ANN: PDFTron WebViewer V8
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It’s been a while since our last WebViewer release, but we definitely have not been idle. With this latest version, 8.0, we bring you a host of significant changes to our JavaScript SDK for adding document features to any web application.
This post covers what's big and new in 8.0 -- a Visual PDF Form Builder, Outline Editing with bookmarks, our first iteration of 3D Annotations, and more.
Let’s dive in!
Contents
Virtually any user can now turn their static documents in various formats into data collection machines. With 8.0, a new Visual PDF Form Builder enables creation of beautiful, intricate and interactive PDF forms straight from the WebViewer UI -- no coding or additional dependencies required. Users can just draw the fields they want over top in the builder, tweak field parameters, press Apply Fields, and voilà.
Updating forms is also simple. Just go back into the builder, change what you need, then hit "Apply" again.
This brand new feature is excellent for verticals like healthcare, financial services, and insurance with huge, ever-changing assortments of complex forms. New builder features also benefit anyone creating a custom signing service, as you no longer need to invest significant time into building outside the UI.
Bonus benefit: the new builder comes out of the box as part of your vanilla WebViewer package; thus, if you’ve already licensed WebViewer, you can enable the visual form builder today!
Check out the Visual PDF Form Builder sample to see how to add it to your web experience.
Office Document Template FillingAlso, with 8.0, we rolled out our new automated Office Document Template filling, enabling click-button population of templates with custom data. This is ideal for workflows such as routine emailing of invoices, certificates, and so on.
Check out the auto-fill sample to get started here as well!
Legacy Office File FormatsNext, to deepen WebViewer’s powerful document generation even further, we introduced client-side support for legacy Office formats -- DOC, PPT, and XLS. Users can thus recycle old templates right in their browsers, without requiring dev resources or a WebViewer Server deployment for conversion.
Outline Editing with BookmarksImproving document accessibility is something we strive for in every release. And 8.0 is no exception with its new Outline Editing capabilities. This builder enables users to improve navigation on their newly created long contracts, manuals, textbooks, and so on by adding convenient, side-bar navigation with bookmarks.
With the tools to add, delete and edit bookmarks, users can rapidly assemble outline navigation with bookmarks. In turn, readers of these documents gain visibility into outline structure at a glance. They can then easily click through to specific, relevant sections -- streamlining workflows and accelerating research!
Give your users the flexibility to bookmark and organize their content for sharing.
Check out the outline editor sample.
Reader ModeAlso improving the long document reading experience is a brand new WebViewer Reader Mode. This mode automatically adjusts document content into a more ergonomic layout. Thus, no more straining your eyes to read tiny text on small screens!
In addition, the Reader Mode comes out of box with all the expected reader tools -- like customizable highlights and note-taking features, so your users can jot down their thoughts on the fly.
3D AnnotationsStarting with WebViewer 8.0, you can now take your PDFs into a new dimension with the ability to embed interactive 3D models in PDFs and view them live. Though just humble beginnings, we plan to extend 3D annotation functionality as time goes on. Today, for example, basic features will let architects and engineers include a 3D render of structure along with their blueprints. Medical professionals can embed dioramas in reports. And so on.
This functionality only requires a simple API call to enable. And though there are limits to saving 3D into actual documents, you can save the 3D annotations as XFDF into a database.
Freeform RotationsOne final note: you can now freely rotate certain annotations in WebViewer. Rotate away!
And MoreThis post only covers the most significant changes introduced with WebViewer 8.0. To see the full list including smaller enhancements and fixes, head over to the changelog.
As always, we rely on you -- our customers -- for insight on what innovative things to roll out next. As such, please let us know your thoughts. Drop us a message via support channels, or our request a new feature form.