SQL Server Requires Chilkat v11.7.0+

Check a PDF Text Replacement Before Applying It

See more PDF Text Replacement Examples

Demonstrates the "check" operation, which finds every placeholder and label and applies the font rule but changes nothing, and how to read its report: "ok" says whether "apply" would succeed, "replacements" lists what would be replaced, and "problems" lists what prevents it, each with a reason. Here the first check fails because a placeholder on the page was given no value; the value is added and the check passes, and only then is "apply" called. SQL Server

--
CREATE PROCEDURE ChilkatSample
AS
BEGIN
    DECLARE @hr int
    DECLARE @iTmp0 int
    DECLARE @sTmp0 nvarchar(4000)
    DECLARE @sTmp1 nvarchar(4000)
    DECLARE @sTmp2 nvarchar(4000)
    DECLARE @success int
    SELECT @success = 0

    --  This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
    --  See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

    --  The PDF used in this example is available at invoice_template.pdf

    DECLARE @pdf int
    EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.Pdf', @pdf OUT
    IF @hr <> 0
    BEGIN
        PRINT 'Failed to create ActiveX component'
        RETURN
    END

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @pdf, 'LoadFile', @success OUT, 'qa_data/pdf/invoice_template.pdf'
    IF @success = 0
      BEGIN
        EXEC sp_OAGetProperty @pdf, 'LastErrorText', @sTmp0 OUT
        PRINT @sTmp0
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @pdf
        RETURN
      END

    --  Values for most of the template's placeholders -- but not {{po}}, {{qty2}}, {{desc2}}, {{price2}} or {{amount2}}.
    DECLARE @json int
    EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.JsonObject', @json OUT

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.customer', 'Acme Corp'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.date', '2026-10-18'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.qty1', '2'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.desc1', 'Cordless drill, 18 V'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.price1', '$460.00'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.amount1', '$920.00'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.subtotal', '$920.00'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.taxRate', '7.35%'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.tax', '$67.62'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.total', '$987.62'

    --  "check" reports what "apply" would do, without changing the PDF.
    DECLARE @jsonOut int
    EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.JsonObject', @jsonOut OUT

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @pdf, 'TextReplace', @success OUT, 'check', @json, @jsonOut
    IF @success = 0
      BEGIN
        EXEC sp_OAGetProperty @pdf, 'LastErrorText', @sTmp0 OUT
        PRINT @sTmp0
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @pdf
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @json
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @jsonOut
        RETURN
      END


    EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'BoolOf', @iTmp0 OUT, 'ok'
    PRINT 'ok: ' + @iTmp0

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'SizeOfArray', @iTmp0 OUT, 'replacements'

    PRINT 'would replace: ' + @iTmp0 + ' placeholders'

    --  Each problem names the placeholder (field) or label, and a reason:
    --    notFound - the placeholder or label is not on the selected pages
    --    unusedPlaceholder - a placeholder on the page was given no value
    --    missingGlyph, notInEncoding, nonStandardUnembeddedFont, unsupportedFont - the font rule
    --    placeholderSpansFonts - the text is drawn with more than one font or size
    DECLARE @i int
    SELECT @i = 0
    DECLARE @count_i int
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'SizeOfArray', @count_i OUT, 'problems'
    WHILE @i < @count_i
      BEGIN
        EXEC sp_OASetProperty @jsonOut, 'I', @i

        EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'StringOf', @sTmp0 OUT, 'problems[i].field'
        EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'StringOf', @sTmp1 OUT, 'problems[i].label'

        EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'StringOf', @sTmp2 OUT, 'problems[i].reason'

        EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'IntOf', @iTmp0 OUT, 'problems[i].page'

        PRINT 'problem: ' + @sTmp0 + @sTmp1 + ' - ' + @sTmp2 + ' (page ' + @iTmp0 + ')'
        SELECT @i = @i + 1
      END

    --  Give the missing placeholders their values and check again.
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.po', 'PO-88213'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.qty2', '0'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.desc2', '(no second item)'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.price2', ''
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.amount2', ''
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @pdf, 'TextReplace', @success OUT, 'check', @json, @jsonOut
    IF @success = 0
      BEGIN
        EXEC sp_OAGetProperty @pdf, 'LastErrorText', @sTmp0 OUT
        PRINT @sTmp0
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @pdf
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @json
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @jsonOut
        RETURN
      END

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'BoolOf', @iTmp0 OUT, 'ok'
    PRINT 'ok after adding the values: ' + @iTmp0

    --  Now apply.
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'BoolOf', @iTmp0 OUT, 'ok'
    IF @iTmp0 = 1
      BEGIN
        EXEC sp_OAMethod @pdf, 'TextReplace', @success OUT, 'apply', @json, @jsonOut
        IF @success = 0
          BEGIN
            EXEC sp_OAGetProperty @pdf, 'LastErrorText', @sTmp0 OUT
            PRINT @sTmp0
            EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @pdf
            EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @json
            EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @jsonOut
            RETURN
          END

        EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'BoolOf', @iTmp0 OUT, 'applied'
        PRINT 'applied: ' + @iTmp0
        EXEC sp_OAMethod @pdf, 'WriteFile', @success OUT, 'qa_output/invoice_checked.pdf'
        IF @success = 0
          BEGIN
            EXEC sp_OAGetProperty @pdf, 'LastErrorText', @sTmp0 OUT
            PRINT @sTmp0
            EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @pdf
            EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @json
            EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @jsonOut
            RETURN
          END
      END

    --  Sample output:

    --  ok: false
    --  would replace: 10 placeholders
    --  problem: po - unusedPlaceholder (page 1)
    --  problem: qty2 - unusedPlaceholder (page 1)
    --  problem: desc2 - unusedPlaceholder (page 1)
    --  problem: price2 - unusedPlaceholder (page 1)
    --  problem: amount2 - unusedPlaceholder (page 1)
    --  ok after adding the values: true
    --  applied: true

    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @pdf
    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @json
    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @jsonOut


END
GO