Understanding the Adobe PDF Library SDK (APDFL) and Acrobat SDK Development

This document provides an overview of the tools and support offered by Datalogics and Adobe for PDF development, highlighting the distinctions between their respective technologies and capabilities.

Datalogics and Adobe Product Overview

Datalogics specializes in selling and supporting the Adobe PDF Library SDK (APDFL), along with other related technologies. However, it does not provide support or sales for Adobe desktop products like Acrobat Pro or Adobe Reader.

The Adobe PDF Library SDK (APDFL) is primarily used to build applications, typically server-based, that do not require Adobe Acrobat.

For developers building Acrobat plugins, no support or tools are required from Datalogics. Instead, Adobe provides the necessary tools via the Acrobat SDK.

The Acrobat SDK

The Acrobat SDK is a toolkit provided by Adobe for developing software that interacts with Acrobat technology. It includes:

Header files
Type libraries
Utilities
Sample code
Documentation

Development Options with the Acrobat SDK

Using the SDK, developers can integrate with Acrobat and Adobe Reader in the following ways:

JavaScript

Extend Acrobat or Adobe Reader functionality by writing scripts. These can be embedded within a PDF document or used externally.

Plug-ins

Create plug-ins using C++ that dynamically link to and extend the functionality of Acrobat or Adobe Reader.

Inter-application Communication (IAC)

Develop separate applications that control Acrobat functionality through inter-application communication. This includes:

DDE and OLE on Microsoft® Windows®.
Apple Events/AppleScript on Mac OS®.
Note: IAC is not available on UNIX®.

Supported Platforms

Windows
Mac OS

Developing Plug-ins for Acrobat and Adobe Reader

Plug-ins for Acrobat Pro

Building a plug-in for Acrobat Pro is free of charge, as long as you already have a licensed copy of Acrobat Pro.

Plug-ins for Adobe Reader

Developing plug-ins for Adobe Reader requires a fee.
To build a Reader plug-in, you must download the SDK and review the documentation package.
Refer to the “Developing Plugin-ins” section of the HTML documentation for a link to the Reader Integration Key License Agreement (RIKLA) Program.

Reader Integration keys are provided only to strategic partners based on a negotiated price.
Note: Reader plug-ins are limited to Reader functionality and cannot access Acrobat Pro features.

Additional Resources

For more information and support, refer to these resources:

Adobe’s Acrobat SDK Overview: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/overview.html
Adobe Forum for Acrobat: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat/bd-p/acrobat?page=1

These forums and documentation can be excellent sources for troubleshooting and community assistance.

This document aims to guide developers in understanding and leveraging the appropriate tools and support for building applications or plug-ins with Adobe and Datalogics technologies.