UiPathTeam.PDF.Extensions.Activities

Extended PDF activities for merging and splitting PDF files.

Created using itextsharp library

Package: UiPathTeam.PDF.Extensions.Activities
Author: @mihai.pricochi

2 Likes

Very useful addition having an issue installing. Receive the following error:

iTextSharp

Ideas?

Guess you need to install this

3 Likes

Well that was easy. Thanks @vvaidya. Just realized there were other packages and how to add (as of now) today.

1 Like

I guess this was happening because iTextSharp was not added as dependency. On the latest version it should be ok.

1 Like

@badita

Any precautions while using this activity (with iTextSharp) for Production use?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHF3xcWnSD4

Thanks,

Vinay

We’re discussing this and it is a good question.

I think the author of the activity (@mihai.pricochi ) should make the code open source, which we are going to do anyway. But then what is happening if someone downloads the PDF extensions and builds RPA on top? Is that mandatory to be opened source too?

We’ll have to answer this.

Now, indeed, anyone who is using a dependency should check the license and decide if AGPL works or not for him, but we should bring some guidelines.

Indeed. As it uses iTextSharp UiPathTeam.PDF.Extensions.Activities falls under GNU GPL. You can use it as long you comply with that license.

Hi @vvaidya,

I am using UiPath Studio Pro version 2016.2.6379 and I have installed this Extended PDF activities for merging and splitting PDF files as I need to automate the split of huge PDF files. Am wondering how to use this coz i cannot find it in the Activities Pane after the installation. Could you please kindly guide me? Thanks!

PDF%20Extension1

Hi, everyone!
Some input on the iTextSharp license:

As discussed here, the iTextSharp software is licensed under GNU Affero GPL.
This is a “viral” license that does not differentiate between work created by derivation from the source code and work created by linkage (statically or dynamically). As a consequence, any modification or work you create that is based on the iTextSharp software will fall subject to the GNU Affero GPL license. This includes any work done based on this particular Activity, which is licenses under GNU Affero GPL.

There are a series of obligations for anyone creating work based on software licensed under GNU Affero GPL. For the iTextSharp one, they are as follows:

a) The work must carry prominent notices stating that you modified it, and giving a relevant date.
b) Keep intact all notices (copyright and other indications) that accompanied the iTextSharp software.
b) The work must carry prominent notices stating that it is released under the GNU Affero GPL.
d) If the work has interactive user interfaces, each must display Appropriate Legal Notices, even if the interactive user interfaces did not come with the Appropriate Legal Notices. Appropriate Legal Notices means you need to include a convenient and prominently visible feature that displays the following:
(c) [your copywrite notice/name & year]
© UiPath 2017-2018
This software is conveyed under the GNU Affero GPL license found here and is based on iText ® subject to the terms and conditions found here. All warranties are expressly disclaimed.

For all the work you create based on the iTextSharp, you need to provide the source code, and also inform every contributor or user of the Activity of the source code location.
Additionally, you must include © Bruno Lowagie and others, iText ® on each PDF you create using the Activity.

Thanks!

1 Like

Please update this activity package, we moved to PDFSharp

1 Like

Hi @badita , @mihai.pricochi, @lavinia.nastase and Uipth Team ,

In the Watermark PDF activity. can you provide that to mark inside the pdf without font name. Because we are receiving the invoice from various customers. Each invoices are in a different fonts.

Regards
Balamurugan.S

Hi Balmurugan,

Are you referring to removing the required attribute from the Font property? This could be done by hard-coding a default font, but it is not a proper solution. It would be easier for you to hard-code the most used font and use it in the activity.

Regards,

Hi @mihai.pricochi,

I’m using Merge PDF Files activity from above package.

Following are the package details:
Version: 2.0.0.0
Published: 06/05/2018
Dependencies: PDFsharp(>1.32.3057)

But I’m getting the following exception.

Message: ISerializable type ‘PdfSharp.Pdf.IO.PdfReaderException’ does not have a valid constructor. To correctly implement ISerializable a constructor that takes SerializationInfo and StreamingCOntext parameters should be present. Path ‘Error’, line1, position 1670.

Source: Newtonsoft.Json

Exception type: JsonSerializationException

UiPath Console: Merge PDF Files : Cannot handle iref streams. The current implementation of PDFsharp cannot handle this PDF feature introduced with Acrobat 6.

I’m using UiPath Studio Pro 2016.2.6274 stable version.

Please help !!!

Hey @Rohit,

As described here: c# - 'PDFsharp cannot handle this PDF feature introduced with Acrobat 6' error while opening PDF file - Stack Overflow

Please update the PDFsharp to a newer version (newest one seems to be 1.50.4845-RC2a

Thanks for the quick reply.:grinning::grinning:

I was searching the web & just few seconds ago, found the same link.
There is a folder with name PdfSharp 1.32.3057.0 in activities folder of uipath. Do you know how to update this PDFSharp to the newer version from UiPath ?

In the package manager, you can uncheck to search just activities and check include prereleases, you should then be able to find PDFsharp and select the newer version

Hi @mihai.pricochi
We were having similar issue so I updated PdfSharp which resolved it, but now we are getting another error.
image

Any ideas?

EDIT: Also, I tried PdfSharp beta and beta3b with no luck.

Thanks.

could you download the latest version and try again? just updated the dependency and tested it locally

Yes, it works now. Thank you sir.