I have encountered a problem whilst trying to automate filling out pdfs. I'm using the python library pypdf2. Im using python version 3.10.6.
In vscode I have an extension that allows me to view pdfs and there it shows me the changes that I made, but in the preview window from mac os it doesn't, as well as in safari.
code:
import errno
import os
from datetime import datetime
from PyPDF2 import PdfReader, PdfWriter
from PyPDF2.generic import BooleanObject, NameObject, IndirectObject, TextStringObject, ContentStream
def set_need_appearances_writer(writer: PdfWriter):
# See 12.7.2 and 7.7.2 for more information: http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/en/devnet/acrobat/pdfs/PDF32000_2008.pdf
try:
catalog = writer._root_object
# get the AcroForm tree
if "/AcroForm" not in catalog:
writer._root_object.update({
NameObject("/AcroForm"): IndirectObject(len(writer._objects), 0, writer)
})
need_appearances = NameObject("/NeedAppearances")
writer._root_object["/AcroForm"][need_appearances] = BooleanObject(True)
#del writer._root_object["/AcroForm"]['NeedAppearances']
return writer
except Exception as e:
print('set_need_appearances_writer() catch : ', repr(e))
return writer
def modifyPdf(templatePath, outputfile):
reader = PdfReader(open(templatePath, "rb"))
writer = PdfWriter()
set_need_appearances_writer(writer)
page = reader.pages[0]
fields = list(reader.get_fields().keys())
print (page)
content_object = page["/Contents"].getObject()
content = ContentStream(content_object, reader)
writer.add_page(page)
writer.update_page_form_field_values(
writer.pages[0], {
fields[19]: TextStringObject("xyz")
}
)
# write "output" to PyPDF2-output.pdf
with open(outputfile, "wb") as output_stream:
writer.write(output_stream)
if __name__ == "__main__":
pdf_template = "bauantragsformulare - original/01.1 Bauantrag-2.pdf"
pdf_output = "output.pdf"
modifyPdf(pdf_template, pdf_output)
the pdf_template:
