HotPDF är ett nativt VCL PDF-bibliotek för Delphi- och C++Builder-program som behöver direkt PDF-skapande och redigering, formulär, annoteringar, kryptering, digitala signaturer, Unicode-teckensnitt, standardmedveten utdata och preflight-rapporter utan extern PDF-runtime.
Den här artikeln är skriven för developers replacing hand-edited PDF forms with deterministic Delphi form generation. Den behandlar AcroForm fields and action logic som produktionsnära dokumentteknik, inte som ett isolerat komponentanrop.
Den praktiska risken är att field widgets can look correct while shared names, export values, JavaScript actions, tab order, or flattening rules break the receiving workflow. Därför behöver flödet ett skrivet kontrakt, observerbar diagnostik och realistiska regressionsfiler.
Arkitekturbeslut
Treat the field map as an application contract. field naming rules for repeated widgets and grouped business values / allowed trigger actions, submit targets, and viewer-side script policy
- field naming rules for repeated widgets and grouped business values
- allowed trigger actions, submit targets, and viewer-side script policy
- required flags, default values, calculation order, and validation messages
- whether the output remains interactive or is flattened for archive delivery
Implementeringsflöde
Build the form layer before assigning values. The order below keeps the workflow reviewable for Delphi and C++Builder teams.
- inventory the template fields and normalize names before binding application data
- apply values only after the allowed action profile has been selected
- refresh widget appearances with the same font and color policy used at design time
- validate exported values and tab order in the same viewer family used by customers
- flatten only after all required-field and calculation checks have passed
Valideringsbevis
Evidence that proves the form is usable. Keep these fields with the output or support record.
- field name, widget bounds, page number, required state, and exported value
- action type, trigger event, destination, and whether the profile allowed it
- appearance stream status, font fallback decision, and calculated-field result
- remaining interactive fields after flattening and warnings for unsupported actions
Appearance streams, actions, and flattening order
A production form workflow separates field creation, value assignment, appearance refresh, action binding, and final flattening. Keeping those phases visible makes it possible to explain why a required field failed or why a submit action was suppressed.
Decision table for AcroForm fields and action logic
A decision table keeps product ownership visible when the same workflow is reused by a desktop tool, service job, and support utility.
| Decision | Engineering reason | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| field naming rules for repeated widgets and grouped business values | inventory the template fields and normalize names before binding application data | field name, widget bounds, page number, required state, and exported value |
| allowed trigger actions, submit targets, and viewer-side script policy | apply values only after the allowed action profile has been selected | action type, trigger event, destination, and whether the profile allowed it |
| required flags, default values, calculation order, and validation messages | refresh widget appearances with the same font and color policy used at design time | appearance stream status, font fallback decision, and calculated-field result |
Engineering review notes for AcroForm fields and action logic
Use these review notes to make sure the feature has moved beyond a demo and can be defended during release, support, and customer escalation.
- Decision: field naming rules for repeated widgets and grouped business values. Implementation pressure point: apply values only after the allowed action profile has been selected. Acceptance evidence: appearance stream status, font fallback decision, and calculated-field result. Regression trigger: flattening before validation can permanently hide incomplete or inconsistent data
- Decision: allowed trigger actions, submit targets, and viewer-side script policy. Implementation pressure point: refresh widget appearances with the same font and color policy used at design time. Acceptance evidence: remaining interactive fields after flattening and warnings for unsupported actions. Regression trigger: checkbox captions do not always match the export values consumed by external systems
Gränsfall
- checkbox captions do not always match the export values consumed by external systems
- identically named fields may intentionally share one value across several pages
- viewer security settings can block actions that worked during development
- flattening before validation can permanently hide incomplete or inconsistent data
Delphi / C++Builder notes
HotPDF Component should sit behind a small service boundary that receives files, streams, profiles, and credentials, then returns output paths, warnings, metrics, and validation status. Important terms include AcroForm, widget, field action, appearance stream, submit action, flattening.
Delphi-kodexempel
Följande Delphi-skiss visar en praktisk servicegräns för detta ämne. Håll policykontroller, loggning och validering utanför det smala produktanropet så att arbetsflödet går att testa.
procedure BuildAcroFormPackage(const OutputFile: string; const Profile: TFormProfile);
var
Pdf: THotPDF;
begin
Pdf := THotPDF.Create(nil);
try
Pdf.FileName := OutputFile;
Pdf.BeginDoc;
AddCustomerFields(Pdf, Profile);
WireSubmitActions(Pdf, Profile.ActionMap);
ValidateRequiredFields(Profile.RequiredFields);
Pdf.EndDoc;
finally
Pdf.Free;
end;
end;Produktionschecklista
- Run the workflow on an empty file, a normal customer file, and a worst-case file
- Open the generated PDF with the target viewer, validator, printer, or downstream application
- Log product version, profile version, input hash, output path, elapsed time, and warning count
- Keep passwords, certificates, temporary files, and customer data under explicit retention rules
- Add regression documents when a customer file exposes a new edge case