More about Map eForm rules

The Pega Platform C includes standard activities that your activities can call use to manipulate PDF files. These activities use Java methods in the EFormUtils API — the Java interface that implements the SmartForms feature — to provide the following.

  • Generate a PDF form in either of two ways: by merging property values from the clipboard into a PDF form template ( Rule-File-eForm rule type), or by merging several PDF files into one PDF form or document.
  • Extract the data from an incoming PDF form.
  • Convert the active fields in a PDF form to static text.
  • Apply security and document permission settings to a PDF form or document, including encryption and password protection if desired.
  • Retrieve the PDF files to use when merging several PDF files into one.
  • Store the results as a file or as a work attachment.

For information about using the PDF activities in your applications, see the Pega Community document Working with PDF Forms and Documents.

Note: If the PDF form was created with Adobe LiveCycle Designer, see the Pega Community article Issue: Problems mapping property values to PDF form fields from Adobe Designer.

For information about the EFormUtils API, see the PublicAPI Javadoc documentation. EFormUtils API facilities are based in part on the iText.jar Java-PDF library.

As an alternative to eForm rules appropriate in some situations, the ConvertAttachmenttoPDF flow action provides a direct Microsoft-Word-to-PDF facility. This uses a Windows printer driver licensed from Amyuni Technologies. It operates only on Microsoft Word DOC files (not PDF forms), and does not involve map eForm rules.