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Discovery

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Discovery
8.0
The Discovery object allows for the dynamic discovery of network services. The Net.Discovery
object has two methods, full documentation is found on the referenced pages.
Net.Discovery method

Short Description

Page

queryServices

Locates network services that have published
themselves using DNS Service Discovery (DNS-SD).

page 660

resolveService

Allows a service name to be bound to a network
address and port in order for a connection to be made.

page 662

Type
Object

Access
R

HTTP
8.0
The Net.HTTP object allows access to web services that use HTTP. These methods allow communication
with a wider variety of services than the Net.SOAP object. The HTTP object can be used to implement any
messaging protocol that utilizes HTTP, for example, WebDAV or the ATOM Publishing Protocol.
See Net.HTTP, page 548, full documentation of the methods of the HTTP object.

Type
Object

Access
R

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HTTP

547

Net methods
The Net object has three methods, full documentation is found on the referenced pages.
Net method

Short Description

Page

streamDecode

Allows a stream object to be decoded with the specified
encoding type.

page 673

streamDigest

Allows a stream object to be digested with the specified
encoding type.

page 674

streamEncode

Encodes a stream object.

page 674

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Net.HTTP

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Net.HTTP
The Net.HTTP object allows access to web services that use HTTP. These methods allow communication
with a wider variety of services than the Net.SOAP object. The HTTP object can be used to implement any
messaging protocol that utilizes HTTP, for example, WebDAV or the ATOM Publishing Protocol.

Net.HTTP methods
request
8.0

S

F

The request method asynchronously invokes an HTTP Web Service. This method allows connecting to a
wider set of web services than the Net.SOAP.request (SOAP.request) method and with finer control
over the HTTP method, headers and / or body. This method allows the creation of more complicated
networking protocols such as WebDAV or the Atom Publishing Protocol.
Note: This method can only be made outside the context of a document (for example, in a folder level
JavaScript).

Parameters
cVerb

cURL

A string that specifies the HTTP verb to use. The verb must be one of the following:
Messaging protocol

Parameter value

HTTP (RFC 1945, 2616)

GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, OPTIONS, HEAD

WebDAV (RFC 2518)

PROPFIND, PROPPATCH, MKCOL, LOCK,
UNLOCK, COPY, MOVE, ACL, SEARCH

WebDAV Versioning Extensions
(RFC 3253)

CHECKIN, CHECKOUT, UNCHECKOUT, MERGE,
VERSION-CONTROL, REPORT, KWORKSPACE,
UPDATE, LABEL, MERGE, MKACTIVITY

CalDAV Calendaring Extensions

MKCALENDAR

A string that specifies the network endpoint location of the web service to connect
to. The scheme of the URL must be either HTTP or HTTPS.

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aHeaders

request

549

(optional) An array that specifies HTTP headers to be sent with the request. Some
headers such as Content-length cannot be set explicitly. Each element in the array is
an object describing the header with the following properties:
Property

Description

name

The name of the header to use, this must be a valid HTTP
Header name.

value

The value for the HTTP header, this must be a valid HTTP
Header value string.

oRequest

(optional) A Stream object that specifies the request body of the method. No
encoding of the message body is done prior to sending it.

oHandler

(optional) An object that handles the response from the service. The oHandler
object will have the response method invoked with the following parameters:
Parameter

Description

oRequest

The response body as a stream object on success.

cURL

The request URL that was used when this request was invoked.

oException

An exception object if the method was not successful. The
exception object has the following properties:
error — the HTTP status code that was returned.
msg — An error message associated with the failure.

aHeaders

An array of response headers returned from the server. See the
aHeaders parameter of the Net.HTTP.request method for a
description of the format.

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request

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oAuthenticate (optional) An object that specifies how to handle HTTP authentication or specifies

credentials to use. The default is to present a user interface to the user to handle
HTTP authentication challenges for BASIC and DIGEST authentication modes. The
oAuthenticate object can have the following properties:
Property

Description

Username

A string containing the username to use for authentication.

Password

A string containing the authentication credential to use.

UsePlatformAuth A Boolean indicating that platform authentication should

be used. If platform authentication is enabled, the
Username and Password are ignored and the underlying
platform networking code is used. This may cause an
authentication UI to be shown to the user and/or the
credentials of the currently logged in user to be used. The
default is false and is only supported on the Windows
platform.

Exceptions
The method throws an exception if the URL is invalid or the same, origin requirement is not satisfied.

Example
Create a collection at the URL specified.
CreateWebDAVCollection = function(cURL)
{
var params =
{
cVerb: "MKCOL",
cURL: cURL,
oHandler:
{
response: function(msg, uri, e)
{
// HTTP 405 - Can't MKCOL if it exists!
if(e != undefined && e.error != 405) {
app.alert("Failed to MKCOL: "+ e);
} else app.alert("Created collection");
}
}
};
Net.HTTP.request(params);
} // CreateWebDAVCollection

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OCG

551

OCG
An OCG object represents an optional content group in a PDF file. Content in the file can belong to one or
more optional content groups. Content belonging to one or more OCGs is referred to as optional content
and its visibility is determined by the states (ON or OFF) of the OCGs to which it belongs. In the simplest
case, optional content belongs to a single OCG, with the content being visible when the OCG is on and
hidden when the OCG is off. More advanced visibility behavior can be achieved by using multiple OCGs
and different visibility mappings.
Use the Doc getOCGs method to get an array of OCG objects for a PDF document.
The Doc methods addWatermarkFromFile and addWatermarkFromText add watermarks in an OCG.
See the PDF Reference version 1.7 for additional details on optional content groups.

OCG properties
constants
7.0
Each instance of an OCG object inherits this property, which is a wrapper object for holding various
constant values.

intents Object
An OCG’s intent array can contain arbitrary strings, but those contained in this object are the only ones
recognized by Acrobat.
Property

Description

design

Designates a design intent in an OCG object.

view

Designates a view intent in an OCG object.

states Object
The states object is used to set the initial state of the OCG (see initState).
Property

Description

on

Designates an OCG state of ON.

off

Designates an OCG state of OFF.

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initState

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initState
7.0

D

This property is used to determine whether this OCG is on or off by default. See the states Object for
possible values.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W (Adobe Reader: R only)

Example
Set an initial state of an OCG to off.
var ocgs = this.getOCGs();
ocgs[0].initState.constants.states.off;

locked
7.0

D

This property is used to determine whether this OCG is locked. If an OCG is locked, its on/off state cannot
be toggled through the UI.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W (Adobe Reader: R only)

name
6.0

D

The text string seen in the UI for this OCG. It can be used to identify OCGs, although it is not necessarily
unique.
Note: In Acrobat 6.0, the name is read-only; for Acrobat 7.0, it is read/write.

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JavaScript API
state

553

Type
String

Access
R/W (Adobe Reader: R only)

Example
A function that toggle all Watermark OCGs.
function ToggleWatermark(doc)
{
var ocgArray = doc.getOCGs();
for (var i=0; i < ocgArray.length; i++) {
if (ocgArray[i].name == "Watermark") {
ocgArray[i].state = !ocgArray[i].state;
}
}
}

state
6.0
Represents the current on/off state of this OCG.
Changing the state of an OCG does not dirty the document, the OCGs revert to their initial state when the
document is loaded again.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example
Turn on all the OCGs in the given document.
function TurnOnOCGsForDoc(doc)
{
var ocgArray = doc.getOCGs();
for (var i=0; i < ocgArray.length; i++)
ocgArray[i].state = true;
}

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getIntent

OCG methods
getIntent
7.0
Returns this OCG’s intent array.
An OCG will affect the visibility of content only if it has onstants.intents.view as an intent.
See also setIntent and the intents Object.

Returns
An array of strings. See constants.intents for possible values.

setAction
6.0

X

Registers a JavaScript expression to be evaluated after every state change for this OCG.
Setting an action for an OCG does not dirty the document, therefore, the assignment of action must be
made when the document is first opened, as document level script, or dynamically through user
interaction.
Note: This method will overwrite any action already defined for this OCG.

Parameters
cExpr

The expression to be evaluated after the OCG state changes.

Example
The function below is used to assign a beep sound to an OCG passed to it. The script that follows the
function definition assigns a beeping action to the first OCG, as listed in the array returned by the
getOCGs method.
/* Beep when the given ocg is changed */
function BeepOnChange(ocg)
{
ocg.setAction("app.beep()");
}
var ocgs = this.getOCGs();
BeepOnChange(ocgs[0]);

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setIntent

setIntent
7.0

D

X

Sets this OCG’s intent array. An OCG should only affect the visibility of content if this array contains
constants.intents.view. See the intents Object for possible values.
See also getIntent and the intents Object.

Parameters
aIntentArray

An array of strings to be used as this OCG’s intent array.

Example
Set the intent of all OCGs in the document to both View and Design.
var ocgs = this.getOCGs();
for (i=0; i < ocgs.length; i++) {
ocgs[i].setIntent( [ocgs[i].constants.intents.view,
ocgs[i].constants.intents.design]);
}

555

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JavaScript API
PlayerInfo

PlayerInfo
A PlayerInfo object represents a media player that is available for media playback. The
app.media.getPlayers method returns a PlayerInfoList object, which is a collection of
PlayerInfo objects.

PlayerInfo properties
id
6.0
Represents a media player plug-in and associated media player. This string is not localized and is not
intended for display to the user. This string may be used in the MediaPlayer.settings.players
array when creating a MediaPlayer, and it is also found in the MediaPlayer.id property after
opening a player.

Type
String

Access
R

Example
List player information for all media players that play “video/mpeg”.
var playerInfoList = app.media.getPlayers("video/mpeg");
for ( var i=0; i < playerInfoList.length; i++) {
console.println("id: " + playerInfoList[i].id)
console.println("name: " + playerInfoList[i].name)
console.println("version: " + playerInfoList[i].version)
}

mimeTypes
6.0
An array of strings listing the MIME types that this media player supports.

Type
Array of String

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name

557

Access
R

Example
var qtinfo = app.media.getPlayers().select({id: /quicktime/i })[0];
console.println( qtinfo.mimeTypes );

name
6.0
The name of the media player. This string is localized according to the current language as found in
app.language. It is suitable for display in list boxes and the like, but not for direct comparisons in JavaScript
code.

Type
String

Access
R

version
6.0
A string containing the version number of the media player. For most players, it is the version number of
the underlying media player that is installed on the user’s system. This string is in dotted decimal format,
for example, 7.4.030.1170.

Type
String

Access
R

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canPlay

558

PlayerInfo methods
canPlay
6.0
Checks to see if the media player can be used for playback, taking the user’s security settings into account.
If the parameter bRejectPlayerPrompt is true, the method returns false if using this player would
result in a security prompt. Otherwise the method returns true if playback is allowed either with or
without a security prompt. (This method itself never triggers a security prompt, but a later attempt to
create a media player may.)

Parameters
oDoc

A Doc

bRejectPlayerPrompt

A Boolean value whose default is false. If true, the method returns
false if using this player would result in a security prompt. If false, the
method returns true if playback is allowed either with or without a
security prompt.

Returns
Boolean

canUseData
6.0
Tells whether the player can use the specified data, as passed by its parameter oData, for playback.
Returns true if the data can be used for playback and false otherwise.

Parameters
oData

Returns
Boolean

A MediaData object (see MediaSettings.data for a description of this object).
This object is obtained in several ways, from app.media.getAltTextData,
app.media.getURLData, or indirectly by Rendition.getPlaySettings.

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honors

559

honors
7.0
Asks a player plug-in whether it can honor all of the settings, methods, and events listed in the args
parameter. The answer is not guaranteed to be correct, but is a best guess without opening a media player.
For example, if args.URL is provided, the scheme (such as "http://") is checked, but honors does not
try to actually open the URL.
Note: Compatibility: honors is supported only on Acrobat 7.0 and above. The Acrobat SDK provides
JavaScript source code that can be copied into a PDF to provide compatibility with both Acrobat 6.0
and Acrobat 7.0. This code uses hard-coded tests for Acrobat 6.0 and calls honors on newer
versions of Acrobat. See the playerHonors Function for details.
honors and the HonorsArgs object (see page 560) are similar to the MH (“must honor”) entries in the

PDF format, some of which can be set in the Playback Requirements panel of the Rendition Settings for a
multimedia rendition. The honors method provides a way to choose a player that meets playback
requirements dynamically in JavaScript code instead of statically in the PDF file.

Parameters
args

The HonorsArgs object to be tested. The HonorsArgs object is very similar to the
parameter, PlayerArgs Object, used by the app.media.openPlayer method.
In fact, any PlayerArgs object can be used as an HonorsArgs. HonorsArgs also allows a
few other options that are used only with honors.

Returns
A Boolean value which is true if the player plug-in can honor everything in the args object.

Example
Play a media clip using a player that supports specific features.
function playWithRequirements( args )
{
var plugins = app.media.getPlayers( args.mimeType )
if( plugins )
{
for (var plugin in plugins)
{
if( plugin.honors(args) )
{
args.players = [plugin];
return app.media.openPlayer( args );
}
}
}
}

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Play using a media player that has these capabilities for an AVI file on an http URL: It can turn off autoplay,
supports the pause method, the seek method and startAt setting using a marker+time offset, and
supports the Ready and Close events.
playWithRequirements({
mimeType: 'video/avi',
URL: 'http://www.example.com/bar.avi',
settings:
{
autoPlay: false,
startAt: { marker: 'test', time: 1 },
},
methods:
{
pause:[],
seek[ { marker: 'test', time: 1 } ],
},
events:
{
afterReady: doAfterReady( e ),
onClose: doOnClose( e ),
},
});

HonorsArgs object
The HonorsArgs object lists settings, methods, and events that are used in a call to the honors method of
the PlayerInfo object or the playerHonors function. In this discussion, PlayerInfo.honors refers
to both.
Any PlayersArgs object (as used in a call to app.media.openPlayer) may be used as an HonorsArgs
object, or an HonorsArgs object can be created to be used in a PlayerInfo.honors call.
If the same object is used in app.media.openPlayer and PlayerInfo.honors, be aware that the
two functions interpret unknown args differently. app.media.openPlayer ignores settings or events
that it does not know about, but PlayerInfo.honors returns false if there are any settings, methods,
or events it does not recognize.
For example, { settings: { upsideDown: true } } would be allowed in an
app.media.openPlayer call. There is no such setting as “upsideDown”, so the setting is ignored. But in
a call to PlayerInfo.honors, this unknown setting returns false.
Below is a complete list of the properties allowed in the HonorsArgs object. This illustration is loosely in
the form of a JavaScript object literal, but it shows the type or description of each property instead of an
actual property value:
args =
{
mimeType: string,
URL: string,
settings:
{
autoPlay: boolean,
baseURL: string,
bgColor: Acrobat color array,

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duration: number,
endAt: MediaOffset,
layout: number,
palindrome: boolean,
rate: number,
repeat: number,
showUI: boolean,
startAt: MediaOffset,
visible: boolean,
volume: number,
},
methods:
{
pause: [],
play: [],
seek: [ MediaOffset ],
stop: [],
where: [],
},
events:
{
Done: anything, onDone: anything, afterDone: anything,
Error: anything, onError: anything, afterError: anything,
Escape: anything, onEscape: anything, afterEscape: anything,
Pause: anything, onPause: anything, afterPause: anything,
Play: anything, onPlay: anything, afterPlay: anything,
Ready: anything, onReady: anything, afterReady: anything,
Script: anything, onScript: anything, afterScript: anything,
Seek: anything, onSeek: anything, afterSeek: anything,
Status: anything, onStatus: anything, afterStatus: anything,
Stop: anything, onStop: anything, afterStop: anything,
},
}

Additional comments on the above listing.
●

The mimeType, URL, and settings properties are identical to the corresponding properties in
PlayerArgs. The mimeType property is required; the honors method does not try to determine the
MIME type from the URL’s file extension. URL can be a real URL or a fictitious one, as long as it is in the
correct URL format. See MediaSettings object for a description of these properties.

●

The methods property lists the MediaPlayer methods that the player must support for the given MIME
type. The value of each methods property is an array containing the arguments that would be passed
into a call to that method. In Acrobat 7.0, the only player method that has any arguments is seek,
which takes a single MediaOffset argument. See MediaPlayer object for a description of these
properties.
If you use the same object as a PlayerArgs and an HonorsArgs, it can have a methods property, even
though a PlayerArgs normally does not have that property. Anywhere a PlayerArgs is used, the
unknown property is ignored.

●

The events property lists the events that the player must support. As shown above, each event can be
named with the on or after prefix or no prefix. All three mean the same thing. If a player supports a
particular on event, it always supports the corresponding after event (because the after events are

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generated in the same way for all players). See EventListener object for a description of these
properties.
The notation anything means literally that: in the HonorsArgs, these values are just placeholders. So,
the events object from a PlayerArgs works in an HonorsArgs:
events:
{
afterReady: doAfterReady( e ),
onClose: doOnClose( e ),
},

Or, if you are creating an HonorsArgs, you can simplify the notation as follows:
events: { Ready: true, Close: true },

playerHonors Function
This function is provided as JavaScript source code that can be copied into a PDF file as a document script.
It performs the same tests as the honors method in Acrobat 7.0, but it works on Acrobat 6.0 as well.
When running on Acrobat 6.0, playerHonors uses hard-coded tests that match the capabilities of the
media players shipped with Acrobat 6.0.
When running on Acrobat 7.0 and later, playerHonors calls honors.

Parameters
doc

A Doc.

info

A PlayerInfo object.

args

The HonorsArgs object to be tested.

Returns
A Boolean value which is true if the player plug-in can honor everything in the args object.

Example
This example is the same as shown for the honors method of the PlayerInfo object, but using the
playerHonors JavaScript function. This works on both Acrobat 6.0 and 7.0, provided a copy of the
playerHonors source code is placed into the target PDF.
function playWithRequirements( args ) {
var plugins = app.media.getPlayers( 'video/avi' )
if( plugins ) {
for (var plugin in plugins) {
if( playerHonors( doc, plugin, args ) ) {
args.players = [plugin];
return app.media.openPlayer( args );
}
}
}
}

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PlayerInfoList

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PlayerInfoList
This object is equivalent to an array of PlayerInfo objects. The individual elements (the PlayerInfo
objects) can be accessed using the usual array notation. The number of elements can be obtained from
the length property.
This object is returned by the app.media.getPlayers method.
When a media player is created using app.media.createPlayer, the settings.players property
of the PlayerArgs object passed to the method may contain a PlayerInfoList. The created player is
restricted to those in the list.

PlayerInfoList methods
select
6.0
Returns a copy of the PlayerInfoList, filtered to include only the players that match selection criteria. If no
players match, an empty array is returned.

Parameters
object

(optional) An object that contains any of the properties id, name, or version. The
values of these properties may be strings or regular expressions. Specified properties
are required to match. Omitted properties can match any player.

Returns
PlayerInfoList object

Example 1
Use QuickTime to view the media clip.
var playerList = app.media.getPlayers().select({ id: /quicktime/i });
// QuickTime supports palindrome, so let’s try it.
var settings = { players: playerList, palindrome: true };
var player = app.media.openPlayer({ settings: settings });

Example 2
Choose the Flash player by using a pattern match on its player ID.
var player = app.media.createPlayer();
player.settings.players = app.media.getPlayers().select({ id:/flash/i});
player.open();

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PlugIn

564

PlugIn
5.0
This object gives access to information about the plug-in it represents. A PlugIn object is obtained using
app.plugIns.

PlugIn properties
certified
If true, the plug-in is certified by Adobe. Certified plug-ins have undergone extensive testing to ensure
that breaches in application and document security do not occur. The user can configure the viewer to
only load certified plug-ins.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

Example
Get the number of uncertified plug-ins.
var j=0; aPlugins = app.plugIns;
for (var i=0; i < aPlugins.length; i++)
if (!aPlugins[i].certified) j++;
console.println("Report: There are "+j+" uncertified plug-ins loaded.");

loaded
If true, the plug-in was loaded.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

name
The name of the plug-in.

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path

565

Type
String

Access
R

Example
Get the number of plug-ins, and list them in the console.
// Get an array of PlugIn Objects
var aPlugins = app.plugIns;
// Get the number of plug-ins
var nPlugins = aPlugins.length;
// Enumerate the names of all plug-ins
for (var i = 0; i < nPlugins; i++)
console.println("Plugin \#" + i + " is " + aPlugins[i].name);

path
The device-independent path to the plug-in.

Type
String

Access
R

version
The version number of the plug-in. The integer part of the version number indicates the major version, and
the decimal part indicates the minor and update versions. For example, 5.11 would indicate that the
plug-in has major version 5, minor version 1, and update version 1.

Type
Number

Access
R

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PrintParams

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PrintParams
This is a generic object that controls printing parameters that affect any document printed using
JavaScript. Changing this object does not change the user preferences or make any permanent changes to
the document.
In Acrobat 6.0, the Doc print method takes a PrintParams object as its argument. You can obtain a
PrintParams object from the Doc getPrintParams method. The returned object can then be modified.
Many of the PrintParams properties take integer constants as values, which you can access using the
constants property. For example:
// Get the printParams object of the default printer
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
// Set some properties
pp.interactive = pp.constants.interactionLevel.automatic;
pp.colorOverride = pp.colorOverrides.mono;
// Print
this.print(pp);

The constants properties are all integers allowing read access only.

PrintParams properties
binaryOK
6.0
true if a binary channel to the printer is supported. The default is true.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

bitmapDPI
6.0

X

The dots per inch (DPI) to use when producing bitmaps or rasterizing transparency. The valid range is 1 to
9600. If the document protections specify a maximum printing resolution, the lower of the two values is
used. The default is 300. Illegal values are treated as 300. See also gradientDPI.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

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booklet

567

booklet
8.0
An object used to set the parameters for booklet printing. The properties of the booklet object are listed
in the table below.
Property

Type

Access Description

binding

Integer

R/W

When printing a booklet, the binding property determines
the paper binding direction and the page arrange order. The
value of binding is set through the constants
bookletBindings object, given below. The default is
Left.

duplexMode

Integer

R/W

When printing a booklet, the duplexMode property
determines the duplex printing mode. The value of
duplexMode property is set through the constants
duplexMode object, given below. The default is
BothSides. When the output device doesn't support
automatic duplex functionality, a manual duplex can be
performed by two separated printings of front and back
sides.

subsetFrom

Integer

R/W

When printing a booklet, subsetFrom determines the first
booklet sheet to be printed. Independently from the
general page range selection, only a subset of the final
booklet result is printed by this option.
Valid sheet numbers start from 0, which is the first sheet.
The default value is 0.
The special value of -1 represents the last sheet. More
generally, the negative integer -N represents the sheet that
is (N-1) from the last sheet. Thus, -2 is the sheet just before
the last sheet, -3 is the sheet that is 2 sheets from the last
one.
See the additional note below on booklet subsetting.

subsetTo

Integer

R/W

When printing a booklet, subsetTo determines the last
booklet sheet to be printed. Independently from the
general page range selection, only a subset of the final
booklet result is printed by this option.
Valid sheet numbers start from 0, but the value -1 represents
the last sheet. The default value is -1.
The negative integer -N represents the sheet that is (N-1)
from the last sheet. Thus, -2 is the sheet just before the last
sheet, -3 is the sheet that is 2 sheets from the last one.
See the additional note below on booklet subsetting.

The bookletBindings object has properties used to set the value of booklet.binding.

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constants.bookletBindings object
Property

Description

Left

Left-side binding for Western-style left-to-right reading direction. The paper is
folded on the short side.

Right

Right-side binding for text with right-to-left reading direction or Japanese-style
vertical writing. The paper is folded on the short side.

LeftTall

Left-side binding for Western-style left-to-right reading direction. The paper is
folded on the long side producing long and narrow pages.

RightTall

Right-side binding for text with right-to-left reading direction or Japanese-style
vertical writing. The paper is folded on the long side producing long and narrow
pages.

The bookletDuplexMode object has properties used to set the value of booklet.duplexMode.

constants.bookletDuplexMode object
Property

Description

BothSides

Automatically prints both sides of the paper. The selected printer must support
automatic duplex printing.

FrontSideOnly

Only prints all pages that appear on the front side of the paper. Reinsert the
printed pages and print again with BacksideOnly mode to complete a manual
duplex printing.

BackSideOnly

Only prints all pages that appear on the back side of the paper.

Type
object

Access
R/W
Note: (Booklet subsetting using subsetFrom and subsetTo) Since the booklet output can change by
the source page range (by setting firstPage and lastPage properties of the PrintParams
object), the same effect cannot be achieved easily by changing these page range properties. For
example. the first (2-side) sheet of an 8-page booklet job has a page number sequence of [8, 1, 2, 7]
while the first sheet of 16-page booklet job has a page number sequence of [16, 1, 2, 15]. The
subsetFrom and subsetTo properties are useful for printing certain pages of a booklet
document with different devices or media. A typical example would be printing the cover and the
inside cover in color while rest of the document is in black and white. Another common example is
printing the cover page on thicker colored paper.

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Example 1 (binding)
Set up booklet printing for right-side binding of text, and print.
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.pageHandling = pp.constants.handling.booklet;
pp.booklet.binding = pp.constants.bookletBindings.Right;
this.print(pp);

Example 2 (duplexMode)
Print booklet in duplex mode, printing only the front pages.
pp.pageHandling = pp.constants.handling.booklet;
pp.booklet.duplexMode = pp.constants.bookletDuplexMode.FrontSideOnly;
this.print(pp);

Example 3 (subsetFrom and subsetTo)
Set up booklet printing to print the second sheet only and print.
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.pageHandling = pp.constants.handling.booklet;
pp.booklet.subsetFrom = 1;
pp.booklet.subsetTo = 1;
this.print(pp);

Set booklet printing from the second sheet to the last sheet.
pp.booklet.subsetFrom = 1;
pp.booklet.subsetTo = -1;

Set booklet printing to print last sheet only.
pp.booklet.subsetFrom = -1;
pp.booklet.subsetTo = -1;

Set booklet printing to print last sheet two sheets.
pp.booklet.subsetFrom = -2;
pp.booklet.subsetTo = -1;

Set booklet printing to print all pages except the last two.
pp.booklet.subsetFrom = 0;
pp.booklet.subsetTo = -3;

colorOverride
6.0
Specifies whether to use color override. Values are the properties of the constants colorOverrides
object. Illegal values are treated as auto, the default value.
Note: This property is supported on the Windows platform only.

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colorProfile

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colorOverrides object
Property

Description

auto

Let Acrobat decide color overrides.

gray

Force color to grayscale.

mono

Force color to monochrome.

Type
Integer constant

Access
R/W

Example
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.colorOverride = pp.constants.colorOverrides.mono;
this.print(pp);

colorProfile
6.0

X

The color profile to use. A list of available color spaces can be obtained from printColorProfiles. The
default is “Printer/PostScript Color Management”.

Type
String

Access
R/W

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constants
6.0
Each instance of a PrintParams object inherits this property, which is a wrapper that holds various constant
values. The values are all integers allowing read access only. They are used as option values of some of the
other properties of the PrintParams object, and their values are listed with the properties to which they
apply.
Constant Object

Contains Constant Values for this Property

bookletBindings

booklet

bookletDuplexMode

booklet

colorOverrides

colorOverride

fontPolicies

fontPolicy

handling

pageHandling

interactionLevel

interactive

nUpPageOrders

nUpPageOrder

printContents

printContent

flagValues

flags

rasterFlagValues

rasterFlags

subsets

pageSubset

tileMarks

tileMark

usages

usePrinterCRD
useT1Conversion

Type
object

Access
R

downloadFarEastFonts
6.0
If true (the default), send Far East fonts to the printer if needed. Set this property to false if the printer
has Far East fonts but incorrectly reports that it needs them.

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fileName

572

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

fileName
6.0
The device-independent path for a file name to be used instead of sending the print job to the printer
(Print to File). The path may be relative to the location of the current document. When printing to a file, if
the interaction level (see interactive) is set to full, it is lowered to automatic.
The default value is the empty string (no file name).
Note: Printing to a file produces output suitable for the printer, for example, Postscript or GDI commands.
When printerName is an empty string andfileName is specified, the current document is saved
as a PostScript file.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Example
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.fileName = "/c/print/myDoc.prn";
this.print(pp);

Example 2
Save the current document as a PostScript file.
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.fileName = "/c/temp/myDoc.ps";
pp.printerName = "";
this.print(pp);

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firstPage

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firstPage
6.0
The first page number of the document to print. The number is 0-based. The first page of any document is
0, regardless of page number labels. The default value is 0, and values that are out of the document’s page
range are treated as 0.
See also lastPage.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Example
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.firstPage = 0;
pp.lastPage = 9;
this.print(pp);

flags
6.0
A bit field of flags to control printing. These flags can be set or cleared using bitwise operations through
the constants flagValues object.
Zero or more flags can be set; unsupported flags are ignored. The flags default to those set by user
preferences.

constants.flagValues object
The table below lists the properties of the flagValues object; unless otherwise noted, these properties are
not available in Adobe Reader.
Property

Description

applyOverPrint

Do overprint preview when printing. Turn off if overprinting is natively
supported.

applySoftProofSettings

Use the soft proofing settings before doing color management.

applyWorkingColorSpaces Apply working color spaces when printing.
emitHalftones

Emit the halftones specified in the document.

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flags

Property

Description

emitPostScriptXObjects

PostScript only, do include PostScript XObjects’ content in output.

emitFormsAsPSForms

Converts Form XObjects to PS forms. The default is off.

maxJP2KRes

Use the maximum resolution of JPeg2000 images instead of the best
matching resolution.

setPageSize

Enable setPageSize. Choose the paper tray by the PDF page size.
Available in Adobe Reader.

suppressBG

Do not emit the BlackGeneration in the document.

suppressCenter

Do not center the page. Available in Adobe Reader.

suppressCJKFontSubst

Suppress CJK Font Substitution on Printer—does not apply when
kAVEmitFontAllFonts is used.

suppressCropClip

Do not emit the cropbox page clip. Available in Adobe Reader.

suppressRotate

Do not rotate the page. Available in Adobe Reader.

suppressTransfer

Do not emit the transfer functions in the document.

suppressUCR

Do not emit UnderColorRemovals in the document.

useTrapAnnots

Print TrapNet and PrinterMark annotations, even if the print setting is
“document only”.

usePrintersMarks

Print PrinterMark annotations, even if the print setting is “document
only”. Available in Acrobat Professional only.

574

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Example 1
In the Output options section of the Advanced Print Setup dialog box, check the Apply Output Preview
Settings check box.
pp = getPrintParams();
fv = pp.constants.flagValues;
// or pp.flags |= fv.applySoftProofSettings;;
pp.flags = pp.flags | fv.applySoftProofSettings;
this.print(pp);

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fontPolicy

575

Example 2
Uncheck Auto-Rotate and Center (checked by default) in the Print dialog box.
pp = getPrintParams();
fv = pp.constants.flagValues;
pp.flags |= (fv.suppressCenter | fv.suppressRotate);
this.print(pp);

Example 3
In the PostScript options section of the Advanced Print Setup dialog box, check the Emit Undercolor
Removal/Black Generation check box.
pp = getPrintParams();
fv = pp.constants.flagValues;
pp.flags &= ~(fv.suppressBG | fv.suppressUCR)
this.print(pp)

fontPolicy
6.0
Sets the font policy. The value of the fontpolicy property is set through the constants
fontPolicies object. The default is pageRange.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

constants.fontPolicies object
Property

Description

everyPage

Emit needed fonts before every page and free all fonts after each page. This produces
the largest, slowest print jobs, but requires the least amount of memory from the printer.

jobStart

Emit needed fonts at the beginning of the print job and free them at the end of the print
job. This produces the smallest, fastest print jobs, but requires the most memory from
the printer.

pageRange

(Default) Emit fonts before the first page that uses them and free them after the last page
that uses them. This also produces the smallest and fastest print jobs and can use less
memory. However, the print job must be printed as produced because of page ordering.
Note: pageRange can be a good compromise between speed and memory. However,
do not use it if the PostScriptcript pages will be programmatically reordered
afterwards.

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gradientDPI

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gradientDPI
X

6.0

The dots per inch to use when rasterizing gradients. This value can generally be set lower than
bitmapDPI because it affects areas to which the eye is less sensitive. It must be set from 1 to 9600. Illegal
values are treated as 150. If the document protections specify a maximum printing resolution, the lower of
the two values will be used. The default value is 150.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

interactive
6.0
Specifies the level of interaction between the user and the print job. The value of this property is set
through the constants interactionLevel object. The default is full.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) Non-interactive printing can only be executed during batch, console, and menu
events. Printing is made non-interactive by setting bUI to false when calling the Doc print
method or by setting the interactive property to silent, for example,
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.interactive = pp.constants.interactionLevel.silent;

Outside of batch, console, and menu events, the values of bUI and of interactive are ignored,
and a print dialog box will always be presented.
See also “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

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lastPage

577

constants.interactionLevel Object
Property

Description

automatic

No print dialog box is displayed. During printing, a progress monitor and cancel dialog
box are displayed and removed automatically when printing is complete.

full

Displays the print dialog box, allowing the user to change print settings and requiring
the user to press OK to continue. During printing, a progress monitor and cancel dialog
box is displayed and removed automatically when printing is complete.

silent

No print dialog box is displayed. No progress or cancel dialog box is displayed. Even
error messages are not displayed.

Example
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.interactive = pp.constants.interactionLevel.automatic;
pp.printerName = "Adobe PDF";
this.print(pp);

lastPage
6.0
The last 0-based page number of the document to print. The term “0-based” means the first page of any
document is 0, regardless of page number labels. If the value is less than firstPage or outside the legal
range of the document, this reverts to the default value. The default value is the number of pages in the
document less one.
See firstPage for an example.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

nUpAutoRotate
7.0
A Boolean value that if true, automatically rotates each page to match the page orientation to the
available paper area during Multiple Pages Per Sheet printing. The default is false, but nUpAutoRotate
obeys the print settings.
Multiple Pages Per Sheet is obtained by setting pageHandling to nUp.

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nUpNumPagesH

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Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

nUpNumPagesH
7.0
The number of pages to lay out in the horizontal direction when printing Multiple Pages Per Sheet. The
default is 2, but nUpNumPagesH obeys the print settings.
Multiple Pages Per Sheet is obtained by setting pageHandling to nUp.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Example
Perform Multiple Pages Per Sheet printing on this document, set up parameters, and print.
pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.pageHandling = pp.constants.handling.nUp;
pp.nUpPageOrders = pp.constants.nUpPageOrders.Vertical;
pp.nUpNumPagesH = 3;
pp.nUpNumPagesV = 3;
pp.nUpPageBorder=true;
pp.nUpAutoRotate=true;
this.print(pp);

nUpNumPagesV
7.0
The number of pages to be laid out in the vertical direction when printing Multiple Pages Per Sheet. The
default is 2, but nUpNumPagesV obeys the print settings.
Multiple Pages Per Sheet is obtained by setting pageHandling to nUp.
See nUpNumPagesH for an example.

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JavaScript API
nUpPageBorder

579

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

nUpPageBorder
7.0
A Boolean value that if true, draws and prints a page boundary around each of the pages during Multiple
Pages Per Sheet printing. The default is false, but nUpPageBorder obeys the print settings.
Multiple Pages Per Sheet is obtained by setting pageHandling to nUp.
See nUpNumPagesH for an example.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

nUpPageOrder
7.0
When printing multiple pages per sheet, the nUpPageOrder property determines how the multiple
pages are laid out on the sheet. The value of the nUpPageOrder property is set through the constants
nUpPageOrders object. The default is Horizontal, but nUpPageOrder obeys the print settings.
Multiple Pages Per Sheet is obtained by setting pageHandling to nUp.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

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pageHandling

580

constants.nUpPageOrders Object
Property

Description

Horizontal

Pages are placed from left to right, from top to bottom.

HorizontalReversed

Pages are placed from right to left, from top to bottom.

Vertical

Pages are placed from top to bottom, from left to right.

Example
Perform Multiple Pages Per Sheet printing on this document, set the parameters, and print.
pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.pageHandling = pp.constants.handling.nUp;
pp.nUpPageOrders = pp.constants.nUpPageOrders.Horizontal;
pp.nUpNumPagesH = 2;
pp.nUpNumPagesV = 2;
pp.nUpPageBorder=true;
this.print(pp);

pageHandling
6.0
Takes one of seven values specified by the constants handling object. If set to an illegal value, it is
treated as shrink. The default is shrink.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

constants.handling Object
Property

Reader

Description

none

No page scaling is applied.

fit

Pages are enlarged or shrunk to fit the printer’s paper.

shrink

Small pages are printed small, and large pages are shrunk to fit on the
printer’s paper.

tileAll

No

All pages are printed using tiling settings. This can be used to turn a
normal-sized page into a poster by setting the tileScale property greater
than 1.

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Property
tileLarge

nUp

pageSubset

Reader
No

581

Description
Small or normal pages are printed in the original size and large pages are
printed on multiple sheets of paper.
(Version 7.0) Pages are rescaled to print multiple pages on each printer page.
Properties related to Multiple Pages Per Sheet printing are nUpAutoRotate,
nUpNumPagesH, nUpNumPagesV, nUpPageBorder and nUpPageOrder.

booklet

(Version 8.0) Prints multiple pages on the same sheet of paper in the order
required to read correctly when folded. The properties of the booklet object
are used to set the parameters for booklet printing.

Example 1
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.pageHandling = pp.constants.handling.shrink;
this.print(pp);

Example 2
Perform Multiple Pages Per Sheet printing on this document, set the parameters and print.
pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.pageHandling = pp.constants.handling.nUp;
pp.nUpPageOrders = pp.constants.nUpPageOrders.Horizontal;
pp.nUpNumPagesH = 2;
pp.nUpNumPagesV = 2;
pp.nUpPageBorder=true;
this.print(pp);

Example 3 (Version 8.0)
Print document as a booklet, taking all the default settings.
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.pageHandling = pp.constants.handling.booklet;
this.print(pp);

pageSubset
6.0
Select even, odd, or all the pages to print. The value of pageSubset is set through the constants
subsets object. The default is all.

Type
Integer

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printAsImage

582

Access
R/W

constants.subsets Object
Property

Description

all

Print all pages in the page range.

even

Print only the even pages. Page labels are ignored, and the document is treated as if it
were numbered 1 through n, the number of pages.

odd

Print only the odd pages.

Example
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.pageSubset = pp.constants.subsets.even;
this.print(pp);

printAsImage
6.0
Set to true to send pages as large bitmaps. This can be slow and more jagged looking but can work
around problems with a printer’s PostScript interpreter. Set bitmapDPI to increase or decrease the
resolution of the bitmap. If interaction (see interactive) is full, the user’s printer preferences for
printAsImage will be used. The default is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

printContent
6.0
Sets the contents of the print job. The value of the printContents property is set through the
constants printContents object. The default is doc.

Type
Integer

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printerName

583

Access
R/W

constants.printContents Object
Property

Description

doc

Print the document contents, not comments.

docAndComments

Print the document contents and comments.

formFieldsOnly

Print the contents of form fields only. Useful for printing onto pre-preprinted
forms.

Example
Set printer to silently print form fields only.
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.interactive = pp.constants.interactionLevel.silent;
pp.printContent = pp.constants.printContents.formFieldsOnly;
this.print(pp);

printerName
6.0
The name of the destination printer. This property is a Windows-only feature. Currently, the destination
printer cannot be set through this property in Mac OS.
By default, printerName is set to the name of the default printer. If you set printerName to an empty
string, the default printer is used. When printerName is an empty string and fileName is a nonempty
string, the current document is saved as a PostScript file. See Example 2 below.
See also app.printerNames.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Example 1
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.printerName = "hp officejet d series";
this.print(pp);

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psLevel

584

Example 2
Save the current document as a PostScript file.
var pp = this.getPrintParams();
pp.fileName = "/c/temp/myDoc.ps";
pp.printerName = "";
this.print(pp);

psLevel
6.0
Level of PostScript that is emitted to PostScript printers. Level 0 indicates to use the PostScript level of the
printer. Level 1 is not supported. In addition to 0, current legal values of psLevel are 2 and 3. If the printer
only supports PostScript level 1, printAsImage is set to true. Illegal values are treated as 3. The default
value for psLevel is 3.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

rasterFlags
6.0

X

A bit field of flags. These flags can be set or cleared using bitwise operations through the constants
rasterFlagValues object. The default is set by user preferences.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

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rasterFlags

585

constants.rasterFlagValues Object
The table that follows lists the properties of the rasterFlagValues object. None of these properties are
available in Adobe Reader.
Property

Description

textToOutline

Text converted to outlines can become thicker (especially noticeable on small
fonts). If text is mixed into artwork with transparency, it may be converted to
outline during flattening, resulting in inconsistency with text that is not mixed
into artwork. In this case, turning on this option ensures that all text looks
consistent.

strokesToOutline

Strokes converted to outlines can become thicker (especially noticeable on
thin strokes). If strokes are mixed into artwork with transparency, they may be
converted to outlines during flattening, resulting in inconsistency with strokes
that are not mixed into artwork. In this case, turning on this option ensures
that all strokes look consistent.

allowComplexClip

This option ensures that the boundaries between vector artwork and
rasterized artwork fall closely along object paths. Selecting this option reduces
stitching artifacts that result when part of an object is flattened while another
part of the object remains in vector form. However, selecting this option may
result in paths that are too complex for the printer to handle.

preserveOverprint

Select this option if you are printing separations and the document contains
overprinted objects. Selecting this option generally preserves overprint for
objects that are not involved in transparency and therefore improves
performance. This option has no effect when printing composite. Turning it off
might result in more consistent output because all overprinting will be
flattened, whether or not it is involved in transparency.

Example 1
In the Advanced Printing Setup dialog box, check the “Convert All Text to Outlines” check box in the
Transparency Flattening option.
pp = getPrintParams();
rf = pp.constants.rasterFlagValues;
pp.rasterFlags |= rf.textToOutline;
this.print(pp);

Example 2
In the Advanced Printing Setup dialog box, uncheck “Complex Clip Regions” (checked by default) in the
Transparency Flattening option.
pp = getPrintParams();
rf = pp.constants.rasterFlagValues;
pp.rasterFlags = pp.rasterFlags & ~rf.allowComplexClip;
// or pp.rasterFlags &= ~rf.allowComplexClip;
this.print(pp);

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reversePages

reversePages
6.0
Set to true to print pages in reverse order (last to first). The default value is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

tileLabel
6.0

X

Label each page of tiled output. Labeled pages indicate row and column, file name, and print date. The
default is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

tileMark
6.0

X

Tile marks indicate where to cut the page and where overlap occurs. The value is set through the
constants tileMarks object. If set to an illegal value, it is treated as none. The default is none.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

586

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tileOverlap

587

constants.tileMarks Object
Property

Description

none

No tile marks

west

Western style tile marks

east

Eastern style tile marks

tileOverlap
6.0

X

The number of points that tiled pages have in common. Value must be between 0 and 144. Illegal values
are treated as 0. The default value is 0.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

tileScale
6.0

X

The amount that tiled pages are scaled. Pages that are not tiled are unaffected by this value. The default is
unscaled (1.0). Larger values increase the size of the printout (for example, 2.0 is twice as large, a value of
0.5 is half as large). The value of tileScale must be between 0.01 and 99.99. Illegal values are treated as
1.0, which is the default value.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

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transparencyLevel

588

transparencyLevel
6.0

X

An integer value from 1 to 100 indicates how hard Acrobat tries to preserve high-level drawing operators.
A value of 1 indicates complete rasterization of the image, which results in poor image quality but high
speeds. A value of 100 indicates as much should be preserved as possible, but can result in slow print
speeds. If set to an illegal value, 75 is used. When rasterizing, the bitmapDPI and gradientDPI values
are used. The default value is 75.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

usePrinterCRD
6.0
Takes one of three values. The value is set through the constants usages object. See also
useT1Conversion; the two properties use the same values, but the interpretations are different.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

constants.usages Object
Property

Description

auto

Let Acrobat decide whether the printer Color Rendering Dictionary (CRD) should be
used. Acrobat maintains a list of a handful of printers that have incorrect CRDs.
Illegal values are treated as auto. The default is auto.

use

Use the printer’s CRD.

noUse

Do not use the printer’s CRD.

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useT1Conversion

589

useT1Conversion
6.0
Takes one of three values. The value of the useT1Conversion property is set through the constants
usages object. See also usePrinterCRD; the two properties use the same values, but the
interpretations are different.
Note: This property is supported on Windows platforms only.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W
This property uses the usages object (see page 588) values as follows.
Property

Description

auto

Let Acrobat decide whether to disable converting Type 1 fonts to more efficient printer
representations (for example, TrueType). Acrobat maintains a list of a handful of printers
that have problems with these fonts.
Illegal values are treated as auto. The default is auto.

use

Allow conversion of Type 1 fonts even if the printer is known to have problems with
alternative font representations.

noUse

Never convert Type 1 fonts to more efficient representations.

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RDN

RDN
This generic object represents a Relative Distinguished Name. It is used by securityHandler.
newUser and the certificate.issuerDN and subjectCN properties.
It has the following properties.
Property

Type

Access Version Description

businessCategory

String

R

8.0

Business category

c

String

R

5.0

Country or region. Must be a two-character
upper case ISO 3166 standard string (for
example, “US”).

cn

String

R

5.0

Common name (for example, “John Smith”)

countryOfCitizenship String

R

8.0

Country of citizenship

countryOfResidence

String

R

8.0

Country of residence

dateOfBirth

String

R

8.0

Date of birth (not supported by newUser)

dc

String

R

8.0

Domain Component

dnQualifier

String

R

8.0

Distinguished Name Qualifier

e

String

R

6.0

Email address (for example,
“jsmith@example.com”)

gender

String

R

8.0

Gender

generationQualifier

String

R

8.0

Generation qualifier

givenName

String

R

8.0

Given name

initials

String

R

8.0

Initials

l

String

R

8.0

Locality or province

name

String

R

8.0

Name

nameAtBirth

String

R

8.0

Name at birth

o

String

R

5.0

Organization name (for example, “Adobe
Systems Incorporated”)

ou

String

R

5.0

Organizational unit (for example, “Acrobat
Engineering”)

placeOfBirth

String

R

8.0

Place of birth

postalAddress

String

R

8.0

Postal address (not supported by newUser)

postalCode

String

R

8.0

Postal code

590

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RDN

Property

Type

Access Version Description

pseudonym

String

R

8.0

Pseudonym

serialNumber

String

R

8.0

Serial number

sn

String

R

8.0

Surname

st

String

R

8.0

State

street

String

R

8.0

Street

title

String

R

8.0

Title

591

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ReadStream

592

ReadStream
A ReadStream object is an object literal that represents a stream of data. It contains a method to allow
reading the data stream.
Method

Parameters

Returns

Description

read

nBytes

String

The read method takes the number of bytes to read and returns
a hex-encoded string with the data from the stream. The read
method is a destructive operation on the stream and returns a
zero length string to indicate the end of the stream.

Adobe Acrobat SDK
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JavaScript API
Rendition

593

Rendition
A Rendition contains information needed to play a media clip, including embedded media data (or a URL)
and playback settings. It corresponds to a Rendition in the Acrobat authoring user interface.
A Rendition is a base type for either a MediaRendition or a MediaSelector. A function that accepts a
Rendition can take either of these two types. The properties and methods described in this section are
available for both MediaRendition and MediaSelector. Use the type property to distinguish between
MediaRendition and MediaSelector.

Rendition properties
altText
6.0
The alternate text string for the rendition (an empty string if no alternate text was specified). This property
is available only if the type of the rendition is app.media.renditionType.media (a
MediaRendition).

Type
String

Access
R

Example
Get the altText of a rendition.
this.media.getRendition("myClip").altText;

See the examples that follow app.media.getAltTextSettings.

doc
6.0
A reference to the document that contains the Rendition.

Type
Doc

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fileName

594

Access
R

fileName
6.0
If the media is embedded, this property returns an empty string. Otherwise it returns the file name or URL
of the media. This property is available only if the type of the rendition is
app.media.renditionType.media.

Type
String

Access
R

type
6.0
An app.media.renditionType value indicating the type of rendition.
Currently, there are two types: MediaRendition and RenditionList:
●

When Rendition.type is equal to app.media.renditionType.media, the Rendition is a
MediaRendition. A MediaRendition is an individual Rendition, as it appears in the Settings tab of the
Multimedia Properties dialog box.

●

When Rendition.type is equal to app.media.renditionType.selector, the Rendition is a
RenditionList. A RenditionList is an array of MediaRendition. The list is the one that appears in the
Settings tab of the Multimedia Properties dialog box.

Future versions of Acrobat may add more renditionType values, so JavaScript code should not assume
that only the existing app.media.renditionType values may be encountered.

Type
Number

Access
R

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uiName

595

uiName
6.0
The name of the Rendition, as found in the N entry in its dictionary in the PDF file.

Type
String

Access
R

Example
The following is executed as a Rendition action.
console.println("Preparing to play \""
+ event.action.rendition.uiName + "\"");

See the event object for a description of event.action.rendition.

Rendition methods
getPlaySettings
6.0
Creates and returns a MediaSettings object that can be used to create a MediaPlayer object.
This method is available only for a MediaRendition.

Parameters
bGetData

(optional) A Boolean value. If true, the MediaSettings object returns the MediaData
(See MediaSettings.data).

Returns
A MediaSettings object
Note: app.media.getAltTextSettings calls getPlaySettings(false) to obtain the correct
settings to display alternate text.
This MediaSettings object includes these properties:
autoPlay
baseURL (if specified in rendition)

Adobe Acrobat SDK
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JavaScript API
select

596

bgColor
bgOpacity
data (if bGetData is true)
duration
endAt
layout
monitorType
palindrome
showUI
rate
repeat
startAt
visible
volume
windowType

In the current version of Acrobat, all of these properties are present in the settings object (except as noted
above). null is used when values such as startAt are unspecified. This may change in the future to
return only those values that are actually specified, with defaults assumed for the rest.

Example
// Get the MediaSettings for this Rendition
var settings = myRendition.getPlaySettings();
if( settings.startAt !== null ) // Do NOT use this strict comparison!
...
if( settings.startAt ) // This is OK
...

See app.media.getAltTextSettings and app.media.openPlayer for examples of usage.

select
6.0
Selects a media player to play a MediaRendition or a RenditionSelector. If the Rendition is a
RenditionSelector, select examines every MediaRendition contained within and selects the most
suitable one. (See type for a description of RenditionSelector and MediaRendition.)
The return value is a MediaSelection object that can be used to create a MediaSettings object. This
object can then be used to create a MediaPlayer object.

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testCriteria

597

Parameters
bWantRejects

(optional) If bWantRejects is true, the rejects property of the resulting
MediaSelection will contain information about media players that were rejected
during the selection process.

oContext

(optional) oContext is a MediaSelection.selectContext value from a
previous Rendition.select call.
This parameter allows you to write a loop that calls Rendition.select
repeatedly until you find a media player that satisfies any selection criteria that
you want to test in JavaScript code.

Returns
A MediaSelection object

Example 1
Get a usable MediaSelection for this Rendition.
var selection = rendition.select();

Example 2
Get the name of the selected rendition. This script is executed from a Rendition action event.
var selection = event.action.rendition.select();
console.println( "Preparing to play " + selection.rendition.uiName);

testCriteria
6.0
Tests the Rendition against any criteria that are specified in the PDF file, such as minimum bandwidth, and
returns a Boolean value indicating whether the Rendition satisfied all of those criteria.

Returns
Boolean

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Report

598

Report
The Report object allows the user to programmatically generate PDF documents suitable for reporting
with JavaScript. Use the writeText constructor to create a Report object; for example,
var rep = new Report();

The properties and methods can then be used to write and format a report.

Report properties
absIndent
5.0

X

Controls the absolute indentation level. It is desirable to use the indent and outdent methods
whenever possible, because they correctly handle indentation overflows.
If a report is indented past the middle of the page, the effective indent is set to the middle. Note that
divide indicates that it has been indented too far.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

color
5.0

X

Controls the color of any text and any divisions written into the report.
Text is written to the report with writeText and divisions (horizontal rules) are written using divide.

Type
Color

Access
R/W

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size

599

Example
var rep = new Report();
rep.size = 1.2;
rep.color = color.blue;
rep.writeText("Hello World!");

size
5.0

X

Controls the size of any text created by writeText It is a multiplier. Text size is determined by multiplying
the size property by the default size for the given style.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Example
Write a “Hello World!” document.
var rep = new Report();
rep.size = 1.2;
rep.writeText("Hello World!");

style
6.0

X

This property controls the style of the text font for the text created by writeText. Values of style are:
DefaultNoteText
NoteTitle

Type
String

Access
R/W

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breakPage

600

Example
Start a new report, set font size, write short text and open report.
var rep = new Report();
rep.size = 1.2;
rep.style = "DefaultNoteText";
rep.writeText("Hello World!");
rep.open("My Report");

Report methods
breakPage
5.0

X

Ends the current page and begins a new one.

divide
5.0

X

Writes a horizontal rule across the page at the current location with the given width. The rule goes from
the current indent level to the rightmost edge of the bounding box. If the indent level is past the middle of
the bounding box, the rule shows this.

Parameters
nWidth

(optional) The horizontal rule width to use.

indent
5.0

X

Increments the current indentation mark by nPoints or the default amount. If a report is indented past
the middle of the page, the effective indent is set to the middle. Note that divide makes a mark to
indicate whether it has been indented too far.
See writeText for an example of usage.

Parameters
nPoints

(optional) The number of points to increment the indentation mark.

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mail

601

mail
5.0

X

Ends report generation and mails the report.
See also mailGetAddrs, app.mailMsg, the Doc mailForm method, and the FDF object mail method.

Parameters
bUI

(optional) Specifies whether to display a user interface. If true (the default), the rest of
the parameters are used to seed the compose-new-message window that is displayed to
the user. If false, the cTo parameter is required and all others are optional.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) When this method is executed in a non-privileged context, the bUI
parameter is not honored and defaults to true. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32.

cTo

(optional) A semicolon-separated list of recipients for the message.

cCc

(optional) A semicolon-separated list of CC recipients for the message.

cBcc

(optional) A semicolon-separated list of BCC recipients for the message.

cSubject

(optional) The subject of the message. The length limit is 64 KB.

cMsg

(optional) The content of the message. The length limit is 64 KB.

open
5.0

X

Ends report generation, opens the report in Acrobat and returns a Doc that can be used to perform
additional processing of the report.

Parameters
cTitle

The report title.

Returns
A Doc.

Example
Open a report, get the Doc, and set some properties of the document.
var docRep = rep.open("myreport.pdf");
docRep.info.Title = "End of the month report: August 2000";
docRep.info.Subject = "Summary of comments at the August meeting";

See writeText for a more complete example.

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outdent

602

outdent
X

5.0

The opposite of indent; that is, decrements the current indentation mark by nPoints or the default
amount.
See writeText for an example of usage.

Parameters
(optional) The number of points to decrement the indentation mark.

nPoints

Report
X

5.0

A constructor. Creates a new Report object with the given media and bounding boxes (values are defined
in points or 1/72 of an inch). Defaults to a 8.5 x 11 inch media box and a bounding box that is indented 0.5
inches on all sides from the media box.

Parameters
aMedia

(optional) The media type.

aBBox

(optional) The bounding box size.

Returns
A Report object.

save
5.0

S

X

Ends report generation and saves the report to the specified path.
Note: This method can only be executed during a batch or console event. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. The event object contains a discussion of
JavaScript events.

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writeText

Parameters
cDIPath

The device-independent path.

cFS

(optional) The file system. The only value for cFS is “CHTTP”. In this case, the
cDIPath parameter should be an URL. This parameter is only relevant if the web
server supports WebDAV.

Example 1
rep.save("/c/myReports/myreport.pdf");

Example 2
rep.save({
cDIPath: "http://www.example.com/reports/WebDAV/myreport.pdf",
cFS:"CHTTP"}
);

writeText
X

5.0

Writes out a block of text to the report. Every call begins on a new line at the current indentation mark.
Correctly wraps Roman, CJK, and WGL4 text.

Parameters
String

The block of text to use.

Example
// Get the comments in this document, and sort by author
this.syncAnnotScan();
annots = this.getAnnots({nSortBy: ANSB_Author});
// Open a new report
var rep = new Report();
rep.size = 1.2;
rep.color = color.blue;
if (annots) {
rep.writeText("Summary of Comments: By Author");
rep.color = color.black;
rep.writeText(" ");
rep.writeText("Number of Comments: " + annots.length);
rep.writeText(" ");
var msg = "\200 page %s: \"%s\"";
var theAuthor = annots[0].author;

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writeText

rep.writeText(theAuthor);
rep.indent(20);
for (var i=0; i < annots.length; i++) {
if (theAuthor != annots[i].author) {
theAuthor = annots[i].author;
rep.writeText(" ");
rep.outdent(20);
rep.writeText(theAuthor);
rep.indent(20);
}
rep.writeText(
util.printf(msg, 1 + annots[i].page, annots[i].contents));
}
} else {
var msg = "No annotations found in this document, %s.";
rep.writeText(util.printf(msg, this.documentFileName));
}
// Now open the report
var docRep = rep.open("myreport.pdf");
docRep.info.Title = "End of the month report: August 2006";
docRep.info.Subject = "Summary of comments at the August meeting";

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Row

605

Row
This generic JavaScript object contains the data from every column in a row. It is returned by the
Statement object getRow method. It contains the following properties:
Property

Type

Access

Description

columnArray

Array

R

An array of Column objects.
It is equivalent to what the Statement object
getColumnArray method would return if called on the
same Statement object at the same time that this row
object was created.

column properties

any

R

There is a property corresponding to each column selected
by the query, containing the data for that row in that
column.

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JavaScript API
ScreenAnnot

606

ScreenAnnot
A ScreenAnnot object represents a screen annotation, which is a rectangular area within a PDF document
viewed on the display screen. A ScreenAnnot may have Renditions and RenditionActions associated with
it for multimedia playback.

ScreenAnnot properties
altText
6.0
The alternate text string for the annotation (an empty string if no alternate text was specified).

Type
String

Access
R

Example
Get an annotation and write its altText to the debug console.
var annot = this.media.getAnnot({ nPage:0, cAnnotTitle: "myScreen" });
console.println( "annot.altText = " + annot.altText );

alwaysShowFocus
6.0
Normally, a screen annotation shows and hides a focus rectangle to indicate whether it has the keyboard
focus. If this property is true, the focus rectangle is displayed by the screen annotation even if it does not
have the focus. This is used for docked media playback, so that the focus rectangle of the annotation can
remain visible even though the media player actually has the keyboard focus.
This property is not saved in the PDF file. If you change it, the change affects the current session only.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

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JavaScript API
display

display
6.0
Same as the Field object display property.
This property is not saved in the PDF file. If you change it, the change affects the current session only.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

Example
Hide the annotation.
var annot = this.media.getAnnot({ nPage:0, cAnnotTitle: "myScreen" });
annot.display = display.hidden;

doc
6.0
A reference to the document that contains the screen annotation.

Type
Doc

Access
R

events
6.0
An Events object containing the EventListeners that are attached to a screen annotation.
This property is not saved in the PDF file. If you change it, the change affects the current session only.

Type
Events object

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JavaScript API
extFocusRect

608

Access
R/W

Example
Create a simple focus EventListener.
var annot = this.media.getAnnot({ nPage:0, cAnnotTitle: "myScreen" });
var myFocusEvent = {
onFocus: function () {
console.println("Focusing...");
}
};
annot.events.add( myFocusEvent );

This EventListener can be removed at a later time by executing the following code.
annot.events.remove( myFocusEvent );

extFocusRect
6.0
When a screen annotation draws a focus rectangle, the rectangle normally encloses only the screen
annotation itself. If extFocusRect is specified, the screen annotation takes the union of its normal
rectangle and extFocusRect, and it uses the resulting rectangle to draw the focus rectangle.
This property is not saved in the PDF file. If you change it, the change affects the current session only.

Type
Array of 4 Numbers

Access
R/W

innerDeviceRect
6.0
This property and outerDeviceRect define the interior and exterior rectangles of the screen annotation
as it appears in the current page view.

Type
Array of 4 Numbers

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JavaScript API
noTrigger

609

Access
R

Example
Get the innerDeviceRect.
annot = this.media.getAnnot({ nPage:0, cAnnotTitle: "myScreen" });
console.println("annot.innerDeviceRect = "
+ annot.innerDeviceRect.toSource() );

noTrigger
6.0
If true, the screen annotation cannot be triggered through the Acrobat user interface. Typically, clicking
on a screen annotation starts playback of a media player. This property suppresses this.
This property is not saved in the PDF file. If you change it, the change affects the current session only.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example
Use form buttons to control the media clip, so turn off interaction with the annotation.
annot = this.media.getAnnot({ nPage:0, cAnnotTitle: "myScreen" });
annot.noTrigger = true;

outerDeviceRect
6.0
This property and innerDeviceRect define the interior and exterior rectangles of the screen annotation
as it appears in the current page view.

Type
Array of 4 Numbers

Access
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page

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page
6.0
The page number of the PDF file in which the screen annotation is located.

Type
Number

Access
R

player
6.0
A reference to the MediaPlayer associated with a screen annotation. This property exists only for a
ScreenAnnot object that is connected to a MediaPlayer. The property is set by MediaPlayer.open or
by methods that call open indirectly, such as app.media.openPlayer.

Type
ScreenAnnot

Access
R/W

rect
6.0

D

The rectangle of the screen annotation in default user coordinates. Changing this property dirties the PDF
file; the new setting is saved if the PDF file is saved. innerDeviceRect and outerDeviceRect are also
updated to reflect the new rectangle.

TType
Array of 4 Numbers

Access
R/W

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hasFocus

611

Example
Adjust the position of the annotation slightly.
var annot = this.media.getAnnot({ nPage:0, cAnnotTitle: "myScreen" });
var aRect = annot.rect;
aRect[0] += 10;
aRect[2] += 10;
annot.rect = aRect;

ScreenAnnot methods
hasFocus
6.0
Tells whether the screen annotation currently has the keyboard focus.

Returns
Boolean

setFocus
6.0
Sets the keyboard focus to the screen annotation. The focus is set synchronously (before setFocus
returns) if it is safe to do so. If it is unsafe to set the focus synchronously (for example, when the property is
changed within an on event method), bAllowAsync determines what happens:
●

If true, the focus will be set asynchronously during idle time.

●

If false or omitted, the focus remains unchanged.

The return value is true if the operation was performed synchronously, or false if it was deferred to be
performed asynchronously.

Parameters
bAllowAsync

Returns
Boolean

(optional) A Boolean value that determines the behavior of setFocus when it is not
safe to set the focus synchronously. If true, the focus will be set asynchronously
during idle time. If false or omitted, the focus remains unchanged. The default is
false.

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search

612

search
The search object is a static object that accesses the functionality provided by the Acrobat Search
plug-in. This plug-in must be installed to interface with the search object (see available).
See also the Index object, which is returned by some of the methods of the search object.
The results for query calls are displayed in the Find dialog box of Acrobat.
Note: Acrobat 7.0 indexes are incompatible with the search engines of Acrobat 5.0 and earlier versions.
In Acrobat 7.0, searching indexes created by versions of Acrobat 5.0 and earlier is not possible on
the Mac OS platform.

search properties
attachments
7.0
Determines whether any PDF file attachments should be searched along with the base document. The
default is false.
This property is ignored on the Mac OS platform when searching a document from within the Safari web
browser. As a result, attachments are not searched inside Safari.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

available
5.0
Returns true if the Search plug-in is loaded and query capabilities are possible. A script author should
check this Boolean before performing a query or other search object manipulation.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

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JavaScript API
bookmarks

Example
Make sure the search object exists and is available.
if (typeof search != "undefined" && search.available) {
search.query("Cucumber");
}

bookmarks
6.0
Specifies whether bookmarks are searched for the query. The default is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

docInfo
6.0
Specifies whether the document information is searched for the query. The default is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

docText
6.0
Specifies whether the document text is searched for the query. The default is true.

Type
Boolean

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docXMP

Access
R/W

docXMP
6.0
Specifies whether document-level XMP metadata is searched for the query. The default is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

ignoreAccents
70
Specifies whether accents and diacriticals are ignored while searching the query term. The default is
false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

ignoreAsianCharacterWidth
6.0
Specifies whether the Kana characters in the document exactly match the search query. The default is
false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

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indexes

615

indexes
5.0

S

An array of all of the Index objects currently accessible by the search engine.
Note: (Acrobat 7.0) This property can only be accessed during a batch or console event. See “Privileged
versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. The event object contains a discussion of
JavaScript events.

Type
Array

Access
R

Example
Enumerate all of the indexes and dump their names.
for (var i = 0; i < search.indexes.length; i++) {
console.println("Index[" + i + "]=", search.indexes[i].name);
}

jpegExif
6.0
Specifies whether EXIF data associated with JPEG images in the PDF document is searched. The default is
false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

legacySearch
6.0
Returns true if the Search5.api plug-in is loaded. This plug-in provides the capability to search indexes
generated by Acrobat Catalog in Acrobat 5.0 and earlier versions. See the sections in Acrobat Help
pertaining to searching such indexes.

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JavaScript API
markup

616

Type
Boolean

Access
R

markup
6.0
Specifies whether markup (annotations) are searched for the query. The default is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

matchCase
5.0
Specifies whether the search query is case sensitive. The default is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

matchWholeWord
6.0
Specifies whether search finds only occurrences of complete words that are specified in the query. For
example, when this option is set to true, if you search for the word “stick”, the words “tick” and “sticky” will
not be highlighted. The default is false.

Type
Boolean

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maxDocs

617

Access
R/W

maxDocs
5.0
The maximum number of documents that will be returned as part of the search query. The default is 100
documents.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

objectMetadata
7.0
This property determines whether object-level metadata should be searched. This is the same data that is
visible from the Acrobat 7.0 Tools > Object Data > Object Data Tool menu item.
The default is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

proximity
5.0
Specifies whether the search query will reflect the proximity of words in the results ranking when
performing the search that contains AND Boolean clauses. The default is false. See the sections in the
Acrobat Help pertaining to Search capabilities for a more thorough discussion of proximity.

Type
Boolean

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JavaScript API
proximityRange

618

Access
R/W

proximityRange
7.0
The range of proximity search in number of words. This property will be used only if the property
proximity is set to true. See the sections in the Acrobat Help pertaining to Search capabilities for a
more thorough discussion of proximity.
The default is 900 words. The value of this parameter can be any non-zero positive integer.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

refine
5.0
Specifies whether the search query will take the results of the previous query and refine the results based
on the next query. The default is false. See the sections in the Acrobat Help pertaining to Search
capabilities for a more thorough discussion of refining queries.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

soundex
X
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, the use of this property is discouraged. It has a value of false and
access is restricted to read only.
Specifies whether the search query will take the sound of words (for example, MacMillan, McMillan,
McMilon) into account when performing the search. The default is false. See the sections in the Acrobat
Help pertaining to Search capabilities for a more thorough discussion of soundex.

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JavaScript API
stem

619

Type
Boolean

Access
R

stem
5.0
Specifies whether the search query will take the stemming of words (for example, run, runs, running) into
account when performing the search. The default is false. See the sections in the Acrobat Help
pertaining to Search capabilities for a more thorough discussion of stemming.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

thesaurus
X
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, the use of this property is discouraged. This property has a value of
false and access is restricted to read only.
Specifies whether the search query will find similar words. For example, searching for “embellish” might
yield “enhanced”, “gracefully”, or “beautiful”. The default is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

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wordMatching

wordMatching
6.0
How individual words in the query will be matched to words in the document. Values are:
MatchPhrase
MatchAllWords
MatchAnyWord
BooleanQuery (default)

This property is relevant only when a query has more than one word. The BooleanQuery option is
ignored when searching the active document.

Type
String

Access
R/W

search methods
addIndex
5.0

P

S

Adds the specified index to the list of searchable indexes.
Note: As of Acrobat 8.1, this method will only index pdx files.

Parameters
cDIPath

A device-independent path to an index file on the user’s hard drive.

bSelect

(optional) Whether the index should be selected for searching.

Returns
An Index object.

Example
Adds the standard help index for Acrobat to the index list:
search.addIndex("/c/program files/adobe/Acrobat 5.0/help/exchhelp.pdx",
true);

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getIndexForPath

621

getIndexForPath
5.0
Searches the index list and returns the Index object whose path corresponds to the specified path.

Parameters
A device-independent path to an index file on the user’s hard drive.

cDIPath

Returns
The Index object whose path corresponds to the specified path.

query
5.0

S

Searches the specified document or index for the specified text. Properties associated with the search
object (such as matchCase, matchWholeWord, stem) may affect the result.
Note: As of Acrobat 8.1, if the cDIPath parameter is specified, this method is only permitted to execute
through the console or in a batch process.

Parameters
cQuery

The text for which to search.

cWhere

(optional) Specifies where the text should be searched. Values are:
ActiveDoc
Folder
Index
ActiveIndexes (default)

cDIPath

(optional) A device-independent path to a folder or Catalog index on the user's
computer.
When cWhere is Folder or Index, this parameter is required.

Examples
Search for the word “Acrobat”.

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removeIndex

622

cWhere

Query

ActiveIndexes

search.query("Acrobat"); // "ActiveIndexes" is the
default.
search.query("Acrobat", "ActiveIndexes");

ActiveDoc

search.query("Acrobat", "ActiveDoc");

Folder

search.query("Acrobat","Folder","/c/myDocuments");
search.query("Acrobat","Folder",app.getPath("user","doc
uments"));
search.query("Acrobat", "Folder",
"//myserver/myDocuments");

Index

search.query("Acrobat", "Index",
"/c/Myfiles/public/index.pdx");

removeIndex
5.0

P

S

Removes the specified Index object from the index list.
Note: As of Acrobat 8.1, this method is only permitted to execute through the console or in a batch
process.

Parameters
index

The Index object to remove from the index list.

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security

623

security
The security object is a static JavaScript object that exposes security-related PDF functions such as
encryption and digital signatures. Security functions are performed using a SecurityHandler object,
which is obtained from the security object using the getHandler method.
Note: The security object is available without restriction, including in Adobe Reader. The methods and
properties of the security object can only be executed during batch, console or application
initialization events including in Adobe Reader, except where otherwise stated. See also “Privileged
versus non-privileged context” on page 32. The event object contains a discussion of JavaScript
events.

security constants
Beginning with Acrobat 7.0, several convenience strings are defined within the security object. The
constants are held as properties of the wrapper objects listed below.

HandlerName object
These are constants used when determining which handler to use.
Property

Type

Access

Description

StandardHandler

String

R

This value can be specified in the handler property
for a SecurityPolicy object that is based on the
Standard (password-based) security handler.

PPKLiteHandler

String

R

This value can be specified in the handler property
for a SecurityPolicy object that is based on the
PPKLite (certificate-based) security handler. This value
can also be passed to security.getHandler to
create a new security context.

APSHandler

String

R

This the value specified in the handler property for a
SecurityPolicy object that is based on the Adobe
Policy Server security handler. This value can also be
passed to security.getHandler to create a new
security context.

Example
The constant (string) security.StandardHandler is used to specify the handler property of the
SecurityPolicy object.
security.getHandler(security.PPKLiteHandler, true);

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handlers

624

EncryptTarget Object
These constants are used when determining what data a policy is encrypting. They can be used in the
target property of the SecurityPolicy object.
Property

Type

Access

Description

EncryptTargetDocument

String

R

The Security Policy encrypts the entire
document when applied.

EncryptTargetAttachments

String

R

The Security Policy encrypts only the file
attachments embedded within the document.
This means the document can be opened, but
attachments cannot be opened without
providing the correct security authentication.
It is used for eEnvelope workflows.

Example
var filterOptions = { target: security.EncryptTargetAttachments };
security.chooseSecurityPolicy( { oOptions: filterOptions } );

security properties
handlers
5.0
An array containing the language-independent names of the available security handlers that can be used
for encryption or signatures.
See also getSecurityPolicies.
The following information applies to different versions of Acrobat:
●

Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, access to this property is unrestricted, to allow querying to see which
handlers are available.

●

In Acrobat 6.0, this call returned three handlers, Adobe.PPKLite, Adobe.PPKMS, and Adobe.AAB.
Starting with Acrobat 7.0, all the functionality provided by Adobe.PPKMS has been rolled into
Adobe.PPKLite, and Adobe.PPKMS is no longer available as a separate handler.

●

Beginning with Acrobat 7.0, a new handler is available, Adobe.APS. This handler is used for
authentication prior to calling any of the methods encryptUsingPolicy, getSecurityPolicies,
or chooseSecurityPolicy. It has no other valid usage currently.

●

Beginning with Acrobat 7.0, security Constants (see page 623) are defined for each of the handlers.
(Adobe.AAB is an exception. No constant was added because this handler will probably be deprecated
in the near future.) These constants should be used when creating a new handler instance with
getHandler or comparing against the handlers list.

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validateSignaturesOnOpen

Type
Array

Access
R

Example
Get the list of security handlers available on this system:
for ( var i=0; i < security.handlers.length; i++ )
console.println(security.handlers[i])

The output to the console might be
Adobe.APS
Adobe.PPKLite
Adobe.PPKMS
Adobe.AAB

validateSignaturesOnOpen
5.0

P

S

X

Gets or sets the user-level preference that causes signatures to be automatically validated when a
document is opened.
Note: The property can be used to get in all situations, but can only set new values during a batch,
console, or application initialization event. See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on
page 32 for details.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

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chooseRecipientsDialog

626

security methods
chooseRecipientsDialog
6.0

S

X

Opens a dialog box that allows a user to choose a list of recipients. Returns an array of generic Group
objects that can be used when encrypting documents or data using either encryptForRecipients or
addRecipientListCryptFilter methods of the Doc.
Note: Can be executed only during a console, menu, or application initialization event. See “Privileged
versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details.

Parameters
oOptions

A DisplayOptions object containing the parameters for the display options.

Returns
An array of Group objects.
See the Doc encryptForRecipients method for a description of the Group object.

DisplayOptions object
The DisplayOptions object contains the following properties.
Property

Description

bAllowPermGroups

Controls whether permissions can be set for entries in the recipient
list. Default value is true.

bPlaintextMetadata

If this property is specified, a check box is displayed to allow a user to
select whether metadata is plaintext or encrypted. Its default value is
the value of this property (true or false).
If this property is not specified, the check box is not shown.

cTitle

The title to be displayed in the dialog box. The default is “Choose
Recipients”.

cNote

A note to be displayed in the dialog box. The default is not to show
any note.

bAllowImportFromFile

Specifies whether the option is displayed that allows a user to import
recipients from a file. The default value is true.

bRequireEncryptionCert

If true, recipients will be required to include an encryption
certificate. The default value is true.

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chooseRecipientsDialog

627

Property

Description

bRequireEmail

If true, recipients will be required to include an email address. The
default value is false.

bUserCert

If true, the user will be prompted to provide his or her own
certificate so that he or she can be included in the list of recipients.
Setting this flag to true results in a prompt but does not require that
the user provide a certificate.

Example 1
Retrieve groups with permissions
var oOptions = {
bAllowPermGroups: true,
bPlaintextMetadata: false,
cTitle: "Encrypt and Email",
cNote: "Select recipients",
bAllowImportFromFile: false,
bRequireEncryptionCert: true,
bRequireEmail: true
};
var groupArray = security.chooseRecipientsDialog( oOptions );
console.println("Full name = "+ groupArray[0].userEntities[0].fullName);

Example 2
Get a list of recipients for which to encrypt data and email the document.
var oOptions = { bAllowPermGroups: false,
cNote: "Select the list of recipients. "
+ "Each person must have both an email address and a certificate.",
bRequireEmail: true,
bUserCert: true
};
var oGroups = security.chooseRecipientsDialog( oOptions );
// Display the list of recipients in an alert
// Build an email "to" mailList
var numCerts = oGroups[0].userEntities.length;
var cMsg = "The document will be encrypted for the following:\n";
var mailList = new Array;
for( var g=0; g<numCerts; ++g )
{
var ue = oGroups[0].userEntities[g];
var oCert = ue.defaultEncryptCert;
if( oCert == null )
oCert = ue.certificates[0];
cMsg += oCert.subjectCN + ", " + ue.email + "\n";
var oRDN = oCert.subjectDN;
if( ue.email )
{
mailList[g] = ue.email;
}

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chooseSecurityPolicy

else
if ( oRDN.e )
{
mailList[g] = oRDN.e;
}
}
var result = app.alert( cMsg );

Example 3
List all the entries in an array of groups.
var groups = security.chooseRecipientsDialog( oOptions );
for( g in groups ) {
console.println( "Group No. " + g );
// Permissions
var perms = groups[g].permissions;
console.println( "Permissions:" );
for(p in perms) console.println( p + " = " + eval("perms." +p));
// User Entities
for( u in groups[i].userEntities ) {
var user = groups[g].userEntities[u];
console.println( "User No. " + u );
for(i in user) console.println( i + " = " + eval("user." +i));
}
}

chooseSecurityPolicy
7.0

S

X

Displays a dialog box to allow a user to choose from a list of security policies, filtered according to the
options.
Note: Can be executed only during a batch, console, or application initialization event. See “Privileged
versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details. This method will display UI.

Parameters
oOptions

(optional) A SecurityPolicyOptions object containing the parameters used for
filtering the list of security policies returned. If not specified, all policies found are
displayed.

Returns
Returns a single SecurityPolicy object or null if the user cancelled the selection.

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exportToFile

629

Example
Choose a policy and display the name.
var options = { cHandler: security.APSHandler };
var policy = security.chooseSecurityPolicy( options );
console.println("The policy chosen was: " + policy.name);
security.APSHandler is one of the security Constants (see page 232).

exportToFile
S

6.0

X

Exports a Certificate object to a local disk as a raw certificate file.
Note: Data being written must be data for a valid certificate; arbitrary data types cannot be written. This
method will not overwrite an existing file.
See also security.importFromFile.

Parameters
oObject

The Certificate object that is to be exported to disk.

cDIPath

The device-independent save path.
Note: The parameter cDIPath must be a safe path (see “Safe path” on page 31) and
must end with the extension .cer.

Returns
The path of the file that was written, if successful.

Example
var outPath = security.exportToFile(oCert, "/c/outCert.cer");

getHandler
5.0

S

Obtains a SecurityHandler object. The caller can create as many new engines as desired and each call
to getHandler creates a new engine. However, there is only one UI engine.
Note: This method is available from batch, console, and app initialization events. See “Privileged versus
non-privileged context” on page 32 for details.
Backward Compatibility: Because Adobe.PPKMS is no longer available as a separate handler
starting with Acrobat 7.0, invoking getHandler with cName as “Adobe.PPKMS” returns the engine
associated with Adobe.PPKLite handler.

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getSecurityPolicies

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Parameters
The language-independent name of the security handler, as returned by the
handlers property.

cName

(Acrobat 7.0) Beginning with Acrobat 7.0, constant strings are defined for each of the
valid handlers. See security constants, in particular the HandlerName object object.
(optional) If true, the method returns the existing security handler instance that is
associated with the Acrobat user interface (so that, for example, a user can log in
through the user interface). If false (the default), returns a new engine.

bUIEngine

Returns
The SecurityHandler object specified by cName. If the handler is not present, returns a null object.

Example
Select the Adobe.PPKLite SecurityHandler.
// Validate signatures on open
security.validateSignaturesOnOpen = true;
// List all available signature handlers
var a = security.handlers;
for (var i = 0; i < a.length; i++)
console.println("a["+i+"] = "+a[i]);
// Use "Adobe.PPKLite" handler engine for the UI
var ppklite = security.getHandler(
security.PPKLiteHandler, true);
// Log in
ppklite.login("dps017", "/C/profiles/DPSmith.pfx");

See also the example following signatureSign for a continuation of this example.

getSecurityPolicies
7.0

S

X

Returns the list of security policies currently available, filtered according to the options specified. The
master list of security policies will be updated prior to filtering. The default SecurityHandler objects
are used to retrieve the latest policies. If no policies are available or none meet the filtering restrictions,
null will be returned.
Note: You may be able to retrieve more policies by calling login on the default SecurityHandler objects
before calling this function.
Can be executed only during a console or application initialization event. Not available in
Adobe Reader.

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Parameters
bUI

(optional) A flag controlling whether UI can be displayed.
Default value is false.

oOptions

(optional) A SecurityPolicyOptions object containing the parameters used for
filtering the list of security policies returned. If not specified, all policies found are
returned.

Returns
An array of SecurityPolicyOptions objects or null.

SecurityPolicyOptions object
The SecurityPolicyOptions object has the following properties:
Property

Description

bFavorites

If not passed, policies are not filtered based on whether a policy is a Favorite.
If true, only policies that are Favorites are returned. If false, only policies
that are not Favorites are returned.

cHandler

If not passed, policies are not filtered based on security filter. If defined, only
policies that match the specified security filter are returned. The valid values
are defined in security Constants (see the HandlerName object). Only a
single value can be passed.

cTarget

If not defined, policies are not filtered based on the target. If defined, only
policies that match the specified target are returned. The valid values are
defined in the EncryptTarget object of security Constants (page 624).
Only a single value can be passed.

Example 1
Retrieve the list of favorite PPKLite policies and display the names. This example uses
security.PPKLiteHandler (see security constants).
var options = { bFavorites:true, cHandler:security.PPKLiteHandler };
var policyArray = security.getSecurityPolicies( { oOptions: options } );
for( var i = 0; i < policyArray.length; i++)
console.println( policyArray[i].name );

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importFromFile

Example 2
Force the login, retrieve the list of APS policies, and display the names. This example uses
security.APSHandler (see security constants).
var aps = security.getHandler( security.APSHandler, true );
aps.login();
var options = { cHandler: security.APSHandler };
var policyArray = security.getSecurityPolicies({
bUI: true,
oOptions: options });
for(var i = 0; i < policyArray.length; i++)
console.println( policyArray[i].name );

importFromFile
6.0

S

X

Reads a raw data file and returns the data as an object with a type specified by cType. The file being
imported must be a valid certificate. See also security.exportToFile

Parameters
cType

The type of object to be returned by this method. The only supported type is
“Certificate”.

cDIPath

(optional) When bUI is false, this parameter is required and specifies the
device-independent path to the file to be opened.
If bUI is true, this is the seed path used in the open dialog box.

bUI

(optional) true if the user should be prompted to select the file that is to be
imported. The default is false.

cMsg

(optional) If bUI is true, the title to use in the open dialog box. If cMsg is not
specified, the default title is used.

Returns
A Certificate object.

Example
var oMyCert = security.importFromFile("Certificate", "/c/myCert.cer");

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SecurityHandler

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SecurityHandler
SecurityHandler objects are used to access security handler capabilities such as signatures, encryption,
and directories. Different security handlers have different properties and methods. This section
documents the full set of properties and methods that security objects may have. Individual
SecurityHandler objects may or may not implement these properties and methods.
SecurityHandler objects can be obtained using the security.getHandler method.
The JavaScript interface for Adobe.PPKLite signatures was introduced in Acrobat 5.0, and the remainder of
the JavaScript interface was introduced in Acrobat 6.0. Prior to Acrobat 6.0, there was no support in
Acrobat to enable JavaScript in third-party security handlers.
Not all security handlers are JavaScript-enabled. Not all JavaScript enabled handlers are enabled for all
security operations. Third-party public key security handlers may support JavaScript, but only if they use
the new PubSec programming interface that was introduced in Acrobat 6.0.
JavaScript-enabled handlers provided by Adobe include:
●

The Adobe.PPKLite security handler supports signatures and encryption. On the Windows operating
system, it provides directory access through the Microsoft Active Directory Scripting Interface (ADSI).

●

The Adobe.AAB security handler provides a local address book and support for directory operations.

Note: The Standard security handler, used for password encryption of documents, is not
JavaScript-enabled in general. However, starting with Acrobat 7.0, encryption using Standard
security is possible using predefined policies. See encryptUsingPolicy for more details.
Also starting with Acrobat 7.0, the Adobe.APS handler can be used for encryption with the
encryptUsingPolicy method. This handler also makes a directory available through the directory
services, but because no certificates are returned from this directory, it is of limited general use.
Note: SecurityHandler objects can only be created using the Security object getHandler method.
This method is available only for batch, console, and application initialization events (see “Privileged
versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details) and is available in Adobe Reader.

SecurityHandler properties
appearances
5.0

S

An array containing the language-dependent names of the available user-configured appearances for the
specified security handler. Appearances are used to create the on-page visual representation of a
signature when signing a signature field. The name of an appearance can be specified as a signature info
object property when signing a signature field using the Field object signatureSign method.
Acrobat provides a standard signature appearance module that is used by Adobe signature plug-ins and
that can also be used by third-party signature plug-ins. This standard signature appearance module is
preconfigured with one appearance and can be configured by users to contain more appearances. The
name of the one pre-configured appearance, called Standard Text in the user interface, is not returned by
this property.
If a security handler does not support selection of appearances, this property will return null.

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digitalIDs

634

Type
Array

Access
R

digitalIDs
6.0

S

The certificates that are associated with the currently selected digital IDs for this security handler.

Type
Object

Access
R
The return value is a generic object with the following properties:
Property

Type

Version Description

oEndUserSignCert

Certificate object

6.0

The certificate that is associated with the
currently selected digital IDs that is to be
used by this SecurityHandler object when
signing. The property is undefined if
there is no current selection.

oEndUserCryptCert

Certificate object

6.0

The certificate that is associated with the
currently selected digital IDs that is to be
used when encrypting a document with
this SecurityHandler object. The property
is undefined if there is no current
selection.

certs

Array of Certificate
objects

6.0

An array of certificates corresponding to
the list of all digital IDs that are available
for this SecurityHandler object.

stores

Array of Strings

6.0

An array of strings, one for every
Certificate object, identifying the
store where the digital ID is stored. The
string values are up to the security
handler. For Adobe.PPKLite the valid
values are ‘PKCS12’ and ‘MSCAPI’.

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directories

635

The Adobe.PPKLite security handler returns all currently available digital IDs present in
Password-protected digital ID files (both PKCS#12 and APF) and, on Windows, IDs present in the Windows
(MSCAPI) store.
Both oEndUserSignCert and oEndUserCryptCert properties can be set using the user-interface.
oEndUserSignCert can also be set using the login method. This means that oEndUserCryptCert
will only be returned when using a Security Handler object that is obtained using the getHandler
method with bUIEngine set to true.

Example
Export to a file the certificate that is associated with the currently selected digital IDs.
var sh = security.getHandler( "Adobe.PPKMS", true );
var ids = sh.digitalIDs;
var oCert = ids.oEndUserSignCert;
security.exportToFile( oCert, "/c/MySigningCert.cer" );

directories
6.0

S

An array of the available Directory objects for this Security Handler. New Directory objects can be
created using the newDirectory method.

Type
Array

Access
R

directoryHandlers
6.0

S

An array containing the language-independent names of the available directory handlers for the specified
security handler. For example, the Adobe.PPKMS security handler has a directory handler named
Adobe.PPKMS.ADSI that supports queries using the Microsoft Active Directory Script Interface (ADSI). Valid
directory handler names are required when activating a new Directory object using its info property.

Type
Array

Access
R

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docDecrypt

docDecrypt
6.0

S

Returns true, if the security handler is capable of decrypting PDF files.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

docEncrypt
6.0

S

Returns true, if the security handler is capable of encrypting PDF files.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

isLoggedIn
5.0

S

Returns true if currently logged into this SecurityHandler object. See the login method.
Different security handlers will have their own rules for determining the value of this property. The
Adobe.PPKLite handler will return true if a user is logged in to a profile file (also called credential file,
implemented as a PKCS#12 file). Adobe.PPKMS will always return true.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

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loginName

637

Example
Generic script to illustrate isLoggedIn.
var ppklite = security.getHandler("Adobe.PPKLite", true);
console.println( "Is logged in = " + ppklite.isLoggedIn ); // False
ppklite.login( "dps017", "/C/signatures/DPSmith.pfx");
console.println( "Is logged in = " + ppklite.isLoggedIn ); // True

loginName
5.0

S

The name associated with the actively selected signing digital ID for the security handler. This may require
that the login method be called to select a signing credential. The return value is null if a signing
credential is not selected or if the security handler does not support this property.

Type
String

Access
R

loginPath
5.0

S

The device-independent path to the user’s profile file used to log in to the security handler. The return
value is null if no one is logged in, if the security handler does not support this property, or if this property
is irrelevant for the currently logged in user.

Type
String

Access
R

name
5.0

S

The language-independent name of the security handler. Example values for the Default Certificate,
Windows Certificate, and Entrust Security Handlers are Adobe.PPKLite, Adobe.PPKMS, and Entrust.PPKEF. All
security handlers must support this property.

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signAuthor

638

Type
String

Access
R

signAuthor
6.0

S

Specifies whether the security handler is capable of generating certified documents. A certified document
is signed with both a byte-range signature and an object signature. Object signatures, which are
generated by traversing the document’s object tree, are used to detect and prevent modifications to a
document. See the mdp property of the SignatureInfo object for details regarding modification
detection and prevention (MDP) settings.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

signFDF
6.0

S

Indicates that the security handler is capable of signing FDF files.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

signInvisible
5.0

S

Specifies whether the security handler is capable of generating invisible signatures.

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signValidate

Type
Boolean

Access
R

signValidate
6.0

S

Indicates whether the security handler is capable of validating signatures.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

signVisible
5.0

S

Specifies whether the security handler is capable of generating visible signatures.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

uiName
5.0

S

The language-dependent string for the security handler. This string is suitable for user interfaces. All
security handlers must support this property.

Type
String

639

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validateFDF

640

Access
R

validateFDF
6.0

S

Returns true, if the security handler is capable of validating signatures over FDF files.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

SecurityHandler methods
login
5.0

S

Provides a mechanism by which digital IDs can be accessed and selected for a particular Security Handler.
Through the user interface, a default digital ID can be selected that persists either eternally or for as long as
the application is running. If such a selection has been made through the UI, it might not be necessary to
log into a Security Handler prior to using the digital ID.
Parameters tend to be specific to a particular handler. The behavior for Adobe.PPKLite and Adobe.PPKMS
handlers is specified below.
The parameters cPassword and cDIPath are provided for backward compatibility, or they can be
included as properties of the oParams object. This latter method is the preferred calling convention
beginning in Acrobat 6.0.
See also logout, newUser, and loginName.

Parameters
cPassword

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) The password necessary to access the password-protected
digital ID. This parameter is supported by Adobe.PPKLite for accessing digital ID files
and PKCS#11 devices.

cDIPath

(optional, Acrobat 5.0) A device-independent path to the password-protected digital
ID file or a PKCS#11 library. This parameter is supported by Adobe.PPKLite.

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login

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oParams

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) A LoginParameters object with parameters that are
specific to a particular SecurityHandler object. The common fields in this object
are described below. These fields include the cDIPath and cPassword values, thus
allowing the parameter list to be expressed in different ways.

bUI

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) Set to true if the user interface should be used to log the user
in. If set to false, the default engine associated with the user interface is not used
and the logged in state for the digital ID is not shown in the Security Settings dialog
box. This attribute should be supported by all security handlers that support this
method.

Returns
Returns true if the login succeeded, false otherwise.

LoginParameters Object
This generic JavaScript object contains parameters for the login method. It has the following properties:
Property

Type

Version

Description

cDIPath

String

5.0

The path to a file that contains the digital ID or a PKCS#11
library. Supported by Adobe.PPKLite security handler.

cPassword

String

6.0

A password that is used to authenticate the user. This
password may be used to access a password-protected
digital ID file or a PKCS#11 device. Supported by
Adobe.PPKLite security handler. Note that Acrobat does
not guarantee that this password is obfuscated in
memory.

cPFX

String

7.0

(optional) A hex-encoded PFX to log in to. If this
parameter is specified, it takes precedence over
cDIPath.
Note: This parameter is only used internally. Currently,
there is no way to retrieve a hex encoded PFX file
through JavaScript.

oEndUserSignCert

generic
object

6.0

Selects a digital ID for the purpose of performing
end-user signing. The value of this property is a
Certificate object (or a generic object with the same
property names as a Certificate object), which
defines the certificate that is being selected.
It may not be necessary to call this method for a
particular handler. For example, if logged in to a PKCS#12
file containing one signing digital ID with Adobe.PPKLite,
a signing credential does not need to be selected. All
security handlers must be able to process the binary and
SHA1Hash properties of this object. This object can be
empty if bUI is true.

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login

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Property

Type

Version

Description

cMsg

String

6.0

A message to display in the login dialog box, if bUI is
true.

cURI

String

7.0

URI used to connect to a server. Supported by Adobe.APS
and Adobe.PPKLite handlers. In the case of
Adobe.PPKLite, the URI specifies a Roaming Credential
server.

cUserId

String

7.0

User name used when connecting to a server. Supported
by the Adobe.APS and Adobe.PPKLite handlers.

cDomain

String

7.0

Domain name used when connecting to a server. Only
supported by the Adobe.APS handler.

iSlotID

Integer

7.0

Specifies the slot ID of a PKCS#11 device to log into. This
parameter is supported by the Adobe.PPKLite handler
only.

cTokenLabel

String

7.0

Specifies the token label of a PKCS#11 device to log into.
This parameter is supported by the Adobe.PPKLite
handler only.

Example 1
Log in and log out.
// Use the "Adobe.PPKLite" security handler object for the UI
var ppklite = security.getHandler( security.PPKLiteHandler, true );
var oParams = { cPassword: "dps017", cDIPath: "/C/DPSmith.pfx" }
ppklite.login( oParams );
<..... make a signature field and sign it ......>
ppklite.logout();

Use UI to select a credential, when already logged in.
ppklite.login(
{ oParams:
{ oEndUserSignCert: {},
cMsg: "Select your Digital ID" },
bUI : true
} );

Log in and select the signing credentials
var oCert = { SHA1Hash: "00000000" };
ppklite.login(
{ oParams:
{ cDIPath: "/C/test/DPSmith.pfx",
cPassword: "dps017",
oEndUserSignCert: oCert,
cMsg: "Select your Digital ID"
},
bUI : true
});

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logout

643

Example 2
Use the "Adobe.PPKMS" security handler object, and select the credentials to use when signing.
var ppkms = security.getHandler( "Adobe.PPKMS" );
var oCert = myCerts[0];
ppkms.login( { oParams: { oEndUserSignCert: oCert } } );

Example 3
Use security.APSHandler, see security constants.
var aps = security.getHandler( security.APSHandler, true );
var oParams = { cUserName: "Acrobat", cPassword: "adobedon" };
aps.login( oParams );
<..... encrypt a document using this handle and a policy id .....>
aps.logout();

See signatureSign for details on signing a PDF document.

logout
S

5.0

Logs out for the SecurityHandler object. This method is used by Adobe.PPKLite, not by Adobe.PPKMS.
Also see the login method.

Returns
Beginning in Acrobat 6.0, returns true if the logout succeeded, false otherwise. Previous Acrobat
releases did not generate a return value.

newDirectory
5.0

P

S

Returns a new Directory object. This object must be activated using its info property before it is
marked for persistence and before it can be used for searches. Existing directory objects can be discovered
using the directories property.

Returns
A new Directory object

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newUser

644

newUser
5.0

S

X

Supports enrollment with Adobe.PPKLite and Adobe.PPKMS security handlers by creating a new self-sign
credential.
Note: This method will not allow the user to overwrite an existing file.

Parameters
cPassword

(optional) The password necessary to access the password-protected digital ID file.
This parameter is ignored by Adobe.PPKMS.

cDIPath

(optional) The device-independent path to the password-protected digital ID file.
This parameter is ignored by Adobe.PPKMS.
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, the parameter cDIPath must be a safe path (see
“Safe path” on page 31) and end with the extension .pfx.

oRDN

(optional) The relative distinguished name (RDN) as an RDN object, page 590,
containing the issuer or subject name for a certificate. The only required field is cn. If
the country c is provided, it must be two characters, using the ISO 3166 standard (for
example, “US”).

oCPS

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) A generic object containing certificate policy information that
will be embedded in the Certificate Policy extension of the certificate. The object has
these properties:
●

oid is required and indicates the certificate policy object identifier.

●

url (optional) is a URL that points to detailed information about the policy under

which the certificate has been issued
●

notice (optional) is an abridged version of the information, embedded in the
certificate.

bUI

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) If true, the user interface can be used to enroll. This
parameter is supported by all security handlers that support this method.

cStore

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) A string identifying the store where the generated credential
has to be stored. For the Adobe.PPKLite security handler, the valid store identifiers
are “PKCS12” and “MSCAPI”. If this parameter is omitted and cDIPath is provided,
the generated credential is stored in a PKCS#12 file, else it is stored in the CAPI store.

Returns
true if successful, throws an exception if not successful.

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setPasswordTimeout

645

Example 1
Create a new PPKLite self-sign credential (Acrobat 5.0 syntax)
var ppklite = security.getHandler(security.PPKLiteHandler);
var oRDN = { cn: "Fred NewUser", c: "US" };
var oCPS = {oid: "1.2.3.4.5",
url: "http://www.example.com/mycps.html",
notice: "This is a self generated certificate, hence the "
+ "recipient must verify it’s authenticity through an out "
+ "of band mechanism" };
ppklite.newUser( "testtest", "/d/temp/FredNewUser.pfx", oRDN, oCPS);
// Alternate generic object syntax, allowing additional parameters
var oParams = {
cPassword : "myPassword",
cDIPath : "/d/temp/FredNewUser.pfx",
oRDN : oRDN,
oCPS : oCPS,
bUI : false
};
ppklite.newUser( oParams );

Example 2
Use a certificate from an existing signed field to create the RDN
var f = this.getField( "mySignature" );
f.signatureValidate();
var sigInfo = f.signatureInfo();
var certs = sigInfo.certificates;
var oSubjectDN = certs[0].subjectDN;
ppklite.newUser({
cPassword: "dps017",
cDIPath: "/c/temp/DPSmith.pfx",
oRDN: oSubjectDN
});

setPasswordTimeout
5.0

S

X

Sets the number of seconds after which password should expire between signatures. This method is only
supported by the Adobe.PPKLite security handler. For this handler the default timeout value for a new user
is 0 (password always required).

Parameters
cPassword

The password needed to set the timeout value.

iTimeout

The timeout value, in seconds. Set to 0 for always expire (that is, password always
required). Set to 0x7FFFFFFF for never expire.

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setPasswordTimeout

646

Returns
Throws an exception if the user has not logged in to the Adobe.PPKLite security handler, or unsuccessful
for any other reason.

Example
This example logs in to the PPKLite security handler and sets the password timeout to 30 seconds. If the
password timeout has expired—30 seconds in this example—the signer must provide a password. The
password is not necessary if the password has not timed out.
var ppklite= security.getHandler( "Adobe.PPKLite" );
ppklite.login( "dps017", "/d/profiles/DPSmith.pfx" );
ppklite.setPasswordTimeout( "dps017", 30 );

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SecurityPolicy

647

SecurityPolicy
7.0

S

X

The Security Policy object represents a group of security settings used to apply encryption to a document.
It is acquired as the return value of both getSecurityPolicies and chooseSecurityPolicy.

SecurityPolicy properties
Property

Type

Access

Description

policyID

String

R

A generated string that uniquely identifies the Security Policy.
It is not intended to be human-readable.
This may be set to a known policy ID on a newly created
SecurityPolicy object to force any method using this policy to
retrieve the correct security settings before applying the
policy.

name

String

R

The policy name used in the UI. It may be localized.

description

String

R

The policy description used in the UI. It may be localized.

handler

String

R

An enumerated value representing the security handler
implementing this Security Policy. The possible values are
defined in the HandlerName object in “security constants”
on page 623.

target

String

R

An enumeration value representing the target data to be
encrypted. The possible values are defined in the
EncryptTarget object in “security constants” on page 623.

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SignatureInfo

648

SignatureInfo
A generic JavaScript object that contains the properties of a digital signature. Some properties are
supported by all handlers, and additional properties can be supported.
The SignatureInfo object is returned by the Field object methods signatureValidate and
signatureInfo and is passed to the FDF object methods signatureSign and
signatureValidate.
Writable properties can be specified when signing the object.

SignatureInfo properties
All handlers define the following properties.
SignatureInfo object properties
Property

Type

Access

Version

Description

buildInfo

Object

R

6.0

An object containing software build and
version information for the signature.
The format of this object is described in
the technical note PDF Signature Build
Dictionary Specification on the Adobe
Solutions Network website.

date

Date
object

R

5.0

The date and time that the signature was
created, returned as a JavaScript Date
object.

dateTrusted

Boolean

R

7.0

A Boolean value that indicates whether
the date is from a trusted source. If this
value is not present, the date should be
assumed to be from an untrusted source
(for example, the signer’s computer
system time).

digestMethod

String

R/W

8.0

The digest method to be used for
signing. For Acrobat 8, the valid values
are SHA1, SHA256, SHA384, SHA512
and RIPEMD160. It is important that the
caller knows that a particular signature
handler can support this digest method.

handlerName

String

R

5.0

The language-independent name of the
security handler that was specified as
the Filter attribute in the signature
dictionary. It is usually the name of the
security handler that created the
signature, but can also be the name of
the security handler that the creator
wants to be used when validating the
signature.

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SignatureInfo

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SignatureInfo object properties
Property

Type

Access

Version

Description

handlerUserName

String

R

5.0

The language-dependent name
corresponding to the security handler
specified by handlerName. It is
available only when the named security
handler is available.

handlerUIName

String

R

5.0

The language-dependent name
corresponding to the security handler
specified by handlerName. It is
available only when the named security
handler is available.

location

String

R/W

5.0

Optional user-specified location when
signing. It can be a physical location
(such as a city) or hostname.

mdp

String

R/W

6.0

The Modification Detection and
Prevention (MDP) setting that was used
to sign the field or FDF object being
read, or the MDP setting to use when
signing. Values are:
allowNone
allowAll
default
defaultAndComments

See “Modification Detection and
Prevention (MDP) Values” on page 656
for details. The value of allowAll, the
default, means that MDP is not used for
the signature, resulting in this not being
an certification signature.
name

String

R

5.0

Name of the user that created the
signature.

numFieldsAltered

Number

R

5.0 only

Deprecated. The number of fields altered
between the previous signature and this
signature. Used only for signature fields.
Beginning in Acrobat 7.0, the
functionality offered by the Field object
method
signatureGetModifications

should be used instead.

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SignatureInfo

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SignatureInfo object properties
Property

Type

Access

Version

Description

numFieldsFilledIn

Number

R

5.0 only

Deprecated. The number of fields
filled-in between the previous signature
and this signature. Used only for
signature fields.
Beginning in Acrobat 7.0, the
functionality offered by the Field object
method
signatureGetModifications

should be used instead.
numPagesAltered

Number

R

5.0 only

Deprecated. The number of pages
altered between the previous signature
and this signature. Used only for
signature fields.
Beginning in Acrobat 7.0, the
functionality offered by the Field object
method
signatureGetModifications

should be used instead.
numRevisions

Number

R

5.0

The number of revisions in the
document. Used only for signature fields.

reason

String

R/W

5.0

The user-specified reason for signing.

revision

Number

R

5.0

The signature revision to which this
signature field corresponds. Used only
for signature fields.

sigValue

String

R

7.0

Raw bytes of the signature, as a hex
encoded string.

status

Number

R

5.0

The validity status of the signature,
computed during the last call to
signatureValidate.
See the return codes of the status
property in the table “status and
idValidity properties” on page 654.

statusText

String

R

5.0

The language-dependent text string,
suitable for user display, denoting the
signature validity status, computed
during the last call to the
signatureValidate.

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SignatureInfo

651

SignatureInfo object properties
Property

Type

Access

Version

Description

subFilter

String

R/W

6.0

The format to use when signing. Consult
the PDF Reference version 1.7 for a
complete list of supported values. The
known values used for public key
signatures include adbe.pkcs7.sha1,
adbe.pkcs7.detached, and
adbe.x509.rsa_sha1. It is important that
the caller know that a particular
signature handler can support
this format.

timeStamp

String

W

7.0

The URL of the server for time-stamping
the signature. The only schemes and
transport protocols supported for
fetching time stamps are http or https.
This property is write-only. If the
signature is time stamped, during
verification the property dateTrusted
will be set to true (provided the time
stamp signature is trusted) and the
verifyDate and the signing date will
be the same.

verifyDate

Date
object

R

7.0

The date and time that the signature was
verified (if the signature has been
verified), returned as a JavaScript Date
object.

verifyHandlerName

String

R

6.0

The language-independent name of the
security handler that was used to
validate this signature. This will be null
if the signature has not been validated
(that is, if the status property has a
value of 1).

verifyHandlerUIName

String

R

6.0

The language-dependent name
corresponding to the security handler
specified by verifyHandlerName.
This will be null if the signature has not
been validated, that is, if the status
property has a value of 1).

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SignatureInfo

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SignatureInfo object public key security handler properties
Public key security handlers may define the following additional properties:
Property

Type

Access

Version

Description

appearance

String

W

5.0

The name of the user-configured appearance to
use when signing this field. PPKLite and PPKMS
use the standard appearance handler. In this
situation, the appearance names can be found in
the signature appearance configuration dialog box
of the Security user preferences.
The default, when not specified, is to use the
Standard Text appearance. Used only for visible
signature fields.

certificates

Array

R

5.0

Array containing a hierarchy of certificates that
identify the signer. The first element in the array is
the signer’s certificate. Subsequent elements
include the chain of certificates up to the
certificate authority that issued the signer’s
certificate. For self-signed certificates this array will
contain only one entry.

contactInfo

String

R/W

5.0

The user-specified contact information for
determining trust. For example, it can be a
telephone number that recipients of a document
can use to contact the author. This is not
recommended as a scalable solution for
establishing trust.

byteRange

Array

R

6.0

An array of numbers indicating the bytes that are
covered by this signature.

docValidity

Number

R

6.0

The validity status of the document byte range
digest portion of the signature, computed during
the last call to signatureValidate. All PDF
document signature field signatures include a byte
range digest.
See “Validity Values” on page 654 for details of the
return codes.

idPrivValidity

Number

R

6.0

The validity of the identity of the signer. This value
is specific to the handler. See “Private Validity
Values” on page 655 for values supported by the
Adobe.PPKLite and Adobe.PPKMS handlers.
This value is 0 unless the signature has been
validated, that is, if the status property has a
value of 1.

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Property

Type

Access

Version

Description

idValidity

Number

R

6.0

The validity of the identity of the signer as number.
See the return codes of the idValidity property
in the table “status and idValidity properties” on
page 654.

objValidity

Number

R

6.0

The validity status of the object digest portion of
the signature, computed during the last call to
signatureValidate. For PDF documents,
signature field certification signatures and
document-level application rights signatures
include object digests. All FDF files are signed
using object digests.
See “Validity Values” on page 654 for details of the
return codes.

revInfo

Object

R

7.0

A generic object containing two properties: CRL
and OCSP. These properties are arrays of
hex-encoded strings, where each string contains
the raw bytes of the revocation information that
was used to carry out revocation checking of a
certificate.
For CRL, the strings represent CRLs. For OCSP, the
strings represents OCSP responses. These
properties are populated only if the application
preference to populate them is turned on, because
this data can potentially get very large.

trustFlags

Number

R

6.0

The bits in this number indicate what the signer is
trusted for. The value is valid only when the value
of the status property is 4. These trust settings are
derived from the trust setting in the recipient’s
trust database, for example, the Acrobat Address
Book (Adobe.AAB). Bit assignments are:
1 — Trusted for signatures
2 — Trusted for certifying documents
3 — Trusted for dynamic content such as

multimedia
4 — Adobe internal use
5 — The JavaScript in the PDF file is trusted to

operate outside the normal PDF restrictions
password

String

W

5.0

A password required as authentication when
accessing a private key that is to be used for
signing. This may or may not be required,
dependent on the policies of the security handler.

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status and idValidity properties
The following table list the codes returned by the SignatureInfo Object, status and idValidity
properties.
Status code

Description

-1

Not a signature field.

0

Signature is blank or unsigned.

1

Unknown status. This occurs if the signature has not yet been validated; for example, if
the document has not completed downloading over a network connection.

2

Signature is invalid.

3

Signature is valid but the identity of the signer could not be verified.

4

Signature is valid and the identity of the signer is valid.

Validity Values
The following codes are returned by the docValidity and objValidity properties. (See
“SignatureInfo object public key security handler properties” on page 652). They provide a finer
granularity of the validity of the signature than the status property.
Status code

Description

kDSSigValUnknown

Validity not yet determined.

kDSSigValUnknownTrouble

Validity could not be determined because of errors
encountered during the validation process.

kDSSigValUnknownBytesNotReady

Validity could not be determined because all bytes are not
available, for example, when viewing a file in a web browser.
Even when bytes are not immediately available, this value may
not be returned if the underlying implementation blocks when
bytes are not ready. Adobe makes no commitment regarding
whether validation checks will block or not block. However, the
implementation in Acrobat 6.0 will block when validating
docValidity and not block when validating objValidity.

kDSSigValInvalidTrouble

Validity for this digest was not computed because there were
errors in the formatting or information contained in this
signature. There is sufficient evidence to conclude that the
signature is invalid.

kDSSigValInvalidTrouble

The validity for this digest is not used (for example, no
document validity if no byte range).

kDSSigValJustSigned

The signature was just signed, so it is implicitly valid.

kDSSigValFalse

The digest or validity is invalid.

kDSSigValTrue

The digest or validity is valid.

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SignatureInfo

655

Private Validity Values
Verification of the validity of the signer’s identity is specific to the handler that is being used to validate the
identity. This value may contain useful information regarding an identity. The identity is returned in the
idPrivValidity property. Values for Adobe.PPKMS and Adobe.PPKLite security handlers are shown
here. This value is also mapped to an idValidity value that is common across all handlers.

Status Code

idValidity
Mapping

Security
Handler

kIdUnknown

1 (unknown)

PPKMS,
PPKLite

Validity not yet determined.

kIdTrouble

1 (unknown)

PPKMS,
PPKLite

Could not determine validity because of
errors, for example, internal errors, or
could not build the chain, or could not
check basic policy.

kIdInvalid

2 (invalid)

PPKMS,
PPKLite

Certificate is invalid: not time nested,
invalid signature, invalid/unsupported
constraints, invalid extensions, chain is
cyclic.

kIdNotTimeValid

2 (invalid)

PPKMS,
PPKLite

Certificate is outside its time window (too
early or too late).

kIdRevoked

2 (invalid)

PPKMS

Certificate has been revoked.

kIdUntrustedRoot

1 (unknown)

PPKMS,
PPKLite

Certificate has an untrusted root
certificate.

kIdBrokenChain

2 (invalid)

PPKMS,
PPKLite

Could not build a certificate chain up to a
self-signed root certificate.

kIdPathLenConstraint

2 (invalid)

PPKLite

Certificate chain has exceeded the
specified length restriction. The
restriction was specified in Basic
Constraints extension of one of the
certificates in the chain.

kIdCriticalExtension

1 (unknown)

PPKMS

One of the certificates in the chain has an
unrecognized critical extension.

kIdJustSigned

4 (valid)

PPKMS,
PPKLite

Just signed by user (similar to kIdIsSelf )

kIdAssumedValid

3 (idunknown)

PPKMS

Certificate is valid to a trusted root, but
revocation could not be checked and was
not required.

kIdIsSelf

4 (valid)

PPKMS,
PPKLite

Certificate is my credential (no further
checking was done).

Description

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SignatureInfo

656

Status Code

idValidity
Mapping

Security
Handler

Description

kIdValid

4 (valid)

PPKMS,
PPKLite

Certificate is valid to a trusted root (in the
Windows or Acrobat Address Book).

kIdRevocationUnknown

?

PPKMS,
PPKLite

Certificate is valid to a trusted root, but
revocation could not be checked and was
required by the user.

Modification Detection and Prevention (MDP) Values
Modification detection and prevention (MDP) settings control which changes are allowed to occur in a
document before the signature becomes invalid. Changes are recorded outside of the byte range, for
signature fields, and can include changes that have been incrementally saved as part of the document or
changes that have occurred in memory between the time that a document is opened and when the
signature is validated. MDP settings may only be applied to the first signature in a document. Use of MDP
will result in an certification signature. MDP has one of the following four values:
allowAll — Allow all changes to a document without any of these changes invalidating the

signature. This results in MDP not being used for the signature. This was the behavior for Acrobat 4.0
through 5.1.
allowNone — Do not allow any changes to the document without invalidating the signature. Note

that this will also lock down the author’s signature.
default — Allow form field fill-in if form fields are present in the document. Otherwise, do not allow

any changes to the document without invalidating the signature.
defaultAndComments — Allow form field fill-in if form fields are present in the document and allow

annotations (comments) to be added, deleted or modified. Otherwise, do not allow any changes to the
document without invalidating the signature. Note that annotations can be used to obscure portions
of a document and thereby affect the visual presentation of the document.

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SOAP

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SOAP
The SOAP object allows remote procedure calls to be made to, or sends an XML Message to, a remote
server from JavaScript.
The SOAP 1.1 protocol (see http://www.w3.org/TR/SOAP/) is used to marshall JavaScript parameters to a
remote procedure call (either synchronously or asynchronously) and to unmarshall the result as a
JavaScript object. The SOAP object also has the ability to communicate with web services, described by
the Web Services Description Language (WSDL—see http://www.w3.org/TR/wsdl).
Note: The SOAP methods connect, request and response are available only for documents open in
Acrobat Professional and Acrobat Standard and for documents with Form Export Rights open in
Adobe Reader 6.0 or later.

SOAP properties
wireDump
6.0
If true, synchronous SOAP requests will cause the XML Request and Response to be dumped to the
JavaScript Console. This is useful for debugging SOAP problems.
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 8.0, this property is deprecated, new services should use
Net.SOAP.wireDump, see page 545.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

SOAP methods
connect
6.0

F

Converts the URL of a WSDL document (cURL) to a JavaScript object with callable methods corresponding
to the web service.
The parameters to the method calls and the return values obey the rules specified for the SOAP.request
method.
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 8.0, this method is deprecated, new services should use
Net.SOAP.connect, see page 545.

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connect

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Parameters
cURL

The URL of a WSDL document. It must be an HTTP or HTTPS URL.

Returns
A WSDL Service Proxy object with a JavaScript method corresponding to each operation in the WSDL
document provided at the URL.
The parameters required for the method depend on the WSDL operation you are calling and how the
operation encodes its parameters:
●

If the WSDL operation is using the SOAP RPC encoding (as described in Section 7 of the SOAP 1.1
Specification), the arguments to the service method are the same as the parameter order in the WSDL
document.

●

If the WSDL service is using the SOAP document/literal encoding, the function will have a single
argument indicating the request message. The argument may be a JavaScript object literal describing
the message or it may be either a string or a ReadStream object with an XML fragment describing the
message. The return value of the service method will correspond to the return value of the WSDL
operation.

The JavaScript function objects corresponding to each web service method use the following properties if
they are set. The default is for none of the properties to be set.
Property

Description

asyncHandler

Indicates that the web service method should be performed asynchronously.
The property corresponds to the oAsync parameter of SOAP.request.

requestHeader

Indicates that the web service method should include a SOAP Header in the
request. The property corresponds to the oReqHeader parameter of
SOAP.request.

responseHeader

Indicates that the web service method should return a SOAP Header from the
response. The property corresponds to the oRespHeader parameter of
SOAP.request.

authenticator

Indicates how authentication should be handled for the web service method.
The property corresponds to the oAuthenticate parameter of
SOAP.request.

Exceptions
SOAP Faults cause a SOAPError exception to be thrown. If there is a problem at the networking level,
such as an unavailable endpoint, a NetworkError is thrown. See the request method for more
information.

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connect

Example
Echo a string and an integer using an echo service WSDL document.
A service WSDL Document URL is needed. These can be obtained from the “Round 2 Interop Services using SOAP 1.2” section at the following URL: http://www.whitemesa.com/interop.htm.
var cURL = <get a URL for this service from
http://www.whitemesa.com/interop.htm>;
// Connect to the test service
var service = SOAP.connect(cURL);
// Print out the methods this service supports to the console
for(var i in service) console.println(i);
var cTestString = "This is my test string";
// Call the echoString service -- it is an RPC Encoded method
var result = service.echoString(cTestString);
// This should be the same as cTestString
console.println(result + " == " + cTestString);
// Call the echoInteger service -- JavaScript doesn't support integers
// so we make our own integer object.
var oTestInt =
{
soapType: "xsd:int",
soapValue: "10"
};
var result = service.echoInteger(oTestInt);
// This should be the same as oTestInt.soapValue
console.println(result + " == " + oTestInt.soapValue);

This produces the following output:
echoBase64
echoBoolean
echoDate
echoDecimal
echoFloat
echoFloatArray
echoHexBinary
echoInteger
echoIntegerArray
echoPolyMorph
echoPolyMorphArray
echoPolyMorphStruct
echoString
echoStringArray
echoStruct
echoStructArray
echoVoid
This is my test string == This is my test string
10 == 10

659

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queryServices

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queryServices
7.0

S

Locates network services that have published themselves using DNS Service Discovery (DNS-SD). This
method can locate services that have registered using Multicast DNS (mDNS) for location on a local
networking link or through unicast DNS for location within an enterprise. The results of service location are
always returned asynchronously and the query continues (with notification as services become available
or unavailable) until it is stopped.
The result of querying for services is a set of service names that can be bound when needed by calling
resolveService.
Services can either use a third-party mDNS responder to be located in the local network link or register
themselves in a DNS server (either statically or dynamically) to be located within an enterprise networking
environment.
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 8.0, this method is deprecated, new services should use
Net.Discovery.queryServices, see page 546.

Parameters
cType

The DNS SRV Service Name to search for. Some possible examples are:
"http" — Locate web servers
"ftp" — Locate FTP servers

See the DNS SRV Service Name Registry for more examples
oAsync

A notification object that is notified when services are located on the network or when
services that had previously been reported are removed. The notification methods are
not called until the queryServices method returns and are called during idle
processing. The oAsync parameter should implement the following methods:
addServices — This method is called when available services matching the query
are located. The parameter is an array of Service Description objects for the

services that have been added.
removeServices — This method is called when services that had previously been
introduced by calling the addServices notification method are no longer
available. The parameter is an array of Service Description objects for the
services that have been removed.

Note: In Acrobat 7.0, only services located through mDNS (that is, in the “local.” domain)
are updated dynamically.
aDomains

(optional) An array of domains that the query should be made for. The only valid
domains are:
ServiceDiscovery.local — Search for services in the local networking link

using Multicast DNS (mDNS). This is useful for finding network services in an ad hoc
networking environment, but network services will only be located within the scope
of the current network router.
ServiceDiscovery.DNS — Search for services in the default DNS domain using
unicast DNS. This is useful for locating network services in the context of a DNS
server, but typically requires IS assistance to register a service and is less dynamic.

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queryServices

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Returns
A service query object that manages the duration of the query. The query will continue until one of the
following conditions is met:
●

The service query object returned from queryServices is garbage collected.

●

The stop method of the service query object returned from queryServices is called.
Method

Description

stop

Causes the query to terminate. This method can be called from a notification
callback but the operation will not stop until idle processing time.

Exceptions
Standard Acrobat exceptions.

Service Description Object
The service description object passed to addServices and removeServices have the following
properties:
Property

Description

name

The Unicode display name of the service.

domain

The DNS domain in which the service was located. If the service was located in the
local networking link, the domain name will be “local”.

type

The DNS SRV Service Name of the service that was located – this will be the same as
the cType parameter passed to queryServices. This can be useful when the same
notification callback is being used for multiple queries.

Example
Locates network services that have published themselves using DNS Service Discovery.
This example code will produce different output depending on where it is run.
var oNotifications =
{
addServices: function(services)
{
for(var i = 0; i < services.length; i++)
console.println("ADD: "+ services[i].name + " in domain "
+ services[i].domain);
},
removeServices: function(services)
{
for(var i = 0; i < services.length; i++)
console.println("DEL: " + services[i].name + " in domain "
+ services[i].domain);
}

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resolveService

662

};
SOAP.queryServices({
cType:"http",
oAsync:oNotifications,
aDomains:[ServiceDiscovery.local, ServiceDiscovery.DNS]
});

The output depends on the current network environment; if there are no services advertised by DNS
Service Discovery, the example will produce no output. The following is a representative output:
ADD: My Web Server in domain local.
ADD: Joe’s Web Server in domain local.
ADD: Example.org Web Server in domain example.org.

resolveService
7.0

S

Allows a service name to be bound to a network address and port in order for a connection to be made.
The connection information is returned asynchronously and should be treated as temporary since the
network location of a service may change over time (for example, if a DHCP lease expires or if a service
moves to a new server).
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 8.0, this method is deprecated, new services should use
Net.Discovery.resolveService, see page 546.

Parameters
cType

The DNS SRV Service Name to resolve.

cDomain

The domain that the service was located in.

cService

The service name to resolve.

oResult

An object that will be called when the service is resolved.
See “Additional notes on the oResult parameter” on page 663.

Returns
A service query object that manages the duration of the resolve. The resolve will continue until one of the
following conditions is met:
●

The service query object returned from resolveService is garbage collected.

●

The resolve method of the oResult object is called indicating that the operation completed (either
by resolving the service, error, or a timeout).

●

The stop method of the service query object returned from resolveService is called.
Method

Description

stop

Causes the resolve to terminate. This method can be called from a notification
callback but the operation will not stop until idle time.

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resolveService

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Exceptions
Standard Acrobat exceptions.

Additional notes on the oResult parameter
The oResult object is a notification object that will be called when the service is resolved. The
notification methods will not be called until the resolveService method returns and are called during
idle processing. The oResult parameter should implement the following method:
Method

Description

resolve

This method is called with two parameters (nStatus and oInfo) when the service is
resolved or if it cannot be resolved.
The parameter nStatus is the state indicating if the service could be resolved (see
below). If the service was successfully resolved, the oInfo object, an instance of the
ServiceInfo object (see below), specifies the connection information.

The nStatus parameter passed to the resolve method can have one of the following values:
Value

Description

0

The service was successfully resolved.

1

The service timed out before being resolved. The default timeout in Acrobat 7 or later
is 60 seconds.

-1

There was an networking error trying to resolve the service.

The ServiceInfo object passed to the resolve method has the following properties:
Property

Description

target

The IP address or DNS name of the machine supplying the service.

port

The port on the machine supplying the service.

info

An object with name - value pairs that the service has supplied. For example, in the
case of an HTTP service, the path property will contain the path on the web service
so that the service URL would be
http://<target>:<port>/<info["path"]>).

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request

664

Example
This example code will produce different output depending on where it is run. If there are no services
advertised by DNS Service Discovery, this example will produce no output.
var oNotifications =
{
resolve: function(status, info)
{
if(status == 0)
console.println("RESOLVE: http://"
+ info.target + ":" + info.port + "/"
+ info.info.path);
else console.println("ERROR: " + status);
}
};
SOAP.resolveService({
cType: "http",
cDomain: "local.",
cService: "Joe's Web Server",
oResult: oNotifications
});

The output depends on the current network environment – the following is a representative output:
RESOLVE: http://172.16.0.0:80/index.html

request
6.0

F

Initiates a remote procedure call (RPC) or sends an XML message to a SOAP HTTP endpoint. The method
either waits for the endpoint to reply (synchronous processing) or calls a method on the notification object
(asynchronous processing).
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 8.0, this method is deprecated, new services should use
Net.SOAP.request, see page 545.

Parameters
cURL

The URL for a SOAP HTTP endpoint. The URL method must be one of:
http — Connect to a server at a URI on a port. For example,

http://serverName:portNumber/URI
https — Connect to a secured (SSL) server at a URI on a port.

For example, https://serverName:portNumber/URI
oRequest

An object that specifies the remote procedure name and parameters or the XML
message to send.
See “Additional notes on the oRequest parameter” on page 668.

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oAsync

request

665

(optional) An object that specifies that the method invocation will occur
asychronously. The default is for the request to be made synchronously. The
object has been modified in Acrobat 7.0.
(Acrobat 6.0) The oAsync object literal must have a function called response
that will be called with two parameters (oResult and cURI) when the response
returns. oResult is the same result object that would have been returned from
the request call if it was called synchronously. cURI is the URI of the endpoint that
the request was made to.
(Acrobat 7.0) The oAsync object response callback has the following parameters:
response — The response object from the SOAP request.
uri — The URI that the SOAP request was made to.
exception — An exception object (see the exceptions below) if there was an
error, null otherwise.
header — A response SOAP header (see the description of the
oRespHeader parameter) or null if there are no response headers.

cAction

(optional) In SOAP 1.1, this parameter is passed as the SOAPAction header. In
SOAP 1.2, this parameter is passed as the action parameter in the Content-Type
header.
The default is for the action to be an empty string.
The SOAPAction is a URN written to an HTTP header used by firewalls and servers
to filter SOAP requests. The WSDL file for the SOAP service or the SOAP service
description will usually describe the SOAPAction header required (if any).

bEncoded

(optional) Encoded the request using the SOAP Encoding described in the SOAP
Specification. Otherwise, the literal encoding is used.
The default is true.

cNamespace

(optional) A namespace for the message schema when the request does not use
the SOAP Encoding.
The default is to omit the schema declaration.

oReqHeader

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) An object that specifies a SOAP header to be included with
the request. The default is to send a request with only a SOAP Body.
The object is specified in the same way as the oRequest object except for two
additional properties that can be specified in the request description:
soapActor — The recipient (or actor specified as a URI) that the SOAP header

should be processed by. The default is the first recipient to process the
request.
soapMustUnderstand — A Boolean value indicating that the request body

cannot be interpreted if this header type is not understood by the recipient.
The default is that understanding the header is optional.

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oRespHeader

request

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(optional, Acrobat 7.0) An object that will be populated with the SOAP headers
returned when the method completes if the function is being called
synchronously (the header will be passed to the oAsync callback method
otherwise).
The default is for the headers not to be returned.
See the description of the cResponseStyle parameter for the object format.

cVersion

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) The version of the SOAP protocol to use when generating
the XML Message – either 1.1 or 1.2.
The default is to use “SOAPVersion.version_1_1”.

oAuthenticate

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) An object that specifies how to handle HTTP
authentication or credentials to use for Web Service Security. The default is to
present a user interface to the user to handle HTTP authentication challenges for
BASIC and DIGEST authentication modes. The oAuthenticate object can have
the following properties:
Username — A string containing the user name to use for authentication.
Password — A string containing the credential to use.
UsePlatformAuth — A Boolean value indicating that platform
authentication should be used. If true, Username and Password are

ignored and the underlying platform networking code is used. This may cause
an authentication UI to be shown to the user and/or the credentials of the
currently logged in user to be used. The default is false and is only
supported on the Windows platform.
cResponseStyle

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) An enumerated type indicating how the return value (in
the case of the SOAP Body) and the oRespHeader object (in the case of a SOAP
header) will be structured:
SOAPMessageStyle.JS — (Default) The response will be an object

describing the SOAP Body (or SOAP Header) of the returned message (this is
the result that Acrobat 6.0 produced). This is recommended when using the
SOAP encoding for the request but is not ideal when using the literal encoding
– using the XML or Message style is better.
SOAPMessageStyle.XML — The response will be a stream object
containing the SOAP Body (or SOAP Header) as an XMLfragment. If there are
any attachments associated with the response, the Stream object will have an
object property oAttachments. The object keys are the unique names for
the attachment parts and the value must be a Stream object containing the
attachment contents.
SOAPMessageStyle.Message — The response will be an object describing
the SOAP Body (or SOAP Header) corresponding to the XML Message. This
differs from the JavaScript response style in the following ways:
●

XML Elements are returned as an array of objects rather than an object to
maintain order and allow elements with the same name.

●

XML Attributes are preserved using the soapAttributes property.

●

Namespaces are processed and returned in the soapName and
soapQName properties.

●

The content of an element is in the soapValue property.

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cRequestStyle

request

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(optional, Acrobat 7.0.5) Allows the interpretation of oRequest to be altered. The
following values are permitted:
SOAPRequestStyle.SOAP — (the default) The request is made using the

SOAP messaging model.
SOAPRequestStyle.RawPost — The oRequest parameter is used as the
request body for an HTTP Post. oRequest must be a ReadStream object. If

this method is called within the context of a document, the document must
be open in the browser. Additionally, the origination URL of the document
(scheme, server, and port) must match the origination of the cURL parameter.
The response is a ReadStream object with the response from the request.
cContentType

(optional, Acrobat 7.0.5) Allows the HTTP content-type header to be specified.
The default is to use the SOAP messaging HTTP content-type.

Returns
A response object if the method was called synchronously (that is, there is no oAsync parameter) or
nothing if the method was called asynchronously. See the description of cResponseStyle above for the
object description.
The SOAP types in the result are mapped to JavaScript types as follows:
SOAP type

JavaScript type

xsd:string

String

xsd:integer

Number

xsd:float

Number

xsd:dateTime

Date

xsd:boolean

Boolean

xsd:hexBinary

ReadStream object

xsd:base64Binary

ReadStream object

SOAP-ENC:base64

ReadStream object

SOAP-ENC:Array

Array

No Type Information

String

Exceptions
SOAPError is thrown when the SOAP endpoint returns a SOAPFault. The SOAPError Exception object
has the following properties:

Property

Description

faultCode

A string indicating the SOAP Fault Code for this fault.

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Property

Description

faultActor

A string indicating the SOAP Actor that generated the fault.

faultDetail

A string indicating detail associated with the fault.

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NetworkError is thrown when there is a failure from the underlying HTTPtransport layer or in obtaining
a Network connection. The NetworkError Exception object has the property statusCode, which is an

HTTP Status code or –1 if the network connection could not be made.
Standard Acrobat exceptions can also be thrown.
Note: If the method was called asynchronously, the exception object may be passed to the response
callback method.

Additional notes on the oRequest parameter
The oRequest parameter is an object literal that specifies the remote procedure name and the
parameters to call. The object literal uses the fully qualified method name of the remote procedure as the
key. The namespace should be separated from the method name by a colon.
For example, if the namespace for the method is http://mydomain/methods and the method name is
echoString, the fully qualified name would be http://mydomain/methods:echoString. The
value of this key is an object literal, each key is a parameter of the method, and the value of each key is the
value of the corresponding parameter of the method. For example:
oRequest: {
"http://soapinterop.org/:echoString":{inputString: "Echo!"}
}

When passing parameters to a remote procedure, JavaScript types are bound to SOAP types automatically
as listed in the table:
JavaScript type

SOAP type

String

xsd:string

Number

xsd:float

Date

xsd:dateTime

Boolean

xsd:boolean

ReadStream object

SOAP-ENC:base64

Array

SOAP-ENC:Array

Other

No type information

Note: The xsd namespace refers to the XML Schema Datatypes namespace
http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema. The SOAP-ENC namespace refers to the SOAP
Encoding namespace http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/.

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The oRequest object supports the following properties:
Property

Description

soapType

The SOAP type that will be used for the value when generating the SOAP
message. It is useful when a datatype is needed other than the automatic
datatype binding described above. The type should be namespace qualified
using the <namespace>:<type> notation, for example
http://mydomain/types:myType

However, the xsd (XMLSchema Datatypes), xsi (XMLSchema Instance), and
SOAP-ENC (SOAP Encoding) namespaces are implicitly defined in the SOAP
message, so the soapType can use them, as in xsd:int for the XMLSchema
Datatype Integer type.
soapValue

(Acrobat 6.0) The value that will be used when generating the SOAP message. It
can be a string or a ReadStream object. soapValue is passed unescaped (that
is, not XML Entity escaped). For example, “<” is not converted to “&lt;” in the XML
Message. Consequently, soapValue can be a raw XML fragment that will be
passed to the XML Message.
(Acrobat 7.0) soapValue can now also be an array of nodes that are an ordered
set of children of the node in the request message.

soapName

The element name that will be used when generating the SOAP message instead
of the key name in the object literal.
For example, integers are not supported in JavaScript, but an integer parameter
to a SOAP method can be constructed as follows:
var oIntParameter = {
soapType: "xsd:int",
soapValue: "1"
};

Later, the oRequest parameter for the SOAP.request method might be this:
oRequest: {
"http://soapinterop.org/:echoInteger":
{ inputInteger: oIntParameter }
}

“Example 1” on page 670 shows this technique.
soapAttributes

(Acrobat 7.0) An object specifying XML attributes to be included when building
the element corresponding to the request node. The object keys are the
attribute names and the corresponding value is the attribute value.

soapQName

(Acrobat 7.0) An object specifying the namespace qualified name (QName) of
the request node. For example, in the element <ns:local
xmlns:ns="urn:example.org">, the element name is a QName consisting
of a local name ("local") and a namespace ("urn:example.org").
This object has two properties:
localName — A string indicating the local name of the QName.
nameSpace — A string indicating the namespace of the QName.

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request

Property

Description

soapAttachment

(Acrobat 7.0) A Boolean value indicating that the soapValue contents of the
node should be encoded as an attachment according to the SwA specification.
The soapValue must be a stream if the corresponding soapAttachment
property is true, otherwise an exception will be thrown.

soapParamOrder

(Acrobat 7.0) An array indicating the order in which RPC parameters should be
sent to the server. The array is a set of strings with the parameter names. This
value is only applicable when bEncoding is true.

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Example 1
Use request to initiate a remote procedure call for echo services.
A service WSDL Document URL is needed. It can be obtained from the “Round 2 Interop Services - using
SOAP 1.2” section at the following URL: http://www.whitemesa.com/interop.htm.
var cURL = <get a URL for this service from
http://www.whitemesa.com/interop.htm>;
var cTestString = "This is my test string";
// Call the echoString SOAP method -- it is an RPC Encoded method
var response = SOAP.request(
{
cURL: cURL,
oRequest: {
"http://soapinterop.org/:echoString": {
inputString: cTestString
}
},
cAction: "http://soapinterop.org/"
});
var result =
response["http://soapinterop.org/:echoStringResponse"]["return"];
// This should be the same as cTestString
console.println(result + " == " + cTestString);
// Call the echoInteger SOAP method -- JavaScript doesn't support
// integers so we make our own integer object.
var oTestInt =
{
soapType: "xsd:int",
soapValue: "10"
};
var response = SOAP.request(
{
cURL: cURL,
oRequest: {
"http://soapinterop.org/:echoInteger": {

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request

inputInteger: oTestInt
}
},
cAction: "http://soapinterop.org/"
});
var result =
response["http://soapinterop.org/:echoIntegerResponse"]["return"];
// This should be the same as oTestInt.soapValue
console.println(result + " == " + oTestInt.soapValue);

This produces the following output:
This is my test string == This is my test string
10 == 10

Example 2
Set a SOAP Header and gets it back.
var cURL = <URL of a Service>;
var NS = "http://www.example.com/soap/:";
var oHeader = {};
oHeader[NS + "testSession"] =
{
soapType: "xsd:string",
soapValue: "Header Test String"
};
var oResultHeader = {};
var oRequest = {};
oRequest[NS + "echoHeader"] = {};
var response = SOAP.request(
{
cURL: cURL,
oRequest: oRequest,
cAction: "http://soapinterop.org/",
oReqHeader: oHeader,
oRespHeader: oResultHeader
});

Example 3
A request for echo services with HTTP Authentication.
var oAuthenticator =
{
Username: "myUserName",
Password: "myPassword"
};
var response = SOAP.request(
{
cURL: cURL,
oRequest: {
"http://soapinterop.org/:echoString":
{

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response

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inputString: cTestString
}
},
cAction: "http://soapinterop.org/",
oAuthenticate: oAuthenticator
});

response
6.0

F

Initiates a remote procedure call (RPC) or sends an XML message to a SOAP HTTP endpoint without
waiting for a reply.
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 8.0, this method is deprecated, new services should use
Net.SOAP.response, see page 545.

Parameters
cURL

The URL for a SOAP HTTP endpoint. The URL method must be one of these:
http — Connect to a server at a URI on a port. For example,

http://serverName:portNumber/URI
https — Connect to a secured (SSL) server at a URI on a port.

For example, https://serverName:portNumber/URI
See the cURL parameter of SOAP.request.
oRequest

An object that specifies the remote procedure name and parameters or the XML
message to send.
See the oRequest parameter of SOAP.request.

cAction

(optional) The SOAP Action header for this request as specified by the SOAP
Specification.
The default is for the SOAP Action to be empty.
See the cAction parameter of SOAP.request.

bEncoded

(optional) A Boolean value specifying whether the request was encoded using
the SOAP Encoding described in the SOAP Specification. The default is true.

cNamespace

(optional) A namespace for the message schema when the request does not use
the SOAP Encoding (the bEncoded flag is false).
The default is to have no namespace.

oReqHeader

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) An object that specifies a SOAP header to be included with
the request.
The default is to send a request with only a SOAP Body.
See the oReqHeader parameter of der SOAP.request.

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cVersion

streamDecode

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(optional, Acrobat 7.0) The version of the SOAP protocol to use.
The default is to use “SOAPVersion.version_1_1”.
See the cVersion parameter of SOAP.request.

oAuthenticate

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) An object that specifies the type of authentication scheme
to use and to provide credentials.
The default is for an interactive UI to be displayed if HTTP authentication is
encountered.
See the oAuthenticate parameter of SOAP.request.

cRequestStyle

(optional, Acrobat 7.0.5) Same as cRequestStyle for SOAP.request, except
that there is no response from the server.

cContentType

(optional, Acrobat 7.0.5) Same as cContentType for SOAP.request, except
that there is no response from the server.

Returns
Boolean

Exceptions
If there is a problem at the networking level, such as an unavailable endpoint, a NetworkError will be
thrown.

Example
See the “Example 1” on page 670.

streamDecode
6.0
Allows the oStream object to be decoded with the specified encoding type, cEncoder. It returns a
decoded ReadStream object. Typically, it is used to access data returned as part of a SOAP method that
was encoded in Base64 or hex encoding.
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 8.0, this method is deprecated, new services should use
Net.streamDecode, see page 547.

Parameters
oStream

A stream object to be decoded with the specified encoding type.

cEncoder

Permissible values for this string are “hex” (hex-encoded) and “base64” (Base
64-encoded).

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streamDigest

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Returns
ReadStream object

streamDigest
7.0
Allows the oStream object to be digested with the specified encoding type, cEncoder. It returns a
ReadStream object containing the computed digest of the oStream. Typically, this is used to compute a
digest to validate the integrity of the original data stream or as part of an authentication scheme for a web
service.
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 8.0, this method is deprecated, new services should use
Net.streamDigest, see page 547.

Parameters
oStream

A stream object to compute the digest of, using the specified message digest
algorithm.

cEncoder

The digest algorithm to use. The cEncoder parameter must be one of the following
values:
StreamDigest.MD5 — Digest the content using the MD5 Digest Algorithm (see

RFC 1321).
StreamDigest.SHA1 — Digest the content using the SHA-1 Digest Algorithm

(see RFC 3174).

Returns
A ReadStream object with the binary digest of the stream. To be used as a string, the result must be
converted to a text format such as Base64 or hex using SOAP.streamEncode.

Example
Digest a string by first converting it to a stream, then calling streamDigest.
var srcStm = SOAP.streamFromString("This is a string I want to digest");
var digest = SOAP.streamDigest(srcStm, StreamDigest.SHA1);

streamEncode
6.0
This function encodes a stream object. Typically, it is used to pass data as part of a SOAP method when it
must be encoded in Base 64 or hex encoding.
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 8.0, this method is deprecated, new services should use
Net.streamEncode, see page 547.

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streamFromString

675

Parameters
oStream

A stream object to be encoded with the specified encoding type.

cEncoder

A string specifying the encoding type. Permissible values are “hex” (for hex-encoded)
and “base64” (base 64-encoded).

Returns
A ReadStream object that has the appropriate encoding applied.

streamFromString
6.0
This function converts a string to a ReadStream object. Typically, this is used to pass data as part of a
SOAP method.

Parameters
cString

The string to be converted.

Returns
ReadStream object

stringFromStream
6.0
This function converts a ReadStream object to a string. Typically, this is used to examine the contents of a
stream object returned as part of a response to a SOAP method.

Parameters
oStream

Returns
String

The ReadStream object to be converted.

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Sound

Sound
5.0
This object represents a sound that is stored in the document. The array of all Sound objects can be
obtained from the Doc sounds property. See also Doc methods getSound, importSound, and
deleteSound.

Sound properties
name
The name associated with this Sound object.

Type
String

Access
R

Example
Write the names to the console of all embedded sounds in the current document.
console.println("Dumping all sound objects in this document.");
var s = this.sounds;
for (var i = 0; i < this.sounds.length; i++)
console.println("Sound[" + i + "]=" + s[i].name);

Sound methods
pause
Pauses the currently playing sound. If the sound is already paused, the sound play is resumed.

play
Plays the sound asynchronously.

stop
Stops the currently playing sound.

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Span

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Span
6.0
A generic object that represents a length of text and its associated properties in a rich text form field or
annotation. A rich text value consists of an array of span objects representing the text and formatting.
Note: Span objects are a copy of the rich text value of the field or annotation. To modify and reset the rich
text value to update the field, use the Field object richValue property, or the Annotation object
property richContents, and the event object properties richValue, richChange, and
richChangeEx.

Span properties
alignment
The horizontal alignment of the text. Alignment for a line of text is determined by the first span on the line.
The values of alignment are
left
center
right

The default value is left.

Type
String

Access
R/W

Example
The example following superscript uses alignment.

fontFamily
The font family used to draw the text. It is an array of family names to be searched for in order. The first
entry in the array is the font name of the font to use. The second entry is an optional generic family name
to use if an exact match of the first font is not found. The generic family names are
symbol, serif, sans-serif, cursive, monospace, fantasy

The default generic family name is sans-serif.

Type
Array

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JavaScript API
fontStretch

Access
R/W

Example
Set the defaultStyle font family for a rich text field.
f = this.getField("Text1");
style = f.defaultStyle;
// If Courier Std is not found on the user’s system, use a monospace font
style.fontFamily = ["Courier Std", "monospace" ];
f.defaultStyle = style;

fontStretch
Specifies the normal, condensed or extended face from a font family to be used to draw the text. The
values of fontStretch are
ultra-condensed, extra-condensed, condensed, semi-condensed, normal,
semi-expanded, expanded, extra-expanded, ultra-expanded

The default value is normal.

Type
String

Access
R/W

fontStyle
Specifies the text is drawn with an italic or oblique font.
italic
normal

The default is normal.

Type
String

Access
R/W

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fontWeight

679

fontWeight
The weight of the font used to draw the text. For the purposes of comparison, normal is anything under
700 and bold is greater than or equal to 700. The values of fontWeight are
100,200,300,400,500,600,700,800,900

The default value is 400.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

strikethrough
If strikethrough is true, the text is drawn with a strikethrough. The default is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

subscript
Specifies the text is subscript. If true, subscript text is drawn with a reduced point size and a lowered
baseline. The default is false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

superscript
Specifies the text is superscript. If true, superscript text is drawn with a reduced point size and a raised
baseline. The default is false.

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Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

Example
Write rich text to a rich text field using various properties. See the Field object richValue property for
more details and examples.
var f = this.getField("myRichField");
// Create an array to hold the Span objects
var spans = new Array();
// Each Span object is an object, so we must create one
spans[0] = new Object();
spans[0].alignment = "center";
spans[0].text = "The answer is x";
spans[1] = new Object();
spans[1].text = "2/3";
spans[1].superscript = true;
spans[2] = new Object();
spans[2].superscript = false;
spans[2].text = ". ";
spans[3] = new Object();
spans[3].underline = true;
spans[3].text = "Did you get it right?";
spans[3].fontStyle = "italic";
spans[3].textColor = color.red;
// Now assign our array of Span objects to the field using
// field.richValue
f.richValue = spans;

text
The text within the span.

Type
String

Access
R/W

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textColor

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Example
The example following superscript uses text.

textColor
A color array representing the RGB color to be used to draw the text (see the color object). The default
color is black.

Type
Color Array

Access
R/W

Example
The example following superscript uses textColor.

textSize
The point size of the text. The value of textSize can be any number between 0 and 32767, inclusive. A
text size of zero means to use the largest point size that will allow all text data to fit in the field’s rectangle.
The default text size is 12.0.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

Example
The example following the Field object richValue property uses textSize.

underline
If underline is true, the text is underlined. The default is false.

Type
Boolean

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Access
R/W

Example
The example following superscript uses underline.

JavaScript API
underline

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JavaScript API
spell

683

spell
This object allows users to check the spelling of Comments and Form Fields and other spelling domains. To
be able to use the spell object, the user must have installed the Acrobat Spelling plug-in and the spelling
dictionaries.
Note: The spell object is not available in versions of Adobe Reader prior to 7.0. In Adobe Reader 7.0, all
properties and methods—with the exception of customDictionaryCreate,
customDictionaryDelete and customDictionaryExport—are accessible.

spell properties
available
5.0
true if the spell object is available.

Note: For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

Example
console.println("Spell checking available: " + spell.available);

dictionaryNames
5.0
An array of available dictionary names. A subset of this array can be passed to check, checkText, and
checkWord, and to spellDictionaryOrder to force the use of a specific dictionary or dictionaries and
the order they should be searched.
A listing of valid dictionary names for the user’s installation can be obtained by executing
spell.dictionaryNames from the console.
Note: For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.

Type
Array

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JavaScript API
dictionaryOrder

Access
R

dictionaryOrder
5.0
The dictionary array search order specified by the user on the Spelling Preferences panel. The Spelling
plug-in will search for words first in the Doc spellDictionaryOrder array if it has been set for the
document, followed by this array of dictionaries.
Note: For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.

Type
Array

Access
R

domainNames
5.0
The array of spelling domains that have been registered with the Spelling plug-in by other plug-ins. A
subset of this array can be passed to check to limit the scope of the spell check.
Depending on the user's installation, valid domains can include:
Everything
Form Field
All Form Fields
Comment
All Comments

Note: For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.

Type
Array

Access
R

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languages

685

languages
6.0
This property returns the array of available ISO 639-2/3166-1 language/country codes. A subset of this
array can be passed to the check, checkText, checkWord, and customDictionaryCreate methods,
and to the Doc spellLanguageOrder property to force the use of a specific language or languages and
the order they should be searched.
Note: For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.
Depending on the user’s installation, valid language/country codes can include codes from the following
list.
Code

Description

ca_ES

Catalan

cs_CZ

Czech

da_DK

Danish

nl_NL

Dutch

en_CA

English – Canadian

en_GB

English – UK

en_US

English – US

fi_FI

Finnish

fr_CA

French – Canadian

fr_FR

French

de_DE

German

de_CH

German – Swiss

el_GR

Greek

hu_HU

Hungarian

it_IT

Italian

nb_NO

Norwegian – Bokmal

nn_NO

Norwegian – Nynorsk

pl_PL

Polish

pt_BR

Portuguese – Brazil

pt_PT

Portuguese

ru_RU

Russian

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JavaScript API

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

languageOrder

Code

Description

es_ES

Spanish

sv_SE

Swedish

tr_TR

Turkish

686

Note: In Acrobat 7.0, the entries in this array are different from the entries returned in Acrobat 6.0. On
input from JavaScript, the Acrobat 6.0 ISO codes are internally mapped onto the new ISO codes in
order not to break any JavaScript code developed for Acrobat 6.0. Codes are not translated on
output.

Type
Array

Access
R

Example
List all available language codes.
console.println( spell.languages.toSource() );

languageOrder
6.0
The dictionary search order as an array of ISO 639-2, 3166 language codes. It is the order specified by the
user on the Spelling Preferences panel. The Spelling plug-in searches for words first in the Doc
spellLanguageOrder array if it has been set for the document, followed by this array of languages.
Note: For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.

Type
Array

Access
R

Example
Get a listing of the dictionary search order.
console.println( spell.languageOrder.toSource() );

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addDictionary

687

spell methods
addDictionary
X

P

X

Note: Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, this method is no longer supported and always returns false. Use the
customDictionaryOpen method instead.
Adds a dictionary to the list of available dictionaries.
A dictionary actually consists of four files: DDDxxxxx.hyp, DDDxxxxx.lex, DDDxxxxx.clx, and
DDDxxxxx.env. The cFile parameter must be the device-independent path of the .hyp file, for
example, "/c/temp/testdict/TST.hyp". The Spelling plug-in will look in the parent directory of the
TST.hyp file for the other three files. All four file names must start with the same unique 3 characters to
associate them with each other, and they must end with the dot three extensions listed above, even in Mac
OS.

Parameters
cFile

The device-independent path to the dictionary files.

cName

The dictionary name used in the spelling dialog box. It can be used as the input
parameter to the check, checkText, and checkWord methods.

bShow

(optional) If true (the default), the cName value is combined with “User: ” that name
is shown in all lists and menus. For example, if cName is “Test”, “User: Test” is added to
all lists and menus.
If false, this custom dictionary is not shown in any lists or menus.

Returns
false

addWord
5.0

P

S

Adds a new word to a dictionary. See also the removeWord.
Note: Beginning with Acrobat 7.0, this method is allowed only during a console or batch event. See
“Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for details.
Internally, the spell object scans the user “Not-A-Word” dictionary and removes the word if it is
listed there. Otherwise, the word is added to the user dictionary. The actual dictionary is not
modified.
For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.

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check

688

Parameters
cWord

The new word to add.

cName

(optional) The dictionary name or language code. An array of the currently installed
dictionaries can be obtained using dictionaryNames or languages.

Returns
true if successful, otherwise, false.

check
5.0
Presents the Spelling dialog box to allow the user to correct misspelled words in form fields, annotations,
or other objects.
Note: For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.

Parameters
aDomain

(optional) An array of Doc that should be checked by the Spelling plug-in, for
example, form fields or comments. When you do not supply an array of domains, the
“EveryThing” domain will be used. An array of the domains that have been registered
can be obtained using the domainNames property.

aDictionary

(optional) The array of dictionary names or language codes that the spell checker
should use. The order of the dictionaries in the array is the order the spell checker will
use to check for misspelled words. An array of the currently installed dictionaries can
be obtained using spell.dictionaryNames or spell.languages. When this
parameter is omitted, the spellDictionaryOrder list will be searched followed
by the dictionaryOrder list.

Returns
true if the user changed or ignored all the flagged words. When the user dismisses the dialog box before
checking everything, the method returns false.

Example
Set the dictionaries, then spell check the comments and form fields of the current document. Reports back
to the console.
var dictionaries = ["de", "French", "en-GB"];
var domains = ["All Form Fields", "All Annotations"];
if (spell.check(domains, dictionaries) )
console.println("You get an A for spelling.");
else
console.println("Please spell check this form before you submit.");

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checkText

689

checkText
5.0
Presents the spelling dialog box to allow the user to correct misspelled words in the specified string.
Note: For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.

Parameters
cText

The string to check.

aDictionary

(optional) The array of dictionary names or language codes that the spell checker
should use. The order of the dictionaries in the array is the order the spell checker will
use to check for misspelled words. An array of installed dictionaries can be obtained
using spell.dictionaryNames or spell.languages. When this parameter is
omitted, the spellDictionaryOrder list will be searched followed by the
dictionaryOrder list.

Returns
The result from the spelling dialog box in a new string.

Example
Spell check a particular field, and update the spelling in the field.
var f = this.getField("Text Box")
// A form text box
f.value = spell.checkText(f.value); // Let the user pick the dictionary

checkWord
5.0
Checks the spelling of a specified word.
Note: For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.

Parameters
cWord

The word to check.

aDictionary

(optional) The array of dictionary names or language codes that the spell checker
should use, to check for misspelled words. The spell checker uses the dictionaries in
the order they appear in the array. An array of installed dictionaries can be obtained
using spell.dictionaryNames or spell.languages. If this parameter is
omitted, the spellDictionaryOrder list is searched, followed by the
dictionaryOrder list.

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customDictionaryClose

690

Returns
A null object if the word is correct, otherwise an array of alternative spellings for the unknown word.

Example 1
Insert the array of suggested alternative spellings into a list box.
var word = "subpinna"; /* misspelling of "subpoena" */
var dictionaries = ["English"];
var f = this.getField("Alternatives") // Alternative spellings list box
f.clearItems();
f.setItems(spell.checkWord(word, dictionaries));

Example 2
The following script marks misspelled words in the document with a squiggle annotation whose contents
are the suggested alternative spellings. The script can be executed from the console, as a mouse-up action
within the document, a menu, or as a batch sequence.
var ckWord, numWords;
for (var i = 0; i < this.numPages; i++ )
{
numWords = this.getPageNumWords(i);
for (var j = 0; j < numWords; j++)
{
ckWord = spell.checkWord(this.getPageNthWord(i, j))
if ( ckWord != null )
{
this.addAnnot({
page: i,
type: "Squiggly",
quads: this.getPageNthWordQuads(i, j),
author: "A. C. Acrobat",
contents: ckWord.toString()
});
}
}
}

customDictionaryClose
6.0
Closes a custom dictionary that was opened using customDictionaryOpen or
customDictionaryCreate.
Note: For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.

Parameters
cName

Dictionary name used when this dictionary was opened or created.

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customDictionaryCreate

691

Returns
true if successful, false on failure.

customDictionaryCreate
6.0

S

X

Use this method to create a new custom dictionary file and add it to the list of available dictionaries.
Note: This method is allowed only during a console or batch event. See “Privileged versus non-privileged
context” on page 32 for details.

Parameters
cName

Dictionary name used in the spelling dialog box. It can be used as the input
parameter to check, checkText, and checkWord methods.

cLanguage

(optional) Use this parameter to associate this dictionary with a language. A list of
available languages can be obtained from the spell.languages property.

bShow

(optional) If true (the default), the cName parameter is combined with “User: ” and
shown that name in all lists and menus. For Example, if cName is “Test”, “User: Test” is
added to all lists and menus. When bShow is false, this custom dictionary is not
shown in any lists or menus.

Returns
true if successful, false on failure. This method will fail if the user does not have read and write

permission to this directory.

Example
Open this document, the JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference, in Acrobat and execute the following script
in the console. This script extracts the first word of each bookmark. If that word is already in a dictionary, it
is discarded. An unknown word—assumed to be the name of a JavaScript object, property or method—is
added into a newly created dictionary called “JavaScript”.
spell.customDictionaryCreate("JavaScript", "en", true);
function GetJSTerms(bm, nLevel)
{
var newWord = bm.name.match(re);
var ckWord = spell.checkWord( newWord[0] );
if ( ckWord != null )
{
var cWord = spell.addWord( newWord[0], "JavaScript");
if ( cWord ) console.println( newWord[0] );
}
if (bm.children != null)
for (var i = 0; i < bm.children.length; i++)
GetJSTerms(bm.children[i], nLevel + 1);
}

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customDictionaryDelete

692

console.println("\nAdding New words to the \"JavaScript\" "
+ "dictionary:");
var re = /^\w+/;
GetJSTerms(this.bookmarkRoot, 0);

customDictionaryDelete
6.0

S

X

Use this method to close and delete a custom dictionary file that was opened by
customDictionaryOpen or customDictionaryCreate.
Note: This method is allowed only during a console or batch event. See “Privileged versus non-privileged
context” on page 32 for details.

Parameters
The name of the dictionary to be deleted. This is the name used when this dictionary
was opened or created.

cName

Returns
true if successful, false on failure. This method will fail if the user does not have sufficient file system

permission.

Example
Delete a custom dictionary.
spell.customDictionaryDelete("JavaScript");

customDictionaryExport
6.0

S

X

Exports a custom dictionary to a new file that was opened using the spell methods
customDictionaryOpen or customDictionaryCreate.
The user is prompted for an export directory, where the custom dictionary is saved as a .clam file using
the dictionary name and language specified in customDictionaryCreate. For example, if the
dictionary name is “JavaScript” and the "en" language as specified when it was created, the export file
name will be JavaScript-eng.clam.
Exported custom dictionaries can be used in subsequent customDictionaryOpen calls.
Note: This method is allowed only during a console or batch event. See “Privileged versus non-privileged
context” on page 32 for details.

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customDictionaryOpen

693

Parameters
cName

The dictionary name used when this dictionary was opened or created.

Returns
true if successful, false on failure. This method will fail if the user does not have sufficient file system

permission.

Example
Export a custom dictionary, which can then be sent to other users. (See the example that follows
customDictionaryCreate.)
spell.customDictionaryExport("JavaScript");

customDictionaryOpen
6.0
Adds a custom export dictionary to the list of available dictionaries. See customDictionaryExport.
Note: A custom dictionary file can be created using the customDictionaryCreate and
customDictionaryExport methods.
For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.

Parameters
cDIPath

The device-independent path to the custom dictionary file.

cName

Dictionary name used in the spelling dialog box. It can be used as the input
parameter to check, checkText, and checkWord methods.

bShow

(optional) If true, the default, the cName parameter is combined with “User: ” and
that name is shown in all lists and menus. For example, if cName is “Test”, add “User:
Test” is added to all lists and menus. When bShow is false, this custom dictionary is
not shown in any lists or menus.

Returns
true if successful, false on failure. This method fails if the user does not have read permission for the file.

Example
This example continues the ones following customDictionaryCreate and
customDictionaryExport. It adds a custom export dictionary to the list of available dictionaries.
The user places the custom export dictionary in any folder for which there is read/write permission. A
particular choice is the user dictionaries folder, whose location of can be obtained from the
app.getPath method.
app.getPath("user", "dictionaries");

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ignoreAll

694

After the export dictionary has been placed, listing it can be made automatic by adding some folder-level
JavaScript. The path to the user JavaScripts folder can be obtained by executing
app.getPath("user", "javascript");

Finally, create a .js file in this folder and add the line
var myDictionaries = app.getPath("user", "dictionaries");
spell.customDictionaryOpen( myDictionaries, "JavaScripts", true);

The next time Acrobat is started, the "JavaScript" dictionary will be open and available.

ignoreAll
6.0
Adds or removes a word from the Spelling ignored-words list of the current document.
Note: For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.

Parameters
cWord

The word to be added or removed from the ignored list.

bIgnore

(optional) If true (the default), the word is added to the document ignored word list;
if false, the word is removed from the ignored list.

Returns
true if successful. This method throws an exception if no document is open.

Example
var bIgnored = spell.ignoreAll("foo");
if (bIgnored) console.println("\"foo\" will be ignored);

removeDictionary
X

P

X

Note: Beginning with Acrobat 6.0, this method is no longer supported. The return value of this method is
always false. Use the customDictionaryClose method.
Removes a user dictionary that was added with addDictionary.

Parameters
cName

The name of the dictionary to remove. Must be the same name as was used with
addDictionary.

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removeWord

695

Returns
false

removeWord
P

5.0

S

Removes a word from a dictionary. Words cannot be removed from user dictionaries that were created
using either customDictionaryCreate or customDictionaryExport.
See also addWord.
Note: Internally, the spell object scans the user dictionary and removes the previously added word if it is
there. Otherwise, the word is added to the user’s “Not-A-Word” dictionary. The actual dictionary is
not modified.
For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.
As of Acrobat 8.1, this method is only permitted to execute through the console or in a batch
process.

Parameters
cWord

The word to remove.

cName

(optional) The dictionary name or language code. An array of installed dictionaries
can be obtained using dictionaryNames or languages.

Returns
true if successful, false otherwise

userWords
5.0
Gets the array of words a user has added to, or removed from, a dictionary. See also addWord and
checkWord.
Note: For Adobe Reader, this property is available only for version 7.0 or later.

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userWords

696

Parameters
cName

(optional) The dictionary name or language code. An array of installed dictionaries
can be obtained using dictionaryNames or languages. If cName is not specified,
the default dictionary is used. The default dictionary is the first dictionary specified in
the Spelling preferences dialog box.

bAdded

(optional) If true, return the user’s array of added words. If false, return the user’s
array of removed words. The default is true.

Returns
The user’s array of added or removed words.

Example
List the words added to the “JavaScript” dictionary. (See the example that follows the description of
customDictionaryCreate.)
var aUserWords = spell.userWords({cName: "JavaScript"});
aUserWords.toSource();

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Statement

697

Statement
5.0

X

This object is used to execute SQL updates and queries and retrieve the results of these operations. To
create a Statement object, use connection.newStatement.
See also:
●

Connection object

●

ADBC object

●

Column object, ColumnInfo object, Row object, TableInfo object

Statement properties
columnCount
The number of columns in each row of results returned by a query. It is undefined in the case of an update
operation.

Type
Number

Access
R

rowCount
The number of rows affected by an update. It is not the number of rows returned by a query. Its value is
undefined in the context of a query.

Type
Number

Access
R

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execute

698

Statement methods
execute
Executes an SQL statement through the context of the Statement object. On failure, execute throws an
exception.
Note: There is no guarantee that a client can do anything on a statement if an execute has neither failed
nor returned all of its data.

Parameters
cSQL

The SQL statement to execute.

Example
Script to demonstrate various techniques for using the execute method.
Select all fields from the ClientData database.
statement.execute("Select * from ClientData");

If the name of the database table or column contains spaces, they must be enclosed in escaped quotes.
For example:
var execStr1 = "Select firstname, lastname, ssn from \"Employee Info\"";
var execStr2 = "Select \"First Name\" from \"Client Data\"";
statement.execute(execStr1);
statement.execute(execStr2);

A cleaner solution is to enclose the whole SQL string with single quotes, so that table and column names
can be enclosed with double quotes:
var execStr3 = 'Select "First Name","Second Name" from "Client Data" ';
statement.execute(execStr3);

See getRow and nextRow for extensive examples.

getColumn
Obtains a Column object representing the data in the specified column.
Note: After a column is retrieved with one of these methods, future calls attempting to retrieve the same
column may fail.

Parameters
nColumn

The column from which to get the data. It may be a column number or a string
containing the name of the column (see the ColumnInfo object).

nDesiredType

(optional) Which of the ADBC JavaScript Types best represents the data in the
column.

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getColumnArray

699

Returns
A Column object representing the data in the specified column, or null on failure.

getColumnArray
Obtains an array of Column objects, one for each column in the result set. A best guess is used to decide
which of the ADBC JavaScript Types best represents the data in the column.
Note: Once a column is retrieved with one of these methods, future calls attempting to retrieve the same
column may fail.

Returns
An array of Column objects, or null on failure, as well as a zero-length array.

getRow
Obtains a Row object representing the current row. This object contains information from each column. As
for getColumnArray, column data is captured in the “best guess” format.
A call to nextRow should precede a call to getRow. Calling getRow twice, without an intervening call to
nextRow, returns null for the second getRow call.

Returns
A Row object.

Example 1
Every Row object contains a property for each column in a row of data. Consider the following example:
var execStr = "SELECT firstname, lastname, ssn FROM \"Employee Info\"";
statement.execute(execStr);
statement.nextRow();
row = statement.getRow();
console.println("The first name of the first person retrieved is: "
+ row.firstname.value);
console.println("The last name of the first person retrieved is: "
+ row.lastname.value);
console.println("The SSN of the first person retrieved is: "
+ row.ssn.value);

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nextRow

700

Example 2
If the column name contains spaces, the above syntax for accessing the row properties (for example,
row.firstname.value) does not work. Alternatively,
Connect = ADBC.newConnection("Test Database");
statement = Connect.newStatement();
var execStr = 'Select "First Name","Second Name"
statement.execute(execStr);
statement.nextRow();

from "Client Data" ';

// Populate this PDF file
this.getField("name.first").value = row["First Name"].value;
this.getField("name.last").value = row["Second Name"].value;

nextRow
Obtains data about the next row of data generated by a previously executed query. This must be called
following a call to execute to acquire the first row of results.

Returns
Nothing. Throws an exception on failure (if, for example, there is no next row).

Example
The following example is a rough outline of how to create a series of buttons and document-level
JavaScripts to browse a database and populate a PDF form.
For the getNextRow button, defined below, the nextRow method is used to retrieve the next row from
the database, unless there is an exception thrown (indicating that there is no next row), in which case, we
reconnect to the database and use nextRow to retrieve the first row of data (again).
/* Button Script */
// getConnected button
if (getConnected())
populateForm(statement.getRow());
// a getNextRow button
try {
statement.nextRow();
}catch(e){
getConnected();
}
var row = statement.getRow();
populateForm(row);
/* Document-level JavaScript */
// getConnected() Doc Level JS
function getConnected()
{
try {
ConnectADBCdemo = ADBC.newConnection("ADBCdemo");
if (ConnectADBCdemo == null)

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nextRow

throw "Could not connect";
statement = ConnectADBCdemo.newStatement();
if (statement == null)
throw "Could not execute newStatement";
if (statement.execute("Select * from ClientData"))
throw "Could not execute the requested SQL";
if (statement.nextRow())
throw "Could not obtain next row";
return true;
} catch(e) {
app.alert(e);
return false;
}
}
// populateForm()
/* Maps the row data from the database, to a corresponding text field
in the PDF file. */
function populateForm(row)
{
this.getField("firstname").value = row.FirstName.value;
this.getField("lastname").value = row.LastName.value;
this.getField("address").value = row.Address.value;
this.getField("city").value = row.City.value;
this.getField("state").value = row.State.value;
this.getField("zip").value = row.Zipcode.value;
this.getField("telephone").value = row.Telephone.value;
this.getField("income").value = row.Income.value;
}

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TableInfo

702

TableInfo
This generic JavaScript object contains basic information about a table. It is returned by
connection.getTableList and contains the following properties.
Property

Type

Access

Description

name

String

R

The identifying name of a table. This string can be used in SQL
statements to identify the table that the TableInfo object is
associated with.

description

String

R

A string that contains database-dependent information
about the table.

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Template

703

Template
Template objects are named pages within the document. These pages may be hidden or visible and can
be copied or spawned. They are typically used to dynamically create content (for example, to add pages to
an invoice on overflow).
See also the Doc templates property, and createTemplate, getTemplate, and removeTemplate
methods.

Template properties
hidden
5.0

D

X

Determines whether the template is hidden. Hidden templates cannot be seen by the user until they are
spawned or are made visible. When an invisible template is made visible, it is appended to the document.
This property behaves as follows in Adobe Reader:
●

Setting this property in versions of Adobe Reader earlier than 5.1 generates an exception.

●

For Adobe Reader 5.1 and 6.0, setting this property depends on Advanced Forms Feature document
rights.

●

For Adobe Reader 7.0, this property cannot be set under any circumstances.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

name
5.0
The name of the template that was supplied when the template was created.

Type
String

Access
R

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spawn

704

Template methods
spawn
5.0

D

F

Creates a new page in the document based on the template.

Parameters
nPage

(optional) The 0-based index of the page number after which or on which the new
page will be created, depending on the value of bOverlay. The default is 0.

bRename

(optional) Specifies whether form fields on the page should be renamed. The default
is true.

bOverlay

(optional) If true (the default), the template is overlaid on the specified page. If
false, it is inserted as a new page before the specified page.
To append a page to the document, set bOverlay to false and set nPage to the
number of pages in the document.
Note: For certified documents or documents with “Advanced Form Features rights”),
the bOverlay parameter is disabled. A template cannot be overlaid for these
types of documents.

oXObject

(optional, Acrobat 6.0) The value of this parameter is the return value of an earlier call
to spawn.

Returns
Prior to Acrobat 6.0, this method returned nothing. Now, spawn returns an object representing the page
contents of the page spawned. This return object can then be used as the value of the optional parameter
oXObject for subsequent calls to spawn.
Note: Repeatedly spawning the same page can cause a large increase in the file size. To avoid this
problem, spawn now returns an object that represents the page contents of the spawned page.
This return value can be used as the value of the oXObject parameter in subsequent calls to the
spawn method to spawn the same page.

Example 1
Spawn all templates and appends them one by one to the end of the document.
var a = this.templates;
for (i = 0; i < a.length; i++)
a[i].spawn(this.numPages, false, false);

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spawn

705

Example 2 (Acrobat 6.0)
Spawn the same template 31 times using the oXObject parameter and return value. Using this technique
avoids overly inflating the file size.
var
var
var
for

t = this.templates;
T = t[0];
XO = T.spawn(this.numPages, false, false);
(var i=0; i<30; i++) T.spawn(this.numPages, false, false, XO);

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JavaScript API
Thermometer

Thermometer
6.0
This object is a combined status window and progress bar that indicates to the user that a lengthy
operation is in progress. To acquire a Thermometer object, use app.thermometer.

Example
This example shows how to use all properties and methods of the Thermometer object.
var t = app.thermometer;
// Acquire a thermometer object
t.duration = this.numPages;
t.begin();
for ( var i = 0; i < this.numPages; i++)
{
t.value = i;
t.text = "Processing page " + (i + 1);
if (t.cancelled) break;
// Break if the operation is cancelled
... process the page ...
}
t.end();

Thermometer properties
cancelled
Specifies whether the user wants to cancel the current operation. The user can indicate the desire to
terminate the operation by pressing the Esc key on the Windows and UNIX platforms and
Command-period on the Mac OS platform.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

706

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duration

707

duration
Sets the value that corresponds to a full thermometer display. The thermometer is subsequently filled in
by setting its value. The default duration is 100.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

text
Sets the text string that is displayed by the thermometer.

Type
String

Access
R/W

value
Sets the current value of the thermometer and updates the display. The value can range from 0 (empty) to
the value set in duration. For example, if the thermometer’s duration is 10, the current value must be
between 0 and 10, inclusive. If the value is less than zero, it is set to zero. If the value is greater than
duration, it is set to duration.

Type
Number

Access
R/W

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begin

708

Thermometer methods
begin
Initializes the thermometer and displays it with the current value as a percentage of the duration.

Example
Count the words on each page of the current document, report the running total, and use the
thermometer to track progress.
var t = app.thermometer; // acquire a thermometer object
t.duration = this.numPages;
t.begin();
var cnt=0;
for ( var i = 0; i < this.numPages; i++)
{
t.value = i;
t.text = "Processing page " + (i + 1);
cnt += getPageNumWords(i);
console.println("There are " + cnt + "words in this doc.");
if (t.cancelled) break;
}
t.end();

end
Draws the thermometer with its current value set to the thermometer’s duration (a full thermometer), then
removes the thermometer from the display.

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this

709

this
In JavaScript, the special keyword this refers to the current object. In Acrobat, the current object is
defined as follows:
●

In an object method, it is the object to which the method belongs.

●

In a constructor function, it is the object being constructed.

●

In a document-level script or field-level script, it is the Doc and therefore can be used to set or get
document properties and functions.

●

In a function defined in one of the folder-level JavaScripts files, it is undefined. Calling functions should
pass the Doc to any function at this level that needs it.

For example, assume that the following function was defined at the plug-in folder level:
function PrintPageNum(doc)
{ /* Print the current page number to the console. */
console.println("Page = " + doc.pageNum);
}

The following script outputs the current page number to the console twice and then prints the page:
/* Must pass the Doc. */
PrintPageNum(this);
/* Same as the previous call. */
console.println("Page = " + this.pageNum);
/* Prints the current page. */
this.print(false, this.pageNum, this.pageNum);

Variables and functions that are defined in scripts are parented off of the this object. For example:
var f = this.getField("Hello");

is equivalent to
this.f = this.getField("Hello");

with the exception that the variable f can be garbage collected at any time after the script is run.

Variable and function name conflicts
JavaScript programmers should avoid using property and method names from the Doc as variable names.
Using method names after the reserved word var will throw an exception, as the following line shows:
var getField = 1; // TypeError: redeclaration of function getField

Use of property names will not throw an exception, but the value of the property may not be altered if the
property refers to an object:
// "title" will return "1", but the document will now be named "1".
var title = 1;
// Property not altered, info still an object
var info = 1; // "info" will return [object Info]

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The following is an example of avoiding variable name clash.
var f = this.getField("mySignature"); // uses the ppklite sig handler
// Use "Info" rather than "info" to avoid a clash
var Info = f.signatureInfo();
// Some standard signatureInfo properties
console.println("name = " + Info.name);

this

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JavaScript API
TTS

711

TTS
4.05
The JavaScript TTS object allows users to transform text into speech. To be able to use the TTS object, the
user’s computer must have a Text-To-Speech engine installed on it. The Text-To-Speech engine will render
text as digital audio and then speak it. It has been implemented mostly with accessibility in mind but can
potentially have many other applications.
This object is currently a Windows-only feature and requires that the Microsoft Text-to-Speech engine be
installed in the operating system.
The TTS object is present on both the Windows and Mac OS platforms (since it is a JavaScript object).
However, it is disabled on Mac OS.
Note: Acrobat 5.0 has taken a very different approach to providing accessibility for disabled users by
integrating directly with popular screen readers. Therefore, some of the screen reading features
defined in 4.05 using the TTS object have been removed in 5.0 because they conflict with the screen
reader. The TTS object remains, however, because it still has useful functionality in its own right that
might be popular for multimedia documents.

TTS properties
available
true if the TTS object is available and the Text-To-Speech engine can be used.

Type
Boolean

Access
R

Example
console.println("Text to speech available: " + tts.available);

numSpeakers
The number of speakers available to the Text-To-Speech engine. See also the speaker property and the
getNthSpeakerName method.

Type
Integer

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JavaScript API
pitch

712

Access
R

pitch
Sets the baseline pitch for the voice of a speaker. The valid range for pitch is from 0 to 10, with 5 being the
default for the mode.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

soundCues
X
Deprecated. Returns false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

speaker
Allows users to specify different speakers with different tone qualities when performing text-to-speech.
See also the numSpeakers property and the getNthSpeakerName method.

Type
String

Access
R/W

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JavaScript API
speechCues

713

speechCues
X
Deprecated. Returns false.

Type
Boolean

Access
R/W

speechRate
Sets the speed at which text will be spoken by the Text-To-Speech engine. The value for speechRate is
expressed in number of words per minute.

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

volume
Sets the volume for the speech. Valid values are 0 (mute) to 10 (loudest).

Type
Integer

Access
R/W

TTS methods
getNthSpeakerName
Gets the nth speaker name in the Text-To-Speech engine (see also the numSpeakers and speaker
properties).

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pause

714

Parameters
nIndex

The index of the desired speaker name.

Returns
The name of the specified speaker.

Example
Enumerate through all of the speakers available.
for (var i = 0; i < tts.numSpeakers; i++) {
var cSpeaker = tts.getNthSpeakerName(i);
console.println("Speaker[" + i + "] = " + cSpeaker);
tts.speaker = cSpeaker;
tts.qText ("Hello");
tts.talk();
}

pause
Immediately pauses text-to-speech output on a TTS object. Playback of the remaining queued text can be
resumed by calling resume.

qSilence
Queues a period of silence into the text.

Parameters
nDuration

The amount of silence in milliseconds.

qSound
Puts the specified sound into the queue to be performed by talk. It accepts one parameter, cSound,
from a list of possible sound cue names. These names map directly to sound files stored in the SoundCues
folder, if it exists.
tts.qSound("DocPrint");

// Plays DocPrint.wav

The SoundCues folder should exist at the program level for the viewer, for example, C:\Program
Files\Adobe\Acrobat 5.0\SoundCues.

Note: Windows only—qSound can handle only 22 KHz,16-bit PCM .wav files. These should be at least 1
second long to avoid a queue delay problem in MS SAPI. If the sound lasts less than 1 second, it
should be edited and have a silence added to the end of it.

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qText

715

Parameters
cSound

The sound cue name to use.

qText
Puts text into the queue to be performed by talk.

Parameters
cText

The text to convert to speech.

Example
tts.qText("Hello, how are you?");

reset
Stops playback of queued text and flushes the queue. It also resets all the properties of the TTS object to
their default values. Text playback cannot be resumed with resume.

resume
Resumes playback of text on a paused TTS object.

stop
Stops playback of queued text and flushes the queue. Playback of text cannot be resumed with resume.

talk
Sends whatever is in the queue to be spoken by the Text-To-Speech engine. If text output had been
paused, talk resumes playback of the queued text.

Example
tts.qText("Hello there!");
tts.talk();

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util

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util
A static JavaScript object that defines a number of utility methods and convenience functions for string
and date formatting and parsing.

util methods
crackURL
7.0.5
Breaks a URL into its component parts.

Parameters
cURL

A string specifying the URL.

Returns
An object containing the following properties:
Property

Description

cScheme

The scheme of the URL. It may be file, http or https.

cUser

(Optional) The user name specified in the URL.

cPassword

(Optional) The password specified in the URL.

cHost

The hostname of the URL.

nPort

The port number of the URL.

cPath

(Optional) The path portion of the URL.

cParameters

(Optional) The parameter string portion of the URL.

cFragments

(Optional) The fragments of the URL.

This method throws a parameter error if the parameter is missing, the URL is not well-formed, or the URL
scheme is not file, http, or https.

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iconStreamFromIcon

717

Example
The following code
util.crackURL("http://example.org/myPath?name0=value0&name1=value1#frag");

would return
{
cScheme: "http",
cHost: "example.org",
nPort: 80,
cPath: "/myPath",
cParameters: "?name0=value0&name1=value1",
cFragments: "frag"
}

iconStreamFromIcon
7.0
Converts an XObject-based Icon object into an Icon Stream object.

Parameters
oIcon

An Icon object to be converted into an Icon Stream object.

Returns
Icon Stream object

This method allows an icon obtained from the Doc importIcon or getIcon methods to be used in a
method such as app.addToolButton, which would otherwise accept only an Icon Stream object as
an input parameter.

Example
Import an icon into the document-level named icons tree and add a toolbutton to the application.
this.importIcon("myIcon", "/C/temp/myIcon.jpg", 0);
var oIcon = util.iconStreamFromIcon(this.getIcon("myIcon"));
app.addToolButton({
cName: "myButton",
oIcon: oIcon,
cExec: "console.println('My Button!');",
cTooltext: "My button!",
nPos: 0
});

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printd

718

printd
3.01
Returns a date using a specified format.

Parameters
cFormat

The date and time format. It can be one of the following types:
●

A string that is a pattern of supported substrings that are place-holders for date
and time data. Recognized date and time strings are shown in the table below.

●

Beginning with Acrobat 5.0, a number specifying the format. Supported values
(along with examples of each format) are:
0 — PDF date format. Example: D:20000801145605+07'00'
1 — Universal. Example: D:20000801145605+07'00'
2 — Localized string. Example: 2000/08/01 14:56:05

●

Beginning with Acrobat 7.0, if bXFAPicture is true, this parameter is
interpreted using the XFA Picture Clause format.

oDate

A Date object to format. Date objects can be obtained from the Date constructor of
core JavaScript or from the util.scand method.

bXFAPicture

(optional, Acrobat 7.0) A Boolean value specifying whether the value of cFormat is
interpreted using the XFA Picture Clause format, which gives extensive support for
localized times and dates. See the sections on date and time pictures in XFA
Specification, Version 2.2, for additional discussion. (See “Related documentation” on
page 28.)
The default is false.

Returns
The formatted date string.

cFormat String Patterns
String

Effect

Example

mmmm

Long month

September

mmm

Abbreviated month

Sep

mm

Numeric month with leading zero

09

m

Numeric month without leading zero

9

dddd

Long day

Wednesday

ddd

Abbreviated day

Wed

Adobe Acrobat SDK

JavaScript API

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

printd

String

Effect

Example

dd

Numeric date with leading zero

03

d

Numeric date without leading zero

3

yyyy

Long year

1997

yy

Abbreviated Year

97

HH

24 hour time with leading zero

09

H

24 hour time without leading zero

9

hh

12 hour time with leading zero

09

h

12 hour time without leading zero

9

MM

minutes with leading zero

08

M

minutes without leading zero

8

ss

seconds with leading zero

05

s

seconds without leading zero

5

tt

am/pm indication

am

t

single digit am/pm indication

a

j

Japanese Emperor Year (abbreviated)
Note: Introduced in Acrobat 6.0. In Acrobat 7.0, this format string has
been deprecated in favor of the XFA Picture Clause format.

jj

Japanese Emperor Year
Note: Introduced in Acrobat 6.0. In Acrobat 7.0, this format string has
been deprecated in favor of the XFA Picture Clause format.

\

use as an escape character

Example 1
Format the current date in long format:
var d = new Date();
console.println("Today is " + util.printd("mmmm dd, yyyy", d));

Example 2 (Acrobat 5.0)
Display the date in a local format
console.println(util.printd(2, new Date() ));

719

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JavaScript API
printf

720

Example 3 (Acrobat 7.0)
Use the XFA-Picture Clause to write the current date to the console.
// Execute in console
console.println(
util.printd("EEE, 'the' D 'of' MMMM, YYYY", new Date(), true));
// The output on this day is
Tue, the 13 of July, 2004

Locale-Sensitive Picture Clauses. Normally processing of picture clauses occurs in the ambient locale. It is
possible, however, to indicate that picture processing be done in a specific locale. This is of use when
formatting or parsing data that is locale-specific and different from the ambient locale. The syntax for this
extension to compound picture clauses is:
category-name(locale-name){picture-symbols}

The code executed in the console,
util.printd("date(fr){DD MMMM, YYYY}", new Date(), true)

yields the output on this day,
13 juillet, 2004

The XFA-Picture Clause gives extensive support for Chinese, Chinese (Taiwan), Japanese, and Korean
(CCJK) times and dates. The example below, a custom format script of a text field, gives the current date
formatted for a Japanese locale.
event.value = util.printd("date(ja){ggYY/M/D}", new Date(), true)

printf
3.01
Formats one or more arguments as a string according to a format string. It is similar to the C function of the
same name. This method converts and formats incoming arguments into a result string according to a
format string (cFormat).
The format string consists of two types of objects:
●

Ordinary characters, which are copied to the result string.

●

Conversion specifications, each of which causes conversion and formatting of the next successive
argument to printf.

Each conversion specification is constructed as follows:
%[,nDecSep][cFlags][nWidth][.nPrecision]cConvChar

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printf

721

The following table describes the components of a conversion specification.
nDecSep

A comma character (,) followed by a digit that indicates the decimal/separator
format:
0 — Comma separated, period decimal point
1 — No separator, period decimal point
2 — Period separated, comma decimal point
3 — No separator, comma decimal point

cFlags

Only valid for numeric conversions and consists of a number of characters (in any
order), which will modify the specification:
+ — Specifies that the number will always be formatted with a sign.
space — If the first character is not a sign, a space will be prefixed.
0 — Specifies padding to the field with leading zeros.
# — Specifies an alternate output form. For f, the output will always have a

decimal point.
nWidth

A number specifying a minimum field width. The converted argument is formatted to
be at least this many characters wide, including the sign and decimal point, and may
be wider if necessary. If the converted argument has fewer characters than the field
width, it is padded on the left to make up the field width. The padding character is
normally a space, but is 0 if the zero padding flag is present (cFlags contains 0).

nPrecision

A period character (.) followed by a number that specifies the number of digits after
the decimal point for float conversions.

cConvChar

Indicates how the argument should be interpreted:
d — Integer (truncating if necessary)
f — Floating-point number
s — String
x — Integer (truncating if necessary) and formatted in unsigned hexadecimal

notation

Parameters
cFormat

The format string to use.

arguments

The optional arguments(s) that contain the data to be inserted in
place of the % tags specified in the first parameter, the format string.
The number of optional arguments must be the same as the number
of % tags.

Note: The util.printf function does not accept an object literal with properties that contain the
arguments. Arguments are entered in the usual comma-delimited list.

Returns
A result string formatted as specified.

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printx

722

Example
Take an irrational number and display it using various formats of util.printf.
var n = Math.PI * 100;
console.clear();
console.show();
console.println(util.printf("Decimal format: %d", n));
console.println(util.printf("Hex format: %x", n));
console.println(util.printf("Float format: %.2f", n));
console.println(util.printf("String format: %s", n));

The output of the above script is as follows:
Decimal format: 314
Hex format: 13A
Float format: 314.16
String format: 314.159265358979

printx
3.01
Formats a source string, cSource, according to a formatting string, cFormat. A valid format for cFormat
is any string that may contain special masking characters:
Value

Effect

?

Copy next character.

X

Copy next alphanumeric character, skipping any others.

A

Copy next alpha character, skipping any others.

9

Copy next numeric character, skipping any others.

*

Copy the rest of the source string from this point on.

\

Escape character.

>

Upper case translation until further notice.

<

Lower case translation until further notice.

=

Preserve case until further notice (default).

Parameters
cFormat

The formatting string to use.

cSource

The source string to use.

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scand

723

Returns
The formatted string.

Example
Format a string as a U.S. telephone number.
var v = "aaa14159697489zzz";
v = util.printx("9 (999) 999-9999", v);
console.println(v);

scand
4.0
Converts a date into a JavaScript Date object according to the rules of a format string. This routine is much
more flexible than using the date constructor directly.
Note: Given a two-digit year for input, scand uses the date horizon heuristic to resolve the ambiguity. If
the year is less than 50, it is assumed to be in the 21st century (that is, add 2000). If it is greater than
or equal to 50, it is in the 20th century (add 1900).
The supplied date cDate should be in the same format as described by cFormat.

Parameters
cFormat

The rules to use for formatting the date. cFormat uses the same syntax as found in
printd.

cDate

The date to convert.

Returns
The converted Date object, or null if the conversion fails.

Example 1
/* Turn the current date into a string. */
var cDate = util.printd("mm/dd/yyyy", new Date());
console.println("Today’s date: " + cDate);
/* Parse it back into a date. */
var d = util.scand("mm/dd/yyyy", cDate);
/* Output it in reverse order. */
console.println("Yet again: " + util.printd("yyyy mmm dd", d));

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spansToXML

724

Example 2
Retrieve a text field value, see if it is a date of the acceptable format, then report results in an alert box or
the console window.
The method returns null if the conversions fails, which can occur if the user inputs a data different than
what is expected. In this case, test the return value for null.
var d= util.scand("mm/dd/yyyy", this.getField("myDate").value);
if ( d== null )
app.alert("Please enter a valid date of the form" +
" \"mm/dd/yyyy\".")
else {
console.println("You entered the date: "
+ util.printd("mmmm dd, yyyy",d));
}

spansToXML
6.0
Converts an array of Span objects into an XML(XFA) String as described in the PDF Reference version 1.7.

Parameters
An array of Span objects

An array of Span objects to be converted into an XML string.

Returns
String

Example
Get the value of a rich text field, turns all of the text blue, converts it to an XML string and then prints it to
the console.
var f = getField("Text1");
var spans = f.richValue;
for(var index = 0; index < spans.length; index++)
spans[index].textColor = color.blue;
console.println(util.spansToXML(spans));

streamFromString
7.0
Converts a string to a ReadStream object.

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stringFromStream

725

Parameters
cString

The string to be converted into a ReadStream object.

cCharSet

(optional) The encoding for the string in cString. The options are utf-8, utf-16,
Shift-JIS, BigFive, GBK, UHC. The default is utf-8.

Returns
ReadStream object

Example
Take the response given in a text field of this document and append it to an attached document.
var v = this.getField("myTextField").value;
var oFile = this.getDataObjectContents("MyNotes.txt");
var cFile = util.stringFromStream(oFile, "utf-8");
cFile += "\r\n" + cFile;
oFile = util.streamFromString( cFile, "utf-8");
this.setDataObjectContents("MyNotes.txt", oFile);

This example uses the Doc methods getDataObjectContents and setDataObjectContents and
util.stringFromStream.

stringFromStream
7.0
Converts a ReadStream object to a string.

Parameters
oStream

ReadStream object to be converted into a string.

cCharSet

(optional) The encoding for the string in oStream. The options are utf-8, utf-16,
Shift-JIS, BigFive, GBK, UHC. The default is utf-8.

Returns
String

Example
Assume there is a text file embedded in this document. This example reads the contents of the attachment
and displays it in the multiline text field.
var oFile = this.getDataObjectContents("MyNotes.txt");
var cFile = util.stringFromStream(oFile, "utf-8");
this.getField("myTextField").value = cFile;

This example uses getDataObjectContents to get the file stream of the attached document.

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xmlToSpans

726

xmlToSpans
6.0
Converts an XML (XFA) string, as described in the PDF Reference version 1.7, to an array of Span objects
suitable for specifying as the richValue or richContents of a field or annotation.

Parameters
a string

An XML (XFA) string to be converted to an array of Span objects.

Returns
An Array of Span objects

Example
Get the rich text string from “Text1”, convert it to XML, then convert it back to an array of Span objects and
repopulate the text field.
var f = getField("Text1");
var spans = f.richValue;
var str = util.spansToXML(spans);
var spans = util.xmlToSpans(str);
f.richValue = spans;

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JavaScript API
XFA

727

XFA
6.0.2
The XFA object provides access to the XFA appModel container. More detailed information is available in
Developing Acrobat Applications Using JavaScript (see “Related documentation” on page 28). Additional
XFA documentation is available through the XML section of the Acrobat Family Developer Center.
An XFA object is returned by the XMLData.parse and XMLData.applyXPath methods.

Example
The following code detects whether the PDF document has Acrobat forms or was created by LiveCycle
Designer and has XML forms. The script can be run in the console, or as a batch sequence; in the latter case,
the script can be used to classify all selected document as an XML form (dynamic or static) or as an Acrobat
form.
// This script assumes you are using Acrobat 8.0.
console.println("Document name: " + this.documentFileName);
// The xfa object is undefined in an Acrobat form.
if ( typeof xfa == "object" ) {
if ( this.dynamicXFAForm )
console.println(" This is a dynamic XML form.");
else
console.println(" This is a static XML form.");
if ( this.XFAForeground )
console.println(" This document has imported artwork");
}
else console.println(" This is an Acrobat form.");

Adobe Acrobat SDK

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JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

XMLData

728

XMLData
XMLData is a static object that allows the creation of a JavaScript object representing an XML document
tree and permits the manipulation of arbitrary XML documents through the XFA Data DOM. (In XFA, there
are several other DOMs parallel to the Data DOM, but for the purpose of the XMLData object, only the
Data DOM is used.)

PDF documents that return true to the Doc dynamicXFAForm property can use the XMLData object but
cannot have its form fields manipulated by that object, because the two data DOMs are isolated from each
other.

XMLData methods
applyXPath
7.0
Enables you to manipulate and query an XML document by using XPath expressions. The XPath language
is described in the W3C document XML Path Language (XPath), which is available at
http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath.
XPath expressions evaluate to one of the known four types: Boolean, Number, String, Node-set. In
JavaScript, they are returned, respectively, as the following types: Boolean, Number, String, and Object.
If an object is returned, it is of type XFA object, which represents either a tree started by a single node or a
tree started by a list of nodes (a tree list). The type of this object is the same as the one returned by the
XMLData.parse.
Note: XFA provides a query mechanism, SOM expressions, which is similar to that of XPath. Because XPath
is widely used in the XML community, the applyXPath method allows users to use XPath
expressions if they choose.

Parameters
oXml

An XFAObject object representing an XML document tree.
Note: An exception is thrown if the value of this parameter is a nodeList XFA object
instead of the root of an XML tree.

cXPath

A string parameter with the XPATH query to be performed on the document tree.

Returns
Boolean, Number, String, or XFAObject.

Adobe Acrobat SDK
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JavaScript API
applyXPath

Example
This example shows each of the return types of XMLData.applyXPath (Boolean, number, string, or
XFAObject). It extracts information from an XML data string, in this case, the family tree of the “Robat”
family).
var cXMLDoc = "<family name = 'Robat'>\
<grandad id = 'm1' name = 'A.C.' gender='M'>\
<child> m2 </child>\
<personal>\
<income>100000</income>\
</personal>\
</grandad>\
<dad id = 'm2' name = 'Bob' gender='M'>\
<parent> m1 </parent>\
<spouse> m3 </spouse>\
<child> m4 </child>\
<child> m5 </child>\
<child> m6 </child>\
<personal>\
<income>75000</income>\
</personal>\
</dad>\
<mom id = 'm3' name = 'Mary' gender='F'>\
<spouse> m2 </spouse>\
<personal>\
<income>25000</income>\
</personal>\
</mom>\
<daughter id = 'm4' name = 'Sue' gender='F'>\
<parent> m2 </parent>\
<personal>\
<income>40000</income>\
</personal>\
</daughter>\
<son id = 'm5' name = 'Jim' gender='M'>\
<parent> m2 </parent>\
<personal>\
<income>35000</income>\
</personal>\
</son>\
<daughter id = 'm6' name = 'Megan' gender='F'>\
<parent> m2 </parent>\
<personal>\
<income>30000</income>\
</personal>\
</daughter>\
</family>";
var myXML= XMLData.parse( cXMLDoc, false);

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JavaScript API
applyXPath

The following line returns an XFAObject.
Get mom’s data.
var a = XMLData.applyXPath(myXML, "//family/mom")
a.saveXML('pretty');
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<mom id="m3" name="Mary" gender="F">
<spouse> m2 </spouse>
<personal>
<income>25000</income>
</personal>
</mom>
// get the income element value
a.personal.income.value = "20000"; // change the income

Get dad’s name, an attribute.
var b = XMLData.applyXPath(myXML, "//family/dad/@name");
b.saveXML('pretty');
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
name="Bob"
// assign to a variable
var dadsName = b.value; // dadsName = "Bob"

Get all attributes of dad node.
var b = XMLData.applyXPath( myXML, "//family/dad/attribute::*" );
for(var i=0; i < b.length; i++)
console.println(b.item(i).saveXML('pretty'))

The loop above outputs the following to the console.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
id="m2"
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
name="Bob"
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
gender="M"

Extract particular information from this
console.println("For attribute 2, we have " + b.item(2).name + " = '"
+ b.item(2).value + "'.");

which yields an output of
For attribute 2, we have gender = 'M'.

Get dad’s second child.
var c = XMLData.applyXPath(myXML, "//family/dad/child[position()=2]");
c.saveXML('pretty')
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<child> m5 </child>

This is the id of dad’s second child. The examples below get the family data on this child.

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The following returns a string.
// Calculate the value of dadsName using XPath methods.
var dadsName = XMLData.applyXPath(myXML, "string(//family/dad/@name)")
// dadsName is assigned a value of "Bob" with this one line.

Get the family information on dad’s second child. The following line assigns c = "m5". The return value of
the call to applyXPath is a string, and the function normalize-space converts its argument to a string
and removes any surrounding spaces.
var c = XMLData.applyXPath(myXML,
"normalize-space(//family/dad/child[2])");
var d = "//*[@id = \'" + c + "\']"; // Note: d= "//*[@id = 'm5']"
XMLData.applyXPath(myXML, d ).saveXML('pretty'); // show what we have
<son id="m5" name="Jim" gender="M">
<parent> m2 </parent>
<personal>
<income>35000</income>
</personal>
</son>

Now display information about the sixth child node of the family root. The XPath functions name and
concat are used.
var e = XMLData.applyXPath(myXML,
"concat(name(//family/child::*[position()=6]), '=',
//family/child::*[position()=6]/@name)" );
console.println(e); // the output is "daughter=Megan"

Get the names of all members of the “Robat” family.
e = XMLData.applyXPath(myXML,"//family/child::*" );
for ( var i = 1; i <= e.length; i++ ) {
var str = "string(//family/child::*["+i+"]/@name)";
console.println(XMLData.applyXPath(myXML,str));
}

The output is
A.C.
Bob
Mary
Sue
Jim
Megan

The following code shows a Boolean return value.
var f = XMLData.applyXPath( myXML, "//family/dad/@id = 'm2'" );
if ( f == true ) console.println("dad's id is 'm2'");
else console.println("dad's id is not 'm2'");

The following code shows a numeric return value.
// Get dad’s income
g = XMLData.applyXPath( myXML, "number(//family/dad/personal/income)" );
// Double dad's salary, implied conversion to a number type
console.println("Dad's double salary is " +
XMLData.applyXPath( myXML, "//family/dad/personal/income * 2" ) );

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Now compute the total income of the family “Robat”.
console.println("Total income of A.C. Robat's family is "
+ XMLData.applyXPath( myXML, "sum(//income)" ) + ".");

The above line writes the following to the console.
Total income of A.C. Robat's family is 305000.

List the individual incomes.
var g = XMLData.applyXPath( myXML, "//income")
for ( var i =0; i< g.length; i++) console.println(g.item(i).value);

parse
7.0
Creates an object representing an XML document tree. Its parameters are the same as those of the
loadXML method in the XFA Data DOM.
This method returns an object of type XFA object that represents either a tree headed by a single node or
a tree started by a list of nodes (a tree list).

Parameters
param1

A string containing the XML document.

param2

(optional) A Boolean value specifying whether the root node of the XML document should
be ignored. The default value is true. If false, the root node should not be ignored.

Returns
XFAObject

Example 1
Consider the XML document as first introduced in the example following the XMLData.applyXPath
method.
var x = XMLData.parse( cXMLDoc, false );
var y = x.family.name;
// An XFAObject
console.println(y.value);
// Output to console is "Robat"

Get information about dad.
y = x.family.dad.id;
console.println(y.value);

// An XFAObject
// Output to console is "m2"

y = x.family.dad.name.value;
x.family.dad.name.value = "Robert";
y = x.family.dad.name.value;

// y = "Bob"
// Change name to "Robert"
// y = "Robert"

y = x.family.dad.personal.income.value;
x.family.dad.personal.income.value = "80000";

// y = "75000"
// Give dad a raise

Adobe Acrobat SDK
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Example 2
Create a simple XML document and manipulate it.
x = XMLData.parse("<a> <c>A.</c><d>C.</d> </a>", false);
x.saveXML("pretty");

The output of the previous line is
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xfa:data xmlns:xfa="http://www.xfa.org/schema/xfa-data/1.0/">
<a>
<c>A.</c>
<d>C.</d>
</a>
</xfa:data>

Now create another simple document.
y = XMLData.parse("<b>Robat</b>", false);
y.saveXML("pretty");

The output of this line
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xfa:data xmlns:xfa="http://www.xfa.org/schema/xfa-data/1.0/">
<b>Robat</b>
</xfa:data>

Append y on to x.
x.nodes.append(y.clone(true).nodes.item(0));
x.saveXML("pretty");

The result:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xfa:data xmlns:xfa="http://www.xfa.org/schema/xfa-data/1.0/">
<a>
<c>A.</c>
<d>C.</d>
</a>
<b>Robat</b>
</xfa:data>

Now execute
x.nodes.insert(y.clone(true).nodes.item(0), x.nodes.item(0));
x.saveXML("pretty")

to obtain
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xfa:data xmlns:xfa="http://www.xfa.org/schema/xfa-data/1.0/">
<b>Robat</b>
<a>
<c>A.</c>
<d>C.</d>
</a>
<b>Robat</b>
</xfa:data>

JavaScript API
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Now remove these two nodes.
x.nodes.remove( x.nodes.namedItem("b") );
x.nodes.remove( x.nodes.namedItem("b") );

Now, we are back to the original XML document.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xfa:data xmlns:xfa="http://www.xfa.org/schema/xfa-data/1.0/">
<a>
<c>A.</c>
<d>C.</d>
</a>
</xfa:data>

Executing the following line
x.a.nodes.insert( y.clone(true).nodes.item(0), x.a.nodes.item(0));
x.saveXML("pretty");

yields the following output:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xfa:data xmlns:xfa="http://www.xfa.org/schema/xfa-data/1.0/">
<a>
<b>Robat</b>
<c>A.</c>
<d>C.</d>
</a>
</xfa:data>

Now remove that node just inserted.
x.a.nodes.remove( x.a.nodes.namedItem("b"));

Now insert y (actually a clone of y) between the first and second children of the element a.
x.a.nodes.insert( y.clone(true).nodes.item(0), x.a.nodes.item(1));

This produces the following
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xfa:data xmlns:xfa="http://www.xfa.org/schema/xfa-data/1.0/">
<a>
<c>A.</c>
<b>Robat</b>
<d>C.</d>
</a>
</xfa:data>

Remove that node just inserted:
x.a.nodes.remove( x.a.nodes.namedItem("b"));

Finally, append y onto a.
x.a.nodes.append( y.clone(true).nodes.item(0));

parse

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yielding
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xfa:data xmlns:xfa="http://www.xfa.org/schema/xfa-data/1.0/">
<a>
<c>A.</c>
<d>C.</d>
<b>Robat</b>
</a>
</xfa:data>

JavaScript API
parse

735

3

New Features and Changes
This section summarizes the new features and changes introduced in Acrobat 8.1 and earlier.

Acrobat 8.1 changes
There are new security restrictions for the search object’s addIndex, query, and removeIndex
methods, as well as the spell object’s removeWord method. For more information, see those method
descriptions.

Acrobat 8.0 changes
The JavaScript interpreter now supports E4X, ECMA-357. “EMCAScript for XML (E4X) Specification”,
http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-357.htm, documents this specification.
An example following metadata on page 247 illustrates E4X usage.
The JavaScript category in the Preferences dialog box (Ctrl + K) has a new security check box, “Enable
global object security policy”.
●

When checked, the default, each time a global variable is written to, the origin which set it is
remembered. Only origins that match can then access the variable. For files, this means only the file
that set it, having the same path it had when the variable was set, can access the variable. For
documents from URLs, it means only the web host which set it can access the variable.
There is an important exception to the restrictions described above. Global variables can be defined
and accessed in a privileged context, in the console, in a batch sequence and in folder JavaScript.
For more information on privileged contexts, see “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on
page 32.

●

When not checked, documents from different origins are permitted to access the variable; this is the
behavior previous to version 8.0.

See the section on the global object, page 482, for additional details and examples.
There is a new restriction on the use of app.execMenuItem to a list of safe menu items. See the security
note on page 120.
The following properties and methods are introduced in Acrobat 8.0:
Certificate object

properties:
privateKeyValidityEnd
privateKeyValidityStart
validityEnd (First introduced in version 7.0.5, but undocumented.)
validityStart (First introduced in version 7.0.5, but undocumented.)

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CertificateSpecifier
Object

Acrobat 8.0 changes

properties:
subjectDN
keyUsage
urlType

Expanded description of the url property.
Added four new bit flags to the flags property: subjectDN, issuerDN,
keyUsage, url.
colorConvertAction
object

properties:

Doc object

properties:
xfa (First introduced in version 6.0.2, but undocumented.)

action
alias
colorantName
convertIntent
convertProfile
embed
isProcessColor
matchAttributesAll
matchAttributesAny
matchIntent
matchSpaceTypeAll
matchSpaceTypeAny
preserveBlack
useBlackPointCompensation

XFAForeground
methods:
colorConvertPage
embedOutputIntent
exportAsFDFStr
exportAsXFDFStr
getColorConvertAction
Net object

properties:
SOAP
(Net.SOAP has properties and methods aliased with SOAP.wireDump,
SOAP.connect, SOAP.request, SOAP.response.)
Discovery
(Net.Discovery has methods aliased with SOAP.queryServices and
SOAP.resolveService.)
HTTP

methods: see page 547
steamDecode
streamDigest
streamEncode

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Net.HTTP

object
PrintParams

Acrobat 8.0 changes

738

methods:
request

properties:
booklet
constants.bookletBindings
constants.bookletDuplexMode
constants.handling.booklet (See pageHandling for a description.)

RDN object

properties: Added 22 properties to the RDN object:
businessCategory, countryOfCitizenship, countryOfResidence,
dateOfBirth, dc, dnQualifier, gender, generationQualifier,
givenName, initials, l, name, nameAtBirth, placeOfBirth,
postalAddress, postalCode, pseudonym, serialNumber, sn, st,
street, title

SecurityHandler
object

properties: The following three properties were previously undocumented.

SeedValue Object

Added three new flags: legalAttestations, shouldAddRevInfo,
digestMethod.

docDecrypt
docEncrypt
validateFDF

Change of behavior of the reasons property.
Added the digestMethod property.
Change in wording of the description of the version property.
Added the shouldAddRevInfo property.
SignatureInfo
object

properties:
digestMethod

The following properties and methods are modified in Acrobat 8.0:
app object

methods:
openDoc (cDest parameter added)

Doc object

methods:
addAnnot (New default values for the author property.)
addRecipientListCryptFilter (Added note for Acrobat 7.0.)
getLegalWarnings (No longer dirties document. Return value changed.)
importTextData (Can be only executed during a console or batch event.)

FDF object

methods:
addEmbeddedFile (Updated description of the nSaveOption parameter for

version 8.)
Field object

methods:
buttonImportIcon (Can be executed only during a console or batch event)

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Acrobat 8.0 changes

739

FullScreen
object

properties:

LoginParameters
Object

Modified wording of the cURI and cUserId properties.

submitForm
method

The cPassword parameter can no longer be used. As of Acrobat 8.0, you cannot
create password-encrypted FDF files. If this parameter is used, a form trying to
submit a password-encrypted FDF will throw an ESErrorInvalidArgs exception
and the form submission will not occur.

escapeExits (Can be set to false only during console and batch events)

Adobe Acrobat SDK

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JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Acrobat 7.0.5 changes

Acrobat 7.0.5 changes
Columns 5 and 6 of the quick bars have been removed.
The following properties and methods were introduced in Acrobat 7.0.5:
Collab object

methods:
documentToStream

Data object

properties:
description

Doc object

properties:
hostContainer
isModal
viewState

methods:
addRequirement
removeRequirement
Embedded PDF object

properties:
messageHandler

method:
postMessage
HostContainer object

properties:
messageHandler

methods:
postMessage
util object

methods:
crackURL

The following properties and methods were modified in Acrobat 7.0.5:
SOAP object

methods:
request (cRequestStyle and cContent parameters added)
response (cRequestStyle and cContent parameters added)

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Acrobat 7.0 changes

741

Acrobat 7.0 changes
The Acrobat Multimedia JavaScript Reference, which appeared as a separate document in version 6.0.2, was
merged into the Acrobat JavaScript Scripting Reference, now named JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference.
See the section “Introduced in Acrobat 6.0.2” on page 755 for a listing of all multimedia JavaScript objects,
properties and methods.
Execution of JavaScript through a menu event is no longer privileged. There is now support for executing
privileged code in a non-privileged context. See “Privileged versus non-privileged context” on page 32 for
details.
In versions of Acrobat earlier than 7.0, the JavaScript files AForm.js, ADBC.js, Annots.js,
AnWizard.js, media.js, and SOAP.js resided in the App JavaScript folder. Beginning with Acrobat
7.0, these files are not shipped with Acrobat Professional, Acrobat Standard or Adobe Reader. In their
place, a precompiled bytecode is used to improve performance. The debugger.js file in the App folder is
not included in the bytecode.
Files in the User JavaScript folder are not included in the precompiled bytecode file.
It is recommended that users put their own .js files in the user JavaScript folder, the same place where
glob.js resides. JavaScript code that sets up menu items (addMenuItem) should be put in config.js
in the User JavaScript folder. The location of this folder can be found programmatically by executing
app.getPath("user","javascript") from the console.
Adobe Reader now has a console window. Under Edit > Preferences > JavaScript select Show Console on
Errors and Messages. In addition to errors and exceptions, the console can also be opened
programmatically with console.show(). See the console object for a few other details.
The debugging capability of the JavaScript Debugging window can be made available for Adobe Reader
for the Windows and Mac OS platforms. To debug within Adobe Reader, the JavaScript file debugger.js
must be installed, and the Windows registry must be edited appropriately. See Developing Acrobat
Applications Using JavaScript for the technical details.

Adobe Acrobat SDK

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JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Introduced in Acrobat 7.0

Introduced in Acrobat 7.0
The following properties and methods were introduced in Acrobat 7.0.
Alerter object

methods:
dispatch

Annotation object

properties:
callout
caretSymbola
creationDatea
dashb
delayb
doCaption
intent
leaderExtend
leaderLength
lineEnding
opacityb
refType
richDefaultsa
seqNumb
statea
stateModela
style
subjecta

Annot3D object

properties:
activated
context3D
innerRect
name
page
rect

app object

properties:
constants

methods:
beginPriv
browseForDoc
endPriv
execDialog
launchURL
trustedFunction
trustPropagatorFunction

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Dialog object

Introduced in Acrobat 7.0

methods:
enable
end
load
store

Doc object

properties:
docIDa
dynamicXFAForm
external
hidden
mouseX
mouseY
noautocomplete
nocache
requiresFullSave

methods:
addWatermarkFromFile
addWatermarkFromText
embedDocAsDataObject
encryptUsingPolicy
getAnnot3D
getAnnots3D
getDataObjectContents
getOCGOrder
openDataObject
removeScript
setDataObjectContents
setOCGOrder
Doc.media object

methods:
getOpenPlayers

Field object

methods:
signatureGetModifications

OCG object

properties:
constants
initState
locked

methods:
getIntent
setIntent
PlayerInfo object

methods:
honors

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JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Modified in Acrobat 7.0

PrintParams object

properties:
nUpAutoRotate
nUpNumPagesH
nUpNumPagesV
nUpPageBorder
nUpPageOrder

search object

properties:
attachments
ignoreAccents
objectMetadata
proximityRange

security object

security constants
methods:
chooseSecurityPolicy
getSecurityPolicies

SecurityPolicy object

SecurityPolicy properties

SOAP object

methods:
queryServices
resolveService
streamDigest

util object

methods:
iconStreamFromIcon
streamFromString
stringFromStream

XMLData object

methods:
applyXPath
parse

a. Present in version 6.0, documented in version 7.0.
b. Present in version 5.0, documented in version 7.0.

Modified in Acrobat 7.0
Changed or enhanced objects, methods, and properties
The following properties and methods were changed or enhanced:
app object

methods:
addToolButton
execMenuItem
getPath
mailGetAddrs
openDoc

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Modified in Acrobat 7.0

console object

The console window is now available in Adobe Reader.

Doc object

methods:
createTemplate
mailDoc
print
saveAs
submitForm

Field object

methods:
signatureSetSeedValue

Index object

methods:
build

OCG object

properties:
name

PrintParams object

properties:
pageHandling

search object

properties:
indexes

security object

properties:
handlers

methods:
getHandler
SecurityHandler object

properties:
digitalIDs

methods:
login
newUser
SOAP object

methods:
connect
request

spell object

The Spell object is not available in Adobe Reader 7.0 or later.
methods:
addWord

util object

methods:
printd

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Acrobat 6.0 changes

746

Acrobat 6.0 changes
The notion of a safe path was introduced for this version of Acrobat. See “Safe path” on page 31 for details.

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0
The following properties and methods were introduced in Acrobat 6:
ADBC object

SQL types

AlternatePresentation

properties:

object

active
type

methods:
start
stop
Annotation object

properties:
borderEffectIntensity
borderEffectStyle
inReplyTo
richContents
toggleNoView

methods:
getStateInModel
transitionToState
app object

properties:
fromPDFConverters
printColorProfiles
printerNames
runtimeHighlight
runtimeHighlightColor
thermometer
viewerType

methods:
addToolButton
getPath
mailGetAddrs
newFDF
openFDF
popUpMenuEx
removeToolButton

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Bookmark object

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0

methods:
setAction

catalog object

properties:
isIdle
jobs

methods:
getIndex
remove
Certificate object

properties:
keyUsage
usage

Collab object

methods:
addStateModel
removeStateModel

Connection object

methods:
close

dbg object

properties:
bps

methods:
c
cb
q
sb
si
sn
so
sv
Directory object

properties:
info

methods:
connect

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DirConnection object

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0

properties:
canList
canDoCustomSearch
canDoCustomUISearch
canDoStandardSearch
groups
name
uiName

methods:
search
setOutputFields
Doc object

properties:
alternatePresentations
documentFileName
metadata
permStatusReady

methods:
addLink
addRecipientListCryptFilter
addRequirement
encryptForRecipients
exportAsText
exportXFAData
getLegalWarnings
getLinks
getOCGs
getPrintParams
importXFAData
newPage
removeLinks
setAction
setPageAction
setPageTabOrder
Error object

properties:
fileName
lineNumber
message
name

methods:
toString

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event object

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0

properties:
fieldFull
richChange
richChangeEx
richValue

FDF object

properties:
deleteOption
isSigned
numEmbeddedFiles

methods:
addContact
addEmbeddedFile
addRequest
close
mail
save
signatureClear
signatureSign
signatureValidate
Field object

properties:
buttonFitBounds
comb
commitOnSelChange
defaultStyle
radiosInUnison
richText
richValue
rotation

methods:
getLock
setLock
signatureGetSeedValue
signatureSetSeedValue
Index object

methods:
build

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Link object

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0

properties:
borderColor
borderWidth
highlightMode
rect

methods:
setAction
OCG object

properties:
name
state

methods:
setAction
PrintParams object

properties:
binaryOK
bitmapDPI
colorOverride
colorProfile
constants
downloadFarEastFonts
fileName
firstPage
flags
fontPolicy
gradientDPI
interactive
lastPage
pageHandling
pageSubset
printAsImage
printContent
printerName
psLevel
rasterFlags
reversePages
tileLabel
tileMark
tileOverlap
tileScale
transparencyLevel
usePrinterCRD
useT1Conversion

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Report object

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0

properties:
style

search object

properties:
docInfo
docText
docXMP
bookmarks
ignoreAsianCharacterWidth
jpegExif
legacySearch
markup
matchWholeWord
wordMatching

security object

methods:
chooseRecipientsDialog
getSecurityPolicies
importFromFile

SecurityHandler object

properties:
digitalIDs
directories
directoryHandlers
signAuthor
signFDF

methods:
newDirectory
SOAP object

properties:
wireDump

methods:
connect
request
response
streamDecode
streamEncode
streamFromString
stringFromStream

751

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Span object

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0

properties:
alignment
fontFamily
fontStretch
fontStyle
fontWeight
text
textColor
textSize
strikethrough
subscript
superscript
underline

spell object

properties:
languages
languageOrder

methods:
customDictionaryClose
customDictionaryCreate
customDictionaryExport
customDictionaryOpen
ignoreAll
Thermometer object

properties:
cancelled
duration
value
text

methods:
begin
end
util object

methods:
printd
spansToXML
xmlToSpans

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Adobe Acrobat SDK

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JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Modified in Acrobat 6.0

753

Modified in Acrobat 6.0
Changed or enhanced objects, methods, and properties
The following properties and methods were changed or enhanced:
app object

methods:
addMenuItem
alert
listMenuItems
listToolbarButtons
response

Doc object

properties:
layout
zoomType

methods:
createDataObject
exportAsFDF
exportAsXFDF
exportDataObject
flattenPages
getField (see Extended Methods)
getURL
importDataObject
importIcon
print
saveAs
spawnPageFromTemplate
submitForm
event object

properties:
changeEx

Field object

properties:
name

methods:
buttonImportIcon
signatureInfo
signatureSign
signatureValidate
global object

Persistent global data only applies to variables of type Boolean,
Number or String. Acrobat 6.0 has reduced the maximum size of global
persistent variables from 32 KB to 2-4 KB. Any data added to the string
after this limit is dropped.

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

search object

Deprecated in Acrobat 6.0

754

methods:
query

SecurityHandler object

The following were introduced in Acrobat 5.0 as properties and
methods of the PPKLite Signature Handler Object. In Acrobat 6.0, they
are properties and methods of the SecurityHandler object. All of
these have new descriptions, and some have additional parameters.
Note: When signing using JavaScript methods, the user’s digital
signature profile must be a .pfx file, not an .apf, as in earlier
versions of Acrobat. To convert an .apf profile to the new .pfx
type, use the UI (click Advanced > Manage Digital IDs > My
Digital ID Files > Select My Digital ID File) to import the .apf
profile.
properties:
appearances
isLoggedIn
loginName
loginPath
name
signInvisible
signVisible
uiName

methods:
login
logout
newUser
setPasswordTimeout
Templatet object

methods:
spawn

Extended Methods
The Document.getField method was extended in Acrobat 6.0 so that it retrieves the Field object of
individual widgets. See the Field object for a discussion of widgets and how to work with them.

Deprecated in Acrobat 6.0
search object

properties:
soundex
thesaurus

spell object

methods:
addDictionary
removeDictionary

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0.2

755

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0.2
The following objects, properties and methods were introduced in Acrobat 6.0.2:
XFA object

The following table lists the objects, properties and methods of the Multimedia plug-in. In Acrobat 6.0.2,
multimedia JavaScript was documented in a separate document called the “Acrobat Multimedia
JavaScript Reference”.
app object

properties:
media
monitors

app.media object

properties:
align
canResize
closeReason
defaultVisible
ifOffScreen
layout
monitorType
openCode
over
pageEventNames
raiseCode
raiseSystem
renditionType
status
trace
version
windowType

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

app.media object

(Continued)

Doc object

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0.2

methods:
addStockEvents
alertFileNotFound
alertSelectFailed
argsDWIM
canPlayOrAlert
computeFloatWinRect
constrainRectToScreen
createPlayer
getAltTextData
getAltTextSettings
getAnnotStockEvents
getAnnotTraceEvents
getPlayers
getPlayerStockEvents
getPlayerTraceEvents
getRenditionSettings
getURLData
getURLSettings
getWindowBorderSize
openPlayer
removeStockEvents
startPlayer

properties:
innerAppWindowRect
innerDocWindowRect
media
outerAppWindowRect
outerDocWindowRect
pageWindowRect

Doc.media object

properties:
canPlay

methods:
deleteRendition
getAnnot
getAnnots
getRendition
newPlayer
event object

A new Screen type used with Multimedia along with associated event
names.

756

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Events object

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0.2

methods:
add
dispatch
remove

EventListener object

methods:
afterBlur
afterClose
afterDestroy
afterDone
afterError
afterEscape
afterEveryEvent
afterFocus
afterPause
afterPlay
afterReady
afterScript
afterSeek
afterStatus
afterStop
onBlur
onClose
onDestroy
onDone
onError
onEscape
onEveryEvent
onFocus
onGetRect
onPause
onPlay
onReady
onScript
onSeek
onStatus
onStop

Marker object

properties:
frame
index
name
time

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Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Markers object

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0.2

properties:
player

methods:
get
MediaOffset object

properties:
frame
marker
time

MediaPlayer object

properties:
annot
defaultSize
doc
events
hasFocus
id
innerRect
iisOpen
isPlaying
markers
outerRect
page
settings
uiSize
visible

methods:
close
open
pause
play
seek
setFocus
stop
triggerGetRect
where
MediaReject object

properties:
rendition

MediaSelection object

properties:
selectContext
players
rejects
rendition

758

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

MediaSettings object

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0.2

properties:
autoPlay
baseURL
bgColor
bgOpacity
endAt
floating
duration
floating
layout
monitor
monitorType
page
palindrome
players
rate
repeat
showUI
startAt
visible
volume
windowType

Monitor object

properties:
colorDepth
isPrimary
rect
workRect

Monitors object

methods:
bestColor
bestFit
desktop
document
filter
largest
leastOverlap
mostOverlap
nonDocument
primary
secondary
select
tallest
widest

759

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

PlayerInfo object

Introduced in Acrobat 6.0.2

properties:
id
mimeTypes
name
version

methods:
canPlay
canUseData
PlayerInfoList object

methods:
select

Rendition object

properties:
altText
doc
fileName
type
uiName

methods:
getPlaySettings
select
testCriteria
ScreenAnnot object

properties:
altText
alwaysShowFocus
display
doc
events
extFocusRect
innerDeviceRect
noTrigger
outerDeviceRect
page
player
rect

methods:
hasFocus
setFocus

760

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Acrobat 5.0 changes

Acrobat 5.0 changes
Introduced in Acrobat 5.0
ADBC object

methods:
getDataSourceList
newConnection

Annotation object

properties:
alignment
AP
arrowBegin
arrowEnd
author
contents
doc
fillColor
hidden
modDate
name
noView
page
point
points
popupRect
print
rect
readOnly
rotate
strokeColor
textFont
type
soundIcon
width

methods:
destroy
getProps
setProps

761

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

app object

Introduced in Acrobat 5.0

properties:
activeDocs
fs
plugIns
viewerVariation

methods:
addMenuItem
addSubMenu
clearInterval
clearTimeOut
listMenuItems
listToolbarButtons
newDoc
openDoc
popUpMenu
setInterval
setTimeOut
Bookmark object

properties:
children
color
doc
name
open
parent
style

methods:
createChild
execute
insertChild
remove
color object

methods:
convert
equal

Connection object

methods:
getColumnList
getTableList
console

762

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Data object

Introduced in Acrobat 5.0

properties:
creationDate
modDate
MIMEType
name
path
size

Doc object

properties:
bookmarkRoot
disclosed (5.0.5)
icons
info
layout
securityHandler
selectedAnnots
sounds
templates
URL

methods:
addAnnot
addField
addIcon
addThumbnails
addWeblinks
bringToFront
closeDoc
createDataObject
createTemplate
deletePages
deleteSound
exportAsXFDF
exportDataObject
extractPages
flattenPages
getAnnot
getAnnots
getDataObject
getIcon
getPageBox
getPageLabel
getPageNthWord
getPageNthWordQuads
getPageRotation
getPageTransition

763

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Doc object

(Continued)

event object

Introduced in Acrobat 5.0

getSound
importAnXFDF
importDataObject
importIcon
importSound
importTextData
insertPages
movePage
print
removeDataObject
removeField
removeIcon
removeTemplate
removeThumbnails
removeWeblinks
replacePages
saveAs
selectPageNthWord
setPageBoxes
setPageLabels
setPageRotations
setPageTransitions
submitForm
syncAnnotScan

properties:
changeEx
keyDown
targetName

Field object

properties:
buttonAlignX
buttonAlignY
buttonPosition
buttonScaleHow
buttonScaleWhen
currentValueIndices
doNotScroll
doNotSpellCheck
exportValues
fileSelect
multipleSelection
rect
strokeColor
submitName
valueAsString

764

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Field object

(Continued)

FullScreen object

Introduced in Acrobat 5.0

methods:
browseForFileToSubmit
buttonGetCaption
buttonGetIcon
buttonSetCaption
buttonSetIcon
checkThisBox
defaultIsChecked
isBoxChecked
isDefaultChecked
setAction
signatureInfo
signatureSign
signatureValidate

properties:
backgroundColor
clickAdvances
cursor
defaultTransition
escapeExits
isFullScreen
loop
timeDelay
transitions
usePageTiming
useTimer

global object

methods:
subscribe

identity object

properties:
corporation
email
loginName
name

Index object

properties:
available
name
path
selected

765

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

PlayerInfo object

Introduced in Acrobat 5.0

properties:
certified
loaded
name
path
version

PPKLite Signature Handler
Object (now listed under the
SecurityHandler object)

properties:
appearances
isLoggedIn
loginName
loginPath
name
signInvisible
signVisible
uiName

methods:
login
logout
newUser
setPasswordTimeout
Report object

properties:
absIndent
color
absIndent

methods:
breakPage
divide
indent
outdent
open
mail
writeText
save
writeText
search object

properties:
available
indexes
markup
maxDocs
proximity
refine
soundex
stem

766

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

search object

(Continued)

security object

Introduced in Acrobat 5.0

methods:
addIndex
getIndexForPath
query
removeIndex

properties:
handlers
validateSignaturesOnOpen

methods:
getHandler
spell object

properties:
available
dictionaryNames
dictionaryOrder
domainNamess

methods:
addDictionary
addWord
check
checkText
checkWord
removeDictionary
removeWord
userWords
Statement object

properties:
columnCount
rowCount

methods:
execute
getColumn
getColumnArray
getRow
nextRow
Template object

properties:
hidden
name

methods:
spawn

767

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Modified in Acrobat 5.0

768

Modified in Acrobat 5.0
The console can act as an editor and can execute JavaScript code.
The following properties and methods have been changed or enhanced:
app object

language
execMenuItem

Doc object

exportAsFDF
print
submitForm

event object

type

Field object

textFont
value
buttonImportIcon
getItemAt

util object

printd

The section related to event object has been greatly enhanced to facilitate better understanding of the
Acrobat JavaScript Event model.

Deprecated in Acrobat 5.0
The following properties and methods have been deprecated:
app object

fullscreen
numPlugIns
getNthPlugInName

Doc object

author
creationDate
creationDate
keywords
modDate
numTemplates
producer
title
getNthTemplate
spawnPageFromTemplate

Field object

hidden

TTS object

soundCues
speechCues

Adobe Acrobat SDK

New Features and Changes

JavaScript for Acrobat API Reference

Modified in Acrobat 5.05

Modified in Acrobat 5.05
●

A new symbol was added to the quick bar denoting which methods are missing from Acrobat
Approval.

●

In the Doc object, the property disclosed was added.

Modified in Adobe Reader 5.1
Access to the following properties and methods was changed for the Adobe 5.1 Reader:
Annotation

object

properties:
alignment
AP
arrowBegin
arrowEnd
author
contents
doc
fillColor
hidden

modDate
name
noView
page
point
points
popupRect
print

rect
readOnly
rotate
strokeColor
textFont
type
soundIcon
width

methods:
destroy
getProps
setProps
Doc

object

properties:
selectedAnnots

methods:
addAnnot
addField
exportAsFDF
exportAsXFDF
getAnnot
getAnnots
getNthTemplate
importAnFDF
Template

object

methods:
spawn

importAnXFDF
importDataObject
mailDoc
mailForm
spawnPageFromTemplate
submitForm
syncAnnotScan

769