syncfusion PDF Document Processing
Overview
Create, read, write, and convert PDF files using the Syncfusion PDF Library. This skill supports two operational modes — generating C# code for the user's project or executing tasks directly through a CSX script.
Key Capabilities
- Create & Edit: PDF files from scratch, text, images (various formats), tables, shapes, paragraphs, headings, styles, lists, hyperlinks, bookmarks, headers/footers, watermarks, template management, metadata editing
- Forms & Interactive Elements: Create, fill, and flatten forms (AcroForms and XFA), bookmarks, annotations, attachments, buttons, and content controls
- Advanced Features: Comments, layers (add, remove, flatten), PDF portfolios, JavaScript execution, 3D model embedding and interaction, rich media content (audio/video), optical character recognition (Tesseract engine), text redaction, image redaction, digital signatures and validation
- Conversion: XPS to PDF, PDF to PDF/A conformance, extract text and images from PDF documents
- Security: Password encryption/decryption, advanced encryption standards, document protection with editable ranges, macro management, digital signing capabilities
- Barcodes & Standards: 1D barcodes, 2D barcodes, ZUGFeRD invoice support, PDF/A-1B, PDF/A-1A, PDF/A-2B, PDF/A-2A, PDF/A-2U, PDF/A-3B, PDF/A-3A, PDF/A-3U, PDF/A-4, PDF/A-4E, PDF/A-4F, PDF/X1-A conformances, Accessible PDF/Tagged PDF (PDF/UA) with Section 508 compliance
- Additional Operations: Merge and split PDF files, open and modify existing PDF files, compress PDF files, corrupted PDF detection.
Quick Start Examples
Example 1: Generate Code (Mode 1)
User: "Show me the C# code to create a PDF with a title, a heading, and a paragraph." Result: C# code snippet displayed (no files created)
Example 2: Execute Task (Mode 2)
User: "Generate a meeting agenda document and save it to output/agenda.pdf."
Result: Physical file created at specified path
Two Modes — Choose Based on User Intent
Mode 1: Generate C# Code for the User's Project (default)
Trigger keywords: "code", "snippet", "how to write", "Program.cs", "show me", "sample", "example code", "generate code for".
Workflow:
- Build the C# code using snippets from
references/*.mdfiles and replace placeholders with actual content - Add the code directly into the user's project files (e.g.,
Program.cs) - Do not create or run any
.csxscript
Note: Use Syncfusion.Drawing namespace for this code for cross-platform projects, not System.Drawing. This ensures compatibility across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Note: If Syncfusion.Pdf.Net.Core package is suggested, then must be use the Syncfusion.Drawing namespace for graphics operations instead of System.Drawing to ensure cross-platform compatibility. The Syncfusion.Pdf.Net.Core package is designed to work with the Syncfusion.Drawing namespace, which provides a consistent API for drawing operations across different platforms. Using System.Drawing may lead to compatibility issues, especially on non-Windows platforms, as it relies on GDI+ which is not fully supported outside of Windows. Therefore, always use Syncfusion.Drawing when working with PDF graphics in a cross-platform context.
Note: If RectangleF, PointF, SizeF, or Color types are needed, use the ones from Syncfusion.Drawing namespace for cross-platform compatibility, not the ones from System.Drawing. This ensures that the code will work correctly on Windows, macOS, and Linux without relying on GDI+.
Mode 2: Execute via CSX Script (does not touch project files)
Trigger keywords: "create a pdf document", "make a document", "generate a document", "open", "edit", "modify", "change" a .pdf file, "without modifying my project", "run a csx script", or when the user provides a file path (e.g., output/report.pdf).
Workflow:
- Create
{skill-root}/syncfusion-dotnet-pdf/scripts/temp-{timestamp}.csxusingreferences/template.csxas the base orreferences/template-ocr.csxfor OCR-specific operations. Example,skill-root=.github/skills. - Add required operations from
references/*.mdsnippets and replace placeholders with actual content - Run:
dotnet script {skill-root}/syncfusion-dotnet-pdf/scripts/temp-{timestamp}.csx - Delete the temp script after execution
- Report SUCCESS/ERROR and show the output file path
Note: Use Syncfusion.Drawing namespace for this csx script, not System.Drawing.
Code References
All templates and snippets are in the references/ folder:
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
| template.csx | Core CSX script template (used in Mode 2) |
| document-structure.md | Document lifecycle: create, save, close; sections and page setup |
| open-pdf.md | Open existing PDFs from file stream, byte array, encrypted files, corrupted documents, and cloud storage (Azure Blob, AWS S3, Google Drive, Google Cloud Storage, Dropbox) |
| save-pdf.md | Save new and loaded PDFs to file path, MemoryStream, byte array, and cloud storage (Azure Blob, AWS S3, Google Drive, Google Cloud Storage, Dropbox) |
| pages.md | Add, insert, remove, rotate, rearrange, import, and configure pages; page count, blank detection, page labels, section numbering, PageAdded event, and page-level actions |
| pdf-graphics.md | Working with PdfGraphics: text, images, and shapes |
| shapes.md | Draw shapes: lines, rectangles, ellipses, polygons, arcs, bezier curves, paths |
| brushes.md | Fill shapes with solid, linear gradient, radial gradient, tiling, and hatch brushes; PdfBrushes static colors; combine pen and brush |
| images.md | Insert, draw, replace, remove, clip, transform, and paginate raster images (JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, ICO); image masking; multi-page TIFF to PDF; unit conversion for image placement |
| text.md | Draw text with standard, TrueType, OpenType, and CJK fonts; alignment, RTL, complex scripts, HTML styled text, multi-column, paginated text flow, ordered/unordered lists, string measurement, text clipping detection, and unit conversion |
| conversions.md | Conversion guidance for scenarios such as complex HTML-to-PDF conversion that require converter APIs instead of direct drawing APIs |
| merge-pdf.md | Merge multiple PDFs into one file |
| split-pdf.md | Divide a single PDF into separate files |
| compress-pdf.md | Reduce and optimize PDF file size |
| extract-text.md | Retrieve text content from PDFs and find text within it |
| extract-image.md | Extract images and image metadata (bounds, index) from PDF pages and entire documents using PdfPageBase and PdfDocumentExtractor |
| ocr.md | Perform OCR on scanned PDFs and images using Tesseract; supports region OCR, rotated pages, layout result, page segmentation modes, engine modes, image enhancement, whitelist/blacklist, Unicode, and image-to-PDF conversion |
| tables.md | Build tables in PDFs using PdfGrid |
| headers-and-footers.md | Add headers and footers with automatic fields and dynamic content |
| bookmarks.md | Create and manage PDF bookmarks (outline navigation) |
| attachments.md | Add, manage, and extract file attachments in PDFs |
| security.md | Encrypt and protect PDFs with passwords and permissions |
| actions.md | Add interactive actions, triggers, and JavaScript to PDFs |
| hyperlinks.md | Add web URL links, internal document navigation, and external file links using PdfTextWebLink, PdfDocumentLinkAnnotation, and PdfFileLinkAnnotation |
| watermarks.md | Add text and image watermarks with transparency and rotation |
| portfolio.md | Create PDF portfolios embedding multiple files |
| layers.md | Create and manage layers (optional content) in PDFs |
| metadata.md | Work with document and image XMP metadata; properties schemas and custom fields |
| redact.md | Redaction examples and usage (text/image/pattern/regex-based redaction) |
| digital-sign.md | Digital signature examples: basic signing → advanced (TSA, LTV, external sign) |
| import-export-annotation.md | Import and export annotations (FDF, XFDF, JSON) — file, stream, and round-trip workflows |
| pdf-forms.md | Create, fill, modify, flatten, and manage AcroForm fields (text box, combo box, radio button, list box, check box, signature, button); covers field properties, visibility, read-only, auto-naming, complex script, and appearance |
| import-export-form.md | Import and export AcroForm field data (FDF, XFDF, JSON) — fill, export, round-trip, and flatten |
| annotations.md | Add, modify, remove, flatten PDF annotations (popup, free text, line, stamp, ink, markup, URI, redaction, cloud border, and more) |
| barcode.md | Add 1D (Code 39, EAN-13, EAN-8, Codabar, Code 93, Code 128, PDF417) and 2D (QR, DataMatrix) barcodes; export barcodes as images |
| colorspace.md | Work with DeviceGray, DeviceRGB, DeviceCMYK, and ICC-based color spaces for drawing and images |
| conformance.md | Produce PDF/A (1B, 2B, 3B) and PDF/X compliant files; convert existing PDFs to conformance standards |
| named-destinations.md | Add, modify, remove, and link named destinations for in-document and URL-based navigation |
| pdf-templates.md | Create and use PdfTemplate, PdfPageTemplateElement (header/footer), and PdfPageTemplate; create overlays and capture pages as templates |
| accessible-pdf.md | Create tagged PDFs, PDF/UA-2, Well-Tagged PDFs and Extract accessiblity tag elements |
| tagged-pdf.md | Create tagged (accessible/structured) PDFs with logical structure trees for screen-reader and reflow support |
| zugferd-invoice.md | Create ZUGFeRD electronic invoice PDFs (PDF/A-3b) with embedded XML; supports ZUGFeRD 1.0, 2.0, Factur-X, and XRechnung conformance levels; extract XML from existing ZUGFeRD PDFs |
| xps-to-pdf.md | Convert XPS (XML Paper Specification) documents to PDF using XPSToPdfConverter |
Rules
- Output files go in
./output/directory - Temp
.csxscripts must be created inside{skill-root}/syncfusion-dotnet-pdf/scripts/— never in the workspace root or customerscripts/folder - Use license key from
SyncfusionLicense.txtat workspace root - Never use Python libraries (e.g., python-pdf)
- Never leave temp
.csxfiles after execution - Always use the latest NuGet package version
Prerequisites
- .NET SDK 8+ and
dotnet-script:dotnet tool install -g dotnet-script - Syncfusion License:
SyncfusionLicense.txtor env varSYNCFUSION_LICENSE_KEY - Free license: https://www.syncfusion.com/products/communitylicense