Java Requires Chilkat v11.7.0+

Fill a PDF Template: Replace {{placeholders}} with Values

See more PDF Text Replacement Examples

Demonstrates the TextReplace method on an invoice template whose values are written as placeholders such as {{customer}} and {{total}}. The "placeholders" object names each placeholder and the text to put in; every occurrence on the page is replaced, including a placeholder inside a sentence or inside a label such as "Tax ({{taxRate}}):". The text is redrawn with the font the template used, so the result looks like the template, and a value that is right-aligned in the template stays right-aligned. The changes are written by WriteFile. Chilkat2 Java

import com.chilkatsoft.chilkat2.ChilkatException;
import com.chilkatsoft.chilkat2.JsonObject;
import com.chilkatsoft.chilkat2.Pdf;

public class ChilkatExample {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        boolean success = false;

        // 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

        Pdf pdf = new Pdf();
        try {
            pdf.loadFile("qa_data/pdf/invoice_template.pdf");
        } catch (ChilkatException e) {
            System.out.println(e.getLastErrorText());
            return;
        }

        // The template has these placeholders in its page text:
        //   {{customer}} (twice: "Bill To:" and the closing sentence), {{date}}, {{po}},
        //   two item rows: {{qty1}} {{desc1}} {{price1}} {{amount1}} and {{qty2}} {{desc2}} {{price2}} {{amount2}},
        //   {{subtotal}}, "Tax ({{taxRate}}):" with {{tax}}, and {{total}}.
        JsonObject json = new JsonObject();
        json.updateString("placeholders.customer", "Acme Corp");
        json.updateString("placeholders.date", "2026-10-18");
        json.updateString("placeholders.po", "PO-88213");
        json.updateString("placeholders.qty1", "2");
        json.updateString("placeholders.desc1", "Cordless drill, 18 V");
        json.updateString("placeholders.price1", "$460.00");
        json.updateString("placeholders.amount1", "$920.00");
        json.updateString("placeholders.qty2", "6");
        json.updateString("placeholders.desc2", "Galvanized hinge, 4 inch");
        json.updateString("placeholders.price2", "$12.50");
        json.updateString("placeholders.amount2", "$75.00");
        json.updateString("placeholders.subtotal", "$995.00");
        json.updateString("placeholders.taxRate", "7.35%");
        json.updateString("placeholders.tax", "$73.13");
        json.updateString("placeholders.total", "$1,068.13");

        // "apply" makes every replacement, or none: if any value cannot be drawn with the
        // template's font, the method returns false, the PDF is unchanged, and jsonOut says why.
        JsonObject jsonOut = new JsonObject();
        try {
            pdf.textReplace("apply", json, jsonOut);
            success = true;
        } catch (ChilkatException e) {
            success = false;
        }
        if (!success) {
            System.out.println("Not applied: " + jsonOut.emit());
            if (!success) {
                System.out.println(pdf.getLastErrorText());
                return;
            }
        }

        // One entry per placeholder: the pages it was found on and how many times it was replaced.
        int i = 0;
        int count_i = jsonOut.sizeOfArray("replacements");
        while (i < count_i) {
            jsonOut.setI(i);
            System.out.println(jsonOut.stringOf("replacements[i].field") + ": " + jsonOut.intOf("replacements[i].count") + " on page(s) " + jsonOut.stringOf("replacements[i].pages"));
            i = i + 1;
        }

        // The replacements stay in memory until the PDF is written.
        try {
            pdf.writeFile("qa_output/invoice_filled.pdf");
        } catch (ChilkatException e) {
            System.out.println(e.getLastErrorText());
            return;
        }

        System.out.println("Wrote qa_output/invoice_filled.pdf");

        // Sample output:

        // customer: 2 on page(s) 1
        // date: 1 on page(s) 1
        // po: 1 on page(s) 1
        // qty1: 1 on page(s) 1
        // desc1: 1 on page(s) 1
        // price1: 1 on page(s) 1
        // amount1: 1 on page(s) 1
        // qty2: 1 on page(s) 1
        // desc2: 1 on page(s) 1
        // price2: 1 on page(s) 1
        // amount2: 1 on page(s) 1
        // subtotal: 1 on page(s) 1
        // taxRate: 1 on page(s) 1
        // tax: 1 on page(s) 1
        // total: 1 on page(s) 1
        // Wrote qa_output/invoice_filled.pdf
    }
}